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Jovan Ramos

English 113B

Professor Lawson

Self-Reflection

May 12, 2017

Word Count: 775

My Writing and I

English 113B changed many things for me, I did not see myself very confident in writing

at all. In this Portfolio, I can honestly say it contains my best work I have ever written in my

nineteen years of existence. In this final project, you are going to read my first essay with

Professor Lawson and my last. Both essays were well written and I can honestly say, but they

were rushed. Yes, I did receive good grades on these essays but I did not give my full effort. I

chose these essays because in the first one I am speaking about my fraternity and the second one

I am given the privilege of speaking my mind and opinions in the outside media we are

surrounded by today. I honestly enjoyed this class and I mean this still till the day I am typing

this, the passion I saw in Professor Lawsons face gave me such an honor to seat in the front

every time I attended class. In the beginning and middle of the semester I was have family issues

that would affect me in attendance. Later throughout the semester the issue had went away and I

was able to show the writer I am and the writer I could be.

Professor Lawson is the most educated and most liberal professor I have ever had, her

way of letting her students speak for themselves is very well appreciated in that classroom. When

approaching her for ways of improvement she always kept a firm gesture and always let her

students feel like they can always better themselves not only as writing but as human beings. I
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didnt have many expectations coming into English 113B, I have always been the student to lay

back and do what is asked for and never go out of my way to reach my full potential in writing.

In the beginning of the semester, I felt very bored of Professor Lawsons lecture and homework.

But as the weeks passed by me felt more welcome to speak my mind on serious topics rather

than boring irrelevant ones.

When Project Space was announced, I was stoked although I have never really showed I

am stoked for anything. I was really looking forward to this project, simply because I was being

given the opportunity to observe something in my daily life and just write about it. Starting with

the Ethnography, I never looked around me and wrote what I saw. I always just glanced and

admired, the ethnography assignment gave me the opportunity of stopping and looking around

me. Looking around me I realized, I dont cherish the life given to me, looking at my fraternity

made me cherish the people in it and the things around it that support it and keep the house

strong and bold. For the final draft I procrastinated, I felt like I didnt give that essay my all that I

wanted. When I turned it in I felt like I deserved a D or probably even a C, later that week the

grades for Project Space were out. I had seen I got a B+, I was surprised but also just excited.

That B+ gave me the motivation to try even harder in my writing and I did.

For Project Text, I was clogged up with work from other classes and couldnt find the

time to sit down and express my connection with the show, Atlanta. Atlanta grew on me my

Fall Semester and when I saw the prompt for Project Text I knew instantly this was my chance to

show my understanding of the show and its general mission. Finishing I felt like I did a B

paper. Looking at my grade I was disappointed in myself, I had received a C+, I didnt know

why and I checked the comments and realize I did something wrong. A silly mistake, I didnt use

my work cites correctly. When visiting Professor Lawson in her office hours, I remember her
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looking at my paper and telling me why my citations were wrong. There is something she said

that day that I will always remember, she was reviewing the rubric on my paper and said, This

was an A paper dude, you just messed up on your citation. When she said that I realized I can do

something with writing. I realized if I train myself to understand the basics of writing and learn

how to express my ideas and opinions in the right way and I can be a great writer.