Daniel Janzen

5545 Brekenridge Drive

Murray, UT 84117
October 24, 2016
Laurie Oberg
Academy for Math, Engineering & Science
5715 South 1300 East
Salt Lake City, UT 84121

Dear Ms. Oberg

When I had started coming to the Academy of Math Engineering and Sciences I was not an active learner. In
middle school I always posed myself as the person my parents wanted me to be and didnt care what others
thought. This meant having good grades and worrying about my participation in school. I hated learning and
when there had been a school break I felt relieved about not coming to school the next day. I hated doing
homework and getting a bad grade made me very upset. I didnt like school and thats where the problem lies. I
had been worrying about what my parents thought about me that instead of going to school and feeling excited
to learn, I had been more worried about what my parents might say if they saw a bad grade and most of all, I
wanted them to be proud of me and my hard work toward getting my good grades.

Its not until I got into high school when I started developing a love for learning. It was the first time that I
realized that the things I was doing now would affect me later in life and possibly deviate from the course of life
that I desired. But fortunately I started to like going to school and the more I learned the more I felt better about
myself. It wasnt until this year when started to develop a growth mindset to become an active learner. I realized
that class was a time for instruction and learning, and homework was seen as an opportunity to get better at a
subject. I started asking questions to clarify my understanding in subjects and became curious about subjects
that I didnt understand fully. I realized that knowledge was power and knowing that I kept at it making school a
hobby. As a result to being an active learner I know have better grades than middle school because now I see
school as an amazing chance to learn than a boring job I have to sit through.

Now that Im and AMES student I see my potential is much more than what I had anticipated two years ago
when I had a fixed mindset. In return, my goals are clear and have changed how I perceived my future and my
attitude toward reaching academic excellence. Two years ago, my goal wouldve been to get all As in my
classes and graduate with a GPA that would fit my parents standards. Now, my goal is take advantage of what
AMES has to offer and achieve a higher IQ by learning more about what is taught, rather than worrying about
my GPA.
Sincerely,

Daniel Janzen