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Jennifer Delgado

Jen Bryd

Gen-X Learning Community

December 5, 2017

Reflective Journal

The years prior to my start as a college student, I had been warned by everybody

(literally, everybody: teachers, older friends, family, clients) that pursuing higher education was

not going to be anything relatable to my previous studies. They were wrong. Throughout high

school, I challenged myself to stay on top of my grades, take advanced placement (AP) courses,

and keep a part-time job. Having to manage the heavy-duty workload of my AP classes, while

putting in at least 28 hours at work every week, helped me prepare for this college experience.

While some might argue that finding motivation is the hardest thing to do for a college

student, in my situation, that is not the case. Motivation is not an option anymore; it is a defining

part of my growth. Being a young adult trying to change the world, I find many reasons to keep

waking up every morning to make my way to school by merely reading the headline of the latest

news story. There is always a new problem the world faces, whether it be another list of dying

children due to famine, a ridiculous spectacle made by Trump, a genocide that nobody seems to

stop, or a focus on modern slavery in Libya. So, no, lack of motivation is not my problem.

Especially if I know that the classes I am taking are giving me the adequate knowledge I need to

help somebody in some way.

Through this first semester at UNCC, I have learned a handful of terms and statistics. In

my International Studies course, I realized that sovereignty feeds the selfish motives of each

country, and although sovereignty can be good, it may have adverse effects on the people within
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the state. I realized that even the United Nations, which is supposed to be an international peace

institution, cannot interfere in genocides or other attacks on humanity if even one of the five

powers disagree with the involvement. I learned that the World Bank and the International

Monetary Fund (IMF) are clearly made by the rich, to benefit the rich, which leaves the

developing countries at a huge disadvantage. The availability to current, global news has also

impacted the discussions held in class. As I have realized how messed up our international

systems are, due of their lack of perspective for the impoverished countries, I have convinced

myself that the solution to this would be to effectively bring that perspective into general view.

This course has confirmed my belief that empathy is still a developing characteristic that we

need to work on universally. All of this information has encouraged me to pursue a double major

in International Studies and Political Science in order to educate myself further in these

interdisciplinary perspectives.

In my Gen-X Learning Community, I have learned about women whom were

revolutionary for their time, protecting the rights of their economic, political, and societal

independence. The readings for this class have clarified the importance of fighting for women,

the inclusion of all kinds of people (not just the white straight female) in our conversation for

women's progress, and that there is still disparity between men and women in our nation. The

process of hearing everybody's "I believe" assignment has reminded me that sometimes listening

is the best thing a person can do. Truly listening to everybody's stories and ideas allowed me to

better understand the person. I think that this listening quality that was exercised throughout this

class is a valuable tool that will help each one of us move forward in our relationships and better

understand the people surrounding us. Gen-X has also put helping others on a pedestal. This is a

unique quality of this course, since not many others value giving with the same intensity.
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During this semester, I went through a tough break up with a boy who had been my

boyfriend for over three years. As independent as I'd like to consider myself, I know I did depend

on him much more than I should have. When he was not there, I would feel extremely sad and

believed I couldnt do anything outside of school, work, and hanging out with him. I didnt mind

this pattern, to be quite honest. I enjoyed spending my free time and giving him my heart

whenever I had the chance, but as soon as he stopped putting in the same level of attention and

effort as I would, I decided it was time for him to go. I know that I should probably be writing

about an academic adversity I went through, but other than the overwhelming stress of every

other college student, I didn't really go through anything extremely challenging in school. So,

this fight for independence won that spot this semester. Inside of myself, I knew I would be fine;

however, there is always that sorrow and pain left behind after a break up. I knew the world

wouldnt stop turning, so I kept doing my regular routine and realized that there is definitely

more to me than just being his girlfriend. This situation has allowed me to strengthen myself and

love myself above all.

I have to admit that I have done a pretty good job at turning in my work on time and with

effort. Perhaps I shouldnt have been as stressed as I was, but that same stress motivated me to

complete my work way ahead of the deadline. Even in math, the class I struggled the most in, I

would redo every online quiz until I felt like I knew the information. But one thing I would have

changed this semester is my complaining. I would complain to my mom or myself about the

workload, and although that didnt take up much of my time, I think it had an effect on my

mental state. My complaining made me dread the work even more. My negativity also made me

give off bad vibes, to myself and people surrounding me.

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My commitment to the Gen-X community has gone beyond the volunteer work mandated

by the class. On Friday mornings, I used to go to a bilingual preschool. This is a school that is

not funded by the government. They provide assistance to families who come from exclusively

Spanish-speaking homes. Friday mornings, the school offers English classes for the parents of

the students that have not mastered this second language. While the parents would go through

this learning, my job was to take care of their younger kids between the ages of 5 months to 4

years old. I continued this until the preschool ended their courses for the parents. Currently, I am

giving to the community by sharing my own knowledge to immediate family. I also use my

social media accounts to disperse information beyond the Kardashian novel. I focus on news that

impact women, U.S government news, and global issues that I believe should be addressed. I

have also started a project with the Bezos Family Foundation, who donate $2 to different schools

around the globe for each self-portrait they receive. I have encouraged my clients at work to

participate in this project, and thankfully, all of them have helped support the cause. This

foundation highlights the importance of education around the world, and specifically on courses

that help students consider peace and conflict resolutions, which is something I am a great

advocate for.