Reflective Essay

Being able to accept change in oneself is both difficult and liberating. When I look back

at the past two year I have spent in the Community, Environment, and Planning program as

well as the additional two years spent previously at Tacoma Community College, I must realize

that I am not the person I was such a short time ago. At only 20 years old, I must acknowledge

the impact my education has had on my development not only within my skills and learning

process, but also within my personal relationships, outlook, and shaping of values.

I find it important to start at the beginning on my college experience. Spending two

years in the Running Start program as a high school student was the best choice I could have

made. When I started, I was freshly 16 years old, and very determined. The Running Start

program allowed me to get an Associate’s Degree for free, which opened my door to higher

education. This determination has been the biggest constant in my educational experience, and

something that made it possible for me to grow in the way I have. I started my college

experience out thinking that I wanted to go into Environmental Studies, or Botany, as my

agricultural experience informed a strong understanding of land use and plant science.

However, as I began to take more requirement-based courses, those which focused on people

and topics like equity, I began to think more and more about how my lived experience shaped

how I wanted to live my life and interact with the world.

Coming from a background of little money, an absent father, and a hard-working

mother, courses that engaged in topics of equity, social change, policy, and more sparked

interest. While a science-based degree was being shown to me as the way to make money, or

“succeed” (in the most conventional way), I realized that in order to enjoy my life, I wanted to
make meaningful change. I also knew there had to be a way for me to mix my interests. Urban

Design and Planning came up in conversation as I was talking to people at the college, and I

immediately saw a career path that enabled me to combine my interests. I went on to complete

my Associate’s Degree, having been accepted into the Community, Environment, and Planning

major at the University of Washington.

I moved up to Seattle in the Summer of 2017, excited for a new start and an opportunity

to expand my skills, as well as move towards a meaningful career. Of course, the transition was

hard. This was for many reasons. To start, I was a transfer student, and barely 18 years old. I

had never been in a university setting, and felt isolated by an air of prestige, and wealth. I felt

overwhelmed by what I did not know and was aware that the years to follow would not allow

me to follow previously set intentions but would rather challenge me by pushing me beyond

them, as well as re-shaping them. This is something that I knew would be difficult, and

something that I should be thankful for.

In my first year in CEP, I set out to have my study area be food systems in urban

planning. This led me to desire to have a Nutritional Sciences minor as well as acquire

extensive internship experience in agricultural organizations, food systems analysis, and

programs. As I began to explore food systems in the city, I saw a disconnect between urbanites

and food. Coming from an agricultural background, my classes were teaching me what I already

knew, so I decided to drop my minor in Nutrition, and pursue an Urban Planning and Design

heavy course load in my senior year.

Beyond just my educational experience, my Junior year in CEP also taught me about

people, friends, professional growth, and valuing myself. For the first time, I was in a very solid
community of people who truly cared about one another. I was able to, and hoped to, spend

time with people who I would have never known growing up and began to break down

preconceptions that I held of myself and others. I began to realize that people cared about me,

and that I should care about myself as well. While an imposter syndrome-driven way of thinking

still was present, I tried to tell myself that I deserved all that I have achieved, and when I was

awarded with a scholarship from the College of Built Environments, I felt very seen. In my

previous studies, I had been so harsh on myself in my grades, with a 4.0, but I began to realize

that truly learning was more important than just passing a test. While I still have kept my

grades exceptionally high, I have not put the same level of pressure on myself. Understanding

in facilitation, community engagement, philosophy and ethics, environmental planning and

more began to flourish. I began to get so excited to learn, and to get into the field outside of

theoretical study.

As my Senior Year came around, I knew I would have a lot to face, with my Senior

Project, a new job at the Associated Students of the University of Washington Student Food

Cooperative, and satisfaction of graduation requirements, but I did not realize the immense

weight of the challenges I would face personally.

To start, at the beginning of the year, I was so excited about my Senior Project. The idea

of developing a meaningful project that I could devote my time to was invigorating, and still is.

In my Senior Project, I worked to connect my past interests into research that would propel me

forward to a higher knowledge about topics in the field of Urban Planning, especially in relation

to land use planning. Within my senior project, I have been able to grow in my research,

analysis, GIS, design, and other skills that I know will guide me in my future work as an Urban
Planner. I am now confident about my understanding of urban planning as a field. This is largely

because of my courses taking shape around the field. This got to get me excited about my

future career. I began to learn from studio-based courses about transportation, community

engagement, mapping and more. I also began to get comfortable engaging with technology,

and learned BIM software, and GIS while strengthening my skills in the Adobe Creative Suite

SketchUp, and other software.

My job at the ASUW SFC also really expanded my responsibilities and skills, and taught

me about myself, especially in managing my time/dealing with stress. I was able to organize

two 250-person Humblefeast community dinners and host a wide range of events that engaged

students with their food system all while running a store front that increases access to and

education about food systems on campus. This work of managing volunteers, a budget, events,

a storefront, and a strong mission provided some very transferrable professional skills.

With the development of my senior project and classes that taught me new and exciting

skills, I also began to feel very confident and comfortable in my ability and worth. When I was

awarded the Husky 100, I truly began to allow myself to realize that what I have achieved is

well-received and not just chance encounter.

Beyond work and school, my personal life was a rollercoaster during my senior year. To

start, in December, I went to visit my family in Poland and experience some very intimate time

with them. I have not been able to be with them due to my parent’s separation and its

consequences. In. this time period, I got to meet my cousin’s child who was only two months

old at the time. I was able to spend time with my babcia, dziadek, ciocia, and wujek: My whole

family. It was a beautiful time but returning back was very difficult. I felt like I had missed out
on being able to be loved by and to love my incredible family to the fullest extent because of

circumstance and distance. CEP was there to support me when I was really missing my family.

In March, I had my close friend die, and CEP was also there for me again. People hugged me

while I cried, went on walks with me on weekends, and had dinner with me. I have become

much more open as a person because of this. I am beyond thankful for the friendships that

have been present in the past two years.

CEP has pushed me to better understand myself and others. It has given me theoretical

and real-world experiences. It has given me friends and professional connections. It has made

me redefine my worth. I am so happy to have gone through these past two years and know

that, despite some struggle, I have only grown from them.