Alaiza Ruiz

P.3/Ms. Schenck

ERWC

April 16, 2020

SEP - Reflection

What am I most proud of?

Out of all the assignments I’ve worked on throughout highschool, I’d say the work I’m most

proud of is an essay I did for my AP Psychology class. The purpose of the essay was to analyze a

breakfast club character using proper psychological methods and theories. I honestly don’t even

think it was that great, my syntax and vocabulary was all over the place and it wasn’t even that

strong. However, out of all the assignments I can remember working on, I believe this essay was

one of those rare assignments that I actually really enjoyed writing. When I was writing out this

essay I found myself more interested in psychology and I understood what I was writing. I hope

that in the future I can write more assignments with passion and interest while also applying

proper english language and develop stronger writing habits.

Growth

Looking back at most of my english work throughout highschool, It’s obvious that I have

improved vastly. One habit I’ve realized I was able to break when writing was using the same

descriptive words over and over again. Most of my writing tends to get repetitive after a while

and I would overuse some of the same vocabulary. Now that my range of vocabulary words have

expanded, my writing is less tedious and dry. For example, although it is not an english
assignment, In an essay I did for my AP Psychology class I repeat the words “insecurities and

weaknesses” more than I should’ve. I noticed I’ve also stopped myself from going on tangents

when writing and learned to stay focused on the main purpose of the assignment. My writing

seems to be more sturdy and has more structure compared to my older works.

Opportunities for Growth

Although I have improved my writing and english skills I know I still have much to work on if I

want to be the best I can be. For one, I have to work on the way I transition from one topic to

another. The cohesion of my works are pretty abrupt and out of nowhere. I’ll go from writing a

sentence about one issue to a completely different subject. Also, even though i did say my

vocabulary has expanded, I know I still have a long way to go to be able to write at a college

level. Another area of english I know I have to grow in is speaking and creating arguments. I

don’t speak up much when it comes to class discussions nor do I like to argue. Participating in a

debate where I have to constantly keep up with everyone talking and come up with evidence on

spot is one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ll be sure that when I move on to college, i’ll gather up

the courage to speak up more and participate in class discussions to help enhance my speaking

skills.

The Next Step

If I’m being honest, I don’t have any solid plans after I graduate. I know for sure I’ll be going to

community college however I don’t have a clear idea of what I will be studying and what career

path I want to take. After high school I'll be enrolled into Mt San Jacinto community college and

maybe transfer into a four year college. I’ll definitely also be working during college also to save
up money. One goal I do have that I know I want to reach is being able to move back to LA and

live with friends while studying what we love. I haven’t spent much time at Great Oak but from

the little time I've had, I was able to figure out a short term plan after highschool. Great Oak

helped me with enrolling into a community college and dealing with financial aid. I also learned

that’s okay to not know what career path I’ll take yet, and I still have time to figure it out.