My admission to the University of Houston is not a particularly fascinating one, but it has been imperative in my development as a student and individual. After attending a local junior college and trade school, I transferred to UH with the intention of pursuing a degree in English with a minor in Journalism. Since I lived in the greater Houston area, it was not only proximal, but cost effective, allowing me to commute from home while getting a similar experience to that of a state school. Though my GPA was average in high school, I struggled my first semester at UH. This is when the Covid-19 pandemic hit. All of my coursework was moved online, and I struggled to reconcile a largely reclusive and unsocial lifestyle with my coursework, which had now become completely remote. This experience is what allowed me to grow as a student, and shift from a below average student into a good one, balancing part-time work, a social life, and a career-oriented degree program that I am just now finishing up. Though I attended the Spring 2024 commencement ceremony, this summer will be the ultimate, and final, chapter of my experience here at UH. What will the pages read? As I finish up my undergraduate degree, I hope to gain admission to graduate school, with UH as a possible prospect, along with many others here in Texas. I hope to be able to use my language and communication skills, coupled with the experience of life in a post-global, digital era, to my advantage in the career market, one that I can contribute to wholeheartedly and earnestly, and hopefully one in which I can make an impact utilizing my own unique skillset with tact and humility. Now that you know a little bit about me, I want to show you some of my accomplishments that I have made during my tenure at UH. As an editor for Glass Mountain Literary Magazine, I have served as an editor for the prose section, and have also published the URL’s for each of the three articles. Be sure to copy and paste each link into a new browser tab, as clicking on the links directly may not work.
| Courses I Have Taken | Course Description and What I have Learned |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | A fascinating primer on cultural relativism and civilization, allowing for a better cross-cultural understanding both within and without the framework of academia. I learned how worldview varies from nation to nation, and that we are often subject to preconceived biases and prejudices at an early age, obfuscating the connection between two different parties or demographics. |
| Educational Psychology | While there are very few courses that truly gauge one’s potential on an individual level, the listed course delves into one’s personal modal of learning, personality, and lifestyle in order to help optimize their habits in a university environment. I learned about my own shortcomings with learning, as well as the shortcuts to help me build upon those, as I discovered my personality type (ENFP – Extroverted, Intuitive, Feeler, Perceiver). |
| Africana Studies | In a manner similar to that of my Cultural Anthropology course, I learned how the educational system we have here in the Western world has been modeled around a Eurocentric worldview, rather than a universal one that holds all regions and cultures to the same standard. Rather than maintain a derisive attitude towards the view of our society, it prescribes a more holistic approach to incorporating the views and values of those from different parts of the world, with particular focus on the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. |
| Introduction to Critical Theory | Literature is often viewed as a static and/or archaic endeavor, one that is boring and is often hypocritical of real-world issues. The aforementioned course taught me how to use various lenses and perspectives to examine the various literary works I had come across in both junior high and college. |
| Introduction to College Chemistry | Though many may be taken aback by this listing, I thought it worthwhile to mention that one of the most daunting and equally difficult courses has challenged me to better myself in every academic discipline. From sheer memorization and late-night study sessions to rigorous exams, this course takes on through the gamut of academic commitment, and quite possibly, achievement. |