About Me

When I first learned the phrase "ignorance is bliss," I did not understand why someone might rather choose to be ignorant when there is so much to learn in this world. That was just the philosophical thinking of a six-year-old, but my desire to learn and better myself has yet to waver. That is why I chose to attend Old Dominion University to pursue a Bachelor of Science in the Interdisciplinary Study of Professional Writing and a minor in Philosophy.

In one of my English courses in high school, I remember being assigned my first research paper. This was not like other papers I had completed-- we were required to have multiple sources before we even began writing, and each source was designated to its own notecard. Many other students were complaining, as there are many citation generators available online, and there was seemingly no reason to have to do the work by hand. Yet, having these physical cards was very appealing to me. I liked how organized it made me feel before approaching the actual essay. Then, when I began writing the essay, I realized I didn't need to be creative like what was expected of me for other essays and assignments; research papers require critical literary analysis framed in a precise manner. It requires technical knowledge of the aspects of the English language, as grammar and syntax is the first impression of the author to the reader. For many, this is boring, even tedious work. For me, I was excited to show everyone what I was able to accomplish. This was the spark for a passion that I now know I want to make a part of my lifestyle. 

I began my journey at ODU in the Fall of 2019 and quickly declared my major as I am striving to be a technical writer when I graduate. Although my projected graduation date was in the Spring of 2023, my eagerness to learn and my devotion to my education pushed me to graduate in three years instead of the traditional four. I sincerely thank the Advanced Placement (AP) program implemented at my high school which helped me knock out a lot of general education requirements before I even set foot on ODU's campus, allowing me to get into the more degree-pertinent courses earlier on in my academic career. 

Thus far in my education, I have taken a plethora of English courses as writing is a major component of my degree. Some of these include Introduction to Technical Writing, Technical Communication, Digital Writing, Intro. to Rhetorical Studies, Advanced Composition, Aspects of English Language, English Linguistics, and Communication Across Cultures. These courses have taught me a great deal about professional communication and I credit my current writing abilities to the amazing professors of these courses. Even though I do focus a lot on the study of the English language, I would not have a rounded education if it weren't for the science, math, social studies, and human creativity courses I have also taken while at ODU. It was because of my exploration into the subjects not necessarily required by my major that I discovered Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) and the TESL certificate that ODU offers. In the Spring of 2021, I decided that I wanted to pursue this certificate on top of my major. Even though it is not something I see myself devoting to full time, it is a passion I didn't want to ignore and ODU gave me the wonderful opportunity to denote my abilities in that field through a formal certificate. 

In the Fall of 2021, I took several philosophy courses as this field has always intrigued me, and I realized that I wanted to pursue a minor in philosophy as well. By the time I graduate, I will have taken a few basic, introductory courses in philosophy and ethics, as well as some more specific subfields and applications, such as business ethics, philosophy of religion, modern philosophy, metaphysics, epistemology, and gender and philosophy. Technical and professional writing are logical and analytical, but my philosophy courses are all about abstract notions and ideologies to try and understand this ever-so confusing world. In many ways, philosophy has balanced my thinking and shaped me into a better student. So far in my completion of this minor, I have already seen myself become a better writer and stronger critical thinker. Whether it has been through outlining famous philosophers' arguments or writing critiques of said arguments, I can see a clear interdisciplinary growth in other aspects of my education and my overall talents. 

On top of my educational interests, I have extracurricular passions that I devote my pass time to. I came from a family of musicians, and that infatuation for music was not lost on me. Beginning with piano lessons at the age of five, I spent hours out of my week studying piano and sheet music until I started high school; however, my musical journey did not end there. I began playing alto saxophone in middle school but really began to focus on it in high school, where my school had a very prestigious band program. I participated in marching band, which taught me persistence, commitment, and time management. I value it as one of if not the most formative experience(s) in my life so far. I also participated in Wind Ensemble (the top tier concert band) for all four years in high school, and the jazz band ("Speed of Sound"). As if these weren't enough, I participated in and led many smaller, student-organized ensembles, playing at venues like churches and museums, usually being compensated in food (which I much appreciated as a growing teenager). Since I started college I have become much busier and have not been able to dedicate as much time to this passion, but I do occasionally play saxophone for the orchestra at my church, and sing unabashedly when I know I can't be heard.

I know this section is the only one titled "About Me," but my goal is that there is a little bit of me visible in each of the works I present and in my reflections on my experiences.