Dear Reader,

Throughout the semester, there were times when the professor would group her class into groups. Within these groups, tasks were assigned for us to work on. One of the assignments with the group involved creating a thesis statement on whether or not eggs and orange juice made the best breakfast. The group I was in immediately concluded that the two items were not the best breakfast. This sparked my curiosity as I instantly felt a bit of resentment toward their statement. I wondered how I could continue with the assignment with their concluded response. Curiosity led me to think outside the box, trying to find a different approach to the question. What if the two items were just a part of a more complex breakfast? For example, eggs and orange juice can be bland, but eggs benedict and freshly squeezed orange juice make for a much better breakfast. I brought this idea up to the group which led to a completely different thesis statement. My curiosity helped me develop an idea for a project by thinking outside the box. The writing process is a crucial part of developing college papers. This spring semester, I learned how much of an impact brainstorming can have on the beginning stages of the paper. It was brought to my attention when I was starting my cultural analysis paper; I chose to write about the air fryer for my topic. The presentation slide for the air fryer was not the most informative at the time. This led to hardships in selecting topics to write about. However, through the skill of brainstorming, I was able to jot ideas on what to write about. This resulted in a great, specific, and arguable topic which later on shaped the foundation of my essay. Brainstorming taught me how crucial it is when developing an essay.  The research process has shown itself to be very long and draining. Although this is true, I learned that it is only so long and draining since every step of the process is required to create a paper eligible for the college level. Without proper evidence directly backing your claim, the claims are empty words and can appear biased. Not only this but without the required research skills to properly cite sources, the paper in question is at risk of being filed for plagiarism. Good research skills helped develop my major research paper this semester by providing me with strong pieces of evidence to back up my thesis and support my claims. This benefited me as it built credibility for my paper and the argument I was making overall.  Constantly refining my skills in writing and research this semester boosted my confidence. The areas in which my confidence has grown the most are developing a thesis statement, as well as writing an introduction. Both a thesis statement and the introduction to an essay are elements within the same realm, they were also the two weak points in my writing and research skill set. With constant revising, editing, and brainstorming, both my ability and confidence in writing an introduction and a strong thesis statement grew exponentially this semester. The biggest area in my writing and research career that needs the most growth is my citation skills. Although performed correctly, my citations showed much difficulty throughout the development of my cultural analysis paper. If it were not for revision and editing, my citations would have been keeping my paper from being eligible to be graded at the college level. Although many difficulties have arrived throughout my writing and research career this semester, there has been a progression in my research, writing, and idea generation. I feel confident enough to say I made progress in each category. This ensures I am prepared for future professional contexts as I developed the writing skills necessary to write professional emails, properly do my research on any given topic, and generate ideas which is a crucial skill set in the professional business world.

 

Sincerely, 

Isaac Garcia