Author: Emiliana Martinez-Nobrega

As my second semester at Geneseo draws to an end, I am able to reflect back on this semester. When reflecting on the semester, I find myself thinking about the epigraph that was presented to us at the beginning of the semester in my INTD 105 class. The epigraph is a quote from Butler’s “Bloodchild”, which states, “ If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.” In the story of “Bloodchild”, this quote pertained to the two main characters having a discussion of how if one is viewed as an adult, they should be treated like one and should play a role in decisions that will affect them. However, I found that this quote fits perfectly to the class, since my class was all about the intricacies of partnerships, and all the risks and rewards that come with every decision and partnership. This epigraph was the throughline, or as Dr. McCoy would say, “ the string to connect our beads”, of not only our course, but a majority of our conversations, especially in the conversations we had with robbie routenberg, Joe Cope, and Sasha Eloi-Evans. 

As the class had used the epigraph to bounce all our discussions off of, I would think about what it meant to me, both at the beginning of the semester and at the end of the semester, especially through this unprecedented situation. For me at the beginning of the semester, this epigraph, for me, meant that as people grow into adulthood, they would accept adult-like responsibilities, but weren’t fully viewed as adults by everyone, since there was a risk that everyone feared when someone became an adult. When we first viewed the epigraph of the course, we were asked to use the epigraph as the basis of our first essay, where we were to analyze it and refer to it for our goals of the class. For me at the time my goals were to become more comfortable in publishing my writing, to write more analytically and intentionally, and to achieve all the goals that are common for college students of my age. These expectations and goals came from my need to become more comfortable and confident in my writing since I never felt fully confident with my writing. I really wanted to achieve common goals for college students, since I am a first generation student, so for me, it is important that I met some of these goals since my parents weren’t given the opportunity to attend college. 

As the semester progressed, I found myself not only growing as a writer and reader, I felt myself growing as a person. I feel like I grew as a writer and became more confident in my writing because of the wonderful feedback I would get on my writing, especially over canvas when the class was writing our heating plant essay during the pandemic. An example of this was in the discussion tab under “Step 2 in assembling your facilities/ heating plant essay.” When I posted my paragraph about the heating plant, Dr. McCoy was quick to offer me counsel and help me improve my writing, especially through telling me to “Unpack the beginning,” and bring back ideas that I had at the beginning of the paragraph. This definitely made me feel more confident as a writer because she gave me individualized feedback that I feel would have been difficult to get from any other professor. I gained more confidence when we were working on skills, such as shortening down on words, which was something that I struggled with a lot. Even though I am not perfect in it and still am working on it, just having the practice with Dr. McCoy helped me understand the concept much more, as well as help me practice it more in depth. 

Another way I grew was as a reader, which was important to me since in high school, I struggled to read analytically. As we had read “Bloodchild”, we were asked to read the story analytically, which was a bit of a struggle for me. However, when I was reading the story and being able to discuss in class definitely helped me analyze the story much deeper since we were able to bounce different ideas out loud as well as unpack each idea. This helped me analyze the story since I was able to view it from different perspectives and pull in different views from my experiences and listen to others’ experiences. I feel that doing this with the class also helped me with my nervousness, and it allowed me to get past my nervousness and share my ideas with others.     This is something I have always struggled with since I have always feared people pointing out that my idea or interpretation is invalid, which is what would occasionally happen in high school. I am glad that I have worked on not only reading analytically, but on my anxiety about speaking my ideas. 

As the semester became crazy, especially with the distant learning we would have to do due to the COVID pandemic, we had our conversations with robbie routenberg, Joe Cope, and Sasha Eloi-Evans, which we discussed the risks and rewards of schools. During robbie’s conversation with us, they brought up that the victims who come forward are taking risks. I feel that I did acknowledge this subconsciously, but to have this spelled out to me made me realize it much more since they are reliving the experience by telling their story, which is a huge risk for them. However, if they take the risk they could gain a huge reward of the preparator being reprimanded, but there is also a possibility of them getting away with their actions. When we had our conversation with Joe Cope, he brought up the risks that the administration faced when making the decisions concerning distance learning. This surprised me because he was being very transparent with us which is something that everyone wants in a partnership. When we had our conversation with Sasha, she explained the risks and rewards of balancing relationships between students and administration. This intrigued me because she would fight for students and make sure that their voices were heard when she was with administration. 

When we had these conversations, I found myself understanding the concept of partnership more, especially in an academic setting. This was because I had begun to understand how important it is to balance partnerships that intertwine, to be transparent, and all the risks that people take when they come forward with something. To me this helped me grow since I was able to implement what I learned from these conversations into the partnerships I have at work, at home, in my role as Miss Puerto Rico of Rochester Princess, and in my life in general. This was important to me to learn since I needed to understand what I would have to put into a partnership and the risks I would have to take, to reap the benefits in the end. My growth I feel is something that I need since it will benefit everyone around me in such a positive way. This growth was very beneficial to me since it goes along with part of Geneseo’s GLOBE statement that says that we as students should, “gain practice in the ability to reflect upon changes in learning and outlook over time.” This is an important idea presented by Geneseo since it reminds me that even though I have grown throughout this crazy and unexpected semester, there is still much more growing for me to do. I will do this by not only practicing the skills I have gained in this course, but also through learning new things and allowing myself to be open to any possible opportunities. I know that I definitely still need to work on my revising, work on my wordiness, and how my essays read off. I am excited for all that I have done in this course and all that I will complete as I continue to grow.

Integrative learning allows students to use their outside knowledge, such as books they have read, and relate them to what they are learning at the current moment. Integrative learning as defined by the AAC&U is “..occur as learners address real-world problems, unscripted and sufficiently broad, to require multiple areas of knowledge and multiple modes of inquiry, offering multiple solutions and benefiting from multiple perspectives.” Integrative learning plays an important role in daily life as people learn more about different concepts and allows them to relate to previous knowledge that they have, as well as use it to understand the concept. As I have written this essay, it allows me to practice integrative learning using different sources and different perspectives to think and write about, especially by using the Facilities Service and the Heating Plant web pages, and Octavia Butler’s “Bloodchild”.

There are many elements that Geneseo has helping contribute to the academic partnership between the school and the students. One of those elements is the Facilities Services. The Facilities Services contribute a lot which some students don’t even realize, such as vacuuming all the buildings everyday, making sure that everything is clean for the students to use, and making sure that everything is safe in every way.  As the web page for the Facilities Services states, they provide “…quality maintenance services that assure safe, reliable, aesthetically pleasing buildings and grounds.” This plays a large part in the partnership since the department helps keep everything running and operational so that students can use the resources to their full abilities. As well, the Facilities Services, as Karen Rockhill states, enjoy seeing the students of Geneseo grow and graduate, as well as getting to know the students they see on campus. This is an important aspect of the partnership as well since it allows the students to know who is running the campus behind the scenes, out of sight of the students on campus,  as well as how the students respond to how things are fixed through the trust the Facilities Services acquires through the relationship. As I develop a relationship with Facilities Services, I begin to notice the small things that these services do such as clean the bathrooms everyday and help clean the trash rooms to make sure that it does not become a nuisance to the students. Not only do the Facilities Services contribute a lot, they are hand in hand with the Heating Plant on campus. 

Being right in the middle of campus, behind the most frequented building, the Union, I have never fully noticed the heating plant. According to the heating plant website, “The Heating Plant unit is responsible for the management and operation of the Central Heating Plant, Campus Satellite Boiler System, campus-wide energy consumption and conservation, and the operation and maintenance of utility distribution systems throughout the College Campus.” Not only is what the heating plant responsible for important, the location of the heating plant plays a large role into how it runs. Due to the fact that the heating plant is in the middle of the campus, it is able to monitor all of the different areas of campus all in one area. According to the webpage, the heating plant has a staff that is working 24/7. This is important to the relationship that the students have with the institution because the staff is constantly working on several things, including power to the campus and the use of hot water in every building. This relationship was seen when the power outage had occurred on the North Side. It was also shown when the staff from the heating plant had been working around the clock to ensure that the repair had been fixed, that an outage would never happen again, and the North Side had electricity and power to do all that they had to.Not only does the Heating Plant work on its relationship with the students, it is also working on its relationship with the environment through “… the Heating Plant unit monitors the energy management system, calculates combustion efficiencies, tests chemicals used to treat boilers and responds to after-hours maintenance emergencies throughout campus.” This relationship is important since the work at the Heating Plant does impact the environment and could make it better or worse. I feel that I never fully noticed this building since it is hidden and not talked about as much, even though it is one of the most important buildings on campus, in my opinion.

When one thinks about the relationship of the Facilities Services and Heating Plant, they can relate it to “Bloodchild”, by Octavia Butler, as well as to the relationship a college student has with the services available to them. According to Butler’s story, there was an agreement signed several years before the story took place. This idea was implied throughout the entire story, especially when stated that “… my mother promised T’Gatoi one of her children.” This showcased an important role since it showed that this agreement was done before Gan was born and he played no part in it. It was later supported when it was stated that the only reason that Gan’s mother promised a child to T’Gatoi was because it was better than her child being paired with a complete stranger. However, as Gan saw new information come to light, the relationship changed with T’Gatoi and it made her realize that Gan deserves a say in every part of the relationship. This can relate to a student’s relationship to the Facilities Services because this relationship was established years before my class, which we agreed to be a part of this relationship, however students are not presented every aspect of the agreement. There is importance in pointing out that students who attend the university agreed to the relationship and dynamic, while in the story, the agreement wasn’t a choice for the Terrans, and they had to comply with it despite not knowing fully what it is. This caused an issue between Gann and T’Gatoi, since it was expected of everyone to be okay with everything despite not knowing the full story. As I learned more about the role the Facilities Services play, I feel that my perspective and appreciation changed since it allows me to understand and know what they do to help students succeed at Geneseo. 

When someone thinks of the Heating Plant and Facility Services, they may not automatically think that these services play a role in the academic relationship between a student and the college they attend. As one looks at this relationship, they may look at different sources such as the Facility Services information page and look at the responsibilities of the Heating Plant. When I first looked at the webpage, it was surprising how much these services do for the student body, yet do not get the recognition that I believe they deserve. Also, while I was reading the web page for the Heating Plant, I felt amazed that the Heating Plant is doing their part in helping the Earth through the monitoring of energy usage on campus, as well as the conservation efforts they make. I now have a different outlook on the Facilities Services and the Heating Plant, which allows me to appreciate everything they do for the students.

As one signs a contract or makes an agreement, they want to be as specific as possible, as well as transparent. However, in society today, the ease and habit to be vague and unclear means that the one being unclear will benefit the most in the end. This idea flows through the Geneseo Mission Statement. Geneseo’s Mission statement is rather short and broad compared to other institutions and only suggests that Geneseo is a public, liberal arts college that commits to helping inspire students who will be ready to take on the world when they graduate as, “ socially responsible and globally aware citizens who are prepared for an enriched life and success in the world.” Geneseo’s statement being vague and unclear leaves a lot up for interpretation when a student is reading, and may cause confusion among the student body and faculty. This is very important especially when agreeing to something that is going to affect several generations in the future as demonstrated in Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler. As the story develops, Butler argues for transparency through Gan and T’Gatoi, where Gan argues that people should be involved and taught about events that happen in every stage of life in clear and explicit details, instead of having vague explanations of events, which can be argued for today in the real world, where the world faces many situations that details are being hidden from us.

Octavia Butler wrote the story of Bloodchild, as a way to help face a fear of hers as she was to adventure into the Peruvian Amazon, which she mentions in her afterword. Also, she states that the purpose of this story is that “…it’s a coming-of-age story” that utilizes all the information available to help Gan “…make a decision that will affect the rest of his life.” The idea of decisions affecting your life is visible since Gan is becoming old enough to make the decision on if he wants to become pregnant or if he doesn’t want to. This can change Gan’s life forever since it includes becoming implanted with an egg by T’Gatoi and him giving birth to new Tilcs. This becomes a tough decision for Gan because he had witnessed the trauma of a Tilc birth gone horribly wrong, which causes him fear. The decision that Gan has to make also plays into the partnership that he and T’Gatoi have with each other because Gan is meant to be seen as an adult, however,  can not make adult decisions in the partnership that he and T’ Gatoi have. This leads to Gan pointing out to T’Gatoi, that risk follows in every partnership that one partakes in, which appears when Gan states, “‘If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.’” (Butler 26) This shocks T’Gatoi to realize that Gan can finally think for himself and make the decisions that will impact him for the rest of his life, which allows her to come to terms that Gan is ready for implantation. As well, it makes T’Gatoi realize that Gan will fight for what is right and just to all Terrains throughout the Preserve.

This story can connect to how society expects several things that seem unreasonable to many people and populations, especially because of contracts that were signed generations before. This idea radiates in both current day society and in the story of Gan and T’Gatoi, since everyone in society expects that high school graduates go to college, based on an idea that became ideal generations ago, while Gan’s family expects him to serve T’Gatoi, because that is what has become normalized in society, which is shown in Bloodchild. This idea becomes more apparent when T’Gatoi states “‘We wait long years for you and teach you and join our families to yours.’” (Butler 24). However, the expectation of the Preserve leaves many Terrans in the dark about the process of birth the males must go through, which causes more fear and hesitation to those who want to be hosts. Gan realizes the fear himself when he witnesses a live birth of a Tilc, which had gone terribly wrong, which left him feeling fearful. 

The feeling of fear causes Gan to come to the conclusion that he does not want to participate in this practice, however, he changes his mind to make sure that his sister does not have to go through this. To T’Gatoi however, she feels that Gan has no reason to be feeling fear and hesitation since T’Gatoi has been explaining the process to Gan his entire life through both diagrams and lectures, which becomes apparent that they are not enough for Gan since it leaves him in the dark and leaves him asking for more in the partnership. Which someone entering an agreement wants, to have a fair share and to have transparency. These demands are met towards the end of the story when Gan states that Terrans should be, “‘Shown when we’re young kids, and shown more than once.’” (Butler 29) To many, they feel this expectation of how society should be especially when it comes to the national government, corporations, and especially institutions, such as colleges, since students do not want to enter into an institution and pay for it if they feel that the university is being transparent with them. 

As students long for transparency when attending a university, whether public or private, since they are taking the risk of spending a lot of money on education, which could provide amazing rewards at the end. When fighting for transparency, they use other college mission statements to show the transparency they want, such and the Citadel. The Citadel’s mission is very transparent and specific as it states that they are a college who has a mission to “educate and develop our students to become principled leaders” through the implementation of their core values, as well as provide an unique experience through their South Carolina Corps of Cadets program, which gives the students structure through the military lifestyle that the college has. The Citadel wants their students to leave with the best skills and helps prepare them for leadership positions they may receive in life, which is through the use of their four pillars. Also the idea that flows through Bloodchild, connects to universities expectations of students since administration expects the student to act as adults, however do not give the students enough space to fully grow into adults and take on risks, which will allow students to experience the world. This connects because when students agree to go to the university, they are signing a contract that has very specific ideas, yet these ideas aren’t fully explained or exposed to the students, which leaves them asking for communication and transparency. 

 

As one signs a contract or makes an agreement, they want to be as specific as possible, as well as transparent. However, in society today, it is very easy to be vague and unclear which means that the one being unclear will benefit the most in the end.Transparency is also something a student wants when attending a university, whether public or private, since they are taking the risk of spending a lot of money on education, which could provide amazing rewards at the end. This is seen through both the Geneseo Mission Statement and The Citadel Mission Statement. As one looks at the Geneseo Mission Statement, it is rather short compared to the mission statement from The Citadel. As it states in Geneseo’s mission statement, Geneseo is a public, liberal arts college that is committed to education and that Geneseo is a community that helps inspire students who are ready to take on the world when they graduate, which is shown at the end of the statement, “The entire College community works together to advance knowledge and inspire students to be socially responsible and globally aware citizens who are prepared for an enriched life and success in the world.”As well, Geneseo is very broad and unspecific. Geneseo’s statement being transparent leaves a lot up for interpretation when a student is reading, and may cause confusion among the student body and faculty.According to the Citadel’s mission statement, they are a college who has a mission to “educate and develop our students to become principled leaders” through the implementation of their core values. The Citadel Mission Statement also highlights something that makes them unique, which is their South Carolina Corps of Cadets program, which gives the students structure through the military lifestyle that the college has. The Citadel also states how they want their students to leave with the best skills and prepare them for leadership positions they may receive in life, which is through the use of their four pillars. The explanations provided help show how The Citadel is very transparent and specific of what their goals are for their students,This is very important, especially when agreeing to something that is going to affect several generations in the future, which is shown in Bloodchild, by Octavia Butler. As Butler develops the story, she argues for transparency through the use of Gan and T’Gatoi, as Gan states that people should not be in the dark about things that are happening to everyone, but rather be involved and taught about it in every stage of life in clear and explicit details, which can be argued for today in the real world, especially as the world faces many situations that the details are being hidden from us.

    The story of Bloodchild, was a way to help Octavia Butler face a fear of hers as she was to adventure into the Peruvian Amazon, which she mentioned in her afterword. Also, she states that the purpose of this story is that “…it’s a coming-of-age story” that takes all the information available and helps Gan “…make a decision that will affect the rest of his life.” This can also be applied to when a student makes the decision to attend an institution or university, they make a decision that affects how four years of their life is going to play out. This can be seen as a major risk because students are becoming adults while in college, which is also seen in the story since Gan is becoming old enough to make the decision on if he wants to become pregnant or if he wants to not be pregnant. This can change Gan’s life forever since it includes becoming implanted with an egg by T’Gatoi and give birth to new Tilcs. This is a tough decision for Gan because he had witnessed the trauma of a Tilc birth gone horribly wrong, which leaves him in fear. The decision that Gan has to make also plays into the partnership that him and T’Gatoi have with each other because Gan is supposed to be seen as an adult, however, is not allowed to make adult decisions in the partnership that him and T’ Gatoi have. This leads to Gan pointing out to T’Gatoi, that there is a risk in every partnership that one is a part of, which is shown when Gan states, “‘If we’re not your animals, if these are adult things, accept the risk. There is risk, Gatoi, in dealing with a partner.’” (Butler 26) This makes T’Gatoi realize that Gan is finally thinking for himself and is ready to make the decisions that will impact him for the rest of his life, which allows her to come to terms that Gan is ready for implantation. This connects to universities since administration expects the student to act as adults, however do not give the students enough space to fully grow into adults and take on risks, which will allow students to experience the world.

Also this story can connect to how society expects several things that seem unreasonable to many people and populations.This can be shown in both current day society and in the story of Gan and T’Gatoi.  is because everyone in society expects that high school graduates go to college, while Gan’s family expects him to serve T’Gatoi, because that is what has become normalized in society, which is shown in Bloodchild, when T’Gatoi states “‘We wait long years for you and teach you and join our families to yours.’” (Butler 24). However, this expectation of the Preserve leaves many Terrans in the dark about the process of birth the males must go through, as well as can cause more fear and hesitation to those who want to be hosts. Gan realizes this when he himself witnesses a live birth of a Tilc, that had gone terribly wrong, which left him feeling fearful. This also leaves Gan feeling that he does not want to participate in this practice, however, he changes his mind to make sure that his sister does not have to go through this. To T’Gatoi however, she feels that Gan has no reason to be feeling fear and hesitation since T’Gatoi has been explaining the process to Gan his entire life through both diagrams and lectures. The diagrams and lectures however, are not enough for Gan since it leaves him in the dark and leaves him asking for more in the partnership. These demands are made towards the end of the story when Gan states that Terrans should be, “‘Shown when we’re young kids, and shown more than once.’” (Butler 29) To many, they feel that this is how society should be especially when it comes to the national government, corporations, and especially institutions, such as colleges, since students do not want to enter into a institution and pay for it if they do not know everything that they are paying for as well as they do not feel that the university is being transparent with them about everything that is happening on the campus.

 As students, continue to fight for transparency on campuses, they use stories such as Bloodchild, to give them inspiration and show that as society expects the students to act as adults in this stage in there life, let them have the opportunity to take risks, make adult decisions, and allow them to grow as a person in the several ways they have to. 

As I have read the epigraph several times, it has me thinking about the several ways that I have taken risks as a student, as well as how I have received many rewards for taking these risks. As well, it has also helped me create many goals for myself both academically and personally. Some of those goals include writing much more maturely, thinking and writing, both intentionally and analytically.  Some more of my goals also include becoming comfortable with people who are strangers to me being able to read and comment on my work once it is published and achieve some of the goals that are very common among college students.

One way that I interpreted the epigraph is that one must take risks, especially during the significant transition period between being a teenager and an adult. I was able to come to this conclusion from part of the epigraph stating, “… if these are adult things, accept the risk.” This epigraph is being presented to the class as a way to help set the tone for the course, as well as get me thinking about how I must view the partnerships I have as something that can have amazing results. However, if I want the results from the partnership, I must be willing to take several risks. To me, the epigraph means that as I grow up, I have to take on more responsibilities to be considered an adult; however, as I take on those responsibilities, it comes with the risks of me not being prepared or mature enough to handle those responsibilities. However, as we discussed in class, one can not be fully considered an adult by the United States government, due to the laws and policies in place, which have placed somewhat of a strict chronological lineage of when we are fully considered an adult. The lineage was put clearly in front of us in class on the twenty-seventh when we were discussing the different responsibilities one gains as one gets older. The expected responsibilities then give us goals to pursue for us to receive these responsibilities, such as being able to vote at the age of 18. The lineage also has me wanting to set goals to have a job and begin paying off medical school debt by the time I am 30. 

Having a strict chronological lineage put in place by the government also affects my personal lineage of goals that I create for myself as I assume more responsibilities. I feel that this is mainly due to how I was raised. I was raised in a dual-cultural household. My cultures are Puerto Rican and Portuguese, which play a massive part in my belief system, as well as play into my thinking, morals, and goals. From the age of five, I had the goal of being the first in my family to go to college, as well as pursue education beyond college. I feel that is because, from that young age, it was always put on me that I will be the first one to do what my parents couldn’t and didn’t need to do.

When one views the epigraph from an academic perspective, it makes one think critically about how they take risks by putting trust in the institution they are attending. This point was brought up by Shaw when she stated that one takes risks by attending college when they don’t even know that the future job they will have will also require a college education. I feel that this point was brought up in class since society expects us to go to college since many jobs on the job market do need a college education; however, not every career requires a college education. As well as putting trust into college institutions, students put faith into their professors to teach them the material, even in a class size upwards of 100 students. This point was brought up by Dr. McCoy when the class was talking about how some professors use their ability to control grades to pressure students to complete tasks that can be quite daunting. This part of the syllabus also has me thinking about how a professor is expected to split up their time when it comes to their job. Including this in the outline of the course, is a risk in itself since it can not only seem like a lot for the professor, but it can seem incredibly daunting for the student, which causes them not to ask for help on something, in fear that it is bothering the professor.

Due to the different perspectives I have been able to apply to the epigraph, it has allowed me to think critically about what I want to achieve and gain from this course. One of my goals for this class is to be able to write much more maturely, as well as be able to express some emotions in my writing. I feel that this course would help me with that since the syllabus states that “…get to thinkING about structure and why you are making those choices,…making things more complex and unique.” This quote was more directed towards when I am doing my essay rewrites; however, I feel that I can think about the structure and why I am structuring my essay how I am from the very beginning. I also believe that because we will be putting our work out into the public, it will help me think much more intentionally and analytically, which is something I want to achieve. 

Another of my goals is to be able to become comfortable with sharing my work publically. Some may say this a bit ridiculous since, on social media, many share their lives on there. This situation then poses the question of what is so different from writing and sharing your experience. To me, people choose what they put on social media and only want to highlight certain parts of their lives, whereas, in writing, you can become vulnerable without realizing it. Also, for me, I am risking putting my work out in public and having many people feel and believe that my essay is subpar. However, I think that I must become more comfortable in this aspect since I aspire to be a doctor, and I would like to publish research. This could propose a risk in the future however, since my past writings and past beliefs, which could have changed, could be used against me to debate my current views and negate the research I performed.

Some of the goals I hope to achieve in college, in general, are pretty common ones, which I believe most college students wish to achieve. Some of these goals include making the president’s list, becoming much more independent, and being able to pursue what you want to do after college. I feel that these are goals for most college students, since it is expected of them in today’s age and time. To many, college is a rite of passage of being a child who is dependent on their family, to becoming an adult who can support themselves, and eventually their own families in the future. However, there is a risk since society expects this from college students, since it puts more pressure on them, especially since they are already under a large amount of pressure on students to do well in all of their courses, from their professors, families, friends, and themselves. 

One must also think of those who didn’t pursue college or don’t want to go to college. I think of that population since they are then viewed by society as lazy, not put together, or that they can’t contribute anything to the community. To that, I say it is ridiculous that our society can disregard those people just because they didn’t do what is expected of them. I believe it is absurd since some people have their plans that don’t involve college, want to save up money for college so that they don’t have debt when they graduate, or they already have a job that they feel secure in that doesn’t require a college degree. I feel personally that those who don’t attend university can be as or more successful than those who did go to college. 

The epigraph made me think about my goals, responsibilities, and the risks one must take to achieve those goals. I feel that it is only fair that this epigraph should be shared with many since it helps put everything in perspective as one takes on more responsibilities.

As I have read the epigraph several times, it has me thinking about the several ways that I have taken risks as a student, as well as how I have received many rewards for taking these risks. As well, it has also helped me create many goals for myself both academically and personally. Some of those goals include, writing much more maturely, thinking and writing both intentionally and analytically, becoming comfortable with people who are complete strangers to me, being able to read and comment on my work once it is published, and achieve some of the goals that are very common among college students. 

One way that I interpreted the epigraph is that one must take risks, especially during the very important transition period between being a teenager and an adult. I was able to come to this conclusion from part of the epigraph stating “… if these are adult things, accept the risk.” To me that means that as I grow up, I have to take on more responsibilities to be considered an adult, however, as I take on those responsibilities, it comes with the risks of me not being prepared or mature enough to handle those responsibilities. However, as we discussed in class, one can not be fully consider an adult by the United States government, due to the laws and policies in place, which have placed somewhat of a strict chronological lineage of when we are fully considered an adult. The lineage was put clearly in front of us in class on the twenty-seventh, when we were discussing the different responsibilities one gains as one gets older. This then gives us goals to pursue for us to receive these responsibilities, such as being able to vote at the age of 18. This also has me wanting to set goals to have a job and begin paying off medical school debt by the time I am 30.  

When one puts the epigraph in an academic perspective, it makes one think critically of how they take risks by putting trust in the institution they are attending. This point was brought up by Shaw, when she stated that one takes risks by attending college when they don’t even know that the future job they will have will even require a college education. As well  as putting trust into college institutions, students put trust into their professors to teach them the material, even in a class size upwards of 100 students. This point was brought up by Dr. McCoy, when the class was talking about how some professors use their ability to control grades to pressure students to complete tasks that can be quite daunting. This also has me thinking about how a professor’s time is split up when it comes to their job, which is put in the syllabus, is a risk in itself since it can not only seem like a lot for the professor, but it can seem incredibly daunting for the student, which causes them not to ask for help on something, in fear that it is bothering the professor. However, not in

Due to the different perspectives I have been able to apply to the epigraph, it has allowed me to think critically about what I want to achieve and gain from this course. One of my goals for this class are to be able to write much more maturely, as well as be able to express some emotions in my writing. I feel that this course would help me with that since the syllabus states that “…get to thinkING about structure and why you are making those choices,…making things more complex and unique.”  I also feel that due to the fact that we will be putting our work out into the public, it will help me think much more intentionally and analytically, which is something I want to achieve. Another of my goals is to be able to become comfortable with sharing my work publically. Some may say this a bit ridiculous since on social media, many share their lives on their, what is so different from writing and sharing your life. To me, people choose what they put on social media and only choose to highlight certain parts of their lives, where as in writing, you can become vulnerable without realizing it. Also for me, I am risking putting my work out in public and having many feel that is it subpar. However, I feel that I must become more comfortable in this aspect since I aspire to be a doctor, and I would like to publish research. 

Some of the goals I hope to achieve in college in general are pretty common ones, which I believe most college students hope to achieve. Some of these goals include making the president’s list, becoming much more independent, and being able to pursue what you want to do after college. I feel that these are goals for most college students since it is expected of them in today’s age and time. To many, college is a rite of passage of being a child who is dependent on their family, to becoming an adult who can support themselves, and eventually their own families in the future. However, there is a risk since society expects this from college students, since for many students, it puts more pressure on them, especially since they are already under a large amount of pressure on students to do well in all of their courses, from their professors, families, friends, and themselves. One must also think of those who didn’t pursue college or don’t want to go to college. I think of that population since they are then viewed by society as lazy, not put together, or that they can’t contribute anything to society. To that I say it is ridiculous that society is able to disregard those people just because they didn’t do what was expected of them. I believe it is ridiculous since some people have their own plans that don’t involve college, want to save up money for college so that they don’t have debt when they graduate, or they already have a job that they feel secure in that doesn’t require a college degree. 

The epigraph made me think about my goals, responsibilities, and the risks one must take to achieve those goals.