English is not my strong suit, which made me extremely nervous to start taking a college level English class. My mother has an English degree from the University of Oklahoma, and unfortunately, the apple does fall far from the tree. This year has been filled with adversity and many revisions, but I am thankful for the opportunity to take this course. Taking Comp 1 and 2 has expanded my writing abilities greatly, and I am astonished at how much I have learned and am able to do now.

     Before taking this class, I would look at a 600 word essay and get nervous. After writing essays in this class, double that word count, I laugh at my own anxiety. As this year progressed and I wrote more and more, I learned many skills. I learned how to brainstorm, get my point across, analyze sources, and develop many technological skills. The Project 2 Essay helped me master my ability to get my point across, brainstorm, and analyze sources. I had no idea where to begin on this essay, so I sat down and looked at Vonnegut, suicide, and how they connect. Eventually, I decided to draw a Venn diagram and see how everything lined up. Doing this really helped me get going and develop my ideas for my essay. Learning about Kurt Vonnegut and connecting him to suicide challenged my ability to get my point across and analyze sources drastically. What I believe really helped me focus on this essay and give it my absolute best was losing my friend Kade Arthur. Kade took his own life, which left a curiosity in me to learn more about suicide and why it happens. Because I became so interested in this social epidemic, I buckled down on my work and learned more than I thought I ever could just by applying myself.

     Both the Project 1 and Project 2 essays challenged my knowledge of technology. I had to learn how to format my essays and structure them. But what really challenged me was creating a website. Never in my life did I think I would be creating an actual website. On Wix, I had to learn how to link sources, apply graphics, and transfer work from one platform to another while maintaining format and professionalism. While doing all this with a slow computer, I even had to learn how to maximize my computer's performance to actually be able to use Wix and all its features.

     Overall, Comp 2 taught me much more than just how to write essays. This class has taught me patience, discipline, and how to keep working even when I felt stuck or overwhelmed, and I am grateful to have had the experience to write these essays and even build my website on Wix. Writing is still not something that comes naturally to me, but I no longer feel intimidated by it. Instead of staring at a blank document, unsure where to begin, I now look forward to expressing my own ideas and opinions. I am excited for the challenge to learn more and expand even more on my abilities.