Today we’re going to begin talking about Unit 1, Educational Narrative. Write a short (2 or 3 paragraphs) personal narrative about an event that changed your life (doesn’t have to—but can— be related to education). For this short narrative, provide context, details, and think about audience and purpose. Post your short narrative here in the reply area below.
Professor Joshua Belknap | Co Req ML | Spring 2024
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Life has always had it way of throwing challenges at us for us to be able to stand on our feet and do what is expected of us. Growing up in Africa as a third world country has made me be able to appreciate every single thing that I have, and also made me understand that not everyone is from the same background. With me saying this, language has it way of making people understand the people around them and how to communicate. When you travel to a foreign country like United States or England you see a lot of people from different parts of the world who are in search for a better living, so the understanding and the right way of speaking english is very important in countries like this. And since my country speaks english as it first language I was happy to be able to speak and understand the english language when I traveled which has helped me to be able to navigate places and easily understand what is around me.
Even though I am from a country that speaks english, I still found some difficulties when I first got to this country, I had an accent which caused people to barely understand what I wanted to say and that was frustrating also the change of environment. I later liked it because it made me able to take responsibilities on my own and grow quickly and better understand how to properly read and write.
Time ago, more specific in 2019 a young me graduated from high school was taking the decision of studying sociology. It wasn’t my dreamed future career but was what can I studied by that time. Every class was interesting but I kind notice that I didn’t enjoy it as my classmates did. I need to say that the classes were interesting to me, I learned a lot about societies, and it changed the way I see the world nowadays.
But I still felt weird when I looked my classmate’s excitement in every class, I could see that they felt passionate about what they were learning. In some point I started to feel a little weird, and I started to want to have that same feeling about my career, but it never happened. The career that I was interested was completely different to sociology, it was fashion design, but it was pretty complicated to study that for me in that moment.
Was complicated but I knew that I wanted that feeling, the same as my classmates. So I changed everything, all my plans for the future, my career and even I move out of the country. I learned with this that never I late to start again, and to do what you really want to do.
To introduce. I have the honor to talk about a personal narrative about an event that changed my life.
Every little detail can change your life; it doesn’t matter if it’s big or small, it can happen.
We have a long life before us to live to appreciate. That’s why the event that happened in my life, I appreciate it because it put me on one step to another.
I remember I went to an event about fashion. Before that event, I didn’t care about fashion. I was like fashion is for rich people. I’m not. That’s what I thought. Then, the instructor said you don’t have to have a lot of money to be a model to dress like a classic man. I was wondering how that’s even possible, because I couldn’t believe him. Then I asked myself, What he said is true: why not dress like a classic or a model?
After the event, I asked him to give some big advice about fashion. He said, “The first thing you need to do is love yourself, and secondly, have your own style.” I said okay!
The audience was very excited about the speech.
Lastly. We have everything we need in life to make ourselves feel better every day. I don’t want people to think like I used to. Now my life is completely changed because of the event.
Like I said, everything can change our lives, and we need to believe in it.
We can’t talk about the education narrative without mentioning one of the important things that is the orientation after high school especially what major you gonna choose for your bachelor’s degree or whatever .
Today I would like to share with you how I choose my major-mechanical engineering- firstly I was like any student I didn’t know a lot about majors ,but the good thing that I know is major equal to your future career and your future job. When I got my high school diploma I applied to multiple colleges in different majors I wasn’t sure what actually I wanted only thing that I want is to be an engineer in what major I don’t know let’s the destiny choose that for me . I passed a lot of integration tests in marine school , agriculture school, architecture school also medicine toand finally technology school here when I noticed my tendency.
So I decide to attend the technology school but which major : electrical or mechanical or systems engineering, honestly when I get to this part I made a random choice but thanks god I made the good decision and I really find myself in this major.
Class assignment
Something that changed my life and I feel like it was a very important life lesson for me was 2023. It was a very hectic year and lots of things happened that year but the most impactful were when a kid I knew passed away, the kid was younger than me. The first funeral I went to in my life was the funeral of the kid and I was one of the people who was pushing the casket. The moment I heard that he had passed away I was truly surprised and confused. My mom woke me up in the middle of the night and broke the news to me.
The funeral was an experience that I will never forget entering the room and seeing the sister cry, the mother cry and the father trying his best to keep his composure was truly heartbreaking. When it was my turn to put a flower on top of his casket made me feel so many new emotions I had never felt in my life it made me sad that he passed away before I did and he was not able to experience lots of thing in life of course I know I haven’t experienced much in life since i am still young but it made me feel regret for the times I insulted him or not treat him nicely. But looking at the sister that was having the biggest regret out of everyone for not getting close to her brother or not getting along with him made me think that I should really appreciate my little brother and get closer to him. At the cremation the mother was the one that was morning the most she still didn’t want to let him go. The father was the toughest he had to be. He was keeping his composure as best as he could. He took the family out of the room so that they could cremate him.
Something that I learnt was that life is not forever and it is very unexpected and you have to live without having many regrets like not becoming close enough with your love ones or friend spending time with them because life is very unexpected.
Writing a story about myself. I mean my past and hopefully future. Let’s start talking about my past life. I’m not too happy with my past life because of some reason. However, those reasons are remarkable, and the reason to be successful in the future. I was 15 years old when I moved to the United States one of the best days in my life I still remember that day. When I came to the United States I felt that the best future waiting for me. In the beginning, my English was zero. My parents sent me to High School of course I didn’t want to go because the English language was so hard for me, and I set in the class like a stupid girl not knowing anything. But after I learned English I enjoyed and I wanted to learn many more languages, and I learned the Turkey language. Slowly Everything got better and better, after I finished High school, I started college, and worked at the same time. I have a lot of plans for my future career life and personal life hopefully all work out in my life.
Same as you, it was hard. I thought I was here to travel.
What changed my life was that when I started college, I wanted to do my best at school, study hard and graduate because when I was at elementary I always thought about going to college one day when I grow up and finish school, but when I got to college I realized that it wasn’t going to be easy to pass all my classes because they were challenging and it was a hard task to complete. So I decided to actually work hard to get an A in my classes to pass and focus in my studies because I learned that if you work hard you can accomplish anything and all your hard work will be worth it.
For example, what changed my life was that I thought college would be the same as high school, but I realized that it wasn’t, it was different from what I had imagined. I was confused at first and didn’t know what to do, but I saw that in city tech their were a lot of tutors and professors that can help students with their classes, grades, schedules, HW and advisement. So I decided to go, and get help from them, and I received a lot of help from them, and I wasn’t that lost anymore, I found my way through college.
Class assignment
In 2022 We had a culture festival party in my high school. The event was presented from my high school. It was a Bengali community festival. All Bengali student was attendant in this festival.
From that festival we have learned lots of thing about our culture Like What kind of song are most popular in Bangladesh, what kind of dress people wear in cultural festival, I learned from there. We had fun at that event. We brought food and wear same color dress. That event changed my life. Also, I got few new friends from that event.
“ I didn’t lose, I was still here, I want to give you all an equal place, no matter your gender, no matter your race, but only because you are the right person, you are the right person I want to choose.” Just like what he said it’s my choice, but at least I have to respect others particularly.
That was the first course in my college during that semester. I saw a strange middle-aged Korean professor. In the first class, the most impressive words he said were DEATH, TAX, and RESPECT. He talked about what he has experienced during his whole life and his career in that class. He spent three years in the military and finished his master’s degree when he talked about the tax. After that, he told us he became a professor because he got paid more, but he was also hired by my lab teacher who was retired. But back again because now he has become the man in the chair of this department—my lab professor. Because this strange professor was the right person he had chosen.
“ I will do my part and you need to do yours.”
“ I will do my part and I will leave the rest to my destiny.”
The event that changed my life is living in a new country, I am from Ecuador and I moved here 3 years ago. Everything changed, my friends, the culture, the language and my life. For me it was a really big challenge to get out of my comfort zone and relearn practically everything, from the language to the lifestyle.
It is difficult to process that you moved to a new country when you already had your life made up in your home country. From one day to the next knowing that you are moving to a country that doesn’t even speak your language and leaving your friends is a very big step but not impossible. Time has passed and day by day I have made this country my home.
And to be honest, at this point, I realize that life is about change and evolving. There is no change that does not come for our good.
Moving to the United States changed my life. I came here for better education and a new perspective. It wasn’t easy learning a new language and getting used to a different way of studying. But every challenge helped me grow. The diverse experiences in the U.S. opened my eyes to new possibilities. This journey showed me how education can shape our lives in unique ways.
When I on tutorial center, that had one teacher who really influence my thoughts and my life. He use a different way to educate us(students), for example today lesson is about plus & minus, if you know about that and prove to the teacher that you know how to do, then congratulations the whole tutorial time on class is your’s. You can read books, mangas, novel, sleep…. even play with your PSP(handheld game console developed). He also reward to the students who get upper than 90 score on test or exam.
He use his way to motivate students to study hard to get the reward from their teacher. Because his education way is kind of “unique”, the headmaster on the tutorial center doesn’t like his way that educate the students, so headmaster had a big argument with him. (blablabla…..
At last I learn from him is “do your duty without fear of power”
When I immigrated to the United States, my life had more happy time and for better education. My lifestyle was that my parents often took me to friends’ houses to play or party. In addition, we have taken many trips, we have been to camping, reflections, mansions, and more.
For last few years I learned how to stay in the present moment. I read a book name “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle. I learned so many things from this book. It helped me to find my true self and true definition of life. I was always worried about the past and the future. I couldn’t focus on the present moment. I was so far from the present which disturbed me. This book helps me a lot. Now I know, I respond everything from deep consciousness and flow with love, joy in life. Firstly, I try to disconnect from my mind, and secondly, I try to listen to my mind. Because when you are free from your mind, you can observe and listen mind.
Now I know Life is now. It’s happening right now. present moment is the most powerful because time is illusion. One of my favorite quote from this book is
“People don’t realize that Now is all there ever is;
there is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind.”
Eckhart Tolle
The meaning of surrender; If you cannot accept what is outside, then accept what is inside. Now I live fully. We all should live in the moment. That every minute you spend worrying about the future or regretting the past is a minute lost, the only place you can truly live in the present. Life is just a series of present moment.