This journal entry shall be dedicated to college – an update on how I am doing as a college freshman entering the second half of my first term.

I have to say college definitely polars to my previous school experiences. I have to say I see a difference in not just the material but, my work ethic. I have addressed that my work ethic has hindered upon beginning as well as my solution to it. However, I am not satisfied with my work thus far.

I have adapted to results below my usual standard. I do want to be easier on myself however, I still want to achieve greatness.

During an advising session I was immediately addressed on not showing myself (on camera) and I must say, if I am going to achieve the greatness that I am striving for, I must make my presence known. In times like this I found myself trapped by not treading outside my comfort zone.

Thus, with this journal post I promise myself to try new things.

I admittedly do not even have social media and have not really connected with my classmates as much as I would have liked. Networking is definitely a must – especially if I plan to graduate with a business degree.

That is all for this post,

Ashanti

P.S. wish me luck!

I have to say I really am glad I have made the decision to enroll in Individual and Society as a course for my first semester. I have always been curious in human behavior and how better to explain it then through the study of the human mind. I must say that despite not reaching the peak of a professional diagnosis many do display symptoms of common mental disorders such as anxiety and depression.

Taking this course I have realized that I cannot only relate and apply what I have learned to myself but, to those I care about around me. A friend of mine since elementary school has voiced feelings of anxiety and depression in a way that I did not know how to deal with before. Despite her saying to her immediate friend group, I do not feel that she would voice these inner thoughts to an adult nor a professional. I am saddened to say that I did not react to these signs as well as I should have, I should not have seen her not taking higher regards to her emotions as I sign that I should to the same.

I will take what I have learned from this course to be a better friend. She is an amazing person and deserves to have a well-educated listening ear. I will take her words more seriously.

The seasons are changing. The change in colors and temperature have led me reflect on the time that has passed and me feelings towards it.

At the beginning of 2020 I was a senior in high school and mainly focused on my college application results. Being a high school senior was challenge in itself as I wanted to make my last year memorable. Quarantine changed things drastically. I left school on a Friday and saw in the news that schools would be closed that same weekend. There was no warning, as the severity of the virus was not too exposed in the media until then. There was no timeline in mind when the quarantine started however, I did not expect it to last this long.

I transitioned from being in school to remote learning. That was a process that I adapted to quickly as my teachers style of teaching did not change. When online learning with college however, I felt myself begin to lack in areas that I didn’t used to.

There were things that I overlooked until recently such as missing my prom and a graduation ceremony since I didn’t really stop doing things over quarantine. When there were times I spent not related to keeping in contact with friends and family, or school, I through myself into streaming services.

I am still adjusting to life as it is now, as well with being a young adult. Hopefully as time goes things will a bit easier.

This entry shall be dedicated to my feelings towards a recent assignment in which I related my home to Charlotte Perkins’s short story The Yellow Wallpaper in which they were my yellow wallpaper.

In this assignment I realized that I had to really rationalize my emotions and make them make sense. I wanted to justify my reasoning and hopefully it was in my writing. It is hard to put down feelings of discontent and have them understood by others or at least in a way in which it is justified.

After my first draft was submitted and reading others I realized I wanted to provide a light at the end of the tunnel. I wanted others who read my story to see that there was a way out and having that objective I showed myself that it is possible. I enjoy relating lessons learned to my own life and learning from that experience.

Happy reading,

Ashanti

In this entry I shall be about my focus as of late with my school assignments. As of recently I have been feeling less motivated in my studies. I cannot as of yet pin the reason why. As of recent I have been less proactive with assignments and confronting deadlines. This is not the student I once was however, this does not mean it is the worst student I can be. I must balance the way I used to be towards assignments and incorporate the fact that there is ultimately not the need to be three steps ahead. I must come to the conclusion that on time is not late and that there is no need to do more that what is required.

This does not translate to me being less ambitious, I am just being more practical. I need to spread out my schedules in a way that leaves room for human error. At times like this I will ultimately want to lounge around, there will be unexpected tasks that rise. I have to adapt a different outlook to the way I will be a student, and accept that it does not make me a bad one.

Happy reading,

Ashanti