Map of Intellectual Journey
The symbolic map above represents my journey both mentally and intellectually this entire year. Coming into my freshman year (far left side of the curve in blue), I was unsure of a lot of things regarding the upcoming year. I wasn't sure if I was going to meet a lot of new friends, if I would enjoy/be successful in my classes, and if I would feel welcome and belong where I was. Very quickly however, the IDEAS course really helped me feel welcome and accepted, and provided a solid foundation for not just meeting new people but also beginning to succeed in all my other classes. The freedom to explore and dive deeper into topics that interested me that was given by IDEAS was a new yet refreshing feeling. I felt challenged, but it was more challenged to produce my best possible work for every assignment. I felt encouraged to pursue the things that interested me most, and for awhile I actively sought out every chance I had to learn more and push myself more.
However over time, this began to diminish a little bit, as I began to burn out more and more. The curved line oscillates a little bit near the middle/end of the first semester, mainly just from big assignments here and there. But after winter break and coming back for second semester, my motivation and effort were both very low for a good period of time. Most of this semester I have felt like I've more been just getting by rather than excelling on school work and assignments in most of my classes.
Team Design Project in module 4 of IDEAS truly pushed and challenged me to get back to that point of pushing harder and putting my best effort in. Working in a team environment for a project as large as this one was a new experience for me, but an absolutely invaluable one at that. I learned so many incredible new skills involving how to interact with members of your group and handling team dynamics, as well as others regarding the actual ethics-based and value-sensitive design process. In module 4 , IDEAS challenged me deeply to reach once more for things that inspired me and that I desired to learn and understand more about. When other classes dragged me down, IDEAS gave me the opportunity to push myself harder once again to achieve success, and explore the things that interest me most. This is represented by the gradual uptick in the curve after some of the biggest challenges I've had. Additionally the course of these 2 semesters has allowed me to develop a set of 5 core values that guide my choices in both design and everyday life. As this year is coming to a close, I feel once again a full sense of desire to pursue my passions and learn more about everything that takes place in the universe.