My Agency Portfolio

  My First Semester at Mira Costa Echo Chamber Reflection Motivational Poster Grande, Meritocracy, & the Path Forward Three Dimensions Reflection Agency & Self Compassion

 Since I have started my English 100 class this semester, I now see the word agency everywhere. I now notice the word in casual readings; sometimes, I even see the word agency in an occasional movie or tv show. This class intensely focused on human agency, or how one has the power to control their own destiny. Having never encountered such an introspective class before, I was confronted with acknowledging my faults. For example, I had never been taught how to use a semicolon in my 24 years of living. The semicolon has become something I covet, constantly yearning to use it in my writing to prove that I am always capable of growth. The semicolon has provided me with a dynamic writing foundation; subsequently, I have the power to explore dynamic clause based sentence structure.  Acknowledging your flaws is very difficult, but this English 100 class has taught me it is necessary for growth. Looking toward the future, I wish to grow and improve my confidence in my writing....

  Important echo chambers in my life are centralized around the places I have lived and people I have worked with. Living in San Diego, the East Coast, and abroad has impacted my worldviews by expanding my cultural knowledge. A recent echo-chamber I have escaped from is my generalization of organized religion. For my religious studies class, I recently interviewed someone of a "different" religion than mine. I was astounded by what the person I had interviewed had to say. For them, their practice is something they often question freely and have differing views. I was shocked because, due to my generalizations, I thought this was not allowed. I previously viewed religion as an inflexible and harsh practice with strict guidelines. Now, leaving this echo chamber, I can see it has different significance and interpretations by everybody. My wrongful preconceptions made me ignorant and closed off to anything non-secular. Conducting the interview for my paper has expanded my agency ...

  I chose this passage because witnessing  Reyna Grande  show consistent strength in the face of adversity is inspiring. Throughout the novel, Grande's unwavering determination is easy to relate to as a fellow ambitious woman. I chose this image because it portrays optimism and resonates with me. 

  Sandel "nobody to blame but themselves" Grande "I had already broken one cycle, perhaps it would be possible to break another" Grande is referring to her accomplishment of being a first generation college graduate as the ''first cycle''. Sandel believes that the idea society has pushed about success all coming from hard work is outdated and harmful. Throughout the book we have seen Reyna Grande overcome so many adversities that have befallen her due to her income and nationality. With the women in her family having very painful and abusive relationships with men and their own mothers, I am not surprised she has chosen to raise Nathan alone. If she wishes to break the cycle of ''victim and victimizer''; she must be the "bigger" person and forgive her mother for her indiscretions and neglect. Personally, I do not think I would be capable of that, but if she manages to do so she will be breaking yet another barrier within he...

  Martin Luther King believed very strongly in all aspects of the Three Dimensions of a Complete Life . The term he used, breadth, describes a concern for humanity and the well being of others. The importance of breadth to King can be described as  “an individual hasn’t begun to live until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all of humanity.” Looking to myself, I feel that this concept should have great importance to me. I feel that within the massive surge of technology and social media we are collectively separating from each other. Occasionally, I take my younger sister out to dinner with her friend; for the majority of the time, they are both on their phones-not talking to each other or me. Witnessing this makes me feel a great disconnect from them because for the majority of the meal, it is just me staring at them while they are on their phones. I see this at work all the time; people on dates at the bar fixated...

  I chose this article because I want to learn more about self kindness. The title was intriguing to me because it directly relates to me as a college student. As students, many of us deal with stress and I think it would be more interesting to learn about the correlation between stress management and self kindness.  Three Takeaways 1. Self kindness helps students with stress management by urging students to be less harsh on         themselves.                                       2. Setting attainable goals allows students to make progress in their goals with ease.  3. One must understand the importance of self kindness and attempt to integrate the practice into their lives.