Reflection Paper

On September 6, 2017, I were documented for an incident that involved a University Housing policy violation. I was charged with violating the University Housing Alcohol 1.2 policy. With my violation, came consequences. I met with The Residence Conduct Coordinator to discuss my actions and came to the conclusion that I would have to schedule a meeting with The Campus Alcohol and Drug Education Center (CADEC) and with that, a reflection paper.

It is extremely difficult to estimate the amount of knowledge in existence today. While knowledge is flowing in incredible pace, extraction and application of the relevant information from the bulk of knowledge is vital for many aspect of our lives. As an IMBA student in Florida International University, I have never thought that there was such a strict distinction between the information and the knowledge in today’s technology driven world. However, after taken this course, it is quite clear to me that gathering the beneficial information is not an easy task as it seems before. There are crucial elements to obtain valuable information for the businesses. Every business is unique so the strategies for them too.

Many governesses before Maria considered the von Trapp children to be incorrigible. They hated the children for the mischief that they do and the children hated the governesses in return. Hate begets hate.

Leading up this stress reduction course, I have had a history of letting things get to me (even small things). This would build up, and at times in my life I have had to withdraw from some commitments in order to practice the self-care that I did not consistently provide myself. I had a stressful adolescence, and my adult life has just started to become more stable and happier in the last 6 years. A lot of this change has to do with my effort to live more mindfully/practice meditation, which can be transferred to my every day interactions, cognitive processing/appraising, and caring for myself and others in my life. I jumped at the opportunity to take a stress reduction course because I knew that there was room for improvement in my methods of self-care, mindful living, and stress management efforts overall.

I have always been a reader. Almost every chance I get, there is a book in my hands. Somewhere in my life, I have found a way to make literature meaningful and applicable to my life. This is so because I can see the characteristics and qualities the characters have and what they do with what they and I can see which ones I want to apply to my own life, to do something good or accomplish something. They are the characteristics and qualities that I admire and strive to have. In the books my class read in English class I can find characters with qualities that I prize and desire to have. Three major writings that resonated with me are The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and excerpts from The Odyssey by Homer.

There are so many things I can say about this class and why I enjoyed taking it very much. I would like to talk about how my experience in this class made me relate to history but I can only say so much in this paper, but here I will name a few. First thing I would like to say that I enjoyed our group presentations very much, from all of the groups. Second I would like to say that my favorite topic in this class was about WW2 and the battles and the history why exactly this war had started in the first place and how it ended. Also I want to talk about how the war opened windows of opportunity for women.

When I was 16 years old I realized I had written a paper about how me and my Nana are different and had forgotten the first paragraph. I do not know how I managed to do that but I need to introduce the ways in which we are different. I like to eat, food is good which means you should a lot of it and often but my Nana is is a big health junkie, she was visiting us and every time we had a meal we would hear why we should not be eating what we are eating and why we should be eating something else. Secondly, stars are in the sky everyone knows that, but how the stars are aligned should not decide how you live your life most people know that, not my Nana she would ask when I was born and then log on to her computer and tell me to watch out because how she believes in ideas that are more out there then what I believe in. Ideas such as, yelling at ice will make it freeze weird or that the Earth is a computer simulation. And now that this part is done I can turn the paper in.

Ever since I was born, I was raised in a Vietnamese household where my parents and grandparents always communicated to me in only Vietnamese. Before I was four years old, I slowly learned English from watching television and listening American radio stations. In my elementary school, I learned the American alphabet by memorization and repetition of the sounds and signs of the American alphabet. Then teachers started to make students learn new vocabulary and helping students make flashcards with pictures for visual aid. To improve my communication skills in English, my teachers often made the students work in groups, so students can learn from each other and practice their speaking. English is all about memorization and then applying what I learned to other situations. During the summer, I went to extra English classes, and my summer school teachers emphasized the importance of vocabulary and grammar. I learned how to diagram sentences based on their parts of speech and memorized how certain phrases must correspond to a set of rule to satisfy the English grammar. My teachers in high school tested my English skills through public speeches and numerous essays. During high school, I also went to Vietnamese school for four years every Sunday where they emphasized the importance of memorization and repetition. My teachers gave me homework to read, and I had memorize certain poems or short stories. They would test me by making me recite the poem or write down the short stories by

During my first year in college, I did not realize the major challenges I would face being a first-generation college student that was undeclared as a major. I knew I had to continue my education as many of my teachers and advisers in high school had mentioned. But I never knew the struggle of not having a family member to ask for advice or guidance to navigate my college education or choosing a major. I became interested in helping other students in their path post-high school by volunteering, mentoring and working with high school students in their process of applying or learning about their postsecondary education options. After working with different ethnic groups I came to realize that those that identified as

During this semester of Intro to College Writing at Gateway Technical College, I have found that learning to write a proper essay paper is compelling to me. In high school, writing essays was a very difficult thing for me because the teachers would try and help but everything they said blew over my head. Jessica Gleason, the instructor for Intro to College Writing class, helped explain in detail how to properly write a APA formatted essay paper. I learned what my introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion should include, which I struggled with. Another compelling topic in this class we completed was the “Plagiarism” game in class. Before this class I would have to write research, papers and include quotes, statements from an article, which I would include but not know how to properly cite them in my paper. The game that was associated with plagiarism was the Goblin Game, you need to figure out the situations that represented plagiarism. This game helped me with following the proper steps and knowing what not to put and to put in my paper.

Today, November 16, 2016, my perspective altered drastically. The hot humid air of Honduras made my skin sticky and my hair damp. The sun beat down on me as if I sat in an inescapable sauna. Houses made of tin and cinder blocks flew past us as the police escorted us to the clinic. 10 minutes later my dad and I reached the clinic and gratefully exited the bus and rushed inside. “Ahhhhh...air conditioning! What a blessing!” I thought. We expected 10-15 patients to come to our dental chair to get their dental work done for their mission papers. I look around at the church gym, full of rickety makeshift dental operatories. The stark white walls, the dusty tan floor, and the porous off-white ceiling engulfed me entirely. My heart beat out of my chest as I felt completely inadequate for the tasks lying ahead of me. Patients began filling the church bench, which acted as a waiting area. Each patient shared a timid smile, offered to speak their best english if possible, and expressed their gratitude for us coming to their country to serve them. Even though Spanish is not my first language, I knew how to speak kindness. Gratitude knows no language barrier. I finished setting up our tools, chairs, and trays for our first patient. Giddy and anxious, I raised the lime green flag high above my head signaling for a patient. Almost immediately after raising the flag my stomach plummeted further, I’m nervous again! Why am I so nervous? Pull it together Cambrie! This is the fifth day of

It was two and a half years ago, in Conroe, Texas. The sun beat down and drew every bit of moisture from my breath. Every move that was made was a sweaty and laborious process. I was atop a steel frame, eight stories in the air. Laying on my belly with my feet dangling over the side pulling measurements and creating pools of sweat in my safety glasses. This was a typical Monday for an ironworker; pouring sweat by 8:00 a.m., cursing the sun, and disregarding your own personal safety to benefit someone else’s interests.

Being in a life or death situation, or at least believing you, can radically affect how you feel about the world, and everything around us. To unknowingly shake loose your repressed feelings and thought, through the rush of adrenaline and reflection on your own actions, is a truly freeing experience. While such a freeing experience comes with a terrifyingly dangerous cost, I was able to find a refreshing outlook on life.

I’m turning the pages of my life to find the parts that have made me who I am today. I don’t believe who I am is static, though.

Last summer my cousin and I were enjoying a meal with our families in China. It’s been 7 years since I last saw my cousin. We are about the same age and my favorite memory of her was celebrating her 11th birthday. I remember my uncle and aunt sitting to my right and my grandparents sitting to my left singing happy birthday as she blew out her candles. It has been so long I almost couldn’t recognize her when I arrived at the airport 2 weeks prior. My mom receives a call and leaves the room to pick up her phone. She comes back 10 minutes later in tears. She breaks the news to the family and that our trip would be cut short. She was diagnosed with breast cancer. In the following week, we pack up our bags and head out to the airport. She had to start treatment as soon as possible. I knew I would become the man of the house to take care of my mother and brother, who has autism, while my dad worked in New York.