General Long Answer:  (all courses): cite assignments from your course(s) (40 word min each)

1. What are you better at now than you were at the end of the previous academic year? Name all of the ways that these improvements were made possible.
   1. I entered this year as a first-year transfer student. Even though I possess previous university experience, that was over eight years ago. Diving back into academia after all this time seemed like an almost insurmountable task, and I felt very disconnected from the campus community. I did learn the value of communication and being able to lean on my professors for assistance. In the past, I often struggled in silence, but communicating those struggles to my professors this semester was invaluable in getting me through.
2. What are you most proud of from the past academic year? Why does this make you proud?
   1. I am most proud of being able to juggle school, protesting, and work. There were moments of extreme stress, and there were times that I felt as if the journey was not worth it, but I now feel more confident going into the next semester.
3. What went well this past academic year? What tools, supports or resources aided your success?
   1. The semester was okay but visiting the Math Tutoring Centre definitely helped me pass my Precalculus final. I feel like struggling to make a part-time student reflect on what went well is extraordinarily redundant, especially since I just mentioned what I was proud of during the semester. Am I expected to mention an assignment that I did?
4. What did not go well this past academic year? What was missing that made this experience challenging or undesirable?
   1. I struggled immensely this semester. Enrolling in university again after eight years made me feel like a fish out of water. I felt isolated in the beginning. I also struggled severely with depression. The overwhelm of being thrust back into a labour-intensive academic environment while having to balance work and health struggles made me feel like I was drowning. There was also just too much work required from my classes. 
5. What insight did you gain about your own needs for mitigating challenges? Where or how can you fulfill these needs in the future?
   1. I should have registered with the campus disability office for accommodations. I struggle with number retention and have issues with attendance due to my health conditions. I felt uncomfortable with admitting that I needed help, but I will definitely familiarise myself with the office next semester.
6. What did you learn from overcoming challenges? How will you remember what you learned and apply it when a similar issue arises?
   1. I learned that I was not as much of a lazy failure as I thought I was. I also learned the value of communicating with professors instead of letting myself drown.
7. When did you feel happiest or most at ease this year? How can you experience those moments more frequently?
   1. I felt happiest when class was not in session. I am not a big fan of the education system, and I believe universities focus more on winning grants for research and cultivating its neoliberal petit-bourgeois class than speaking on behalf of those underrepresented in the community.
8. What moments are you proud of? What can you do to celebrate yourself?
   1. I am proud of myself for enrolling in school and completing my first semester. It was a long time in the making; I was starting to think that I would never return. I should try to be less hard on myself; the world is difficult enough.
9. What new ideas, information, resources or research made a positive difference for you this year? What was helpful about these things?
   1. I have taken a research methods class previously, so I was familiar on creating my own research paper, but this was much more in-depth. The assignment Synthesis and Intro Practice helped me tremendously, even outside of writing research papers. I have always struggled with writing introductions; I could not start. Spending much so time on each individual section of a research paper helped me understand how to make a more cohesive piece of writing.

Short Answer: Course Specific (only this course): cite assignments from the course (40-word min each)

1. How has your understanding of the scientific writing process changed from what it was before this class?
   1. Surprisingly, this is the first time that I learned about the synthesis of sources within a research paper. I used to cite my source and believed that the information provided would inform the reader of my argument. Learning about how sources should converse with each other to provide a more coherent argument changed the game for me.
2. Where do you believe the scientists primary responsibilities are, to fellow scientists, or to to the public? Why?
   1. I believe that scientists’ responsibilities lie with the general public. Scientists have the tools and skills needed to engage in topics to better the world, especially when that research is publically funded. Even scientists conducting the most fundamental research need to be aware that their work can ultimately have a great impact on society. If scientists do find that their discoveries have implications for some important aspect of public affairs, they have a responsibility to call attention to the public issues involved.
3. What was your experience with the PSA project? What do you think you learned from it?
   1. I actually enjoyed the PSA Project. Often times, students are assigned reading material on subjects that do not catch our fancy, but pertain to the subject. Being able to bring awareness to the humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo was so important to me.
4. What was the most memorable example of forward Facing Science (or science focused on explaining itself to the public)? What made it stand out to you and what did it teach you about the ability to promote science to the public?
   1. I think climate change science is the greatest example of this, specifically with the deterioration of the Ozone Layer. We encountered a crisis in real-time, and, thanks to the education provided by science, we were actually able to do something about it. It taught me that the enemy of progress is ignorance.
5. What will you most take away from this course, that could be applied to your future classes?
   1. I know how to write an essay that contains my opinions and arguments. I am not a very persuasive writing, more declarative, so I will carry that with me.