High School

I went to St. Rita high school. It is an all boys school with a population of about 700 students. It is located in Chicago on 79th and Western. It has been around for more than 100 years.

Gramma

My gramma is 77 years. Every year she calls me and congratulates me on baptismal, communion and confirmation days. She likes to refer to me as her "favorite flavor." She is a saint.

Texas

I was born in Austin, Texas. Half my life I grew up in Dallas, Every summer I go back and visit family and work at a summer camp. The Texas flag is hanging in my room right now.

Red Bull

If there's something that gives me wings, it's Red Bull. Its actually the only thing getting me through this week. So cheers to Red Bull, you are the real MVP.

Research Argument Synthesis Paper Reflection

This paper was one of the biggest challenges I have ever had as a student. From an annotated bibliography, to eight pages, and ending with a presentation, this project had it all. I knew my stance on lowering the drinking age in the U.S. wasn't going to change even before doing all of my research. However, it was discouraging to see that there were more people who were against lowering the drinking than those who were for it. These paper pulled out all of the creativity in me to convince my audience that lowering the drinking age in the U.S. would be beneficial to the country. I not only had to refer to my sources, but to some of my personal experiences as well. Overall, the work that I put into this project not only showed my the benefits and defects of the national drinking, but it made me more passionate about the movement to better the quality of life for young adults in the U.S.

Looking Back

My experience in College Writing II this semester managed to pick at all of my weak spots as a writer. I had never written more than seven pages for a paper before, and I have never used a number of resources that were in the double digits. The challenge of researching, analyzing, synthesizing, and presenting a topic I cared deeply about seemed daunting. However, I took the challenge on day by day and realized that writing is a never ending process. Everyday I found something new that could've been added or changed to my work. Even after I turned in my final draft, I knew that there could still be some changes made to the paper. This semester help me realize that as a writer, my work is never done. I can only continue to grow as a writer, and this semester showed me that I can face the challenges ahead of me when it comes to truly understanding how to present an argument, synthesis, and idea.

Class Activites

    The actual physical set up of my College Writing II class was different than from any class I've ever had. We students sat in groups of three, and we were all facing one another. There were multiple smart boards for presentations and the computers were able to move freely. This setup was designed so that I could work together with my class mates. Sitting in pods of three gave us the ability to do book work together and peer review each others writing projects, which happened consistently throughout the school year.