Isabel's Honors Portfolio
1st Quarter!
I feel like it's important to have artifacts that represent each year at University. I plan on looking back at these to capture growth, memories, and change. Keep reading if you're interested in artifacts I felt symbolized my first year at college!
Artifact #1
My first artifact came from an assignment in my "Study of the Cosmos" class. We were given the choice between three different art galleries to go and visit in person, which we then had to write a reflection about. I usually am not the best with art galleries, but I was definitely surprised by "Mad Art".
​
The whole experience was a blast. This assignment was given to us during the first week of school, which made it a great way to meet new people. This was the one class where I felt a need to connect with my classmates because I knew there would be many group projects. The link ride and walk to "Mad Art" in downtown Seattle was a perfect way to create friendships! We all had so much fun - we started out at the museum, which was an experience to say the least. It was a unique gallery in that the artists were still working on it while we were walking through. The piece itself is called "Salvage", and we found the story behind it to be very interesting. The artists decided to collect these pieces of wood and put them on display to help people see everything that trees/wood experiences, and the effects natural disasters have on them.
​
Overall, I enjoyed the gallery, the company, and gained a new love for art!
Artifact #2
This artifact is also from my "Study of the Cosmos" class. I chose this artifact because it was our final presentation in the class and it represents my growth as a speaker. Before this year, I had never felt very confident in public speaking, even though I did it often. I was always super anxious and turned bright red when I stood in front of a group of people. But this presentation on "Molecular Gastronomy" was the first time I enjoyed myself while public speaking.
​
We were tasked with creating any type of presentation on a topic of our choosing that intersects art and science. I love food and cooking which is why I chose Molecular Gastronomy! I decided to use Prezi in order to make the presentation more exciting. I think that because I was given the opportunity to present about something I'm actually passionate about, I was more confident in my public speaking. The level of confidence I never knew I could experience while presenting felt wonderful. The audience also helped in laughing on cue and looking engaged. I can honestly say I would be happy to be given another assignment involving a presentation.
Artifact #3
"My letter to Freedom" was the first essay I wrote in my African American Studies 101 class. I chose this as an artifact because it symbolizes how much I have learned from this class. I initially chose to take AFRAM 101 because I wanted to study American Ethnic Studies, particularly Chicano Studies, and this was the only class open during the Fall quarter. I was nevertheless excited to be taking this class and knew from the beginning that it would be a class where I would be listening more than contributing, but I never could have expected the amount of knowledge I would gain.
​
I am incredibly grateful to Doctor Rollins and Mia (TA) for creating a safe space where diverse students can comfortably discuss difficult topics such as race, enslavement, racism, discrimination, etc.
​
After taking this class, I now plan on getting a double degree in Comparative Ethnic Studies instead of Chicano Ethnic Studies so that I can learn more about different cultures/ethnicities/races to become better educated.