Writing has always been something I like.

This is unfortunately ironic since it has also been one of my worst subjects since high school. I've always thought this to be the reason behind my motivation in writing because it is so easy for me to see progress in myself, considering how hard English and writing can be for me. I found ENGL 131 to be one of the most enjoyable writing classes I've taken in my life thus far since the minute you, my instructor Matt Poland, said this class was going to focus more on communication rather than analysis. (Paraphrased from the first few days of class since my memory isn't that good)

I have definitely learned how to be a better communicator since then and every outcome we applied to our assignments gave more meaning to the words I wrote the next week. I saw my motivation rise and the quality of my work increase as we progressed into the quarter and started our research project. The research I did on the ways we approach traffic congestion has been the epitome of impactful writing in my life as I aspire to be a Civil Engineer with traffic specialization in my time at UW. Never have the assignments I've done in class and the fundamentals present in each claim been more applicable to my life than during this second sequence. The progression I've had, especially between my two Major Papers, is inspiring for myself and I hope to fall in love with other aspects of writing as I continue my journey through this difficult subject.

 On top of the grammatical revisions and format issues I had to address, the synthesis of my entire paper to fit with one claim was the most enjoyable challenge I found throughout all my assignments. Whether it was incorporating a unique angle (Learning Styles) to a personal letter or aligning my sources to ensure my claim was well supported in Major Paper 2, the cohesion of my writing is an interesting puzzle I found joy in solving.

I know the outcomes I have learned in this class, Methods, Research, Argumentation and Revision, will stretch far beyond any English assignments and instead also aid in conveying a professional image of my writing in the future.