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This assignment asked us to reflect on our values in order to better utilize the honors program to achieve them.
The hardest choices I’ve made so far is deciding where I was going to college. For that decision I analyzed all my choices and looked at the possibilities which at the time seemed endless. Through this analytical search for the “right fit” I assessed my values to make sure where I was going reflected what I believed to be important. 
One of many things I prioritize is family. Family is imperative for so many reasons. It provides love, support, guidance, and security along with many other comforts. I feel like being close to family was a major factor in where I went to school due to the fact that I wanted to be able to go home whenever I had a break to visit. In addition to that, I was worried that if something happened, and somehow I was in trouble, I would be stranded without a support system to service me. For these reasons, I choose to go to a college that was closer to home. I decided that any college farther than three hours was out of the question, and from there narrowed down my choices by comparing the core mentalities of the colleges.
Another one of my values is hard work. When looking at colleges, I specifically thought about the mindset of the students. Learning is a way to better yourself and the community you live in, and for this among many other reasons, I value it highly. It also provides a strong base for success, for when you enter real life, as you in working hard in school to not only learn material, but to learn how better to learn and adapt to the changing world. I knew I wanted to be surrounded by students who shared a similar mindset to mine and so in my decision, decided against any schools that put the primary emphasis on anything but education and success.
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This assignment was a way for us to reflect on a personal passion. For me, that passion was woodworking.
Everyone has certain smells that bring back memories. Whether it is baking cookies reminding you of Christmas Eve or campfires reminding you of summer nights with friend, everyone has at least one scent that can bring a smile to their face. For me, that scent is the smell of fresh cut wood.
Woodworking is a unique experience that I personally believe everyone should try once. It is a chance to design and fabricate anything that the creator can possibly think of. This creativity has practical applications, as whatever you make has the ability to be used in day to day life. That being said, it is a very productive and rewarding pastime. 
For me, woodshop became a passion for me the first day I was in there. I looked around and saw so many unique machines, and with each one, saw new possibilities. When I began to plan what I was going to make, I couldn’t stop smiling. Every day in the woodshop was a chance to make something that existed solely in my head a reality and every day I took that opportunity. I quickly realized that through woodshop, anything was possible because anything was able to be made. Woodshop can be a great opportunity to show people what anyone is capable of making with some training, creativity, and hard work what you are able to accomplish. It is an activity that what you put in you get out. The more time you spend working on your project, planning, building, sanding, the better it will look. It is beyond what can be taught in a classroom as it is a real world skill.
Now comes the next section of my life, and with it, the next part of woodworking. I hope to become more skilled in this area in college. I plan on being able to do this by taking classes that focus on woodworking or similar concepts. There are many of these such courses that can be taken at a nearby location that can be reached with a shuttle. I can sign up for these classes next semester and get back to work on creating new and unique pieces.
I can also look for co-ops and internships with a woodshop element. Many engineering companies deal with woodworking or manufacturing. This would allow me more real world experience in woodworking, which would allow me to become more proficient in it. This would in turn help me to get a job working in a manufacturing and producing setting, When I am applying to my co-ops I will look for co-ops that allow me to pursue my passion. |
