Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

I believe I demonstrated my perseverance and my openness when developing my ideas and writing during the semester by, for example, being open to adjusting my thesis after spending time doing research and learning more about the topic. 

I utilized all of my resources effectively as a means of not only using them as evidence but learning from them as well to become more knowledgeable on my topic to create a better essay. All in all, I always believed I was a decent writer and was always sure it was my strong point in school. I believe this class really helped me improve my writing and I am confident I have made significant progress in this class. 

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

Not one source was read by me without me making sure I understood the main points of it enough to utilize them effectively in my writing. I have learned in this class to start looking at every topic we did in class in a counterintuitive point of view. By doing this, I started to become more creative as a writer and a thinker. For example, up until I took this class, my perspective was locked into seeing money as the most valuable thing I could have, and that it will forever be that way no matter what. I remember many weeks ago, my professor mentioned that the only reason that that is, is due to everybody believing it is worth something. I remember the example that related this currency to how boulders were used as currency in other nations. Once people lost belief in the value of those rocks, they were seen as just rocks. It taught me that as soon as people lose belief in the value of these pieces of paper, it will just be seen as paper. I strongly believe that this will be the case in the next decade, especially with cryptocurrency becoming more mainstream. 

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

To start off, I believe that these three things are key to having a good paper. It is crucial to always have the purpose of your paper in mind as you write, as it keeps you from steering off topic and into a tangent. It is clear in my papers that I keep my purpose at the forefront of my mind at all times, as I always make sure to restate my main points throughout my paper so as to not let my reader lose attention to my thesis. Knowing the audience you will have is very important, as using different language and strategies can help steer the readers to be more intrigued. For example, if I am aware that my audience is curious about powerlifting and is skeptical about the safety of it, I would be sure to highlight every benefit and show how they outweigh the risks. If my audience is a soccer player and is against lifting weights, I would show how not only is soccer more dangerous and has less benefits, but they can even use powerlifting and its training to become a better soccer player.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

Throughout this course, we have been given numerous assignments that required us to think critically about and complete using our original research and thinking. For example, the rebuttal argument assignment required me to locate and evaluate sources that supported the opposing argument of mine and prove using evidence I found from other sources that my thesis statement was correct and stronger than the opposing ones. For example, one of the opposing arguments I had presented in my papers was that lifting weights is bad for children. After I had spent a lot of time researching and evaluating other sources, I proved that not only is lifting weights not bad for kids, but it is more beneficial to start lifting weights at a young age. 

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

Throughout this course, there has not been a single time I have plagiarized. It is against my morals to steal work from others without giving credit, along with it leading to myself not learning the material. Without me learning the material, there is no purpose to even be in school in the first place. I make it one of my main priorities to always cite my sources correctly and make my citations easy to follow and understand. It was made clear in our first class that academic integrity is mandatory and strictly enforced. All of my writing is original to myself, and it all was written with my own thoughts, emotions, and knowledge.