This being my first semester in college has taught me a lot about what college has to offer and bring. This class helped me learn how powerful language is, especially when it comes to identity and how society sees people. My Language & Literacy Narrative and Synthesis Essay, it allowed me to think deeper about my personal experiences when it comes to language biases and how to write with my voice. Writing made me learn how to think deeper, reflect on myself, and communicate in ways that actually feel real.

My Language and Literacy narrative was the first assignment that I could relate to myself where it made me think about where my voice even comes from. In high school I havenever really had to reflect on experiences that essentially shapedthe way that I speak, write, and talk. It taught me how to tell my story a clear view of my identity. I opened up about not knowing how to speak Spanish and how it made me feel disconnected from my Honduran culture and identity but over time I had a different perspective on my identity. Writing this narrativehelped me realize that literacy is not about reading or writing,it’s about how it reflects who you are and to write with purpose and it is okay to be vulnerable in my writing.

My synthesis essay taught me mainly how to bring multiple sources together to make my argument. This was something I didn’t realize I needed as much as I did. At first, I made sure I had a claim that I wanted to use it. My synthesis proposal worksheet helped me organize my ideas. I had sources down from my own personal experiences, some multimedia like clips particularly from the movie Sorry to Bother You, and regular articles from the CCNY library. As I put my sources together, it felt jumbled together and confused. I started mapping out my plan from my personal experiences from code switching in school and working at my job and tied this to the movie clip. Sorry to Bother You. This assignment made me more comfortable in using evidence and better planning my sources to go with my claims. 

Another thing I learned from both assignments together that added to my writing was learning how to revise my writing in a deeper way and writing with a purpose. In the first draft of my essay, the editing was more than just about fixing grammar or a thing or two. I was more so constructing my Language and Literacy Narrative in a way of telling my story but not really having any reflection; I was stating what was happening. As I revised my narrative, I shifted towards explaining what certain moments meant for my identity like when I wrote “It wasn’t that I didn’t belong, but it was hard to feel included when I didn’t understand anything being said”. This line was just to show more depth and more emotion to how I felt at the moment of the party. In my synthesis essay, the revision was through organizing my sources. I learned that evidence works when I explain why it matters to my claims. My writing has definitely become clearer once I started connecting each source back to my argument about language bias.

Overall, this semester it definitely helped me grow not just as a writer but as an individual who understands the power of my own voice. My Language and Literacy Narrative made me reflect on my cultural identity while my Synthesis Essay taught me how language bias affects how people are treated in society. Both assignments gave me real moments to reflect even in my personal life whether it was freezing at my aunt’s question, or me remembering how I code switch at work in Hell’s Kitchen. Through this I learned how to write with clarity, purpose, and confidence. These skills will definitely stay with me beyond this class and remind me that my voice, the way that I speak, write, and express myself is valuable.