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Caroline Jones
Honors 1700
Rohan
15 November 2015
Final Reflection
At the beginning of the fall semester, I was not ready for classes beginning at eight in the
morning. I set three alarms to be sure to get up early, in order to have extra time for an
emergency situation to be avoided such as missing my apartment bus, going on auto pilot from
last semester and going to an incorrect classroom, or if I forgot to eat breakfast I could stop in
Peetes to grab an everything bagel. Before the first day of class, I had all my books organized by
day and time in a bookshelf in my first apartment, on a shelf that I had just bought from IKEA.
Why does this list seem significant? Well, that first day, I didnt think what I did was significant.
However, looking back at myself then, and the previous semester, what a different person I am!
In the spring of 2015, I transferred to UNC Charlotte from UNC Chapel Hill. My first
day of class was a completely different experience then, in fact it was a surreal daze. I had no
idea where a thing was, I did not know anyone, I didnt have all of my books, I was in a dorm
room with people I had no idea about or trusted. I didnt know what Peetes coffee was, and in
fact didnt drink coffee! The development of the Caroline that is present today is almost
startlingly considering the Caroline that started her college experience. I was insecure in myself,
in my future, and just lost.

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Moving back to the beginning of this semester, I am a completely different individual. I

was feeling a bit more grounded. I had roots in the University, I had a close group of friends
whom support me no matter what, and I live in my own place with people I love and trust. I was
prepared for class, I was calm, (still sleepy, but who isnt during the first week of classes?). As
this semester has gone on, it is a surreal experience to see myself develop and others watch me.
The classes that I am taking now, are beginning to really shape me into the woman in academia
that I wish to be. During Colloquium and University Writing Honors, I have had the opportunity
to journal, be creative, and document how I feel and why about different issues in the world,
society, and the University. In Anatomy and Physiology I have had the opportunity to begin to
understand the complexity and beauty of how the human body works, which is something I will
continue to master throughout my professional career as a physical therapist. In the Anatomy and
Physiology Lab, I have had the opportunity to test the book knowledge that I possess through a
hands-on testing system that has truly been a blessing in my education. Statistics, has renewed
by competency confidence in reminding me that math is not impossible, and I am thankful I am
not a mathematics major! Finally, Care and Prevention of Athletic Injuries, has produced a fire in
me that I am moving toward my goal of being a physical therapist in giving me the knowledge of
understanding, predicting, diagnosing, and treating athletic injuries in an emergency standpoint
on an athletic field. What a blessing to a girl like me who wants to learn this for the rest of her
professional life.
In particular, the University Honors Program, has given me an additional, intimate
community of people who are dedicated to their education. The University Honors Program has
allowed me to not feel alone in the quest for academic success on another level of progression. I
am thankful for the service, community, and enrichment opportunities that the program has given

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me. I am thankful for the creative and informative connections of Colloquium in particular. In
the beginning of the semester the Altered Book project was a fun, creative way to get to know
our fellow classmates as well as a unique way to express our values, morals, and views of the
world. The City as Text event in Uptown was an extremely interesting way of connecting to the
Queen City in which we live. In fact, I loved the experience of viewing Uptown that I included a
view of the skyline from that day on the Home Page of my learning portfolio. In addition, the
lead-up written assignment is included in my Artifacts page within my learning portfolio. This
written assignment was my Analyzing Primary Resources Assignment in which I spent hours
upon hours in the Special Collections section of Atkins Library choosing and researching
artifacts that spoke volumes of Charlottes history in reference to the Goldfield article that was
read at the beginning of the semester. This artifact took so much time and effort, that I decided it
must be included within my learning portfolio as a means of demonstrating my researching
ability, my interest in Charlotte and research in general, as well as my drive in academia.
Through this assignment I searched through articles using Google Scholar, the Atkins Library,
and the artifacts within the Special Collections room such as a report on the Southern Railway
Company, a Railroad law suit Railway Company v Darnells Administrax, and a progressive map
of UNC Charlotte. These areas interested me the most about Charlotte in general. The railway
plays such as integral role in Charlottes community, which I was unaware. Therefore, through
this assignment I researched the history of this and why. This is an example of my interest in
both Charlotte and research as I asked questions, and answered them with other sources. My
drive in academia is shown through the lack of brevity within my paper, and detail put both in
my Analyzing Primary Resources Assignment, as well as my second artifact, The Paralyzed
Man is Healed by Jesus.

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The other artifact that is included within my learning portfolio is a creative piece that I
prepared for another class. The work is called, The Paralyzed Man is Healed by Jesus. The
assignment was to pick a Bible story in the New Testament that had holes if you will. Then it
was instructed to fill in those holes with detail as if you were the disciple writing the chapter for
future believers. The story of Jesus healing the paralyzed man has always been a personal
favorite, however I resented the fact that I knew nothing of this lucky mans life. Therefore, it
was only natural that I named this man, gave him a full life, and described how he was
paralyzed, and so on. This may not be the best piece I have ever written, but it was by far the
most fun to write. This artifact is a representation of my creative writing, my religion of
Christianity, as well as my progression in writing. This piece is an example of creative writing, as
it was my own personal take on a Biblical story that lacked depth and background. This creative
piece is also in reference to my religion, as I believe in the Bible which this story was inspired
from. Finally, this piece was from a year ago, so I can see how I could improve this story with
more academic word choices, more detail, more historical references to make it more accurate,
and so on that would improve the overall work as a whole. Therefore, this shows where my
writing was a year ago compared to the point I am in now.
However, one thing that I would change about the semester, is that I wish I would have
had a healthier balance of school and a social life. Most people have the issue of a social life
before school Nope. Not me! I struggle to an extreme degree with allowing myself to relax or
have fun or just to take a break from school. However, I have realized this trait within myself this
semester, and will attempt to be better during the next semester. One event of UHP that has
helped with this issue, is the requirement for community service. I love the community service
aspect of UHP. On November 13th, I volunteered at the Charlotte Humane Society and was

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blessed with love of lots of puppies, other volunteers, and the coordinators at the shelter. It was
such a wonderful experience that allowed me to just help someone else out just out of the
goodness of my heart. No money or strings attached. Community service is something that I
have missed and now that it is present in my life once more, it is a blessing as it keeps me
grounded as well as shapes me for the better.
Looking back at myself throughout the semester I am proud of the student I have become.
I see a pattern in my work ethic, in my grades, and my personal life of a stronger, more open
minded, and self-aware individual. I feel a sense of drive to make my 20s a decade full of growth
like I have had this semester. Meg Jay lectured a TED talk that spoke about how a womans 30s
are not the new 20s. As scary as it is to not think of having more time to get your life together,
it is extremely inspiring. Jay gives advice to women my age in three points: create identity
capital (do something that will help you become who you want to be), make new ties with new
people, start picking your family (who you want around forever in your life) now. Create a life
you want for yourself. Jays TED talk embodies what I want to do in the next decade of my life,
including the time I have left at this University (Jay 2013). I strive to continue to experience
academic growth, professional progression, as well as make ties that will last the rest of my life. I
am blessed for the opportunities of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University
Honors Program, and the Department of Kinesiology for helping me to find myself in the
semester.

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Works Cited
Why 30 is not the the new 20. Meg Jay TED, 2014. Web.