Kyle Indingaro UWRT 1101-013
Reflection: Self-Expertise as New Literacy
My name is Kyle Indingaro and I am an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte studying civil engineering. Writing has never been my passion and to be honest, I never think it will be. With that being said I have come a long way over the years with my reading and writing comprehension skills, however there is still work to be done. I have grown accustomed to the culture of a college student and UWRT 1101 has taken me on an adventure I truly was not expecting. From creating sophisticated family trees that dive into the great facts of my family name to a basic “bitch session” to relieve some stress, UWRT 1101 has been an enjoying ride. It is not often you hear about a college student enjoying a writing course, however, I can honestly say this class has been one great experience.
The first major topic introduced in UWRT was the concept of literacy. The ability to master a skill and teach it to others. We went into detail about literacy with the “My Words” project where I described a future in Disney Imagineering. With the skill of engineering as my literacy, I would be able to obtain a specific dream of mine. The concept of literacy can open doors to the future when one has a specific goal in mind and can master that goal. When one can obtain literacy, it makes their lives much easier. For example if I truly want something in life and want to be great at it, I have to work to become literate at that specific task. Once I have completed my goals, my desires can become a reality and my life (in turn) can become better. Coming to college forced me to become literate in many aspects of life. In high school, I could get by without studying or even slacking on an assignment, however in college, it is the complete opposite. Assignments must be completed on time and accurately according to the instructor’s directions. I had to adapt and become literate in skills such as time management and even desire. Without the desire and passion to complete my work, there would be nothing driving me towards a respectable grade. Becoming literate in time management forced me to stay up-to-date on assignments and forced me to follow a strict agenda each day. I even purchased an in-depth agenda book to stay on track. With practice comes results, and as I continued to master my craft in the classroom, results soon became noticeable to me. I was becoming literate at the things I had strived for. I learned that literacy can be accomplished with a little desire and practice. With the literacy obtained through practice, I continue to become a better student and work towards my future goals.
Over the course of the semester, 1101 has taught me beyond the classroom. When I look back on the concepts we have touched upon, it is not simply knowledge gained generally, but knowledge gained individually. What I mean by that is that we have learned things that can apply to our ever-day-lives. When I review the literacy I want to obtain so badly, that desire can push me towards a career and a future living. When I think about the knowledge I now have thanks to the family tree, I can forever understand my family’s origin and story. These basic concepts can mold who I am as a person. The topics discussed in class have an impact on me as a person. In a lot of college courses, you learn facts, dates and formulas that help you understand a concept. In UWRT, we discovered topics that relate to us so that we can better understand them. When I can relate a topic to my life, it makes it that much easier for me to soak in the material being presented.
As a freshmen, I never really knew what to expect out of college writing course. What would the material look like? Would I have to memorize vocabulary and read the dictionary? I was clueless. After all the work we have done, I look back and realize that everything ties together. During the year I often found myself wondering, “What’s the point of this assignment?” but when I look back at the semester I can see concepts bunched into one main idea. As a college student, I have come to understand that everything is done for a reason. While I may not understand everything as it is happening, I know it should soon come full circle. As we put this portfolio together I can refresh my memory as to how much material we covered in such a short period of time. I can see how the material makes sense now and how it pertains to me as a student. Overall, being a member of UWRT 1101 has allowed me to see the big picture of a lot of topics covered over the course of the semester.
As I’ve discussed, the material featured in this course has given me a new outlook on a few major things. By completing two major projects, I was able to dive into detail about myself and who I am as a person. The “My Words” project allowed me to dive into my goals for the future. It allowed me to see who I want to be and what I want to do with my life. Now I know what I want to do and how I’m going to do it. If I ever need a reminder as to why I’m working so hard, I can think back to my literacy project and remind myself of the literacy I want in life. It works as a reminder for me as to why I am here chasing my dream. The “Out of Our Trees” project gave me an idea as to who I am as an individual. This does not pertain to my education, rather to my life. I was able to discover how my name came to be and how my family worked to come to America from Italy. It is amazing to understand where you come from and it allows you to understand yourself. One day, I’ll be able to tell my children about our past so they can mold themselves into the people they wish to become. Facts and equations are great some of the times, however, it is nice to shy away from those things once-in-a-while and discover ourselves as individuals. That is why UWRT 1101 was such an amazing experience for me.
Nobody said UWRT 1101 was a perfect class, maybe close, but not perfect. The reading of Coroline never seemed to appeal to me. I never quite understood the meaning behind the book and thought of it as a simple, and childish story. With all the books to choose from, the writing department could certainly find a book more suitable for college students. The last thing college students need in their daily lives is a book to read that they aren’t interested in. I just felt like the book was rushed at the end of the semester and with the family tree project taking place, the book took a backseat for a while.
With that one negative out of the way, it is extremely important to realize that UWRT 1101 was the best class I took all semester. I discovered things about myself that I never knew before and not only that, I met some great people along the way. Mr. Brown was an amazing instructor who was easily approachable and offered wise criticism and remarks. UWRT 1101 was a pleasure each day and I cannot express how great the course was within this reflection. Being able to time travel in order to discover the literacy of my future and to review my family’s past made this class an amazing experience every Monday and Wednesday.
As you continue to read my work within the portfolio, I hope you discover the passion I have for achieving my goals and putting my best effort into everything I do. I never wish to “half-ass” an assignment and I express this desire within each item of the portfolio. With UWRT 1101 soon to be in my rearview mirror, I wish to continue my pursuit at earning my engineering degree. One day at a time, one class at a time. I want to master every course I step in to, whether it be a general education course or not. My goal is to perfect myself as a student and work towards my literacy goals each and every day.