Testimonials
English 101 Students Reflect on Writing for Community Change
“I was nervous about sending my letter off to the Clearwater Tribune because of my self-consciousness of my writing. I found out that my letter made the paper this week and got lots of compliments about it and got some good feedback. Hearing that made me proud and I started to see how important it is to get information out in the public to advocate for change.” – Debra, student, Fall 2023
“This topic became very personal to me this semester due to my own personal struggles. I suffer from crippling seasonal depression, and an anxiety disorder. . . . researching hoarding, and the addiction disorders that lie at the root of it really helped me to form a deeper understanding of my own struggles. . . . And in part I think this community change topic really helped contribute to me realizing both that I needed help, and that help was accessible. And that is far from the only benefit I gained from this class. I know moving forward in my academic career the lessons I have learned from this class will be instrumental in all the papers I write. Additionally, the critical thinking and problem-solving skills I gained will also be invaluable both in class in and in my personal life.” – Student, Fall 2023
“The high of the [call to action] letter was the feeling of accomplishment that all of my hard work would be sent out to a real representative that could possibly help my topic. It felt relieving that all my hard work was going out into the world to hopefully make a change. In this letter I was able to express my feelings, what I wanted to change, and how I felt about the matter. I had never made a letter out to an important person before, so it was very new to me. I learned how to properly format a letter, how to condense important information into one idea, and how to nicely yet firmly state my ideas … Finally, I learned many tools and valuable information throughout this semester with all of my writing assignments. My writing has improved tremendously, and I will continue to use the tools I have learned in the future. My values have strengthened due to the amount of research and work I have done on my topic, and I have learned more about my topic and how I can improve its quality in my life. I have come to the realization that there will always be arguments and opposing opinions on every topic, and the only way past them is to fight for your beliefs. In the end, I was able to express my feelings on the matter and explain how this topic affects my life.” – Jakeilei, student, Fall 2023
“I am from Drobo in Bono Region of Ghana. I am intending to major in Nursing and proceed to work as a professional nurse after graduation in the United States of America. I also intend to leverage my acquired knowledge to establish my own health facility back in Ghana. English 101 has taught me a lot in perfecting my writings being it a minor or major writing. For the past 4 years that I have been out of school my English turned so bad and I did not see myself doing this better, but it has happened. This is my first time taking a writing lesson which propelled me to dive much into a selected topic concerning my society. It is a great and unforgettable experience. Having to deal with choosing a topic was not much of a challenge because it has always been on my to do list to speak about maternal mental health. I chose to grab this opportunity when it presented itself.” – Bernice, student, Fall 2023
“Diving into homelessness really made me realize how much the homeless people are actually suffering. It really has made me more open minded when it comes to things on my topic. I had a different point of view before doing my research on the homeless. Some personal challenges were just trying to manage everything like school, track an just having a healthy social life. Finding my people here at LC made it a lot better for my well being. I could use my knowledge from this class to make the lives of the homeless even a little bit easier, whether it be from giving them money or a helping hand in the future, or even just giving them a quick smile and being a little nicer and genuine to them.” – Preston, student, Fall 2023
“In my community change project, I addressed the pressing issue of athlete mental health, particularly focusing on the often-overlooked well-being of youth athletes. Researching and uncovering information proved challenging, as there was a surprising lack of data on youth mental health. Overcoming this hurdle, I learned valuable information from medical journals and expanded my focus to include professional athletes, although data remained limited. The multimodal assignment and image analysis were crucial in broadening my understanding of athletes’ mental health. They prompted a reflection on my personal experiences as an athlete, as well as personal experiences I have had as a member of the medical community. The image analysis assignment equipped me with skills to find hidden meanings in visual representations, emphasizing the importance of considering every element. The synthesis essay was initially challenging but, in the end, it broadened my analytical abilities, as well as encouraged a deeper exploration of visual and textual elements. This project highlighted the need for greater awareness and support for athletes’ mental health. As an athlete and advocate, I am determined to contribute to the ongoing conversation and foster positive change in this critical area.” – Emma, student, Fall 2023
“Overall, this semester helped me become a better writer and learn more about a topic that is important to me. I have a much deeper understanding of rhetoric and more confidence in my ability to write with purpose. I began the semester with some apprehension about writing, but when given the opportunity to write about social change it came more easily. Although I faced some struggles in certain writing assignments, those struggles ultimately helped me to understand teen homelessness more in depth. Going forward, I am excited to use the skills from this course in assignments related to my psychology major. These skills will also be valuable as I continue working for the YWCA and assisting with grant writing in the coming year.” – Katie, student, Fall 2023
“I loved the [call to action] letter assignment. I loved the idea of being able to have the chance to have some influence for change. Writing the letter felt very nice, like all my assignments had purpose and it was not just for school. I really hope that it helps for change.” – Annie, student, Fall 2023
“I took these summaries and put them all together to ultimately make an argument about something that needs to be changed in my community. All of the assignments thus far have prepared me for this moment where I can use the knowledge that I have collected to actually do something to make a difference. This was really important to me, it’s one thing to have all this new information but to actually share this information and hopefully make a difference or a change. I took my argument and compressed it into a letter in which I sent to someone that can make this change that I am wanting. I sent my letter to the Boise School District board of trustees and actually got a response stating that “they would discuss it in their next meeting”. Something that I did in a class for a grade has the possibility of making the world a better place and that is really exciting and rewarding. I actually feel really special to be a part of something greater than myself.” – Alyssa, student, Fall 2023
“This semester in English 101 will be one I think about a lot as I move forward. I learned how to identify meaningful sources, I have developed a stance on student loan forgiveness, and have grown as a writer. I think one of my favorite takeaways from this class has been that no one can say something in the unique way each one of us can. What I have to say, and how I say it, no one else will say the same way. This class has changed my perspective on my writing, and emphasized the importance of being educated on issues around us.” – Susan, student, Fall 2023
This English class was by far my most engaging class this semester. I felt like I was really learning about something important. I feel that with the new knowledge I have about the homeless problem, that some actual change to it can come about in the foreseeable future.” – Augustus, student, Fall 2023
My thinking on this topic has drastically changed on this topic from the time I first encountered it in the beginning of the semester. I now have a better understanding on how alcohol addiction affects the community and I think I now know enough about it to where I could have an educated conversation with someone on the substance and its dangers. I think this class has greatly improved my writing skills because it has shown me how to critically think to a point where I am able to analyze things in a greater way. Reading these paragraphs compared to my multimodal memo I can see an immense improvement in my writing from the language I use to the format and style of writing. . . . I am more confident in using research for my writing and using that research to get points across to the reader in my writing.. . . I enjoyed your class very much and it felt like I was valued in your class. Ethan, student, Fall 2023
When I first began writing about the topic of teenage drug abuse I believed I knew the gist of it, however after hearing firsthand accounts from conducting interviews and through online research I learned much more about drug misuse than I thought I ever would. One aspect I am proud of learning about myself is seeing my growth as a writer. In the beginning of the year I had very little idea how I was supposed to structure my papers. Learning the values of ethos, pathos and logos helped at a new angle to my writing and allowed me to express my ideas in ways I could not before. Another huge tactic to my writing game was the utilization of graphic organizers. I had never used them before in high school. They make planning what I need to do much simpler. The skills I learned in this class will undoubtedly help me throughout my college life, in fact they already have. Public speaking has always been hard for me but after learning rhetoric, kairos, ethos, logos, and pathos it has been easier. Thank you, I honestly can’t remember the last time I looked forward to writing. Michael, student, Fall 2023
Throughout the semester, I have dove headfirst into this topic and now have a solid understanding of where commercial fishing is at now and where it is heading towards in the future. Research in this topic started off slow for me as I could only find the problems about it, but after finding solutions the process went by much easier. I feel that my writing has improved because my focus was on one topic for a long period of time that made me constantly find new information. The skills I will take from this class that I can apply into my career field is to find proper and credible information and use it towards changes such as safety or inspection. Using these methods will be much more effective instead of just stating an opinion on what should be done. – Jackson, student, Fall 2022
“I feel more confident when writing and it makes me feel that my words do mean something. Writing about human and sex trafficking has made me want to acknowledge the issue head-on and try and make a difference outside of writing essays. I want to be able to make a difference in people’s lives and educate the ones who are oblivious to their surroundings.” – Natalie, student, Fall 2022
“I was talking to my mom about your class and how my ideas flow so much better from one assignment to the next because I’m already thinking about my topic instead of having to start over from scratch every time we start a new essay. I can look back at what I’ve already written about the topic and build on it.” – Mary, student, Fall 2021
“Writing about a real problem and its possible solutions motivated me throughout each assignment that it involved. I also have gotten the chance to visibly see my writing improve over time and it gives a feeling of gratitude that I was not expecting. Working full-time while going to school has caused some overwhelming feelings some days, especially in our already overwhelming times, but it has also been a fulfilling experience. I have always felt it is important to stand up to problems and help my community however I can, this class has reminded me how crucial research is no matter the topic and I will continue to educate myself on problems in my community and work towards solutions for issues throughout our country.” – Erin, student, Spring 2021
“I do think my writing skills improved a ton this semester. I learned about a bunch of different things to look for in writing such as ethos, pathos and logos. Before I thought I knew exactly what they were but then I ended up learning they were way deeper than I thought. I really appreciate that our topic this semester was a social change topic. I think I will try to be a more active citizen and write to my political leaders more often.” – Seth, student, May 2021
“This class was challenging, but I knew I could do it. . . . While analyzing the cartoon, I learned about how much the little details matter in an image. I have never analysed an image so deeply before. I now understand how much meaning an image can have. My political cartoon had a lot of subtle details that made the message stronger. . . . I am more prepared to someday write up a report in my future job. I also learned how to research topics more effectively and how to write to someone of authority. This class gave me the confidence I need to take on the challenges I will face in future classes”.– Sam, student, May 2021
