After an amazing week of learning how to work around with wood, cutting, and all of those fun stuff, we made a project and incorporated the Circuit Playground. Here is my project.

Embracing vs. Turning Away:

Reflecting on my learning journey, I can draw parallels to the experience of embracing or turning away from courses or activities based on a sense of belongingness.   There have been courses or activities that I enthusiastically embraced because I felt a strong sense of belongingness like in mathematics. This even to the extent that I joined most math clubs and engaged in almost every mathematics contest I heard of. Alternatively, there were instances where I turned away from courses or activities because I didn't feel a strong sense of belongingness like history and science. This was due to factors such as feeling out of place in the community, lacking interest in the subject matter, or experiencing difficulty in understanding the material. In history, I always felt overwhelmed by the many things I had to keep in my head and never really enjoyed the stories. In science, I felt I just wasn’t cut out for that world. 

Influence of Environmental Messages: 

 Messages from the environment, such as feedback from peers or societal expectations, played a significant role in shaping my decisions. Positive reinforcement and encouragement from peers, teachers, or mentors often motivated me to continue pursuing certain courses or activities. On the other hand, negative feedback or feelings of inadequacy may have contributed to a sense of not belonging and influenced my decision to turn away from certain pursuits. For instance, I was very lively and always participated in choreographies for every event at school including graduation and reunions but one day in high school, a senior told me I looked bad on stage and ever since, I have not stepped on the stage to do anything not to talk about dancing. On the other hand, the first time I painted, my family and friends gave me too much feedback to the extent that I took art classes here in college and haven’t stopped painting since.

Revisiting Decisions: 

 If I were to revisit a decision to embrace or turn away from a course or activity, I would tell my former self to trust my instincts and prioritize my genuine interests and passions. Initially, I was very interested in dance, and I always led a group during events. If I could revisit this decision of not dancing anymore, I would have not taken what the senior said into consideration and followed my passion. I believe it's important to recognize that feeling a sense of belongingness can evolve and may not always be immediate. Persistence, open-mindedness, and seeking support from mentors or peers can help navigate challenges and foster a sense of belongingness in unfamiliar environments. I would have sought her advice or more advice from my dance mentors instead of terminating my passion for dance. Additionally, I would remind myself that it's okay to pivot or explore different paths if a particular pursuit doesn't align with my goals or values. Ultimately, embracing opportunities that resonate with my authentic self is key to finding fulfillment and success in my learning journey.

Successes and Failures

My first success was running the Arduino code and everything worked perfectly.

My failures began when I started making the wooden cat. First of all, I was second-guessing myself about using the drills and lying to myself that I would hurt myself using the drills so I just decided to make a project without drills. I then came up with making the cat face with wood. My second failure arose when I was trying to make the upper part of the face, the area between both ears. When I was in the process of doing that, the cat’s ears broke. Feeling frustrated, I just left the project and went to bed. The next day, I met a Fimbel worker and told her how much I was suffering with something that was on my badge. She told me there was wood glue at the adhesive station and that was the end of my failures.