I remember when I had first laid my eyes on the book “Mindset: The New Psychology of Success” by Carol Dweck. I received it as my summer assignment before entering my freshman year of high school. I had dreaded reading this book since I wasn’t an avid reader and it seemed like a tedious assignment. As I read through the pages, I discovered the idea of mindsets, and specifically the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Although I understood the idea that the author was stating, I felt as if it was difficult to apply the idea of a growth mindset to me personally.
From my freshman year of high school until my sophomore year of college, I found myself in a struggle between the awareness of the need for an open mindset and the comfort of a fixed mindset that I constantly attached myself to. During my academic journey, even though my teachers and professors encouraged the growth mindset, it seemed like the environment and curriculum that I was surrounded by were influencing me to have the opposite mindset. Being born and raised in New York City (NYC) while also being a first-generation college student feels as though I was born to be in the “hustle” culture where people “go big or go home”. Even from a young age, NYC students were invested in their SHSAT scores and New York Regents exams, shaping an early atmosphere of intense competition and fostering a fixed mindset focused solely on outcomes. Due to disappointing experiences I had during my academic journey in high school such as not getting the grades I wanted or not getting accepted into any of my top choice high schools, I grew comfortable with the fixed mindset.
During my sophomore year in Mount Holyoke, my mindset had completely changed. A part of me heavily believes that it was because of the change in the environment and professors. Becoming a CS major at Mount Holyoke jump-started my perspective to shift into a growth mindset because I began to encounter challenges and opportunities that pushed me beyond my comfort zone. My experience with Data Structures, in particular, has been a transformative journey for me. Even though class assignments at times were difficult and frustrating, especially as a student who stopped coding from Fall 2021 (freshman first semester) to Spring 2023 (sophomore second semester). The supportive and collaborative nature of my professors and peers in the class helped me to believe in my capabilities and I was determined to put in the hard work and effort not just in that specific class, but in other aspects of my life. I grew to embrace the growth mindset and I now enjoy engaging in extracurricular activities outside my comfort zone such as Girls Who Code MHC and enrolling myself in skill-refining courses outside of MHC.
Out of the two DIY projects, emotional Otto piqued my interest the most. This is because I enjoy interactive projects where I can see work come to life. My mindset when watching the YouTube video was open-minded and excited, and it stayed that way because I enjoyed watching the various emotions that the robot can convey through its eyes and legs. If I were to create a comparable project in this class, I'd perhaps also make a robot on wheels instead. For example, if the robot is happy, it'd spin around in circles at a fast pace, or if it is angry it'd go back and forth at an aggressive pace like a bad temper. I would go into this project with an optimistic mindset because I know that with the right attitude and a proactive approach, I'll enjoy the process along the way.