Goal 1

Introduction

The first goal of the Honors Program is to think critically, reflectively, and independently. It is important to be able to think critically because it helps my own ability to assess situations, but it also helps my ability of understanding others as well. Being able to think reflectively is extremely important in understanding the motives of people I work with and it helps me evaluate the effectiveness of something after it has already taken place. Thinking independently is important because I must be able to form my own thoughts/opinions and not conform to the ideals of society simply because it is a popular one. I will present artifacts that demonstrate how I achieved this goal and the outcomes under the goal. 

Outcome 1: Design self-created learning experiences that have clearly articulated goals

I completed the first outcome under the first goal through my Leadership Involvement Experience goals statement in the Foundations of Leadership course (250H). For this assignment, I created a goal statement that explicitly stated goals I would achieve and how I would achieve them while I took on a new role as Treasurer of the Honors Society on campus. The goals I stated were to work on my creativity and planning skills by suggesting 3 new event ideas, improve my organization skills through a color-coded spreadsheet, improve my oral and written communication skills, and improve my cooperation skills. Throughout the semester I worked on these goals in my new role as Treasurer. Through feedback from a supervisor and my own personal experiences, I found that I was able to meet the goals I had set out for myself by the end of the semester.

I believe this was a valuable experience for me because I was able to practice setting specific goals with detailed plans on how to reach those goals. I found that I was able to think critically and independently throughout the process by finding what works for me and my peers. 

Outcome 2: Analyze problems/situations to formulate informed opinions, conclusions, or solutions

I completed the second outcome of the first goal in the final paper of my Racial Justice course (399H). For the assignment students had to identify a way our country can make a more inclusive and tolerant society. For my paper I researched and wrote about how education can make a more inclusive and tolerant society as a whole. Through my research, I concluded that by educating children in their early development years of each other's differences and the commonalities we all share despite those differences will help foster a more inclusive and tolerant society in our country. 

I believe this assignment helped me achieve outcome two because I was able to analyze the problem of racism in the United States. Once I analyzed the problem, I then was able to formulate a solution based on the research that I had done independently and the reading we did in class. 

I also believe I was able to complete this outcome through the Group-Problem Solving project in the Thinking Outside The Box course (264H). In this project I worked with two other students to identify a problem on campus or in the community and work to provide a solution for the problem. We identified that there was not enough awareness of first-aid kits or enough kits on campus. In this project we were able to identify a problem on campus and create a tangible solution. I thought the project was worthwhile because it gave me real world experience in identifying problems and experience in creating solutions from scratch. 

Outcome 3: Interpret texts from various disciplines

I believe I achieved this outcome through my book review of The Crossroads Between Should and Must by Elle Luna in The Honors Community (191H). The book provides valuable insight into why we tend to do what people think we should do rather than what we must do. Luna talked about how we must choose between what we should do (what others expect us to do) and what we must do (who I am and my beliefs). My book review goes into detail how Luna uses her own experiences to effectively explain how to effectively find my passion. 

I believe this assignment was beneficial because I was able to interpret the text as a whole and the effectiveness of the techniques the author used. I liked reading the book as I believe it provided valuable insights on how to achieve true success which I believe is measured by happiness, not necessarily monetarily. 

I also achieved this outcome through video journals in Community Problem Solving (391H). For these assignments students were assigned weekly readings then were instructed to create a video journal where we reflect on the readings and how they apply to problem solving and communities in general. These journals very effectively helped me achieve outcome three because I was able to interpret many different texts and provide my own insight into what I believed from the readings as well. 

Link to video journal

Outcome 4: Conduct independent and ethical research

I achieved outcome four in my research paper for my Honors Composition course (121H). For the paper I researched and wrote about consumer habits when shopping online vs in-person. Through conducting research I found that companies are able to influence the consumption habits of consumers with in-person stores rather than online ones. 

I believe this assignment provided valuable experience in conducting independent and ethical research as I was required to provide evidence of scholarly research through sources and an annotated bibliography. As a finance major there are not many opportunities to fine tune my writing and research skills, so I very much enjoyed being able to conduct research through academic sources and turn that research into a persuasive essay. 

Conclusion

Whether in your personal life or your career, it is vitally important to be able to think critically, reflectively, and independently. The honors program helped me develop these skills by achieving the stated outcomes I discussed above. The development of these skills will help me significantly in my personal life and professionally for the remainder of my life. I will also help instill these skills in people that I get to work with because in order to have a successful organization or community people must be able to think critically, independently, and reflectively.