As I conclude my undergraduate education, I am grateful to say that I have developed abilities and necessary skills to aid me to succeed in my future academic or professional career. During my education at the University of Washington Bothell, I have gained the essential skills and improved my ability to collaborate with others, think critically, communicate effectively, and more. I worked as a diligent and flexible team member for various projects and organizations throughout my undergraduate education. Many of my accomplishments are illustrated through my writing, presentations, and other displays as I grow and develop as a learner and as a person. This essay will discuss some of my main takeaways through the different projects and courses I have taken part in during my undergraduate education.

Throughout my IAS education, one of the courses that are the most memorable to me is Community Organizing. Throughout the course, I worked as a community organizer on women's issues related to voting. As an IAS student, I recognize that the power dynamic of our society requires change, and building power is one of the main principles in Community Organizing. I learned from discussion and research about the perspectives of historically marginalized groups such as women, people of color, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ communities on this issue. For example, we identified that one of the issues women face is the lack of public funding for childcare providers, which stems from the lack of women's voices in the political environment. Through this project, I reflected on the power dynamic in our society and learned from diverse communities composed of multiple intersecting identities, and this project has guided me to learn from the experiences and perspectives of historically marginalized groups.

Another one of the main takeaways I gained through my education is adequate understanding and experience working with people from different backgrounds. The ability to work in a group with strangers with diverse backgrounds is a craft, and there were a lot more hurdles than I thought there would be. Working within my Community Organizing organization was a learning experience that allowed me to develop my collaboration and problem-solving skills. Not only is it the most challenging team I have been a part of, but it is also a project that failed. However, I believe that failure will lead to resilience. What surprised me was how much effort is needed to put our individual personalities into consideration. Many of the challenges we faced as an organization stemmed from personal conflicts between our organization members, like personality clashes, work style conflicts, and leadership conflicts. One of the main problems was the lack of acknowledgment and open communication about personal dissatisfaction towards the group or specific incidences. What I learned from this project is the importance of open communication, simply avoiding the problem can create more resentment, which causes members to feel disenfranchised and discontented. I appreciate this opportunity to discover my shortcomings and reflect on how I can better assist my group and be more vocal and proactive.

Another ability that I have developed that I can carry forward is self-motivating and reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses. A large part of my college experience is learning to take the initiative to finish tasks and reach goals. I am originally from Hong Kong and grew up in a strict academic environment, where students were expected to devote all of their time to studying. Therefore, when I started college in the U.S, I found more flexibility in my work schedule and realized that there is more room for me to develop ways to self-motivate. As a result, I started looking for patterns in my life that helped me stay motivated and keep on a steady path. Some of the things that worked for me included creating plans, setting deadlines, and, most importantly, taking breaks. Taking breaks improves my concentration and provides me time to recover from fatigue or stress, which I believe has improved my overall quality of life.

Another significant project that benefited me was the Open-ended Institutional Engagement Project. This project provided me with experience with conducting interdisciplinary research in a group setting and an excellent opportunity to work across diverse communities. Through this project, we can see the current disconnection between the family and educational institutions concerning sex education in school. As a group, we collected data, identified issues, and discussed possible solutions to the lack of inclusive, comprehensive sex education. This project required me to participate in interdisciplinary research by engaging with various areas of knowledge and demographics. This project also pushed me to think critically to develop creative research questions that suited our intended interviewees and purpose, which will likely serve my future career or education.

The Formal Scene Analysis Essay is unique to me, as it is one of the only formal essays I wrote dissecting the different elements of an art form. It has helped me refine my critical thinking skills and polish up my writing skills. Scene Analysis is a form of critique that explores a film's technical, visual, and auditory elements. In my paper, I analyzed the climax scene in Pariah, explored some of the formal elements in the scene, and discussed how they contribute to the scene's purpose. This project required me to think critically about films, and it has allowed me to view motion pictures in a brand new way. I learned to identify the key techniques of films and articulate them in speech and writing. Through critically thinking about the message that movies are trying to convey, I can now articulate how movies represent and influence cultures and societies, and they are much more than just entertainment. I want to apply this critical thinking to my daily life and examine the implications and consequences of different actions.

In conclusion, I am appreciative of the skills and abilities that I have gained through my education at the University of Washington Bothell. Through developing reflective practices, I learn how to improve myself as a student and as an individual. I intend to further develop these skills and apply these interdisciplinary skill sets to my daily life, and I am hopeful that the skills I learned from my undergraduate education will be useful for my future career or education.