Initial Reflection -
My knowledge of the ocean is very limited. But I am so eager to learn so much more. Recently I took a beach trip with my boyfriend for the first time. Picked up some trash and actually saw the ocean in a very different way after taking almost my first month of oceanography. Before taking the class. I had some knowledge of what the ocean enviorment is like but not fully. Ever since I was little I used to watch so many documentarys on different earth enviorments. I know very well the human impact on the ocean due to global warming caused by humans.
My Goal In This Class -
Usually I do get very stressed on my grades because of my mental health issues. But I really do love staying on top of my assignments and putting time asside from in class and outside of class. I do plan to do alot more such as going to the beach areas and going to marine related science centers.
Mid Term Reflection -
I have finally made it to the middle of the semester for oceanography! So much I have learned from the first two weeks of class until now, almost the end of October. Oceanography was my first ever college class I have ever taken. The first time I sat down in a classroom since before the pandemic in High School. If I’m honest I did not know quite what to take because most of the classes my counselor recommended were filled up. But then I heard about oceanography from my best friend Rio. And honestly science has been a huge part of my life that many don’t know about me. I always wanted to know more about the ocean but never took it upon myself to do a lot more research than I’ve done. I mostly did a lot of my own research about space and different parts of the main land on earth. After a few classes fun assignments and watching documentaries in oceanography. I became aware of so much knowledge about coral reefs, marine life, chemicals of the ocean, all the different ocean and sea basins. I can’t wait to learn more and take this knowledge with me for the rest of my life.
Final Reflection -
Abstract / Background:
For oceanography I remember i showed up to my first day of college a day late. I remember my best friend Rio was telling me about her day at school and she was telling me how Oceanography was such a cool subject to take. I really wanted to try it since the classes I originally signed up for were full and didn’t sound as interesting as oceanography did. I remember I came in and asked to join, and Professor Cooper gladly accepted! I was really nervous since this was the first time I was in a classroom since 2019, before the pandemic. My goals in class in the beginning was staying on top of my assignments and putting time aside for when I wasn’t in class for the subject. And i feel like I could have put more effort in my assignments. But I know I did as much as I could. This year I’m battling a lot of personal issues in my life. And being consistent in school especially coming to oceanography every Tuesday and Thursday I know it was going to really help my mental health staying busy. And I have to thank The professor for taking the time to hear and listen to her students so we can meet eye to eye.
Goals / Methods:
In the previous paragraph I talked about how in the beginning of the semester i wanted to be consistent in coming to class and getting assignments done. I believe I did the very very best I could. Battling my inner troubles, with the help of my best friend Rio and the Professor i couldn’t have done it without the kindness and help they gave me. Outside of the classroom me and Rio would go to the mall or Lindsey’s house to do study days to all motivate each other to do homework. In the first month of school I remember being fairly newly fascinated about everything I was learning about the ocean. One day my boyfriend took me on a trip to the beach in Santa Monica and picked up trash at the beach and I talked about all the different things I learned about how humans truly affect the ocean.
Conclusions / Discussion:
I’m so proud on how much I’ve accomplished because of this class. I was not planning to go to college and have such an engaging class. This class really helped my social skills and being open to learning different things. I met great people and I know in my life I will always remember this as my first class I took in college and how it changed my life. In the end I would give myself a B. I just wanted to say thank you Professor Cooper for having faith and patience in me and helping Rio have a voice in knowledge for something she found a huge passion for.