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As I continue with my life I want to keep this positive attitude. I feel like as if I can accomplish anything with this type of mindset. I also believe that one way of accomplishing this is by surrounding myself with other people who are also positive. I don’t want to be surrounded by people who will try to bring me down. In addition, I will try to help those in need by helping to boost up their spirits because I know what it feels like when you just want to give up. I hope to inspire others and I also hope to meet new people that will inspire me.

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I have developed in a way that I can now reflect on myself whether it’s positive or negative. Before the semester started I wouldn’t ever reflect on myself. I would just keep on moving forward without taking a look back at my actions or behavior. I have also developed in a way that I am now mindful. I am well aware of who I currently am and I know what I want to become. My only goal in life used to be to only do good in school. This goal was not accomplished in high school thus I looked down upon myself. Lane Tech is very good school, it’s hard to stand out in a school full of great students. Throughout grammar school I was one of the best students but this stopped as soon as I entered I high school. I started to doubt myself because no matter how hard I tried I was still only considered as an average student in high school. This doubt soon turned into a major weakness because it was weighing me down. Now that I’m in college I have gotten rid of this doubt and I’m back to my full potential. I strongly believe that this semester has changed me for the better and I’m well prepared for what’s to come.

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The book that resonated with me the most was Fire in the ashes. This is because this book showed me that with hard work anyone is capable of accomplishing anything. I can relate to this because I’m majoring in engineering. I always get asked “what’s your major?” and when I tell them that I’m majoring in engineering the look on the other person’s face is always the same. They are always shocked because they believe that engineering is a very difficult major. The person usually then goes on to tell me that engineering is very difficult or that I’m going to struggle. I agree with them but I also believe in myself. I cannot achieve success with a little bit of struggling or failure. This book has helped me realize that if I really want to become an engineer then I will become an engineer. Reading things that are inspirational such as this book is what keeps me motivated. As of right now there is no engineer in my entire family, my dream is to become the first one.

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The theme for Fire in the Ashes is hard work and determination. Jonathan Kozol explains to the readers how there are children growing up in America’s poorest neighborhoods. Despite this some of the children make it to adulthood becoming successful with the odds stacked against them. These kids faced many challenges including being homeless and poverty. Although some kids live to see success, Fire in the Ashes is no fairy tale as some kids even face death. A prime example of this type of situation would be Eric and Lisette. Nothing good comes out when a person just gives up on life, this is what happened to Eric. On the contrary when a person gives it their all and has plenty of ambition anything is possible, this can be seen with Lisette.

The theme for Tattoos on the heart is new beginnings. This book is about one man who changes the lives of thousands of gang members. “Los Angeles County claims 1,100 gangs with nearly 86,000 members. A great number of these youth know to come to Homeboy to “hang up their gloves”” (Boyle 8). Gang members have no one to rely on. They were given insufficient love while growing up thus they have turned for the worst. They don’t possess the knowledge of right from wrong. Gregory Boyle has morphed these lives for the better. He touches the hearts of these individuals by giving them love and responsibilities. This book taught me how even if you have hit rock bottom with your life there is always hope. You just have to look for it. If you don’t search for this hope, then hope won’t find you. With love and care anyone is capable of having a successful new beginning.

The theme for Living Buddha, Living Christ is compassion. The book is about connecting people of different religions. It talks about how people should see past religion or any differences in general among one another. In addition, they should learn to love each other regardless of believes. It also states how people should take care of themselves and those around them including the planet. Overall this book was very peaceful.

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I feel like I have grown a lot this semester. Most of this growth is because of the reflections we did in seminar. These reflections have really helped me see who I am as an individual because I have self-evaluated myself throughout the blog posts. At the beginning of the semester I never really thought about reflections, but as time went on I soon figured out why I am the way I am today. This is why my favorite blog post was the one about Erikson's psychosocial theory. This blog post is the one in which I put the most thought into because I found the topic to be very interesting. It’s also the blog post that I feel helped me reflect on myself the most because it got me thinking about my life as a whole, all the way from when I was an infant to present day. In addition, reading Fire in the Ashes has also helped me grow. Jonathan Kozol has made me reflect on myself through the views of underprivileged kids. What opened my eyes the most was when he talked about Eric and Lisette. Although these kids grew up in harsh conditions, their lives are a great example that anything can be accomplished if you never give up. I want to follow Lisette’s footsteps because she became successful through hard work and determination.