• My biggest circle of influence is as a brother because alongside parental figures in his life, my actions and what he sees me do also shapes him into the man he will be and the area I have the least expertise in is as a student, after college

b. Over the years, has there been a change in how much influence you have on certain people in certain settings? Where and how?

• There has, as I get older I'm expected to share my found knowledge to younger youth in my church, and as I get older my influence slowly fades with my brother as he gets older and starts doing things he wants to do now.

3. Public transportation reduces traffic.

1. Students pay tuition.

4. Riding the bus is fun.

2. It helps the environment.

-Students shluld get free transportation because of the prices of tuition and the way our economy is currently.

ii. Claim: Classes should start later in the morning.

3. Teenagers naturally wake up later.

2. Teachers are also tired in the morning.

1. Students would be more focused.

4. Cafeterias could sell more breakfast food.

-Students would be more focused later in the morning as most teens are forced to wake up in the mornings specifically for class.

iii. Claim: Everyone should learn how to cook.

2. Cooking saves money.

1. Cooking is healthier than eating out.

4. Cooking shows are popular.

3. You can impress your friends.

 -Cooking is a good trait to pick up as it is way healthier than eating out and saves a lot of money.

iv. Claim: Reading fiction improves critical thinking.

1. Fiction helps people imagine perspectives.

4. Some novels are boring.

2. Fiction builds vocabulary.

3. It strengthens empathy.

-Fiction is supposed to make people imagine things, being able to create new perspectives and improve critical thinking, using this to imrpove those skills would be beneficial.

v. Claim: Voting should be mandatory.

1. Democracy works better with more participation.

4. Some people don’t care about politics.

3. Other countries have mandatory voting.

2. It would make elections fairer.

-If the people vote for a democracy, they should vote for who runs that democracy, and not caring about politics when that affects your daily life is a stupid thing to say.

vi. Claim: Homework should be reduced.

1. Students are too busy with jobs and activities.

2. Extra practice improves learning.

3. Students get stressed from too much work.

4. Teachers spend too much time grading.

-Homework should be provided depending on the class, if the teacher doesn't cover the full material in class than homework could be used to improve the understanding of the topic.

vii. Claim: Social media does more harm than good.

4. People waste time scrolling.

2. Social media spreads misinformation.

1. It helps people connect with friends.

3. It creates anxiety and comparison.

-Social media has its downs but the ups are much more beneficial for users and being able to make friends from around the world and having information given to you easily are in my opinion positives for society.

viii. Claim: Video games should be considered a sport.

2. They require strategy and skill.

3. Players practice many hours.

4. They don’t involve physical activity.

1. Gaming competitions draw huge audiences.

-Almost everything requires practice and strategy and skill, but video games should be considered a sport and already is slightly becuase of the audience it does draw which would be the main deciding factor becuase if no one watches, then there is no point of broadcasting it.

ix. Claim: College students should take at least one art class.

1. Art classes reduce stress.

3. Creativity is useful in any career.

4. Some students dislike art.

2. Art encourages problem-solving skills.

-I agree with this claim and have taken many art classes during high school that helped broaden my creative thinking skills and made me go above what I thought my limits were, if someone doesn't like art I suggest them to at least try it and with practice and actually believing you can make something good I'm sure everybody would like art.