Best Work Samples
Looking back over my academic journey through the last 4 years, I am honestly really proud of myself. For me, it is hard sometimes to give myself a pat on the back. At the same time, looking back, I wish I had given myself more grace, but I also think because I was taking so many college classes, it was good that I didn't. It is probably a good thing my mom never lets me be a cheerleader cause, honestly, I suck at cheering myself on. However, in my high school career, I found that the assignments I am proud of are not always about the grade I got, the amount of work, and the difficulty level it was for me. I have learned that I am always the happiest with my work when it is something that I genuinely did not think I was good at or that is harder for me to do because of an unfortunate circumstance or because it is a skill I have yet to master. In the future, I hope to keep pushing myself and working on cheering for myself more and being a little more positive. Either way, each of these assignments was work that I was proud of because of the effort it took.
I don't hate math, but I don't necessarily love it. My relationship with math is similar to that of an athlete's relationship with their coach. I appreciate math. It pushes me to solve problems and work hard. I've taken all of my high school math at the Peralta College system, and while it is harder, I always feel so accomplished when I get a good grade or finally understand a problem. This particular assignment is from when I took trigonometry/algebra 2 around sophomore year. I can't explain why this class was so hard. Maybe it's because I was taking it alone, but I remember staying up late, going to tutoring, and pushing myself to understand the source material. I was super nervous about this test, but when I finally took it, I felt so confident, and all my work paid off when I finally got that A. I'm thankful that I was able to take my meds at Peralta and grateful that ACLC allowed me the opportunity. It was my first introduction to what college classes are like, and I'm always grateful for that experience. For every A I got in math, I can be thankful to ACLC for always supporting me.
I was already scared before I got to English 3 during junior year. One is because English has never been my strong suit. I have a rocky relationship with words, given my history of learning to read and the complex maze of American literature in writing. English has never been my favorite class. On top of that, I was petrified to take English with the legend herself, Molly Fenn, who had a reputation for being one of the hardest teachers at our school. I was worried that this class would make me a failure. However, as the class went on, I began to love it. From the books we read to our assignments, I realized Molly wasn't that scary. I began to enjoy everything about that class. Writing has always been something that I struggled with, but I feel like over the years, and especially after being in Molly's class, I was able to develop my writing style, and so when I got an A on this essay, I was so proud of myself. I had never gotten an A on an essay before, and for me, getting an A on an essay and being in Molly's class was the best news of junior year. Since then, I feel like I've become a better writer, and that's why I feel like this is one of my best work samples.
This is one of my recent assignments from my senior year in our school's new ethnic studies class. I must say I was a little scared to take ethics. Not because I felt like I couldn't do well but because I knew as a black girl, it would be opening up conversations that I wasn't sure I still wanted to have. However, I love this class. I look forward to it and its work, and I appreciate the effort our teacher, Carla, puts into it. This was a mural I made in the class for the immigration unit. The piece is called Moonlight Tears, inspired by one of the elements, the eye, and the fact that my partner and I chose to paint the mural's background and the color scheme used in the movie Moonlight. The art piece has an eye, which shows a river raft in a pool of blood that's dripping outside of the eye and onto the canvas, representing not only how scary it is to make that journey for many people but also the danger in the pain that it has on the people who make it.
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Next are the arms of two people holding hands. That's because these are not just random people. These families and friends are making the journey for a better life. Last, at the bottom of the canvas, is a cracked brick wall with a hole in the center. In the hole, you see monarch butterflies, which are not only a huge sample of immigration but also justice for those who were trying to immigrate here for a better life and are simultaneously being criminalized. This project was so fun for me. I love art, but I don't get to do it a lot, so to have this creative outlet was something I enjoyed. That does not mean this project was easy. Many outside factors made it difficult, but when it was finally done, I was proud of myself and loved this piece.