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Mitzia Arreola
English 113B
Corri Ditch
6 May 2015
A Step to Greatness
As my first year of college comes to an end looking back to where I started in the
beginning to now, I believe I have taken a huge step and have learned many valuable things that
will send me down the path to achieve greatness for my years to come. In English 113B with
professor Ditch I have learned to take full responsibility of my assignments and keep up with her
amount of work, as well as balance five other classes. Having a new professor for the second part
of English 113 was frightening at first because there were returning students in that class and I
felt like I did not belong. Professor Ditch was very welcoming and made all of her new students
feel welcomed that by the end of the semester we were are treated equally and felt like she had
been my professor all year long.
The theme for second semester of English 113B was Across Cultures where through three
different projects we were able to explore different cultures and conduct our own arguments
based on research. In project space we wrote an essay on a personal experience that shaped our
cultural identity and how it was defined by space. In project text we read a novel and choose a
theme that we thought best fit the content and wrote an argumentative essay. In project web, we
got into groups and studied a cultural activist and once again developed our own argument while
conducting proper research that allowed our points to be credible. Through the help of our Si
leader Allie Turner and professor Ditch we were able to learn how to write solid essays and

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improve our work through each project. We see that in our portfolios where we were able to go
back and revise our final essays while applying the knowledge gained throughout the semester.
In my essay for project text I wrote about how I am a part of the Mexican and American
communities and how they have both influenced my views on education differently. In my
Hispanic culture education wasnt something that was implemented strongly but it wasnt
discouraged. My parents didnt think I wanted to attend a university and had planned for me to
work and become independent. In my American culture, where my education took place I was
encouraged and told that obtaining an education was a foundation for a stronger future. In my
essay I talk about how I was able to find a balance within both cultures while creating my own
identity.
Looking back to my final essay and reflecting on it now I realized that it wasnt my best
work. With the comments professor Ditch gave me I was able to go back and make proper
revisions. To begin with, my thesis was not solid which ruins my entire essay because my
arguments were not fully developed and connected to what I was trying arguing. With a more
revised thesis I was able to argue effectively and get my point across easier. Another main
revision I made was making certain things clear that I knew but my reader had probably never
heard of. For example, the Dream Act program I briefly mentioned it, and after looking back I
knew I had to explain in detail what it was so it would clear to my audience. The personal
experiences that I talked about werent fully developed therefore I went back and revised them so
that my audience knew exactly what I was talking about. One last major revision I made within
this essay was editing the way I introduced my sources. In most paragraphs I had just stated the
article I was going to use without properly introducing the author or giving a brief background of

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the content creating confusions. With a proper introduction it helps my paragraphs to be
connected nicely and have smooth transitions within paragraphs.
In project text we read the novel The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows which talks about how a book club was formed
during the German Occupation which allowed its members to find happiness within a dark time.
I choose to argue about the importance of books and how through reading these individuals
created friendships that brought them happiness even if it only lasted awhile. While revising this
argumentative essay I realized that my thesis was solid and strong but the order of my paragraphs
made it hard for my argument to be effective. I placed my counterargument in the second page
and realized that I had to introduce what I was going to argue about first and then present the
counterargument. When I made this revision it made my counterargument and my refutation a lot
stronger. Changing the order or my paragraphs allowed my arguments to be more effective and
my writing became stronger.
Little revisions that I made were changing the tense of my words from past to present and
grammar mistakes. Once again I worked creating transitions for all of my sources and finding
stronger connections within the novel. Professor Ditch commented on two of my sources that
did not back up my argument clearly. I went back in and found new sources that would connect
to my argument more clearly and connect them in a way that allowed my argument to be
successful. Lastly, I worked my conclusion because Professor Ditch commented saying it was
too general, by showing the importance of my argument and fairly supporting my points it
improved the ending of my essay. Overall this experience in both sections of English 113 have
turned me into better writer and have showed me that there is always room for improvement and
growth, this was all made possible with the help of my SI leaders, professors, and the LRC.