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Kennedey Reiling
Iowa State University
Spring 2024

General Education Reflection

I have grown my technical skills through my major-specific classes throughout my time at
Iowa State. I was learning the skills it took to become an electrical engineer. My major-specific
courses taught me the math and theory behind electrical engineering, but my general education
classes taught me more about personability. The primary way I have improved my personal
skills during college is by getting a more profound background and understanding of people
through my general education classes.
My first general education class at Iowa State was HD FS 276, Human Sexuality. I took
this course because the concepts were enticing to me. I have always wanted to dig into
sexuality and determine what it means to each person, which is exactly what this class did. The
course taught about how sexuality can adjust through social conditions. I grew my overall
understanding of what sexuality means to individuals. I learned that sexuality means very
different things to different people. This course reminded me to avoid jumping to conclusions
when building relationships with my future coworkers.
Another class I took was AGRON 342, World Food Issues. I took this course to learn
about food and culture. Although this class is labeled World Food Issues, it was much more than
that. We were taught about different countries' cultures and what food meant to them. Along with
that, we learned the importance of food to everyone. One main takeaway from this course is
that food can bond people. This class taught me how every decision affects people differently.
Learning about food issues from now and in the past has given me insight into how one decision
can affect people. This class allowed me to grow my understanding of food issues and, more
importantly, learn about ethical decision-making. I will always think about all possibilities of a
decision I make in my career.
Similar to my human sexuality course, I took a course on Human Development HD FS
102. I decided to take this course to learn about how individuals' upbringings can affect their
personality and development. Taking this course allowed me to better understand why people
are the way they are. It may be because of their culture, the trauma they have had to
experience, or just the people they surround themselves with. Either way, this course allowed
me to look at people differently. I learned a lot about patience and perspective. This course
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taught me to look at people differently and try to problem-solve with different approaches, not
just assume that my way is correct. I will use my take aways from this course to make me a
better engineer and employee.
My most recent general education course was RELIG 205, World Religions. I wanted to
take this course to learn about more cultures and religions. I went into this course with no
exposure to other religions than Christianity. Taking this course allowed me to broaden my
horizons as a human. I gained insight into people from different cultures and religions and
learned about important things to them. I will take this information into my job as I will
communicate to various people on projects and everyday life.
Overall, these courses made me a more well-rounded person and engineer. They have
made me look at the world differently. I will continue to take what I have learned throughout my
schooling and use it in my daily life and career. I will be more aware of the people around me
and the effect my choices can have. Most importantly, I will have an open mind and curiosity to
learn more about my peers.