​

Reflection

 

 

When I was younger I was frightened of many things. I worried what could

happen and when something bad did happen I thought my world would come

to an end. As I have grown and learned, especially in my last four years at SUU, I

have learned that my worrying was silly. Yes, difficult and unexpected things did happen, but they did not bring the destruction and mayhem I had imagined. As I reflect, I realize I missed out on many opportunities because of my fears. This learning experience became the roots of my EDGE project

​

I started work on the book last summer. The process began with brainstorming ideas for the storyline. I wanted a simple way to convey my message. I decided to use animals in a zoo. The story is about a worrisome little hippo that learns from his friends that things are not as scary as he thinks. Each friend he encounters is doing something he is too afraid to try. He asks them each what they would do if something bad occurred. They each tell him how they would handle it and he learns he could handle those things too. Developing fears and they best way to handle them was the longest part of the writing process. Once I established the initial storyline, the writing came easy. The next step was drawing each character and coloring the pictures. Once that was done I scanned the pictures in and used Walmart Photo center to print the book. It came to 22 pages (11 pictures and 11 pages with the story).  

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

While brainstorming for project ideas, I kept coming back to the idea of facing fears and wanting to share the lessons I had learned about worrying. One of the goals of writing the book was to share those lessons in a simple way. I wanted to help children, particularly my nieces and nephews to learn to experience life without unnecessarily worrying and fearing about the outcomes. Surprisingly it wasn’t the kids that were touched and inspired by my story but my parents and my adult siblings! I didn’t expect that, but I was pleased that they learned from it. Hopefully as the kids get a little older they too can learn to be brave and strong.  

​

I was thrilled the way the story came together. I felt I conveyed the message I wanted in a simple way. At the end of this project I expected to have a small book that was read once and kept on a self until I read it to my own kids. I was shocked at the reception of the book by my family. I sent the rough draft to my sister to proof read and the whole family read and loved it. When I finished, I sent the finished book to my dad for his birthday. Each of my siblings requested their own copy. My mother shared with me that she was inspired to start facing her fears. My brother teared up (he never cries) while reading the story with his wife. I am exceptionally pleased with the outcome of my project. I went in with the idea to write a simple story and in the end touched and inspired my family.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

 

Throughout this process I improved on many skills. My ability to write simply and effectively improved by writing the story and by participating in class discussions and assignments. I also learned to keep trying. That skill sounds simple, but I truly feel I gained that while doing this project. While writing and drawing I was tempted to use the first draft and settle for a mediocre result. I wanted this to be my best work, so I kept trying. I didn’t erase or delete my first attempts. I saved them and noted what I wanted to fix to make it better. It took me longer to finish than expected, but I’m very glad I didn’t hurry through the project.

​

 Doing this project and taking it seriously gave me the chance to learn more about myself and my abilities. I believe many students miss out on the benefits of EDGE by doing easy or silly projects just to pass the classes. SUU’s learning experiential program gives students a chance to test themselves outside of the classroom. It could be compared to letting a baby bird fly on its own for the first time. Before my EDGE project, I had done school assignments with strict parameters, but I had never done something on my own that was for me. EDGE gave me the freedom to stretch my wings and do something far beyond what a simple class project would. Letting students fly does give them the edge over others. A little bird can fly higher if it has already learned the basics of flapping its wings. I believe the EDGE program can prepare students for better opportunities. It taught me that I can develop an idea and make it become reality.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​