Clifton

Nadia Clifton
HONR 3791-H01
Professors Hicks and Warner
13 April 2015

The Art of Knowing Everything: In Dialogue With a Renaissance Person

INTRODUCTION
The undergraduate years of college are those of exploration and
identity seeking, even if the student is not aware of the process. So
often, we, as students, are so intent on graduating and getting out into
the "real world" that we forget to stop and reflect on what has
contributed to our college experience, and therefore contributed to the
people we are today and the people we will be tomorrow. To graduate
with honors from UNC Charlotte's University Honors Program (UHP),
students are required to create a Senior Portfolio, which consists of a
reflective essay showcased in an online portfolio. This essay closely
analyzes how ten "artifacts," or representations of significant moments
that occurred during my undergraduate experience, have contributed
to my identity as a Renaissance Person.
Renaissance, meaning "rebirth," is the term commonly used to
indicate the period after the Middle Agesthe late fourteenth century
through the sixteenth century. As an embodiment of the rebirth of the
classical past, it now serves as a precursor of our present "modern"

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century (Abrams 264). During the Renaissance, Baldassare Castiglione
(1478 1529) produced The Courtier, published 1528, which described
the ideal aristocratic man: a "universal" man, who was developed in all
skills, and who carried out every action with the grace of sprezzatura,
the ability to perform something without obvious effort (265). It has
become more apparent to me, as I make my way through five years of
undergraduate education, that I aspire to be a Renaissance person: an
individual who excels in, or is knowledgeable about several different
subjects. Over the years, my interests have become broader, and I
have become more knowledgeable and comfortable in a wide variety
of areas where I would not have previously thought probable. These
areas are not limited to academics, but include social skills as well.
The following artifacts are certainly not the only experiences that have
shaped my identity, but they are among the most significant.

I
PHOTOGRAPH ESSAY
The first artifact that I have chosen is an essay that was written in my
freshman honors English class, ENGL 1103. This artifact represents the
reason I identify as a Renaissance person. I like to learn because I
enjoy being in dialogue withand finding the story behind objects,
ideas, and people.

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One of my first honors classes was English 1103 taken my first
semester at UNC Charlotte in 2010. Our first essay assignment was to
choose a photograph and tell the story behind it. We needed to
understand the larger perspective, to find an idea that applied or
connected to everyday life. I chose a picture from the vacation I had
recently taken that summer between graduating from high school and
starting college. To celebrate graduation, my best friends and our
siblings took a trip to Cape Lookout, one of the islands that make up
the Outer Banks of North Carolina. After ferrying across the waterway,
we found only a few rustic, no-frill cabins on stilts and a ranger station;
the rest was beach and ocean. There was running water in the cabins,
but no electricity. Although these conditions may sound miserable,
spending a week in the sweltering heat with nothing to do was one of
the best times in my life. The freedom was exhilarating.
The photo is of the landscape. There are no people depicted in
the image, so the story comes from the experience of the island itself.
"These islands are nature at its wildest," writes Carolina historian
Michael E. C. Gery, "best loved as a romantic fling - an escape,
however brief, from the world these barrier islands hold at bay." Gery's
observations beautifully capture the larger idea I understood the
photograph, and the experience to contain. "For a few days, we were
shielded from the influence of civilization and were allowed to enjoy
the simplicity of nature, and the enjoyment of being with each other,

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and ourselves" (4 Clifton, One). I found that the photograph and the
experience spoke of the importance of taking time away from
schedules and the complexity of our day-to-day lives. To be truly
happy, one needs to spend time living in the moment and enjoying
how simple life can really be.
Now, as a scholar intent on dabbling in several areas of inquiry, I
cannot afford, nor do I truly wish to spend the rest of my life in
seclusion, but this essay was written before I began to identify as a
Renaissance person. I do believe that it is beneficial to take time out of
hectic schedules to enjoy the moment, but what really stands out to
me about this artifact is the passion and the excitement I felt while
writing it five years ago. This excitement stems from the enjoyment I
find in studying a variety of subjects because of the possibility of what
the subject may tell me. Finding the story behind the picture as I did in
for the photographic essay is similar to exploring avenues of inquiry in
areas of scholarly interest, and it is what this honors reflective essay is
based on - finding the significance behind "artifacts" that represent my
experiences. The dialogue with objects, ideas, and people is what
interests me.

II
The next two artifacts represent the most significant, life-changing
discoveries and decisions during my college experience. My digital

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story, "True Love", and my Augusta Sophia project drastically changed
the course of my undergraduate career and potentially the rest of my
life.

DIGITAL STORY
A digital story is a personal narration told in a movie format using
digital content including images, audio, and video. "True Love" is the
first digital story I created in a Digital Literacies English class in the Fall
of 2013. It describes my transition from Physics major to English major,
the biggest and most important decision I have had to make so far This
decision to choose between two separate, and non-related disciplines
has changed the course of my life. As a Renaissance person, this is the
most formative choice I have made in terms of choosing areas of
study, and ultimately, my entire future.
Before discussing the artifact, I will share some backstory so that
my decision making process and the emotional history is understood. I
am aware that this is clich, but I have always loved reading. When I
was young, my favorite Disney movie was Beauty and the Beast. The
most magical part of the movie for me was when the Beast surprised
Belle with his library. My mother used to take me to Barnes and Noble,
and she would tell me, just like in the movie, to close my eyes. She
would then lead me through the bookstore to the children's section and

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say, "Now!" It was just as good, if not better than, going to Toys-R-Us,
and I would be entertained for hours.
In grade school I was always strong in reading and literature
subjects, but I never thought about pursuing a career related to
literature. I grew up wanting to be a veterinarian because I love
animals, and that was the only career I could think of that both
involved animals, and, I felt suited my personality (in fifth grade I
briefly considered becoming a police officer with a canine partner, but I
decided that I did not want to be involved in the dangerous situations
police men and women face). After that, my vision did not waver until,
in my junior year of high school, I took two courses with two
phenomenal teachers. The first was Advanced Placement English. We
focused on rhetoric in this class, and I loved the realization that
authors used rhetorical devices such as metaphors and allusions, to
get their point across to their audience. I also like literature because
there is always a story inside the story. The book has a story to tell, but
if you read more deeply, you will find that the book is also saying
something about gender, about identity, about society, about
relationships, and, most fundamentally, about the way we experience
life.
The second course was Honors Physics. The teacher, Mr. Tuttle,
was so dedicated to his students, that he would spend his personal
money to buy extra equipment for experiments. We did the labs first,

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and then used the results during lectures so that the concepts were
tied to something tangible. I liked learning about the theories that
drive physics, and instead of viewing equations as tedious math
problems, I experienced the same rush of satisfaction when correctly
solving them as I did when solving a challenging, and therefore
rewarding, puzzle. Physics is the study of the way the universe
behaves. When I study physics, I am in dialogue with the universe and
am discovering its story, and the universe has so much to share. I find
astronomy particularly fascinating. Every element in the universe
comes from dying stars. It's like a fairytale; everything we know,
including ourselves, is made from 'stardust'.
By this time, I was thinking about college and realizing that I did
not really want to be a vet. I was feeling lost because I had let go of a
dream that I had held on to for 14 years of my life. English and Physics
were my two favorite courses at the time, and physics seemed the best
way to go. After all, physicists make more money, and as there aren't
as many women and minorities in the profession, there seemed to be
plenty of room for me. My mother is a scientist - who earned her Ph.D.
in Chemistry - and she was a wonderful model of success.
I entered UNC Charlotte in the fall of 2010 as a declared physics
major, and then added English as a second major because I enjoyed
the English courses. This is the point in the story where I began my
digital story. In the story, I explain how I excelled in Physics, and then

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was advised to retake Physics I for Engineers the following semester.
The biggest difference was that Physics for Engineers applies more
calculus concepts to the "pure" science of physics. I really struggled in
this course, and it was not because of the advanced math; I did well in
Calculus I and was not struggling in Calculus II, a course I was taking at
that time. Strangely, it was the basic concepts that I could not grasp,
even though I had already learned them in the high school course, and
studied them again in the first physics course at the college level. It
felt like waking up one day and not being able to understand your
native language.
I struggled the entire semester, and it made me question my
choice of study. I enjoy theory, but I do not like labs, and a career in
science requires hours of lab work. After a semester of deliberation, I
decided to drop the physics major and concentrate solely on English.
I believe that my subconscious made this decision first, which is
why I struggled in the course without realizing why. Then it took some
time for me to consciously come to terms with the decision. I could
have fought and continued to study physics, but I think that I would
have been unhappy. My current course of study is much more
pleasurable to me. I have no doubts that I made the right decision, and
all the opportunities that have come my way as a result of the
decision, including the next artifact, my Augusta Sophia poster,
reinforce the fact that I am studying the right subject.

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Even though I no longer study physics formally, I still retain the
passion for, and fascination with, astronomy. A Renaissance person
does not discard interests simply because he or she has found another
topic to occupy the majority of his or her time and focus. I continue to
enjoy recreational stargazing, and reading up on current events in
astronomy. The scientific approach that I am familiar with from physics
courses influenced my decision to minor in Cognitive Sciencean
interdisciplinary study of the brain and its processes. I may have
traded physics theories for the neuroscience and psychology theories
(among others) studied in Cognitive Science, but they all follow the
scientific process. I also enjoy Science Fiction novels such as Ender's
Game, which is set in space (it is also very psychologically driven), and
Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park, brings a very strong scientific
perspective to his novels.
As a person interested in a variety of topics, I had to make a
decision of what to study in school. I chose English, not because I
became disinterested in Physics, or because it was too much work, but
because whatever career a B.A. in English would lead me to would
make me happier. On a more personal level, I chose English because I
feel more comfortable expressing myself in writing. My preferred
method of dialogue is through the written word rather than the spoken.
I am a quiet person, naturally an introvert. I am not shy, but reserved. I
sit back and listen while others speak. I prefer writing than speaking

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because it gives me time to figure out what I want to say, I can rewrite
it if I feel the need to, and I can go back and reference what I have
written.

AUGUSTA SOPHIA POSTER

One of the opportunities that resulted from my decision to study
English is my work with the Augusta Sophia Collection. This project
poster is the artifact that embodies the entire experience of working
with the collection acquired just prior to the creation of Atkins Library's
Special Collections Unit in 1973. This project not only raised my
research skills to the next level, but also nudged me in the direction of
earning a degree in library science.
During a research-intensive course (discussed in more detail
below in the blog artifact on page 26) my professor, Dr. Malin Pereira,
encouraged me to apply to the Charlotte Research Scholars. This
program matches students with a professor that has proposed a
research project. The student then spends the summer conducting
research, attending seminars geared towards graduate school, and
preparing for the Research Symposium held at the end of the summer.
I was awarded the fellowship and began a project with Drs. Kirk
Melnikoff and Alan Rauch who had singled out an important, but
obscure, collection of books that was languishing in Special Collections.

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My research focused on a collection of over 800 plays in 110
volumes originally collected by Princess Augusta Sophia (1768-1840),
the second daughter and sixth child of King George III (1738-1820) and
Queen Charlotte (1744-1818). Since its acquisition, however, scholars,
students, and professors have largely ignored it. This was the first
project to extensively look at what the collection holds. My project
began with the most tedious taskyet critically necessaryof creating
a database with information about the collected plays. Little did I know
how much detail is required in the process of developing a full
understanding of a simple collection of books, but like a developing
photograph or like the principles of physics, what emerges from chaos
can be both beautiful, fascinating, and rewarding. The work entailed
archiving bibliographic information of the plays e.g., printer, publisher,
and printing date; general descriptions of the volumes including
condition; evidence of provenance e.g., monogram and ownership
stamp description and location; and instances of marginalia. The
collection seemed to swallow us back into history, and my mentors and
I hope to make the database available to other scholars and
researchers.
As well as researching the provenance of the collection and the
history of its first owner, I studied two important facets of the
collection. First I looked into whether each volume in the Augusta
Sophia collection might be understood as an example of a

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sammelbande, a single volume containing two or more works. Early
English booksellers sold each work unbound, allowing the purchaser to
group the individual works together in any way they wanted. This may
reveal how works were thought of in relation to one another. For the
second aspect of the collection I looked marginalia (the writing of notes
by readers in the margins) , which can offer significant insight into how
works were received, in this case by individual readers.
The study of books is yet another new area of study for me as a
Renaissance person, and it suggests that throughout my life, I will find
unanticipated, yet fascinating avenues of exploration. The Augusta
Sophia Poster is a unique artifact as well because it represents an area
in which I would, without question, be considered an expert. No one
knows more about the Augusta Sophia Collection in the Atkins Library
than I do because no one has invested as much time as I have to study
the collection.
I enjoyed the project because of the mystery. The collection,
though often acknowledged in documentation, was virtually unknown,
and I am certainly the first to study it in depth and to learn its story.
Who was Augusta Sophia? Did she choose these plays herself, or did
someone buy them for her? What did she think of them? After Augusta
Sophia, who owned the books? How did they get to our library? Who
printed the works, and who bound them? With this collection, I am in

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dialogue with the past, with people, with the books themselves, and
with the ideas they contain.
Even though the work was very slow and painstaking, I found
that I enjoyed the experience of connecting to history through books
themselves. It is not surprising then, that my mentors encouraged me
to think about Library School, and I currently have plans to pursue a
degree in library science after earning an M.A. in English Literature.
Because I worked with this special collection, I would like to study rare
books and archives. I feel they have so much history, and therefore an
engaging story to tell.
Like the digital story artifact, this Augusta Sophia artifact
represents a decision that strongly impacts my future. I will be required
to enter conversations within a scholarly community, and I am already
beginning to involve myself in the conversation; I am currently
engaged in an independent study in which I am co-authoring a
bibliographic article of the collection with Dr. Melnikoff. This article,
once finished, will be submitted for publication. I have also applied to a
five-day Analytical Bibliography course offered during the summer at
Rare Book School (RBS), an independent, non-profit institution located
at the University of Virginia (Rare). I look forward to the next exciting
opportunities that present themselves because of my involvement with
the Augusta Sophia collection.

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III
The following three apparently disparate artifacts: a pair of
chopsticks; my violin; and a horseshoe, represent conflicts and
difficulties that I have experienced as a Renaissance person.

CHOPSTICKS
I have a set of chopsticks from the first UHP Black Mountain Retreat in
2013. These chopsticks represent an ideal of perfection that, as a
Renaissance person with multiple interests, I will not be able to
achieve.
On the retreat, one of the activities was an Iron Chef sushimaking competition. Before we began, we were required to watch a
clip from a documentary, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011). Jiro Ono is an 85year-old man who owns a 10-seat, sushi-only, restaurant located in a
subway station in Tokyo. It is the first sushi restaurant to be awarded a
3-star Michelin Guide rating the highest rating possible from the
oldest restaurant and hotel guidebook books reservations months in
advance, and the dishes are priced at hundreds of dollars. Jiro believes
the key to his success is that he isn't consistently trying new recipes.
He has been making sushi all his life, but he continues to perfect what
he already knows. The theme, on that evening of the retreat, was for
us to find what we were passionate about and practice it, over and

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over, perfect it, like Jiro does with his sushi. We were allowed to keep
our chopsticks for the night to serve as a reminder of the presentation.
Jiro's model is one to which I would like to aspire, but as a
Renaissance person, I am the opposite of Jiro. He has dedicated his life
to making sushi. He does nothing else. I try to do multiple things; there
are several trades I aspire to perfect. I want the knowledge and
experience that Jiro has, but I am interested and passionate about too
many things to be as compulsive about any single area, as Jiro is about
sushi. It is a struggle for me to perfect anything, or just to choose what
to perfect because I have to spread my time between work, school,
friends and family, and many other interests and responsibilities.
If that is the case, how do I perfect anything? If I continue to
aspire to the standards of a Renaissance person, I will never arrive at
Jiro's level of expertise on anything! And while I am comfortable with
this conclusion, I wonder how well will I know anything? How do I
choose what to perfect and when to perfect it? How do I define
perfection? Just like the model of the Renaissance person, perfection is
an ideal that cannot be reached. One person cannot be knowledgeable
about everything, and it is not possible for a person to be completely
perfect at anything. Even Jiro, who has spent a lifetime making sushi,
seeks to continue to improve his craft, even when it's something as
deceptively simple as cooking rice.

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My goal, then, could be to find a level of perfection that I'm
satisfied with. That does not, however, mean that I have to give up on
furthering my knowledge once I reach that point of satisfaction.

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VIOLIN
Even though I strive to pursue everything I am interested in, it is not
possible for me to do everything. My violin represents a subject that I
chose to give up, despite myself.
My family has a musical history. My mother played the flute, my
father the piano and saxophone, and my grandfather was a concert
pianist. Expertise in playing the piano is how my father won over his
mother-in-law, convincing her he was good enough to marry my
mother. My siblings and I grew up with piano lessons on-and-off
through elementary school, and once we started sixth grade, we were
allowed to choose our own instrument.
I chose the violin because it was the only non-band instrument I
was familiar with, but my experience in the orchestra during middle
school was not encouraging. Our teacher was more interested in
obtaining the band director's position, and while she loved her
orchestra students, she did not inspire me to enjoy playing my
instrument. Because of that experience, I did not want to continue
orchestra once I reached high school, By the end of middle school
however, my parents had paid enough on my rented violin to trade it in
for a new one. Instead of a dull and dented instrument, I received a
beautiful, new, never-before-played violin. When I became the owner of
the instrument, it felt wrong to just let it sit in its case for the rest of
my life. I felt obliged to work more seriously by playing in the high

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school orchestra. The first year, I felt horribly unprepared, but I had an
amazing teacher, and I stuck with it. I got better at reading music, and
at musical techniques, but the best part was being part of the
orchestra. I was a small part that contributed to a greater whole but
was thrilled at prospect of what we created as a whole. Violin music is
split into two parts: the "first" violins and the "second" violins. The first
violins plays the melody for the majority, if not all of the musical piece.
I usually play the second violin part, which complements the first with
harmony, and does not always make musical sense to the ear when
played by itself. When I played with the rest of the orchestra, however,
all the parts worked together to create piece of music. I am not playing
my violin now, and participating as a small, but important part of the
full orchestra is what I miss the most.
I registered for the Symphony Orchestra a course open to all
students regardless of majorboth semesters of my freshman year at
UNC Charlotte. The first semester I decided to withdraw from the
course halfway through the semester.. With perseverance, I made it
through the second semester, but that was the last time I played in an
orchestra. It became clear to me that I could not handle the demands
of my classes and the orchestra simultaneously. To learn the music and
be able to perform it at the expected professional levelto which so
many of the musicians, including myself aspiredrequired hours of
practice everyday. I did not, and still do not have enough time to

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perfect my part, and if I don't know my part, I know that I bring down
the rest of the orchestra.
I really miss playing, and would have liked to see myself
progress. My violin now lives a solitary existence in its case, under my
bed. Every so often I think about taking it out to play, but I never find
the time, putting other events and subjects ahead of music. As a
Renaissance person, trying to study and practice multiple subjects, is
inevitably a difficult juggling act; the upshot is thatmore often that I
wantI have to give up on some things that remain important to me.
Why did I choose to give up music? The obvious answer is that I
did not have time and had to put my schoolwork first. Just because I'm
not in the orchestra, however, does not mean I can't pick up my
instrument and play just for the enjoyment of it. Perhaps I gave it up
because it was time for me to focus on learning new skills and that
often means moving relentlessly forward. I spend a few years on one
subject, and when I have advanced past the rank of novice, I am ready
to move on to another subject if it presents itself.
My reflections based on the chopsticks and Jiro have been useful
in my decision to leave the violin behind, at least for the time being.
Jiros compulsive nature, helped me set a goal of finding a level of
perfection that I could be satisfied with the violin, I know that there is
much more to learn, and that music gets much more technical and
difficult than my normal regimen of practice would ever allow for.

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However, I have played one full semester at the college level, which is
an impressive level of perfection; I can be satisfied with that.

HORSESHOE
After I had given up playing the violin, new subjects presented
themselves. Horseback riding is one. A horseshoe will be the artifact
representing not just my riding lessons, but on a deeper level, my love
for animals and the outdoors. I have always loved animals, and have
been fortunate enough to have a mother who allowed me to own a
variety of small pets: hamsters, gerbils, fish, cats, a dog. In my Digital
Story artifact, I explained my aspiration becoming a veterinarian. It
wasn't until just before my sophomore year at UNC Charlotte, however,
that I decided I wanted to ride a horse. I'd had always loved dogs and
had thought of working with them; never had I considered horses. I
called Latta Equestrian Center and set up a trail ride for my whole
family, including my grandfather, who was 95 at the time. We had a
wonderful experience, and I looked into taking Western lessons at
Latta. I started in September, and immediately afterwards found the
Riding Club on campus. I joined and have been a member ever since
(now I'm president... who would have guessed?).
I love riding because, even though we do the same routine in the
arena every week, it is still different as there is always something to
learn, something to master, and something to work on. It isnt easy or

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simple; I am often outside in the heat or cold, sometimes rain, and
physically working my body. Nor am I learning to "control" the horse,
but instead to work with her, to anticipate what she will do, and to help
her to learn as well. There is a dialogue between the horse and me.
Some of it is verbal, but most of it is physical and mental. It feels good
to come home sweaty, and dusty, and sore, and physically tired
instead of mentally exhausted.
It has been three years since my first trail ride, and I would like
to continue learning until I am comfortable owning and working with
my personal horse, something I am not yet knowledgeable enough to
do on my own. Some skills and crafts require real expertise, and this is
one of them. Without thoroughly knowing what I am doing, I could
potentially endanger myself, my horse, and other people and animals
around me. Horses are not like big dogs. They are prey animals that
will panic when something new and unfamiliar flashes across their
eyes; the stimulus might even be something as simple as seeing a
soda can on the ground that was not there yesterday. It is necessary to
know how to calm them down and teach them manners, ground rules,
before even getting on and riding. Every horse has its own issues, and
the rider must think quickly. This may not be a skill at which I can be
proficient at an intermediate level of knowledge; some degree of
perfection may well be required to be fully in synch with a horse.

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Although I am excited about the direction my life is taking
toward a future career in library science, book history, rare books and
archiveI wonder, quite frequently, if I would be happier in a
profession working with horses or other animals. Until my junior year of
high school, I only considered professions in which I would work with
animals. I know now that I don't want to be a vet, but I do wonder if I
should be working on a career where I would be outside more often
than in a classroom/library/office, or conventional work place. I have a
thriving pet-sitting business, caring for my neighbors' pets when they
are out of town, and I've often thought of making it a professional
business.
I am holding strong to a career in Library Science, but the old
dreams that have dominated the majority of my life will not let me
forget them. I want to balance my interest in scholarly inquiry with my
love of the natural world. Over the years, my riding lessons have often
been put on hold for months at a time because I need to focus on my
scholarly studies. Priority, of course, is being given to the most
important subject: school. In the long run, this is satisfying to me.
When I get overburdened with schoolwork, however, I miss being in a
state of balance when I can include mental dialogue and working with
the physical and nature side of life's equation.

IV

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The last four artifacts are ideas, concepts, or skills that I, as a
Renaissance person, have found significant. The "Magical Realist
Fiction" anthology; meditation; a personal website; and a blog post are
in this category.

MAGICAL REALIST FICTION

The anthology, Magical Realist Fiction, edited by David Young and Keith
Hollaman, represents the realization that I do have favorite literary
genres: magical realism, science fiction/fantasy, and fairy tales. This is
a hugely significant realization for me because I have a potential area
of focus for my studies.
I never identified with a specific type of literature, and when
asked what I liked to read, I would simply say that I read anything and
everything. One day, I was asked to identify the type of literature that
most interests me, but I was expected to produce a definitive answer.
At first, I did not know how to respond. I thought about what I was
reading at the time, I thought about what books were on my bookshelf
at home, and I thought about a course I had recently taken on Magical
Realism. I realized that there was a specific type of work that I was
attracted to. Magical Realist and fantasy books are the ones that have
stuck with me from childhood: Tuck Everlasting, Ella Enchanted, A
Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter.

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In the introduction to the anthology, the editors state that, "In a
magical realist story there must be an irreducible element, something
that cannot be explained by logic, familiar knowledge, or received
belief" (4). In my opinion, this includes sci-fi & fantasy, children &
young adult novels, and even reaches hundreds of years back to early
works such as Beowulf, Lanval and other King Arthur stories, and
several of Shakespeare's works. Even myths are a type of magical
realism.
As I reflect back on a class discussion, one of the themes of
magical realism is duality. The name itself is a duality; we do not
consider magic to be real, and yet the synthesis works in literature.
Possibly because of my Renaissance nature, I find myself balancing
dualities. When I inform people that I changed majors from Physics to
English, they give me funny looks and are visibly surprised. The
incredulity was even more obvious before I chose English and told
people I was double majoring in both subjects.
I do not believe that I am attracted to these books to escape
from reality, as some critics of the genres might say. I like the idea of
magic in the world. To me, even something as real and concrete as the
study of physics, as I discussed in the Digital Story artifact, seems
magical, especially the study of astronomy; the universe is so large
that it seems impossible. Many of the works in the Magical Realist
Fiction anthology are strange and don't make sense at first, but it is

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the difficult ones that I love. They beg a rereading, and for me to think
deeper about what it means. In his short book on the purpose of
fantasy, Philip Martin suggests that fantasy stories are "imaginative,
value-based ways of trying to understand intangible aspects of what it
means to be human, to explore creative ways to think about issues of
good and evil, right and wrong, and other complex matters (ch. 5)."
This, I believe, is the value in Magical Realist and fantasy books.
Now that I have come to the realization that I do have a
preference in reading material, it is possible for me to focus my studies
in this area. However, would focusing my studies in this area preclude
my being considered a Renaissance person in terms of literature? I do
not believe so. In high school, I was envious of my friends because I
saw them as artists, actors, band geeks, or sport players. I had
multiple interests even then, but because I did not have a single
activity or skill that defined me, I felt like I was missing an identity. It
was not until my college years, especially now that I am writing this
essay, that I began to recognize and embrace my Renaissance nature.
Instead of holding me back, this identity is a benefit; if I had only one
focus, my opportunities would be limited.
When I started the Augusta Sophia project, in a moment of
synchronicity, I also began to read a fantasy novel by Brandon
Sanderson called The Way of Kings. I admire Sanderson as an author
because he is a prolific writer, and in his case, quantity does not

Clifton
detract from quality. He is phenomenal at world building, creating not
just strange creatures and landscapes, but distinct and fleshed out
ethnicities and religions that fill several worlds in a universe. In The
Way of Kings, we follow the perspective of the main characters,
Shallan, who in addition to being an accomplished artist, is a scholar.
She loves to study, research, and she naturally questions everything.
When things became difficult or stressful during my research that
summer, not only would I remember Shallan's delight, I would also
immerse myself in her feelings by reading. I used this fictional
character as a role model, and even today I try to find delight in
scholarship the way she does.

MEDITIATION
Meditation, which is gaining attention from neuropsychologists,
educators, and physicians, has become an important area in health
studies, and it is also part of my own rounded development as a
Renaissance person. I have undertaken a regimen of meditation in
order to learn how master my stress levels, which contributes to
maintaining a level of sprezzatura. Although sprezzatura, or grace, is
an ideal I work towards in all of my areas of interest, I still doubt
myself. It is so easy for me, even now, to get worked up and worried
about the amount of tasks I need to complete. I I want my work to be
of the highest caliber, and as I am my biggest critic, I constantly worry

Clifton
that my performance is not up to mark. To keep myself focused, I try to
meditate, and for this artifact, I will use a quote, the centering thought
from the fifth track (Day 5) of the meditations in my favorite series of
meditations, Creating Abundance: "Today, I embrace my potential to
be, do and have whatever I can dream." I specifically connect to this
thought because when I get stressed, I start to doubt myself. This
thought reminds me to get out of my way so that I can fully express
my inherent talent and to complete my tasks with ease and with
quality.
Every few months or so, Deepak Chopra teams up with Oprah
Winfrey to offer a free, online, 21-day meditation experience. Every
day for 21 days, a 15-20 minutes long guided meditation is posted. For
the first few minutes of the meditations, Chopra explains the theme
and ideas for the day; he then provides a mantra for the listener to
repeat silently while he or she pays attention to his or her breath. As
Chopra explains on his website, Chopra Center Meditation, the word
mantra comes from the Sanskrit roots man meaning mind, and tra
meaning instrument. "A mantra is therefore an instrument of the mind,
a powerful sound or vibration that you can use to enter a deep state of
meditation." Silently repeating the mantra helps the meditator
disconnect from thoughts. This silent meditation lasts for about 10
minutes, after which Chopra wraps up the day's meditation by

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summarizing what key points to remember, and by giving a centering
thought for the listener to focus on during the day.
Many people find meditation difficult. They try to sit still and
silence their minds for a designated time interval, but often they
experience frustration because this is an extremely difficult task. I
enjoy the guided meditations because I am given a focus. Meditating,
like any other skill, requires practice, and it is beneficial to have a
teacher or a guide. On his website's page with tips for meditating,
Chopra explains that of the purpose of meditation is the opposite of
what most people think. The majority of people think that meditation is
to tune out and get away, but this is only partially true. "The real
purpose of meditation is actually to tune in, not to get away from it all,
but to get in touch with it all. Not just to de-stress, but to find that
peace within..." My identity as a Renaissance person revolves around
my enjoyment of being in dialogue. This definition speaks to me
because one of the most important dialogues I can have is a dialogue
with myself.
I am naturally a sedentary and reserved person. I enjoy being
social with friends, but I prefer to spend most of my time doing solitary
activities like reading or working outside in my garden. Often I just sit
outside and listen to whatever noises are around, pay attention to the
wind or the heat of the sun, and sit quietly with my thoughts, if I have
any; it is a natural kind of meditation. Interacting with people with

Clifton
whom I am not familiar is draining to me. These last few years of
undergraduate school have challenged me to make the choice to be
more social and more involved. I have pulled my share of all-nighters
and broken down into tears after attempting to dig into the mountain
of work that comes with rising through the ranks of college courses,
and saying yes to new responsibilities and opportunities. I no longer
spend much time, if any, being quiet and introspective. These
meditations help me to ground and center myself so that it is easier for
me to go out, be social, and face my demanding schedule. It helps me
to tune in to myself, which allows me to maintain a level of
sprezzatura, and it is not apparent I hope, to others, that I would rather
be reading outside than leading a Riding Club meeting.

WEB APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

In the fall semester of 2014, I took ITIS 2300 Web Application
Development in which the final project was to design a website from
the ground up; that website is my artifact. I chose to create a website
for my mother, Yvette Clifton, a distributor of Nikken products. Nikken
is a company that develops products that promote health, such as
water and air filters, and nutritional supplements. The site has four
pages: home, products, about, and contact. This was completely
outside of my comfort zone in terms of learning new skills, but as a
Renaissance person, it is another area that will allow me to extend my

Clifton
knowledge base. It is the strongest artifact in which to explore agency
as well.
I had very little choice in taking ITIS 2300. As my minor, cognitive
science, is interdisciplinary, it includes a variety of course requirements
from psychology, computer science, English, and philosophy. However,
because I am an English major, the English courses do not count
towards the minor, so I had to rely on the other three categories of
courses to complete the minor. I had no problem with the psychology
and philosophy courses, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I have
never had any experience with programming languages. Thankfully, I
was only required to take one computer science course. There are two
introductory programming courses that are recommended, but they do
not count towards the minor. Ideally, I would have taken the intro
courses and then enrolled in the required course, but that would mean
I would have to push back graduation another year. I was already
starting my fifth year because I changed majors. I do not mind staying
in school beyond four years because I genuinely enjoy school and the
variety of classes available to take, but I did not want to delay because
of two courses that did not count and in which I was not interested.
Instead, of taking the intro courses through UNC Charlotte, I attempted
a free online course over the summer on the programing language
Python from Coursera. However, because of my work with the Augusta
Sophia collection, the total unfamiliarity with programming, and the

Clifton
quick pace of the instruction, I did not manage to complete the course.
Still, determined to graduate at the end of the upcoming academic
year, I jumped into the Web Application Development course in the fall.
The course was set up as a "flipped classroom." We studied the
readings and videos during the week on our own, and in class we
applied what we studied. Thursday was a lab in which we practiced the
coding we would need for our homework, and Friday was a "lecture"
where we took a quiz and discussed concepts. There were six
homework assignments due roughly every two weeks that required us
to create different pages, or add certain types of things to our website,
such as a picture gallery or a contact page. I picked up HTML and CSS
the languages that tell your webpage what to look likerelatively
quickly.. The later languages and concepts, JavaScript, JQuery, and
Cookies, were very difficult for me to understand. I attended tutoring
every week, and still had difficulty, but with much help, I completed
the project.
The "flipped classroom" was a different style of learning for me.
As an English major, I am used to reading before class, but I expect a
lecture and/or discussion during class time. I was not comfortable
having my grade based on my performance in subjects I learned on my
own with extremely minimal prior knowledge and practice. As a
Renaissance person, it is beneficial for me to think about my learning
style, and consider styles with which I am not accustomed, because

Clifton
they could be useful. The flipped classroom model is not unfamiliar to
me because it is similar to the high school physics course that I
discussed in the Digital Story artifact because labs were conducted
first, then the results were used to discuss universal laws and
behaviors. I think that if I had the time and resources to try writing
code before the lab, the flipped classroom model would have been
more beneficial to me because I know that I am a tactile learner. I have
noticed that I think well when I write out my ideas, and that my rate of
retention is better when I practice a skill rather than only read or listen
to instructions.
Because of my enjoyment of dialogue, I would like to emphasize
that Python, HTML, CSS, etc., are called languages. It is my
understanding that they are languages because they allow
programmers to communicate to machines, to tell them what to
display and what to do when certain events happen. Of course, these
languages are artificial, and dialogue with a machine is not, in my
opinion, as interesting as dialogue with other objects. When talking to
a computer, one has to follow specific rules, and even if the smallest
mistake is made, such as leaving out a comma or a semi-colon, the
computer will not understand. I prefer the freedom of interpretation
that natural languages, like English, allow.
Compared to my other artifacts, I had almost no agency in
choosing this class. Of course, there is always a choice. I could have

Clifton
chosen to spend another year taking the introduction to programming
courses, but I did not. It is more a mater of degree of choice. My other
artifacts represent conscious and deliberate decisions to pursue topics.
Does that mean that as a Renaissance person, I have more agency
than if I were to narrow my areas of inquiry? A variety of areas of
knowledge allows for a greater degree of choice when posing inquiry.
Although web development is not something in which I am
interested, and this foray into computing may be stretching myself too
thin, these are useful skills to acquire as I become engaged in library
science studies. My goal is to work with physical books, but the job of a
librarian is becoming increasingly technologically driven as our society
turns to eBooks and audiobooks. Even rare books are scanned and
placed on the Internet for scholars to read on websites such as Early
English Books Online (EEBO). In the future, I will again encounter
subjects that I do not enjoy and at first may seem less than useful to
my ultimate goals, but I should not dismiss them so quickly; they may
become important to my studies later in life.

BLOG POST
The final artifact that I will include is the ninth blog post I wrote for the
honors class Reading in Slow Motion," which is about lawns,
something I would never have thought to research if I were not in the
class. The term that I have chosen to describe my personal goals,

Clifton
Renaissance Person," has become, to me, connected with the identity
of a scholar, and as a scholar, I need to understand how to generate
inquiry and how to follow up with that inquiry with investigation. This
artifact represents the course, and how it fostered my exploration
skills, and allowed me to practice making connections between the
reading and my chosen topic.
Reading in Slow Motion has five rules: (1) there is only one
assigned book; (2) the course meets once a week in a 3 hour time
period; (3) each week, the assigned reading is a small number of pages
(for our class it was about 30 pages); (4) the use of technology is not
allowed inside the classroom, but is encouraged outside; (5) the final
research paper may be on anything except the assigned text. Our text
was The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. Every week
after the reading, we conducted research on anything in the reading
that sparked our interest, and based on our findings, wrote a 1000word post for the class blog. The way the class was organized is
analogous to the way a Renaissance person operates because the
process involved researching a different topic each week. The threehour class was solely a discussion among the students in which the
professor only jumped in to keep the conversation on topic, or to
encourage quieter students to participate. We also discussed
everyone's topic in the class, so I learned about many different ideas
and approaches.

Clifton
As a much younger student, I never liked the idea of research;
you could even go so far as to say I hated it. I believe the reason I was
so adverse to the concept is because I did not understand it. In high
school, we had a Senior Exit Project that required research, but it was
not taught in a way that explained to me how to conduct inquiry. I, of
course, have written research papers for courses taken previous to this
honors class, but I never felt confident in my research abilities. I took
this course, knowing it was research intensive, because I wanted the
experience. I hoped that I could learn concrete research techniques
from this course reinforce my researching skills in preparation for
graduate studies.
Not only did I learn the "Frankenstein method" of putting
evidence together to form a paper, but also I practiced finding
directions of inquiry, another area in research that I found difficult. I
chose the lawns post as my artifact not because of its content, but
because it is an unusual topic to research. If I had not been engaged in
this course, I would never have wondered about the history of lawns.
The work conducted in this course encouraged me to apply for the
Charlotte Research Scholars (CRS) fellowship because it gave me the
confidence to engage in a long-term research project that simulated
graduate work. CRS lead me to the Augusta Sophia collection, which in
turn inspired me to become a librarian.

Clifton
CONCLUSION
Writing this portfolio has required me to reflect on my experience as an
undergraduate student, but it has allowed me to have a better
understanding of my identity: who I have been, who I am today, and
who I will be in the future. As I reflected in the Magical Realist Fiction
artifact, I used to feel like I did not have a niche or an area of focus,
which felt like a missing identity. The artifact also represented the
realization that I do have a preference in reading material. This means I
can focus my studies, but, true to my Renaissance nature, it is not a
very narrow focus.
The Photographic Essay artifact is a breakthrough to the root of
my Renaissance identity. I enjoy learning because I enjoy being in
dialogue with objects and ideas such as the Augusta Sophia collection.
The Augusta Sophia artifact has lead to a future career in library
science after I earn an M.A. in English at UNC Charlotte starting in the
fall semester of 2015. Even before I start my graduate studies, I will
have entered scholarly conversations by writing and submitting for
publication a bibliographic article, and I will interact with graduate
students, librarians, and other professionals at Rare Book School in the
summer of 2015.
Far from hindering my studies because of its wide range of
interests, my identity as a Renaissance person has opened avenues of
scholarship and inquiry that I never could have imagined. This

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reflective essay, the capstone of my participation in the University
Honors Program has not only given me the opportunity to claim my
identity, but has also made me realize the benefit UHP has given me.
The Photographic Essay written for an honors class was the first paper I
wrote in undergraduate school. This is the last essay, although it is far
from the last one I will write, is the last paper I will produce for UHP,
and I feel as if I have come full circle and have found a sense of closure
before I graduate. While I feel proud of my accomplishments and look
forward to what is to come, I will be able to look back and identify
other ways UHP has helped to guide the discovery of an essential part
of my identity.

Clifton

Works Cited
Clifton, Nadia. "One Thousand Words or Just One?" Course essay,
University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2010.
-- Your Nikken Wellness Guide: Yvette Clifton. Dec. 2014. 25 Mar. 2015.
< http://webpages.uncc.edu/~nclifto1/index.html>
-- Kirk Melnikoff, and Alan Rauch. "A Study of the Princess Augusta
Sophia (1768-1840) Collection at the Atkins Library." Summer
Research Symposia. University of North Carolina at Charlotte. July
2014. Poster Presentation
Chopra Center Meditation. "Prepare for Meditation: Meditation Tips
from Deepak." 2014. The Chopra Center at La Costa Resort and
Spa. 25 Mar. 2015 <http://www.chopra.com/cclmeditation/21dmc/mantra.html>
--, "What is a Mantra?" 2014. The Chopra Center at La Costa Resort and
Spa. 25 Mar. 2015 <http://www.chopra.com/cclmeditation/21dmc/mantra.html>
Digital Story 1: True Love. Dir. and Perf. Nadia Clifton. 2013. YouTube. <
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_s3VBn-LOgA>
Martin, Philip. The Purpose of Fantasy: A Reader's Guide to Twelve
Selected Books with Good Values & Spiritual Depth. Wisconsin:
Crispin, 2013. Kindle file.

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Rare Book School. "About Rare Book School." Rare Book School. 7 Jan.
2015. 25 Mar. 2015. < http://www.rarebookschool.org/about/>
Reading in Slow Motion. "Week of 3/28/14" Nadia: Lawns. 25 Mar 2014.
25 Mar 2015. WordPress.
<https://readinginslowmotion.wordpress.com/category/weeklyposts/week-of-032814/>Young, David and Keith Hollaman, eds.
Magical Realist Fiction An Anthology. New York: Longman, 1984.