Lesson 1 Topic: What is your current vision of your future self?

Consider the reading on identity. You entered this degree program for a reason and you have a
vision of your future self after the program is complete. What is that vision? In what ways will
your degree transform you? What do you hope to uncover about yourself as you move through
this program?

Date: August 17, 2018

Journal Entry (or link):

Where to go? What to do? How to do it? These seem to be the pressing questions on my mind
as I advance in my degree. However, working while studying through college reinforces why I
need to study. Long days become more bearable with the thought of a fulfilling career floating in
the back of my mind. My goal is that this class takes this wispy thought and develops it into a
concrete idea that I can cling to while dealing with mean-spirited customers.

One day, I hope to trade in the four in the morning alarm jolting me out of sleep in order to a job
that I don't love, but rather, have a later alarm that calls me to a job that I enjoy. My work will not
be the meaningless grind of serving people their coffee and calling to find shift coverage for
whichever barista decided they were too sick to come to work. No. One day, my job will be
enriching the lives of my students by teaching them the English language.

The wispy thought that looms in the back of my mind is to have the opportunity to teach English
as a Second Language in Ecuador. Having had the pleasure of living in Ecuador before, this
idea is particularly enticing due to the tangibility it holds. I would love to be able to give back to
the community that helped me develop into the person I am today. Ideally, my degree will
enable me to find satisfaction in more than just my job.

Going to school online has taught me far more than I originally expected. More often than not, I
am shown my determination to get this degree through the daily sacrifices I make to study.
Although this is an ongoing process, I learn that my determination gets stronger through every
course I have taken, and I see no reason for that to change in the future.

This course, in particular, will hopefully teach me a new way to go about solving problems in
whatever country I live in. The more I travel, the more I realize how blessed I am to live in a
country where hard work can be enough to help you overcome your circumstances. This
program offers me the opportunity to further develop myself and how I respond in order to
become better and what I choose to do.

The professional identity I am looking for seems to be lying just beneath the surface, and I am
looking forward to uncovering more direction throughout this course. The idea of teaching
English as a Second Language abroad helps me through the late nights and early mornings that
seem to come with the cost of every degree. That is the motivation I have learned these past
couple years, and I am sure that this same motivation will continue to surprise me throughout
the rest of my academic and professional career.
Lesson 3 Topic: Reflect on the definition of global citizenship and the policies you
identified that impact the community you are researching. What moves you? How can
one person impact the lives of many? What do the people you researched this week have
in common? What assumptions did the activists make about the people they were
helping?

Date: ____September 3, 2018_________

Journal Entry (or link):

Global citizenship is a responsibility that falls on every citizen of the world to change
what is not right. It starts small in a community, neighborhood, or home. This small spark of
change can ignite a flame that blazes around the world if we let it. Policies seem to be a way to
either fan the flame or stomp it out. Some policies leave a positive impact such as the result of
Santamaria family vs Dallas ISD (2007). Segregating children based on their native language is
not longer an acceptable practice thanks to the courage of the Santamaria family to stand up to
the school district. Unfortunately, not all policies leave such a positive impact such as the Trump
administration’s decision to revoke Temporary Protected Status from 75% of the current visa
holders (Krogstad & Gonzalez-Barrera , 2018).

The idea of people who risk everything to better their circumstances being turned away
due to their nationality breaks my heart. Although I may not have the power to influence foreign
policy, I do have the power to understand and to communicate the understanding I have. I also
have the ability to be involved in English as a Second Language classes such as the ones at
Holy Word Austin in order to help improve the quality of live of those who have successfully
arrived here. The need for English as a Second Language classes is based on the assumption
that many immigrants do not speak English as a first language and struggle acclimating to an
American lifestyle. These classes may not be necessary for all immigrants but can be a valuable
tool to help learn to thrive in our part of the globe.

References

Krogstad, J. M., & Gonzalez-Barrera, A. (2018, February 26). Key facts about U.S. immigration
policies and proposed changes. Retrieved from
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/26/key-facts-about-u-s-immigration-policie
s-and-proposed-changes/

Santamaria v. Dallas Independent School District. (2007). Retrieved from

http://www.maldef.org/education/litigation/santamaria_v_dallas_school_district/index.htm
l

Lesson 4 Topic: Consider the video about life purpose. Answer the presenter’s five
questions. Who are you? What do you love to do? What is the one thing that right now
you feel supremely qualified to teach other people? Who do you do it for? What do those
people want or need? How do those people change or transform as a result of what you
give them?

Date: ___September 11, 2018__________

Journal Entry (or link):

Five questions doesn’t seem to be an overwhelming about of questions to think about.

However, each question gives us a clue as to a professional purpose that we decide on. That is
when five questions start to seem overwhelming. Question one: who am I? I am a blood bought
redeemed child of Christ. This is what defines me and how I conduct myself. Due to this, I have
learned how to care for people both physically and emotionally, and I love teaching others how
to do the same. I feel incredibly qualified to show my passion for other by putting it into action
with everyone I come into contact with. More often than not, this attitude becomes apparent at
work.

Working in the service industry can be a dismal place where many leave at the end of
their shift with less and less hope in humanity. What my coworkers need is someone who
genuinely cares about them. This could mean anything from a happy birthday message to
helping setting up a 401k. However, it also means that I have the privilege of helping the next
leader to invest in our staff as I have learned to. The result is not only a happy work
environment but coworkers who know they are not alone. This leaves the people around me
with the confidence to go out and form a similar relationship with the people around them.
Natalie Warne (2011) put is well when she said, “In the small monotonous monogamous every
single day acts, I have to remind myself to be extraordinary” (12:30). It is my goal to inspire the
people in my life to be extraordinary.

References
Leipzig, A. (2013, February 01). How to know your life purpose in 5 minutes. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVsXO9brK7M

Warne, N. (2011, April 11). Anonymous Extraordinaries. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=FszSc7Fb8ss

Lesson 7 Topic: Your changing view. What do you know about yourself and your
community that you didn’t know before? How has the new information impacted you? In
what ways has the design process impacted your thinking?

Date: ___October 1, 2018__________

Journal Entry (or link):

Keep Austin weird. That is my community’s motto. Yet, I learned through this course how
unique my city is from those around us. Previously, I had assumed that the Austin area was
lacking in accessible English as a Second Language courses. However, I have since learned
that this could not be further from the truth. With ample high quality and low-cost courses to
choose from, I realized that this was not a social issue that went unnoticed.
 Studying the design process in this course has helped me understand and value the
process before a change is made. I realize how crucial collaboration is to achieve a functional
outcome for a community. The Institute of Design at Stanford (2017) taught me in our very first
week of class that human-centered design does not start with an issue. Rather, design starts
with the empathy for your target audience. It is from their perspective that allows the individual
to see where the need lies. Applying this knowledge to my community, I found through our
community scan that there is a need for high-quality low-cost childcare for the young and
struggling families in the area. Understanding what my community lacks allows me to start my
collaboration with Hutto High School about creating a sustainable solution for this issue.

References

A Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources-collections/a-virtual-crash-course-in-design-thinki
ng