Discovering the Student, Discovering the Self English 100 Student Essays 2019/2020 Edition Missouri Western State University Department of English1 and Modern Languages Introduction Dawn Terrick The essays that appear in this publication were selected by the English 100 Committee from submissions from English 100 students from the Spring and Fall 2019 semesters. The criteria used to evaluate and select these essays included content, originality, a sense of discovery and insight on the part of the student writer, control of form, language and sentence construction and representation of the various types of assignments students are engaged in while in this course. ENG 100, Introduction to College Writing, is a developmental composition course designed for students who show signs of needing additional work on their college-level writing before starting the regular general education composition classes. In this course, students learn about and refine their writing process with a strong focus on the act of revision, engage in critical reading, thinking and writing and write both personal and text-based essays. ENG 100 prepares students for the rigors of college-level writing and introduces them to college expectations. It is our hope that these student essays reflect the struggle and the joy, the hard work and the rewards that these students have experienced both in their lives and in the classroom. Furthermore, these essays reflect the diversity of our English 100 students and the uniqueness of this course. Our students are entering college straight out of high school and are returning to the classroom after years of work and family, come from urban and rural areas, and represent different races and cultures. And this work is truly their work -- the committee has not made any revisions or corrections to the essays. And as you read, we hope that you will discover the same things that the students have discovered: during their first semester in college they are discovering themselves, realizing that they are part of many communities and defining themselves as individuals, students, scholars and citizens. English 100 Committee: Dawn Terrick, Director of Developmental Writing Dana Andrews Cynthia Bartels Patricia Brost Bill Church Jennifer Jackson Brooksie Kluge Joe Marmaud Amy Miller Beth Reinert Kay Siebler Alyssa Striplin Director of Design and Layout: Anna Handza Missouri Western State University Department of English and Modern Languages English 100 – Introduction to College Writing 2019-2020 2 "My goal when writing this piece was originally to get the assignment done and over with. I didn't expect to enjoy this assignment or to learn new things about myself. As I was writing this essay, I noticed many similarities and differences that I shared with many of the people we read about. I could put myself in their shoes and I could take myself out of them. I developed a new goal during this assignment. My new goal wasn't to finish the essay and move on. My new goal was to share my story and my struggles. My new goal was to let my voice be heard and to get rid of the silence that almost seemed to choke me . I am no longer ink splattered across a blank page. I am a masterpiece painted along a canvas." - Jasmine Kennedy “The most challenging for me in writing was that I have to write my own story. I never expected myself to recall my story in details but this ended up rewarding me in freedom of my mind. I never thought that I would be able to forgive myself and people that hurt me . I would say that all of my writing assignments are healers. I got to let go of my emotional feelings toward my past. I remembered crying over my first paper about “Place” and angry over my third paper about, “The Abused Soul,” but those were, somehow, my healing process.” - Orn-Phinyamars Seeaun 3 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 Reflections from Student Writers ................................................................................................... 3 Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ 4 Moments in Time ............................................................................................................................ 6 Zailey Chambers: The Summer After ........................................................................................ 7 Sophia Cordell: Afternoons at the Eldon’s ............................................................................... 9 Tiera Fish: Why wouldn’t he put the bottle down? ................................................................. 11 Emalie Gerding: Small Town Family ...................................................................................... 14 Jordan Heard: Kenzie and The Blossom Tree ......................................................................... 17 Jay Jensik Jr.: Bulletproof ....................................................................................................... 19 Shaunte Lanham: What made me? ........................................................................................ 22 Tori McIntire: Peace and Companionship ..............................................................................25 Shamarla Pointer: Code Blue ................................................................................................... 27 Kaniesha Smith: 4300 O’Bear Ave, St. Louis MO 63107 ....................................................... 29 Taryn Smith: The House on Polk Street .................................................................................. 31 Kory Waltz: The Rockstar With No Band .............................................................................. 34 Interview ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Sarah Brown: Elizabeth Marie ............................................................................................... 38 Ashley Casper: Not So Happy Endings .................................................................................. 40 Shaunte Lanham: Defining moments .................................................................................... 42 Ben Miller: The Day That Changed Our Families Lives Forever .......................................... 44 Lauren Street: My Inspiration ............................................................................................... 46 Identity .......................................................................................................................................... 48 Kartyr Bigham: Mental Illness and Family ............................................................................ 49 Rowan Graham: Moving Forward .......................................................................................... 53 Adam Ebrecht: The Reality of Police Action ...........................................................................56 Sisi Key: Finding Your Identity .............................................................................................. 58 Shaunte Lanham: Education’s Worth .................................................................................... 60 Michael Lauer: Manipulation ................................................................................................. 62 4 Brian Mackley: Standardized Test ......................................................................................... 66 Tori McIntire: Boys Will be Boys and Girls Will Behave ....................................................... 68 Amra Muric: Holding on to my loved one .............................................................................. 70 Tadyn Shaffer: Masks .............................................................................................................. 75 Taryn Smith: STICKS AND STONES ...................................................................................... 77 Brittnae Tarrence: The Choices We Make .............................................................................. 82 Education and Literacy ................................................................................................................. 85 Joseph Bui: Education Means Change .................................................................................. 86 Alyssa Fanning: The Key to Success ....................................................................................... 90 Rowan Graham: First Generation Students ........................................................................... 92 Jasmine Kennedy: Ink Splattered Across A Blank Page ....................................................... 94 Shaunte Lanham: Teaching My Children to Rise Above It..................................................... 97 Britny Maxwell: More Than Dead Trees and Line of Ink ...................................................... 99 Tori McIntire: My Ideas of Education .................................................................................. 101 Saray Pilar: A Lost Side of Education .................................................................................... 105 Jaylin Powell: Learning Stages ............................................................................................. 107 Rachel Powell: The Love of Learning ...................................................................................