Dear Nellie from 9/15/24,

You might not know this yet, but the Outsider Narrative is simultaneously the easiest and hardest assignment you will do for FIQWS. With a minimum of 500 words, this is the least amount you have to write for any major FIQWS assignment. However, it is also the most personal one. I know how you racked your brain for what topic to write about. And the agony and reluctance you had when you had to upload your first draft to the public Google Drive folder. However, seeing others who already uploaded their pieces, made you realize that everyone has their own unique experiences and they are all intriguing in their own way. The Outsider Narrative also made me think back to what my creative writing instructor from SYEP said: “A lot of writers struggle with being vulnerable on paper, but it is what makes a piece stand out.” Back when I wrote my narrative, keeping this quote in mind helped me write as my authentic self. 

Dear Nellie from 10/9/24,

The metaphor essay was the most nostalgic because it was my first time doing an MLA citation since high school. For me, this was also the essay that connected the two FIQWS classes, since I was able to write about real-world issues from the past but also those that were still prevalent today. Out of the three essays, I spent the longest time researching for this essay, and also the longest time editing it for the final draft while trying to incorporate the feedback I received. However, I know you enjoyed writing this essay because it challenged you to be creative and think about the similarities between two seemingly different things.

Dear Nellie from 11/6/24,

The critical lens essay was the most challenging in terms of having to meet the word count. This essay was fun because of how open-ended it was, and it was also difficult because of its flexibility. You spent a lot of time brainstorming for this essay because of how indecisive you were in choosing a target source. Going through the list of movies you watched and books you read, you came across many potential sources. However, you eventually chose “The Man from Earth” because of the captivating plot and the excuse of being able to watch a movie without feeling guilty. Looking back, I’m glad about how well the two sources came together. 

Dear Nellie from 12/16/24,

It feels odd to write a letter to myself that is dedicated to the same day. However, this is because of your inability to finish work more than a day before the deadline. Part 1 and part 3 of the research project allowed you to think about and brainstorm what you wanted my project to be about. However, you knew from the very beginning that you wanted to pick the topic of blood donations because of its importance in the medical field and also for the people in your life who benefitted from it. It was difficult to highlight the cultural implications of the topic and how the narrative changed over time. The source report that you created was on the basis of your centering research project on blood donations in general. Even while writing the first draft of part two of the research project, this was what you had in mind. After receiving feedback, you realized that your draft did not have any cultural implications and that the narrative of the topic changed over time. The deadline for the presentation was also before part 2 was due, so you had to do research and present on a topic that was completely different from the research you had been doing. Ultimately, you settled on how marginalized communities faced discrimination concerning blood donations. After the presentation, you were working on the final draft for part 2 and had to base the draft on the presentation. This was why the final draft for part 2 does not reflect the source report and the first draft, and why you had to essentially create two research projects. 

This portfolio I am working on right now is also very unique, and the first website I made for academic reasons. The platform is harder to navigate than others, or even compared to coding my own website. I also kept forgetting the format I used for each part of the website, so going back and forth was a hassle. However, it was fun because of how much creativity it allowed. 

The only tip I have for future students that would be useful to know is to give yourself more time for assignments so their quality will not suffer.