Nguyen 1 Thanh-Tran Nguyen Brook Kelly Honors 100AF 6 October 2013 Early Reflection I got to the UW Honors Program

by pursuing a liberal arts education in hopes of becoming a better person, as well as being well-equipped for STEM studies. As a bedtime story, my older brother used to read to me Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie. Since then, I've read the book every few years to remind myself to truly live out my potential. Ive read this recount of a phenomenal professor before I knew what college actually is. I look forward to learning about life and living beyond the courses I take. I expect to be asked to question human nature and decision-making, how my decisions can affect others or how our society conditions us. When I could hardly read, I came to expect this life-changing quality from my college experience. Fast-forward to the present: the more Ive reflected on my education, the more Ive found that liberal arts often provided what I need learn. I attended public school for the first eight years of my academic career, and in that time I felt emotionally, mentally and physically drained. I had struggles with what was inherent in the system. The subject matters were discrete and drawn independently of the world and other disciplines. My teachers could only put a name and grade to my face because my classes were large. My classmates coasted class so they could get on with recess and food. My grades didnt mean anything to me if I could work for five minutes a day and pass the class. I wanted more out of my teachers. I wanted more out of my peers. My curriculum shouldnt just be the bare necessities. Then I attended private schools, and found tremendous change. I got to know my teachers personally, and they learned who I was and what mattered to me. The small classes, interconnected disciplines, and environment conducive for genuine passion for learning in this type of curriculum helped me realize what I can accomplish with the resources available. Theres no question about it; Im ready to meet and share, but I can only do so when Im in the right program to enable my future contributions. University of Washington offers this liberal arts curriculum within a top-tier research university. I wanted to specialize in STEM fields, and a research university would be able to provide the opportunities that would put me far ahead in the ground breaking fields of science. Now that Ive determined that I want to be a woman engineer in computing technology and be a role model for young girls who want to join the video game industry, the university, the city, and the honors program would provide me with the interdisciplinary experience I need to make my intersection of identities mesh together that makes sense for benefitting the greater global community.