Honors 100 Portfolio Statement

I came into the University this year looking solely through an academic lens, as this is
what I thought others expected. Throughout this quarter, I have had opportunities to change this
mindset, especially in classes like Honors 205 (What We Know and How We Know It), Honors
Chemistry, and through various extracurricular activities.
In Honors Chemistry, I started off the year expecting to do very well. I went into the first
test expecting a breeze, but I was entirely proven wrong. I did terribly on the first test, earning a
70%. But instead of taking this like a sore loser, falling to the ground and staying there, I took
this as a challenge. It definitely paid off, as I got a 97% on my second midterm. I will now carry
this mentality into other classes as well. I will no longer go into classes with an expectancy of
earning a good grade. I will struggle and sweat through every class, but I will come out a
stronger person because of my determination.
However, something even greater happened this quarter. It was something that
transcended the academic boundaries and allowed me to see from a new perspective. I remember
standing in Denny Hall earlier this quarter, surrounded by hundreds of other students.
Surprisingly, it was not for lecture rather, it was for a church worship that was meeting for the
first time that year. It was my first time I had ever participated in such an event, and I was
genuinely nervous. I didnt know what to expect, or even what to do. Questions of whether I
actually believed in the idea of a God swam through my mind, clouding my thought process.
Suddenly, the hundreds of people around me burst into song, startling and distracting me from
my deep thoughts. The music flooded my entire body, beautiful and heavenly. I could practically
feel the joy that simply saturated the room. Looking around, I suddenly realized how connected
everyone was to one another and to God. It was not the time for me to debate with myself over
the existence of God; rather, it was an opportunity to step back and realize the astonishing hope
and meaning that such an event could provide. I finally realized that although I had seen
breakthroughs in chemistry and calculus, there was something infinitely more powerful. Being
able to see the formerly invisible thread running through and tying together the academic world
and the emotional, spiritual world would lead to a far greater potential.
This was truly a moment where I changed my entire perspective on learning. By
reconciling my own academic, logical perspective with my emotional and spiritual perspective, I
go forth on my journey with far more confidence and potential. Not only do I learn more, but I
can also approach ideas from different angles, coming to a more cohesive understanding. While
these different ways of thinking may seem entirely separate, as though they were different lenses
with which I could choose to view the world, they actually function in unison, integrated in such
a way that they have become part of my deeper, unconscious self. Ultimately, my new way of
knowing not only applies to academic issues, but also fundamentally changes how I perceive and
approach personal relationships and my place in society.

Since this time, I have focused greatly on becoming more of a selfless person, focused on
helping others in any way possible. Because of this new perspective, I now see the formerly
hidden connections between academics and social interaction. I had always thought of classes
like chemistry as a battlefield, a combat zone where only the strongest survived. As a result, I
began the quarter cooped up in my dorm studying alone, honing my intellectual weaponry for
every upcoming battle. In the past few weeks, however, I have used academics as a bridge to
connect with my fellow classmates, tutoring and encouraging them. This will only continue to
grow more as I progress through my college years.
So far on my journey this quarter, I have come to view knowledge as encompassing
countless fields; it involves and connects the intellectual, physical, spiritual, and emotional ways
of knowing. There is always a limit, a threshold to how far we can progress by only seeing
through a single lens. Ultimately, it takes a delicate balance between contrasting forces to reach
equilibrium - the cold, hard logic of science must be balanced with the intuitive interpretations of
the heart. By thinking in this fashion, I feel that both the rest of the year and the rest of my time
at UW will be much more beneficial. Not only will I gain knowledge through what I learn in
class, but I will also gain knowledge through listening what others have to say and integrating
our ideas together. This is my new goal for the rest of the year, and I hope to end my time here at
UW being able to look at an issue from many different perspectives. I will continue to grow and
will continue to expand on the academic and emotional ways of knowing I have learned this
quarter. Each class will contribute something new and important that I will learn to integrate into
my worldview.