Finding My Voice: Reflecting on Research, Collaboration, and Readiness for What’s Out There

This semester was a valuable learning experience for me, not just as a student, but also as a teammate and communicator. Every assignment pushed me to think more critically, plan more effectively, and try out new tools and strategies. Most importantly, I learned how to prepare for what’s out there, whether it’s future college work, the job world, or everyday life, by building real-world skills like teamwork, drafting, and presenting. As I reflect on the work I’ve done, I’ll share how I developed my skills in information literacy, citation, and synthesis, and how I became more confident using technology to complete assignments for a specific audience.

In my lab report, we explored the concept of probability by running a dice-rolling experiment and analyzing the results. This assignment helped me strengthen my information literacy as I learned how to find and use reliable sources through CCNY’s online library to support the math and probability concepts we were working with. Instead of using random websites, I relied on academic databases to find accurate background information. I practiced synthesis by combining my own experiment results with supporting research into one organized report. I also improved my citation skills by using APA style to properly credit the sources I used. This project showed me how important it is to back up my writing with solid evidence and to always give credit where it’s due.

The group proposal project was where I grew the most in terms of collaboration. Our goal was to pitch a new student center for CCNY, which meant working closely with others to create something both realistic and persuasive. I learned how to split up the work fairly, communicate clearly with my teammates, and revise our proposal together. I also had to think carefully about our audience, in this case, professionals who would be reviewing our proposal and possibly funding the idea. One of the biggest skills I developed was presenting. I helped design the PowerPoint and also spoke during the final presentation. This gave me a major confidence boost and helped me improve at explaining ideas clearly. I also made sure our slides used correct citation in APA format to support our data.

For the technical description, my partner and I chose to explain how self-driving cars work. This project taught me how to break down a complex system into simple, understandable parts. To do this, we had to do a lot of reading from sources like manuals, articles, and diagrams. I then used synthesis to combine everything I learned into a short, clear explanation using my own words. This assignment reminded me that when you’re writing for a real audience, being clear, visual, and specific is key. It also taught me the importance of drafting, revising my work multiple times made a big difference in the final result. Besides the big assignments, the smaller tasks and class activities helped me grow too. Commenting on my classmates’ posts gave me more experience with collaboration. Our peer reviews taught me how to give helpful feedback and how to use comments to improve my own writing through different stages of drafting.

Overall, this course gave me the tools to feel more prepared for what’s ahead. I built strong habits in information literacy and citation, learned how important drafting is, and became more confident in collaboration and presenting. I improved my skills in reading, research, and synthesis, and I stayed focused on writing for the right audience. I’m proud of the progress I’ve made, and I’m ready to take these lessons with me into whatever comes next.