In all my life I think I have only heard a micro-aggression being used once or twice. I was in elementary school riding the bus home one day when I heard some boys talking loudly behind me. I heard them talking about Indians and I became curious; one of them said that Indians are so hairy and gross everywhere. I started looking at my arms and legs and felt ashamed. I felt badly and I felt like there was something wrong with me. I felt isolated because they said that it was only Indians that had this. Later, I realized that it wasn’t only Indians who had a lot of hair on their bodies and I learned that I shouldn’t let what others say get to me.

If someone were to ever tell me that something I said was a micro-aggression, I would immediately apologize to the person I was talking to and I would never use that language again. I would thank whomever let me know what I said was a micro-aggression because I think it is horrible to be denigrating to someone. In addition to refraining from using hurtful language, I would also do some research on micro-aggressions. I would search up what type of language and what things you say is considered to be a micro-aggression.

For all the times I have worked in groups, I have had mixed outcomes and opinions of the situation. For some group projects, each of the members did an equal amount of work and the result met what was asked of us. However, some of the times, I felt like I was left with an overwhelming amount of work while others barely did anything. There have also been times where a few members of the group took over and did not let others do any of the work. I sometimes found it challenging to get others to participate. I was uncomfortable telling them that they needed to put in more effort, and most of the times I would just pick up the work they did not finish. I also feel that in group projects, I have no control over things that could possibly go wrong. If one member of the group does not do as good of a job as the others, I find it awkward to go in a fix what they did wrong. I feel like it is not my job to do so and that I should not be graded poorly because of something that I did not do.

However, there are some aspects of group work that I do enjoy. One thing that I enjoy about working in groups is having the opportunity to choose my own group. I like picking people that are talented at different things so that there would be at least one person for each individual task within the whole project. When working in groups, I liked that whenever I needed second opinions or more ideas, I would have people to turn to. If I ever needed someone to check my work or help me with something I did not understand, I could just ask. The project would not feel as immense when I knew that if I was really struggling I could get help. It is nice to know that you are not working alone at times when the task is daunting.

An ideal group to me would consist of people with varying strengths but with the same drive and determination to succeed. They would be comfortable with each other and find it easy to communicate with each other. Also, they would all have the same academic standing. In the group my role would not be the group leader, but not far from it. I do not like being the person in charge but I do not mind having more responsibility than others. I would not want to be the group leader because I do not want to tell others to do their work or to make sure that everything is getting accomplished. I like being in charge of a lot and having a lot of work to do. I feel that this drives me to get everything done in time for the due date.

When I was in eleventh grade and my younger brother was in sixth grade, we would ride the bus to school some days. One day I overheard an older kid talking loudly and then recognized my brother’s voice responding. I waiting a few seconds because I thought it was just a casual loud conversation but then I heard more yelling. I heard the kid calling my brother names and belittling him. I stuck my head out of the seat and saw my brother’s worried face. It looked like the older kid was about to physically hurt him and I knew that I had to step in. I asked the kid what he was doing and he said nothing. I told him to get out of the way and sit back down. Then, I told my brother to come and sit next to me to avoid any conflict. I think that if I hadn’t done anything that a fight could have broken out and my brother could have gotten hurt. I think that even if this wasn’t my brother, I still would have stepped in. I wouldn’t want to see someone else getting hurt if I knew I could do something to help them.

Another situation where I stepped in was in middle school when a group of girls were being verbally abusive to another girl. The other girl wasn’t around them but the group of girls had pulled up a picture of her and they were making fun of the was she looked. I thought that if I was the girl in the picture I would want someone to tell everyone that they should stop being so mean for no reason. So I decided to stand up for the girl in the picture and tell them to put it away. I said it was a very mean thing to do and although they looked at me weirdly, they stopped making fun of her. Although this wasn’t a situation where someone could have gotten physically abused, the girl could have gotten mentally abused which can sometimes be worse. When something is physical, the pain can go away, but when someone hurts you emotionally and mentally, that can stick with you forever.

When I was younger and in third grade, a girl got mad at me and threatened to kick me if I didn’t move and let her sit in my seat. I refused to get up and move because it wasn’t her seat and I had gotten there first. She then kicked me because I didn’t get in. I think because of this situation and because of similar situations I faced when I was younger, I try my best to help out those who I think could be in trouble. However, if something seemed to be a dangerous situation I would not interfere and risk making everything worse. It it were a dangerous situation where I know that people could get seriously injured I would call the police and report it. I think that it is important to know when it is okay to intervene and when it is not safe to.

Four years have now passed and graduation is upon us. Entering as a freshman, I did not expect that the time would fly by as fast as it did. I am very grateful to have had this wonderful experience. Over these past years, I have learned many things including how to do multivariable calculus, how to write a proper research paper, and how to demonstrate a lesson to students. All these things have prepared me to now begin grad school.

Throughout undergrad, there were many challenges. During the first few weeks of classes, I underestimated the amount of time I would need to complete all of my assignments. I wasted countless hours watching Netflix, or just hanging out with my new friends. It was such a different environment than I had been used to and this was my adjustment period. After some time, I slowly realized that I needed to spend a lot more time on my studies and that the courses I was taking now were a lot harder than my high school classes. After a couple months, I became a master at learning how to use my time wisely. I was able to balance my school work, personal well being, and social life, without feeling exhausted and beaten down at the end of each week. I was in a grove. By the time midterms came around though, I was shocked. How could we have crammed so much information in the short two months we had before taking a midterm? I was baffled by the amount of studying I had to do for my midterm exams. However, by the time finals came around, I knew that I would have to start studying well in advance. I was content with myself and with what I had achieved in my freshman year. I survived all my classes, made my parents happy by returning home each weekend, and was able to participate in all the activities I had wanted to.

Sophomore, junior, and senior year went about as well as freshman year, minus the adjustment period I had already suffered in the fall of 2016. Over these years, I got to know and love my professors, making connections with all the ones I wished to. I got to be an RA and take some leadership positions on campus. I also worked my first official job and helped out as a tutor on campus. I would like to say that I made the most of my time here at Stony Brook, and I definitely enjoyed every minute of it. I graduated with a good GPA and relationships that would last a lifetime. Most everyone I met played a role in my success, from my RA, to my professors, my academic advisors, my friends, and my family. I could not have made this journey without them.

In the fall of 2020, I will go on to Columbia Teachers College in hopes of getting a Masters in education. My dream is to be hired by a high school on Long Island, although I won’t get too crushed if this doesn’t happen for me. Wherever I end up next, I’ll be happy knowing that I tried my hardest to make it through my first four years in college, and knowing that there is much yet to come.

Hi, my name is Anna Thomas and I am a first year student at Stony Brook University. I am in the Arts, Culture, and Humanities Undergraduate College and I am a University Scholar. My intended major is mathematics and I am aspiring to become a math teacher in the future.
I enjoy preforming and listening to a variety of different music from all genres. I am I violinist and a singer. I am very passionate about children, which is why I would like to become a teacher in the future.

This semester in SCH 101, I would like to learn:

• more about the campus life and what types of activities are available to students
• what resources are available to me as a student regarding my academics
• about information regarding the summer reading and the author of the novel.

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