Just a mere four months ago, I moved across the country. I was scared and alone, two of the worst possible feelings. My parents had just hugged me goodbye and were on their way to the airport. On the first day of our Writing About Travel class, I could already feel a sense of community forming within the walls of Doti Hall 103. 

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During the first few weeks of class, I began to feel discouraged. I was in the top ten percent of my graduating class. I took all three AP classes that my small high school offered. I was considered the “smart friend.” But within a few weeks, I felt like I was the worst writer in our class, that I was one step behind the other thirteen people in the class. I felt like all of my blog posts were wrong— that they were the exact opposite of what they were intended to be. I did not fully understand the concepts at large. The discussions online were the hardest for me to do, simply because I felt like I wasn’t good enough. This discouraged me a lot. I thought about just giving up.

However, after a month or so, I began to feel like myself again, a better version of myself. I began to spend more time researching the concepts outside of class and reaching out to my classmates and Savy for help. Because of this, I noticeably became more confident as a writer, but also as a person. I began to speak more during discussions because I finally understood the concepts, and I made friends within the class. Additionally, I began to feel confident in my writing, and I stopped giving up on myself. I felt like I started to become a new person— someone who was, and still is, finding herself. 

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Throughout the class, I learned about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer. I realized that I had never actually written anything other than academic essays. My biggest weakness as a writer is the fact that I don’t know how to write any other piece. Moreover, I feel like I am still a little scared to dip outside of my “bubble” and explore different writing styles and techniques since academic papers are all I ever knew.

However, my biggest strength that I’ve learned about myself is formatting. I feel as if I am good at making my pieces flow cohesively, something that I struggled with in high school. I also feel like my awareness of my audience has improved since being in this class.

This class has taught me to think about the topics I am given critically and to look at them from a new perspective, something that was never really encouraged during my high school career. I also learned about the importance of rhetoric. To be completely honest, I had absolutely no idea what rhetoric was before this class. I had never even heard the term until I was searching for courses to take last spring.  However, I can confidently say that, to me, rhetoric is how we use specific qualities to shape our message. Whether that be through our audience, our photographs, or something else.

Not only did I learn about the meaning of rhetoric, but I also learned about traveling and the travel industry at large. I learned about social issues that I would not have thought twice about, such as race and disability. I would have never known the problems that people of color or people with disabilities face when trying to travel. Although it makes me upset, I am glad that I was educated during the class and that I have become more aware of these issues now, and these lessons will be in the back of my mind as I walk through the airport next week and I will appreciate everything more than I did before. 

I learned about the travel industry and how it is continually evolving to fit with our society. I learned that in the upcoming years, the sector might plummet because of technological advancements being invented. I also learned about the impact of social media on the travel industry and how social media is a blessing and a curse for the industry itself.

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In today’s world, it is easy to get so caught up in ourselves and pleasing others. We are so often taught to do things a certain way, to look a certain way, and to feel a certain way. With the growing use of social media, our society is on the brink of its downfall. Rhetoric is so essential, it gives each of us a voice. A voice for us to stand up for what we believe in. A voice to fight for the younger generation. Thinking rhetorically helps us understand the feelings and actions of others. Rhetoric gives us a new perspective, one that might not have been previously explored. It helps us become the best version of ourselves, something that I learned throughout this class.

As I go on to continue my education, get a job, and travel the world, I will continue to challenge myself, just like this class did.

Thank you Savy for teaching such a life-changing class. This was the one class I was constantly excited to go to. I feel like I am friends with each and every person in the class. Thank you for highlighting real-world issues. Thank you for helping me on my journey of discovering myself. I wish you nothing but the best of luck in your future endevors, and I can’t wait to see just how far you’ll go!