Student Showcase - Essay
To read the complete essay, click on the link in the text next to the author information.
English 101, Connie Wasem
Students tell stories of "educational" experiences that have liberated
them, sometimes literally.
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Title |
Who is the Real Enemy? |
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Author |
Kristen Guzman |
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Have you ever had one of those conversations that at the moment does not seem
all that important, but as you look back had become a huge turning point in your
life? I have always had a curiosity about World War II and was given the opportunity
to experience a little of it first hand by living in Germany for three years. Many
people have not had the chance to learn what living through WWII was like for the
people in Europe. I had the privilege of speaking with someone who lived through
the war. This conversation began so simply, but forever changed the way I think
and feel about World War II. I need to share this story in hope that it will affect
others in the same way.
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Title |
Tierra Nueva |
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Author |
Robert James |
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“Alien... This is so alien to me.” was the first thought I had when I stepped
off the 737 airliner that had brought me to Honduras. Along with the airliner, I
was leaving the American world of clean running water, and readily available modern
medicine that I knew so well, behind me. I stepped into some of the thickest, hottest
and moist air I had ever felt. More rather, the muggy, invisible fog stepped onto
me. This was all due to me having the privilege of accompanying my dad on his semi-annual
trip to Honduras where he offers medical aid for free to those in need. This experience
liberated me of my ignorance and opened my eyes to how most Americans are very uninformed
and isolated from the rest of the world; they don’t look at the fact that there
is starvation and poverty and that almost nobody is doing anything about it.
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Title |
Point Shoes and Peanut Butter |
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Author |
Phoebe Jones |
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The smell of rosin, sweat, floor polish and dust creates a warm and all most
intoxicating aroma that will always remind a dancer of a poorly ventilated ballroom
in which they spent countless hours dancing in front of tall mirrors, trying to
achieve perfection whether it be for performance or their own personal satisfaction.
You learn to fight for perfection and never to give in to pain. You must push your
self farther and farther each time until you can perform each and every element
flawlessly with a quiet smile upon your face. This may appear to be more of a lesson
in torture than liberation, but I can assure you that for me there was no greater
lesson for me to learn than those acquired on a dance floor covered with peanut
butter residue.
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