Who Am I?
Introduction
I first entered IUI in August of 2022, only a few months after I had graduated high school. During my first year, I solely focused on adjusting to coursework and expanding socially. I am from a small town called Westport located in southeastern Indiana, so I was able to connect and learn with many people at IU Indianapolis. It was not until I joined the Honors College my second year when I actually began to think about what kind of experiences I want to accomplish. First, I had to identify who I was at the time.
9/30/2023
9/25/2022
Initial I Am Statement (Fall 2023):
"I am a hardworking student that enjoys learning and rising above the challenge. I enjoy spending time to learn and share new experiences with others. I am passionate about chasing after my dreams in the science field. I find it important to always remain open-minded and ready to learn as an honors student."
Fall 2023
Initial I Want to Become Statement (Fall 2023):
"As an honors student at IUPUI, I want to become an individual that maintains my values of being open-minded, compassionate, and genuine throughout the rest of my adulthood. These values should be maintained not just through my time here as an undergraduate student, but also throughout my career and personal life. I am someone who takes these values seriously because I want to be an honest individual that others can look up to for guidance and assistance.
I intend to continue pursuing my aspirations in the forensic science field. I want to become a reliable and knowledgeable individual that enjoys what I do with my career path. I am someone who works hard to achieve my goals, and I will ensure that I will continue to do this to become a forensic scientist.
I hope to one day be able to share my knowledge and experiences with others and guide them on their own path. In addition to my goals for my academic career, I want to continue to share experiences and bonds with my family, friends, and acquaintances. I hope to take the steps necessary to grow into a sturdy, independent, and thoughtful individual. As an individual, I am faced with many different challenges every day. I will be confident when faced with these challenges, and I will think of insightful plans to combat them. I will take what I learn from my mistakes and use them for similar future scenarios. This should not just have to apply to just my schooling, either. I want to be able to use feedback from other individuals as a steppingstone to growing as both a person and scientist."
Fall 2023
When I first wrote these statements, I was a fresh sophomore who had just joined the Honors College. At this point in time, I was still adapting to college as a whole and still trying to determine who I was as a student. I had no idea where I wanted to end up throughout college, but I was fully prepared and excited for the opportunities to learn. Yes, while these statements still hold qualities that are true, I can now better define who I am as an individual and what I have accomplished due to the experience I've gained.
How Would I Describe Myself Now?
I Am (Spring 2026):
I am an individual who values learning. I have, and will always understand that there is a vast range of knowledge. I know that I will always continue to learn even beyond college. I am a person who has met a variety of individuals, who helped me grow from being anxious to more confident in my capabilities. I am an individual who loves exploring different opportunities, as shown by my completion of an archeological/anthropology internship with Stantec.
I Want to Become (Spring 2026):
I want to become an individual that continues to value science in education. I want to continue improving my capabilities as a scientist and as a person. I also hope to become someone that exhibits strong leadership and communication qualities.
Spring 2026
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3/30/2025
Overall, analyzing and rewriting my original "I Am" and "I Want to Become Statements" has allowed me to look back at my past self and note how I have grown over these past four years. I was originally shy and unsure of how to make the most of my college experience. Since starting at IUPUI, now IUI, I have gained experience in public speaking, interned with peers, worked as a lab assistant for the anthropology lab, and engaged with real world learning experiences. Without IUI and the people I have met along the way, I would not be where I am now. I value companionship, commitment, and learning.
My Journey Map
When I first joined the Honors College, I was still only just a sophomore still trying to decide what kind of goals and challenges I could set for myself. Due to HON-H200, I was able to think about those future goals through the creating of a Journey Map. This Journey Map was created to predict and plan my college journey. My initial Journey Map is shared below:
Introduction
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Initial Journey Map
Fall 2023
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Updated Journey Map
Spring 2026
Analysis and Reflection
In my initial Journey Map, I was undescriptive about my goals as I was still rather unsure about my future. My current Journey Map goes into more detail about my goals and what I had accomplished throughout my college journey. In addition, I updated my future career goals because I now have a better career plan than I did as a sophomore.
My experiences, whether it be academically or by other means, gave me a better insight about what kind of field I want to go into. Forensics has a wide range of paths, and these experiences have allowed me to identify what I am best at and what I enjoy. This is what assists me in planning ahead.