Martinez 1 Yasmin Martinez Mr. Matt Moberly WRI 1-31 M/W 4-5:50 p.m.

Language It was 7:30 in the morning waiting in a room full of students ready to fall asleep. The door opens and everyone gazes and takes a glance at the teacher. He opens his suitcase and takes out the first essay we wrote for Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. He then starts to pass it out, my heart starts to beat faster and faster as he gets closer to me. The room was quiet and peaceful, all there was to hear was the steps of the teacher and the whispering of my classmates what did you get? He comes to me and hands me my essay; I failed. Being a second language learner made it difficult for me. I had trouble pronouncing words and applying grammar properly. Failing my first MLA essay taught me a lesson on how I struggled, how I felt then, and how I feel now as a college student. After I discussed my essay with my English teacher, I asked him if we were going to have another chance to make it up and he said, Yes, after I teach you guys more about writing a good prompt. I was eager because seeing my result made me realize I needed help in English and still needed to master the skill of writing. The next day my English teacher told us to take out another copy of the same essay we did and hand it to a classmate. After receiving feedback from my classmates I realized they helped me improve my essay, however I felt sad that I still couldnt write at a high school level. With the help of my teacher and classmates, I was able to fix my prompt and show that I can improve from my mistakes.

Martinez 2 Writing affected not only my English class but all my other classes. I struggled with grammar and the ability to structure an essay. This was stressful because there were times where my little sisters would ask me to correct their English homework, and I wasnt able to help them. This made me realize how much Spanish and English were different from each other, causing confusion when I read or wrote. Furthermore, this was not just a struggle in my English class or at home, but it was also a struggles in other courses that required reading and writing. I struggled for many years and was put in programs for English learners. There I was able to get help and improve my English skills by learning vocabulary words and working on grammar worksheets. My first essay prompt, Into the Wild, helped me a lot because by my sophomore year I was taken off the English learner program and put into an accelerated (advance) English 10 with a teacher who taught us different writing tips to improve our writing. This opportunity meant a lot to me because she pushed me to do better the second time and develop my final draft. The mistakes I did on Into the Wild were helpful, because I was able to re-read the essay and understand what Material was insufficient and not to include in any future essays I had. This essay was significant because it enlighten me and helped me take momentous strides in improving my writing throughout high school. Even though it was just the first essay I had to write in high school; receiving bad feedback from my teacher illustrated to me that writing wasnt going to be easy, and that it will be present throughout my career. However, the only teacher that I have really learned from was my senior year teacher Mr. Taber. He had a different way of teaching, which helped me a lot because I then realize that Im more of a visual person and not someone who learns quickly just by what a teacher say up in the board. He would draw out pictures that explain the pyramid (intro, body, and conclusion) of a writing. Another example of how he has had a profound impact on me is when Into the Wild

Martinez 3 prompt was given to us again. This showed how much I have digested from the past knowledge given to me, and as a result it stated that I was on point that I can write a decent essay for once. I received a 4 out of 6 on it; it stated that I was on point with the structure of the essay but I contained errors on grammar punctuation. The 4 didnt really matter to me because what mattered was that fact that I didnt fail this essay and I had improved so much from my previous essay. As a college student this means a lot to me because I know there isnt really a specific structure to write an essay or how long an essay should be. This is helpful because I could get all of my thoughts and arguments together and not have to add a paragraph that doesnt make sense just so I could have 5 paragraphs in my essay. I have improved so much throughout my life when it comes to writing an essay. Writing has reflected and changed me a lot as a college student at UC Merced. I have learned so much on how an essay should be written, and how each English teacher taught me different strategies to write an essay. I may not be perfect but at least I try and give it my best effort as a writer. If I hadnt learned from my writing, I wouldnt be here studying in college, instead I would be at home getting nothing from life, but just sitting in my living room not progressing in life. Here I am now getting my education and trying my best to get more knowledge as I progress. Writing will always be necessary for future endeavors, such as getting into graduate school. Im still learning, not every writer is perfect and all I need is confidence when writing an essay. My perceptive of what writing means has changed, I now realize the importance of it. So "IF AT FIRST YOU DON'T SUCCEED, TRY, TRY AGAIN. Don't give up too easily; persistence pays off in the end.

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