Ethan Tingey

UNST Freshman Inquiry

Benjamin Craig
6.2.2016
Reflection
My first year of college has been one of the most challenging periods in my life, only
second to my pre-college experience. However, the experience, knowledge, and aspirations
gained during my enrollment in college have been extremely rewarding. When I applied to enroll
in Portland State University, I was seventeen and raising my beautiful daughter Ellie. My parents
had recently moved over three-thousand miles away to Montreal, Canada, which prevented any
family support. I spent many difficult nights away from my daughter, as my daughter lived with
her mother, Mackenzie, at Mackenzies parents house. Unfortunately, I could not stay with
Mackenzie and Ellie because her parents had dissent for me at the time. I was forced to rely on
many friends for a place to stay, reluctantly asking for much help. I was finishing up high school
and working full-time as a mentor for developmentally disabled children. However, I was not
making as much money as I could have. One child that I mentored and his family suffered from a
financial crisis. Due to my overly compassionate character, I continued to mentor their son for a
fourth of what I regularly charged. Life was looking bleak for many months until my studies at
Portland State University began. College has greatly impacted mine and my familys lives for the
better. My first year of college provided me with a sense of self, motivation, and experience that
has made it possible to successfully provide for my family.

The greatest thing that my first year of college has guided me to is a sense of self. When I
first registered for my classes at the beginning of fall term, I did not know what career to invest
myself in. I decided to take calculus and chemistry because of how many majors required them
or something similar. I was frustrated with the requirement of taking a UNST course that did not
relate to any of my interests. As the weeks began to pass, my elected courses and mainly my
FRINQ class began testing and improving my skills to inquire, critically think, and analyze
details. Not only did my intelligence increase, but my personality, aspirations, and passions
evolved to a state where they all made sense and related. I began to appreciate my unique
opportunity to work with developmentally disabled children more and more. I decided that I
wanted to continue to work with developmentally disabled children but make an even greater
impact on their lives. I also began looking into caring for the elderly, finding a job as a night time
caregiver. I came to the conclusion that my passion is serving children and adults diagnosed with
autism as to improve their quality of life. My greatest aspiration is to become a physician,
specializing in autism, and in doing so develop better treatment and support for those affected by
autism. Beyond finding my sense of self, college has increased my motivation and given me
many great experiences.
The motivation and experiences I have gained from college have been excellent tools for
my education, career, and personal life. One of my favorite experiences that is a highlight of this
year was the in-class discussions that my FRINQ class had often. The discussions were always
interdisciplinary and interesting. The first few class discussions were hard for me, as I was an
introvert, but as the year passed I participated more and more in the class discussions.
Developing my ability to have intellectual discussions has greatly improved my communication
and socializing skills; this has been a huge part of my life transformation through college. My

motivation has greatly increased throughout my first year of college. One assignment in my
FRINQ class that inspired and sparked my motivation was a scholarly research paper that I wrote
about the extremely high mortality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa. As I developed my passion for
serving developmentally disabled children, I also felt a connection with the underprivileged
children in Sub-Saharan Africa. After writing the research paper, I promised myself that I will
make an attempt to better the conditions of underprivileged children and children diagnosed with
developmental disorders.
I have extremely enjoyed my first year of college, being pleased with my grades, the
benefits I have received, and with the UNST department. In regards to my initial frustration with
the requirements of UNST, my impression of UNST has changed immensely with the end of my
first year of college. I understand now that UNST is providing students of Portland State
University with interdisciplinary knowledge, as to improve their perspective and impact on
society. The e-portfolio has been rewarding as well, not only displaying my proudest
achievements and depicting how far I have come, but also expressing the possible future of
resumes and self-portrayal. Ultimately my first year of college has all together been the best
experience of my life.