Like many freshmen at the University of Washington, I began as a Pre-
Engineering major. I quickly learned what a weed out class was and that I was not meant to be an engineer. I had been certain of this career path since I was young, so I was pretty disappointed when this goal was no longer viable. Winter quarter of my sophomore year I took a Construction and Culture class and found my passion. I knew a career in the construction industry is what I was meant to do so I applied to the major. Unfortunately, I didnt get in because I was still trying to recover from my freshman year grades. I talked to the CM adviser about options going forward and she gave me some pretty discouraging advice, saying that those who dont do well in school wont be successful in their future careers. I knew it wasnt true, but hearing that so soon after finding out I didnt get into the program was especially disheartening. She then went on to say I had two options; retake some of the classes and reapply or look at other majors that were close to CM. I was on track to reapply, determined to get in when I enrolled in CEP 200. I had always been a very math and science based thinker, I mostly kept to myself and my small circle of friends so CEP 200 really pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I grew to really enjoy all of the discussion-based classes we had. It was completely different than what I was use to but I found I adapted really well and started looking more into the CEP Major. One thing in particular thats really stuck with me was when I was in CEP 200 was something that was said at either an alumni panel or a student panel. Every single one of them raved about the program and I distinctly remember one of the panelists talking about how every employer loves to hire a CEP student because they quickly realize how valuable those professional skills are when a new employee comes in knowing them. Teaching professional skills is so unique and unlike any program Ive ever heard of. I went to the open house and spoke with Kelly and some other CEP students to learn more about the major and to make sure I was doing all the necessary things to apply and be admitted. I was still interested in pursuing a career in the construction industry and the CEP curriculum gave me the flexibility to take specific CM courses while also developing professional skills. I was still carrying around the weight of my failed Freshman Pre-Engineering grades so I was pretty disappointed when I was waitlisted. Fortunately I did well enough the next quarter to push me over the benchmark and I was admitted. CEP has always oozed this welcoming feeling. At orientation and first day of 301 it felt like everyone had known each other forever. You could go up to any single person and strike up a conversation and feel totally at ease, which was completely opposite to what I experienced in my previous classes. 301 was definitely a challenge for me because I was born with the problem solving, math and science genes and not so much the creative, expand your mind genes. The 301 final essay was the hardest paper Ive ever written. That was the very first philosophy class I had ever taken and even by the end of the quarter I was still having trouble understanding the readings and trying to figure out how best to articulate what each philosopher was saying. Interestingly enough, my favorite CEP course turned out to be 461; Philosophy of Ethics with Keith. 301 wasnt exactly my favorite so I came into the class thinking I was going to have a similar experience. It was a complete 180 and I ended up really looking forward to class each week. I was so intrigued at each philosopher's description and examples of what their form of ethics looked like. I really appreciated Keiths teaching style as well. He took a backseat when he saw a really in-depth conversation happening but still participated and asked questions that he was genuinely curious to hear our thoughts on. It was easy to tell how passionate and excited he is about the subject so it just made the class that much better. Additionally, giving us so much flexibility with our final project made it easy to get excited about different ideas and also added in some much needed fun during finals week. Looking back, I had the most trouble with 303 and 460. In 303, if felt like there was a bit of a disconnect between the students and one of the professors so it made it made it difficult to fully engage. With 460, there was just a major lack of communication between the students, the professors, and the clients. If certain people were appointed to be the liaison between the students, professors, and the clients at the beginning, things would have gone a bit smoother. There was still a lot of frustration both within and between the groups and that was due to a lack of direction with the scope and disorganization across teams. There were last minute team changes and trying to figure out logistics with five people was a challenge but then we merged with another group and things grew even more messy and unorganized. Branden and Rachel emphasized that 460 usually turned into a crash course in how to deal with difficult co workers, which it did a little bit. It was a little comical that the groups were set up so perfectly that there were at least two people in every group that didnt mesh well together. Its funny now, but I think most, if not all, wanted nothing to do with CEP group projects ever again. Thinking about what I wanted to say in this reflection, has made me come to the realization that the majority of my college career has been trying to find out where I fit in best. My freshman year was spent adjusting to college level academics and taking close to all of the hardest classes that UW has to offer, with my grades most definitely being a reflection of that. My sophomore year I was on the UW Womens Rowing Team where I spent twenty hours a week working out with the same group of girls. It was something I always felt really proud to say but found myself enjoying it more when I wasnt at practice. My junior year was a stressed filled year trying to figure out what to do and where to go next after being turned away from the CM program. But I think everything happens for a reason, and I am truly grateful for all of the ups, downs, twists, turns that led me to CEP and all of the incredible people Ive gotten to know. Looking back at the person I was when I first started the program, I was pretty quiet, reserved, and had the most difficult time raising my hand in class to ask a question. Silly to think about it being so painful when I do it without a second thought now. But I dont think I really realized how much I had changed until Alex Clark made a comment about how much more assertive I am now, compared to when we met a year and a half or so ago. After hearing that, I couldnt help but feel proud of how much Ive pushed myself to step outside of my comfort zone. I remember one discussion in particular we had in 460 about the extroverts and the introverts. Branden was explaining how many extroverts who are naturally comfortable speaking in front of large groups are able to take a nothingness of a thought and verbally walk through it until it makes sense. I think being around so many of those people in CEP has really instilled in me that people are interested in my ideas and what I have to say. Theres always that corny quote if your dreams dont scare you then theyre not big enough but at the same time its also a little true. I started evaluating the next steps in my life by how much they scare me and a few months ago I realized I didnt have a single ounce of fear when thinking about graduating and starting my job at the company Ive interned at for the past two summers. With this newfound confidence and desire to step outside my comfort zone, I decided to ask for a transfer to LA, not ever having been there. I could get there and feel at home immediately or I could find that its not the right place for me, but at least I took a chance and tried something new. Im incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be apart of the CEP program and for all of the skills and lessons Ive learned and the wonderful friends Ive met. And if I ever become rich off of my shipping container classrooms, I fully expect an email from Chris Campbell asking for a large donation.