Sophomore year, my growth continued and many life lessons were learned as I found impactful experiences on and off campus. I was able to volunteer with low-income patients seeking a wide range of services at Jordan Valley Community Health Center. Here, the conversations I had with patients left me with an understanding of just how important healthcare is and what assistance to be able to access it can mean for struggling families. Serving as President of Panthers for Prevention was an excellent experience for better understanding myself and how I function as a leader. This organization allowed me to work alongside some truly passionate people and focus on ways to support the Drury community.
COMM 215: Foundations of Communication TheoryBy choosing to make this course an Honors Option Contract, the concepts learned in class took on much more meaning through extended research. I worked--with Professor Maxson's guidance--to produce a literature review of the role two theories of communication play in the setting of palliative care. Relational dialectics and narrative theory are crucial in a physician's ability to connect and understand the needs of their patient, as well as in their ability to relay information in an effective way at a time when patients may be their most vulnerable. I had never done a literature review before, so I enjoyed the experience of learning to communicate how the existing research viewed my topic and weave different authors' voices together. Then, I studied a piece of medical education content and applied the findings of the literature review to establish a criteria for the effectiveness of such material in future training.
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HNRS 250: HNRS Contemporary ARtThis course was a student-led exploration of contemporary art. We worked as a group to select three books and a film which discussed some element of contemporary art, as well as fueled a discussion that everyone could feel passionate taking part in. The document to the side demonstrates the discussion questions going into a conversation about one of our books, Rupi Kaur's Milk and Honey. I wrote the questions (each member did the same for their assigned book) and jotted down some quick notes below them on thoughts expressed during our group reflection. Overall, this course helped me to be able to identify and express what draws me to certain elements in art, learn the history and thought behind some of the common themes in modern works, and engage in challenging thought and conversation of topics that I normally would not have discussed as in-depth as we did in this group.
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