Evaluative Conclusion

Cougar pride. All day every day!

I wrote this blog to document my first semester at BYU and to reflect on my growth. I believe that attending BYU has helped me to become not only a hard-working student with real-world critical thinking skills, but also a better individual who is more acquainted with the Spirit. My intended audience is my Writing 150 classmates and instructor, as well as anyone who is interested in seeing life through the eyes of a freshman girl adjusting to independent life in a new place with a different culture. My screen name is "808cougarette" because "808" is the area code of Hawaii, my home state, and "cougarette" refers to my identity as a female student at BYU. My blog is designed with a header that is a picture of Mount Timpanogos fused with Diamond Head, a volcanic crater in Honolulu. These two mountains are prominent features in Utah and Hawaii, respectively, and they are some of the prettiest mountains I have ever seen. I love hiking Diamond Head and I can't wait to hike Timp when the weather gets warmer.

Additionally, these mountains give me a sense of direction. In Honolulu, the cardinal points north, south, west, and east are referred to as "mauka" or mountain, "makai" or ocean, "Ewa" (a city on the West-side of the island), and "Diamond Head," respectively. Thus I defined my location relative to my physical surroundings, especially Diamond Head, which I could see from my living room window. Moreover, I had never used "north," "south," "west," or "east" before in my life. None of that matters when you live on an island because there's ocean in every direction. When I came to Provo, however, knowing my directions became very important in this large campus and new town. I felt lost and helpless because I didn't know my directions at all--I couldn't respond when nice people around campus directed me to walk North toward my dorm or South toward the Testing Center. Nonetheless, that all changed when someone told me that the Wasatch Mountain Range was east and that Timp was the mountain with the snow on it. Since then, I've felt much more secure about my location. Similarly, as I've studied here at the Y, I've felt more confident about my direction as a college student and as one of God's children. Coming to BYU has enabled me to grow both intellectually and spiritually and has helped me to mature into a well-rounded individual. This blog has served as a medium for me to reflect on my experiences here and appreciate how much things have changed.

photo: daringyoungmom.blogspot.com
photo of Mt. Timpanogos: summitpost.org
photo of Diamond Head: lexington.k12.il.us