This past semester of schooling has been by far the most unique experience I, and many others, have ever had. Every class that I participated in was impacted drastically due to the global pandemic, and rhetoric was not spared. A large part of me has missed campus since leaving in mid-March, especially the atmosphere of in-person classes. That being said, moving online hasn’t prevented my growth as a writer and student. Beginning in January and progressing all the way into May, I have learned many things. As a writer and speaker, all of the exercises we did throughout class greatly bolstered both my ability to write/present, and my confidence while doing so. I have also grown to feel accepted by my class, which greatly assists in the process of gaining confidence. However, this is just a start. Throughout college and later in life, I will continue to write and speak, whether it be to fill out a resume or attend a job interview. This class has helped me build upon my bases of writing, speaking, and more. Throughout college, I will only continue to build on these skills.

During this course, I have learned a lot about rhetoric, along with a plethora of real world and practical uses of rhetoric. I now have different ways to analyze and perceive everyday events that happen to me, making life just a little more interesting. Even after switching online, what I have learned in rhetoric has helped me to truly weigh the positives and negatives of the entire situation. In terms of switching to online school, the transition has been somewhat rocky to say the least. The first weeks were extremely difficult. Throughout my schooling I have always attempted to avoid online classes for the exact reason that I experienced this March – lack of motivation. While stuck at home, it was extremely difficult to do my work much before it was due. I had to overcome this challenge, and I was eventually able to better myself as a student. While I do occasionally struggle with lack of motivation among other things, I have been able to take this opportunity to better myself as a student, and after overcoming this difficult schooling situation, I feel better equipped to overcome other potential difficult situations like it. And being a part of this rhetoric class has only helped me through this process.