I want to become a better academic version of myself and who I am as a student right now. Doing this is a seemingly easy task, but it comes with the task of leaving an impact on the audience.
In terms of connecting with the audience, I want to use personal experience to connect with my audience. The way I plan to do this is through the use of pathos. I learned this technique in high school during my public speaking course. Calling on the audience’s emotions, provoking a response out of them is the way to draw their attention. When someone is able to have a visceral reaction to what they are listening to, it can be moving. I feel as if I use pathos and draw from personal experiences of being a not so good student; my peers will relate with me. Academically, I have changed greatly since coming to UNE. My drive and work ethic has improved immensely, I have a passion for what I learn. First entering UNE, I myself was not to be considered a good student. I did not know what I wanted to truly be at the time, choosing a random major of something I liked. This affected my grades a lot because when I am uninterested in a subject, I will be lenient on the standard I hold myself to. In simpler terms, I would get bad grades in classes I just didn’t like. It wasn’t until I began to explore my class options I found what I was passionate about. I began taking English and Creative Nonfiction courses that were able to set sparks off in my brain. It made me realize the opportunities that came with good grades and effort. Since I was so passionate about my English courses, it almost encouraged me to get the work done for other subjects so I could spend time with what I enjoyed.
