Describe in detail one significant academic challenge you faced this year. Why was it a challenge for you? Go in depth, use specific experiences, and explain how they contrast with a less challenging experience.

An academic challenge that I faced this year was completing my drafts. Although I would complete the necessary drafts to get points in class, I often overshadowed the comments about the body of the writing, and just focused on miniscule corrections like spelling and grammar. This was such a challenge for me to improve on because of my own laziness, as well as a lack of focus. As the year progressed, I saw that this bad quality was bringing my writing down, so I asked students for suggestions and used them to actually change large portions of my writing to better it as a whole. After applying this skill, I saw a vast improvement in my overall writing and so did the people reading my pieces.


What is your greatest strength as a student in a project-based learning environment?

I think that my greatest strength when working in the HTH environment is that I have creative freedom, which often leads to better quality projects with a more personal aspect. At most schools, you are required to work by specific guidelines and rules, but at HTHMA most classes allow a lot of creative freedom. Because of this creative freedom, I often spend a lot of extra time on projects and add artistic touches to them.

What challenges do you face as a student in a project-based learning environment?

A large challenge that I face when working in the HTH environment is the freedom. Because our school functions much like a college, Teachers rely on students to stay focused and complete assignments on their own time. Although this makes things much more laid back, I often overlook this and see it as free-time, which results in a lack of productiveness. Because of this idea that I get in my head, I often waste time that could be used to work and complete projects. Even though this still remains a small problem, I have improved on this front and am now more focused in school.