Reflective Blog Post 

By Valeria Barajas

Personally, I used to think reading and writing weren't for me. English isn't my first language, and having to write essays always made me nervous.My mind was full of doubts: Did I write it correctly? Did I use the right vocabulary? Did I truly understand what I was talking about? Over the years in high school, these doubts started to decrease. My teachers would compliment me on my academic vocabulary and the way I built my arguments. I gradually became good at writing structured essays, but that also made me stop enjoying it. Following strict rules, specific formats, and writing mandatory reflections was tedious, especially during my last two years. English class became the one I enjoyed the least. I felt lazy about reading something only to then have to write about it.

For this reason, when I entered SDSU and learned that I had to take RWS 100 as a requirement, I was not excited. I thought that, since it was university, my essays had to be even more formal, and that made me feel pressured. However, once the class started and I saw the way the professor organized the course, his explanations, and the type of assignments he required, I was surprised. I began seeing writing from another perspective, and something that already felt exhausting began to turn into something I enjoyed again.

One of the first assignments we did in this class was a reflection called “How to Read Like a Writer.” At the beginning, my exact reaction was “how?” because for me reading had always been simply reading. I didn’t understand how someone could “read like a writer.” Later, through the professor’s explanation and the exercise, I understood that it is completely different. I learned to ask myself the reasoning behind the author’s decisions: why did they use that type of language? Why did they structure the text in that way? Why do they include questions for the reader? What do they want to provoke? I realized that no text is written randomly. Every author has a purpose, and the way they write is part of their creativity and their communicative intention. Reading like a writer helped me identify strategies, analyze texts better, and appreciate writing from another perspective.

Out of all the assignments we did, my favorite was the Literacy Self-Study. In that assignment, I had the opportunity to write a reflective argument about my personal experiences with language, reading, and writing. From the beginning, I knew that I wanted to focus on how two languages and two cultures have shaped my identity and helped me understand who I am. Writing about this made me connect with and appreciate my roots even more, and also helped me understand how language has influenced my development as a writer. Additionally, this assignment was very helpful for applying rhetorical strategies such as ethos, pathos, and logos.

I learned to use ethos when I spoke from my personal experience and credibility, showing that my story is real. I used pathos by sharing memories, feelings, and important moments from my childhood and education, allowing the reader to empathize with me. And through logos, I was able to clearly explain how bilingualism influences the way I build ideas and reasoning. Learning to combine these three strategies made my writing more complete and persuasive. I realized that it is not just about “telling something,” but knowing how to tell it depending on what you want the reader to receive. Thanks to that assignment, I understood that being bilingual not only affects my communication, but also the way I argue, persuade, and connect with those who read my work.

As the semester progressed, I learned many writing strategies, and I discovered something unexpected: I like writing blogs. This type of writing allowed me to be more free, to give my opinion, and comment on ideas without the pressure of an extremely rigid format. One of the tasks that caught my attention the most was when we had to write about a discourse community we belong to. At first, my biggest question was: “What is a discourse community?” but once I understood it through the assignment “Reading Reflection: Understanding Discourse Communities,” I understood why reflections are so important when reading, since they make you truly understand what you read, and it made me love exploring the communities that I am part of.

Talking about my own discourse community and what it represents for me was very meaningful, which is why I really enjoyed writing the blogs, especially Blog Post #4: Discourse Communities, where I was able to freely talk about two communities that are part of my life and shaped my identity. That experience made me realize that I write much better when I know the topic, when I speak from my experience, and when I feel proud of what I am sharing.

Overall, learning how I read and write has helped me grow this semester. I now understand that I connect better with texts when I relate them to my experiences and culture, and I write more clearly when the topic truly interests me. These realizations will not only support me in future academic assignments especially those that require strong arguments or personal analysis, but will also enhance how I express myself in more professional settings. Although I still aim to improve by being more concise and avoiding unnecessary repetition, I feel confident knowing what specific areas I want to refine. Moving forward, writing shorter drafts, revising thoughtfully, and seeking feedback will help me continue improving. More than anything, I am proud of the awareness I gained about my reading and writing habits, and I look forward to continuing to grow and strengthen my voice.