I took the Honors Intermediate Composition class over the summer of my freshman year. It was a five-week course that explored discourse communities and genre nuances that shape one’s writing. We spent time reading various texts and discussing the underlying meanings of the author’s words. I was able to implement my learnings in class to write essays about situations and organizations that I’m in. For example, the essay I’ve included on this page details my involvement in UC SAASA, the student organization that runs the South Asian events on campus. I detailed how different forms of communication (SAASA’s bylaws and Instagram page) convey messages to multiple audiences and allow SAASA to spread their message amongst various circles of people. I was impacted as a GCS Scholar because this course provoked me out of my comfort zone. Writing is not something I’m very interested in, and it’s something that requires a lot of time and investment to do well. However, through this course, I was able to showcase my skills and better myself with my professor’s helpful tips. Even with the SAASA essay, my initial draft was not well-written, and a few of my themes were not well portrayed. However, I sat down with my professor and reviewed areas of my essay that I could improve on, and did my best to execute their advice.