Category: Enthography Field Notes

I play for the Georgetown Softball team and this year we were unable to have a season, so all the underclassmen for Georgetown set up a senior night for our senior players and everyone gave a speech. I felt little stress when making this speech because I find it very easy to tell someone how proud and happy I am of them. I love being able to verbally express my appreciation for people because I often feel I do not do it enough. Within this speech, I listed memories and some motivational quotes for the seniors as they move out into the “real” world. This speech had to be professional, but also conversational. After reading it to the seniors, I had successfully completed the task of writing a touching speech.

For the past seven years, a few of my best friends and I all go to Sandusky, Ohio for five days. However, it has become increasingly difficult to figure out a date that works for everyone. This year, the only date that works is when my Dad is not there. So, I had to persuade my dad to let us stay up there alone. Within this text, I listed reasons why I can be trusted to go through this trip alone. I had to build up my ethos and remind my dad that I have traveled alone across the world as well as out of the country. I realized when writing this text the trip was at stake so I first wrote it in my notes app to make sure it was perfect. After sending this text, my dad was open to having a discussion about the trip, so the text somewhat accomplished its goal.

While in Tampa for this school year, I had the opportunity to coach my high school softball team. I already had many close bonds with some of the girls on the team, however this additional year has made them some of my best friends. Specifically, I have become very close with the seven seniors graduating this year. I am writing graduation cards for all of them, and they are very similar to the letter I wrote to my brother on his Kairos. Within these letters, I am giving the girls some advice I have learned in college, and emphasizing how proud I am of them. I feel little pressure when writing these cards because I am writing it in a conversational format. I do not expect any response or feedback from these letters, but I hope they take my advice and realize all their accomplishments that it took for them to graduate. While writing these letters, I was sad because I am going to miss coaching these girls so much, but I am happy because I know they are all so excited to go to college.

I began this essay three days prior to its due date. I worked on it at my favorite coffee shop, DI Coffee, which is where I am most productive. After every two hours, I would take a break from this essay and work on something else. I discovered that I really enjoyed working on this essay because I did not cram myself and procrastinate until the last minute. I found that I was digging deeper into the topic, and learned a lot more because I was enjoying writing. This essay required a formal tone with proper writing conventions and MLA formatting. I do not mind this structuring because it is very organized and neat. This is the first of my two exam grades for the class, so it is worth 30% of my grade. While this is very stressful, I am happy that I learned a lot about the Bible, specifically 1 Samuel 17, along the way. This essay is for my professor to demonstrate a deep analysis of a Bible passage of our choice. I chose 1 Samuel 17 because it is one of the first written stories including an underdog narrative. I am hoping to receive a good grade on this essay, and if not, I hope that I can make the corrections to my next essay.

Essay: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1th0LFpO9aGYbAnhx5z2Fli1FuC-UOP-he3rXePBfwsI/edit?usp=sharing

My brother, Macklin, is my best friend, so when I sat down to write his Kiaros letter, I wanted to make sure it was perfect. Kairos is a religious retreat that all juniors at Jesuit High School in Tampa are required to attend. During this retreat, each of them receive personal letters from close family and friends. I began working on this letter a few days before it was due, and I knew to keep it short as my brother is not a big reader. However, keeping it short made it difficult to ensure I said everything I wanted to say. This letter aimed to let Maklin know that I am beyond proud of him and that he should be proud of himself for the person he has grown to be. While I wanted this essay to be personal, I wrote it in a conversational format. While I was not expecting a response from Macklin, when he came home from the retreat, he gave me a hug and said “Thank you.” Then I knew, that one, he actually read my letter, and two, I succeeded in writing this letter.

I began writing my journal on Ash Wednesday this year. I did this as my Lenten Promise to prioritize my mental health and keep myself in check. I would work on this at night and evaluate my day to see what I can do to improve my mental health. This is a very casual form of writing, and occasionally includes one quote with some drawings. There is little at stake during these writings because they are only for me to use them as a mental checkpoint. I would try to center myself before making an entry as I would do before praying. Keeping this journal was difficult, and there were several days I did not make a journal entry. However, through this I was able to learn some new things about myself. As this journal, because it was not shown to anyone, I did not expect a response, but rather personal feedback.