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Active Voice Reflection
Reading and taking notes on Active Voices helped me to understand the importance of
reading and writing in college. It was interesting to learn about the different ways in which reading
and writing are used to convey information and ideas. In particular, I learned about how reading
and writing are used in the context of academic discourse and how different understanding genres
of writing can help to strengthen a student's writing skills. I also learned about the importance of
prewriting, drafting, and revising in the writing process and about peer review.
My literacy narrative is just as crucial as any texts and narratives I have watched in the
academic conversation about how we become literate. My literacy narrative reflects my own
experiences and feelings about reading and writing and can provide insight into how I learned to
read and write. It can also provide a unique perspective on the process of becoming literate and
the importance of reading and writing in my life.
I watched Emilie Wapnick's TEDx Talk "Why Some of Us Don't Have One True Calling."
In her talk, Emilie discussed how many people feel pressured to choose just one thing to do with
their lives and how this pressure can lead many to feel like they are failures if they don't find this
one thing (Wapnick, N.P). Emilie argued that this need to find one true calling is a false narrative
and that many people are actually "multipotentialites" with multiple interests and skills. I
connected to this talk in several ways. As a college student, I have often felt the pressure to declare
a major or to choose one career path for my life. I have felt like I should have one true calling and
that I am somehow failing if I don't. Emilie's talk gave me a new perspective and helped me
understand that having multiple interests and skills is okay. That I don't have to be limited by
traditional definitions of success. That I can be a multipotentiality. The talk also made me reflect
on how society has limited my educational and career opportunities. I have encountered obstacles
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such as gender, race, and class that have made it difficult for me to pursue my interests and succeed.
These obstacles have boxed me in, and it has been hard to break down these barriers. Emilie
Wapnick's TEDx Talk gave me a new perspective on life. It showed me that having multiple
interests and skills is okay and that I don't have to be limited by traditional definitions of success.
It also made me reflect on my educational and career opportunities and the barriers I have
encountered. It reminded me that I could break down these barriers and not accept limits.
Works Cited
Wapnick, Emilie. “Why Some of Us Don’t Have One True Calling.” Emilie Wapnick: Why Some
of Us Don’t Have One True Calling | TED Talk,
www.ted.com/talks/emilie_wapnick_why_some_of_us_don_t_have_one_true_calling. Accessed
30 Jan. 2023.