Chasing Curiosity

Welcome Letter

Dear Readers,

Through this Writing Minor Gateway course, I have learned many new things, the most significant of which is the value of free exploration. Writing has become a place for me to figure out what I’m thinking and express my thoughts. Through this course, I ventured through two different “experimentation cycles” and discovered how valuable it is to pursue an idea in various genres. Thinking about the same topic and testing various ways of exploring that topic is a fascinating way to discover new information and ways of expressing oneself. I have attached a few of my works from this semester to my website: my origin piece, my final sample piece, and my pitch deck! The origin piece was a research paper about introversion that served as my base topic and source of my exploration. My final sample piece is where I ended my search throughout the semester and created a final work in a new genre. My pitch deck is the proposal presentation in which I explain my sample piece and how it has the potential to become a semester-long project. For my experimentation cycles, I explored the multi-media genre and children’s literature. They were stretching for me and an interesting way to approach a topic I had only perceived from a scientific perspective. I am grateful for the opportunity to experiment with my topic, which led me to pursue the realm of children’s literature. This made me curious about the impact of children’s literature on the development of young children and thus sparked the idea for my final project sample. Amazing how you can start on a path somewhere with no destination in mind, and yet, as you put one foot in front of the other, look up to find yourself in an entirely new space altogether. Learning to let curiosity guide has made all the difference. I hope you all enjoy! 

- Elizabeth R.

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