The experience

Hello beautiful souls! My name is Johana Penaloza and I am a first year student at the University of California, Irvine. I am currently a Pharmaceutical Science major, but I’m planning to switch out to Journalism so I can pursue my love for writing. Writing has always allowed me to be a voice for the voiceless. As a person who suffers from anxiety, writing is a way to help me express myself and gain the confidence to publicly state my opinions. I am most definitely not the most keen writer or reader, but I am looking forward to improving my techniques, and taking the 39 Writing series is certainly a great way to start. In fact, Writing 39A was the last Writing class that I have taken and it was my absolute favorite class of all Fall quarter. The class helped me expand my creativity and established a safe space for me to express myself like never before. I learnt that there’s no right or wrong when it comes down to writing. There’s only feedback that may help enrichen the text. I also learned that one cannot enforce a change in an audience’s mind, but rather create a variety of statements to help broaden their perspectives. An audience may not change their point of view, but the power of words can enlighten them to see different angles towards certain topics and learn to accept everyone’s  differences. Writing 39A has taught me to focus on the details, so throughout the quarter, I made detailing my number one focus. Adding sensory details throughout my passages has allowed me develop special connections towards my readers. This element has helped me improve my writing drastically! 

I am pretty confident in my ability to write. Although, there are many methods on how to improve. Despite whether you’re a 40 year old experienced writer working for New York Times or an 18 year old college student, everyone can find different ways to grow as a writer. Same goes for communication, I’ve been told by my previous Writing and English teachers that I have a ‘way’ with words. They often say that I have a strong, unique voice and that I should never let myself be silenced by the crudeness of others. These comments still hold a place in my heart and make me believe that I have a sense of purpose. Now on a scale of 1-10, I consider myself a solid 7 when it comes to reading. Every person has their flaws, one of mine just happens to be my ability to lose interest easily. Don’t believe me? Ask my bygone partners. I have difficulties reading passages in which I cannot wrap my interest upon. However, if I am urged to read a passage, despite the boringness or complicatency, I will fight the desire to give up. I will finish reading and analyzing the passage thoroughly, even if it kills me. What catches my interest? I am a sucker for cliché romance novels and nail-biting mysteries. My biggest hardship when it comes to writing has to be developing a well structured thesis. I’m a person who loves being direct and getting to the point, so spending a significant amount of time figuring out on how to create a beautifully written thesis can be quite infuriating. I still haven’t had the chance to fully overcome this issue and I still create vague theses, but I’m learning to be more patient with my work in order for me to improve. I use techniques such as mind maps and outlines before writing a passage to help me organize my thoughts. However, I excel in portraying emotions, personality, and vivid details onto my work. I like to think that I do a great job in heavily impacting the reader through my word choice. 

On the Language and Grammar Diagnostic quiz, I did not receive a score of 90 percent or above which is fine. Nobody is perfect; It may be due to the fact that I rushed through the quiz, or that I wasn’t too sure about some of the questions, maybe even a combination of both. Either way the quiz just reveals the certain areas in which I need improvements on. Nothing that the 39 Writing series can’t help with! Care to find out more about me? Go ahead and explore by clicking the link that is  placed down below to see the six words that define me. Don’t be afraid to reach out if you would like to learn more about myself.

A representation of what I use to record my thoughts about the burdens and triumphs of my life.