David Jefferies is a seventeen-year-old dual enrollment student at Georgia State Univerisity. David has learned a lot over the years in school. Meeting David taught me a lot about who he is; I made my observations, and he even opened up about his past experiences and future goals. Jefferies plans to earn a Bachelor of Arts with a Major in Art and a Concentration in Digital Arts. I was able to enjoy every minute spent with David’s Academic self, with his charge to take the initiative, his attentiveness, and honesty. David is determined to become all that he can, and he is driven and motivated to be successful. 

Three word’s to describe David’s Academic self are intelligent, humble, and bold. I could assume David’s boldness from when he took it upon himself to introduce himself to me and take the initiative in exchanging contact information to get started on our project. A first-year dual enrollment student and a senior at Dekalb Early College Academy. Jefferies’s explained his mother was his motivation and biggest influencer because of how hard-working she is. He maintained an average of A’s and B’s throughout grade school, although David did admit to falling out of practicing his studies. Samford’s “How to study” videos gave great examples of how to make time for your studies and maintain a good grade point average by creating a study schedule to manage time more wisely. If David became more focused on his goals, he would be unstoppable. Even though David does not study as much as he should, he still maintains his good grades and balances school and social life. 

For the past two weeks, I have gotten to know David Jefferies, and he’s taught me so much about who he is on the outside and inside. David was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, and attends Georgia State University’s dual enrollment program. David plans to major in Digital Arts, influenced by his driven & self-motivated mother. David has always made a way to maintain his excellent grade point average along with his social life. “How to study” videos gave a lot of excellent practices on how to excel in your studies and become successful. I had the option to partake in each moment enjoyed with David’s Academic self, with his charge to step up, mindfulness, and trustworthiness. Still up in the air to turn out to be everything that he would be able, he is driven and propelled to be effective.

Armana Wilder – Georgia State University & Tucker High School

College is an environment of new people to interact with, from either people around the globe, or just various new people in the same community. There are plenty of opportunities that are given to you, and with the assistance of others, where it’s teachers or friends, gives you an educational advantage. I sat with Armana, who although isn’t quite fully in college, fully understands the experiences and hardships of a regular college student. Armana is a dual enrollment student, meaning that she takes college courses, while also still being in high school. Her favorite science is Physics. She doesn’t really enjoy math, but enjoys reading her own writing. She will graduate this year, and has plans to be ahead of the average student by taking these courses early. She has to travel from college to high school in order to fulfill her academic day. She is a competitive person by nature, wanting to be the best at everything she does. Whether it’s regarding academics or sports, she strives to be on a different tier than everyone else. She is self motivated, self aware, and adaptive. Whatever school workload that she has, she is confident in finishing every assignment that is thrown at her.

In order for her to become the caring and motivated person she is today, she had to take time in order for her to develop her academic self. I asked Armana about her early academic self, and she stated that ‘I used to have separation anxiety. I disliked being separated by my mother, but one of the teachers at my school (Brockett Elementary) cheered me up every day and eventually broke me out of my shell of being separated” (Wilder 2022). The help from this teacher elevated her academic self, and guided her to a well communicative connection, whether it be students or teachers. 

Armana, along with a great number of people, believe that adaptation, self improvement, and self motivation are key points to one’s academic self. When something such as a due date for an assignment is shortened or lengthened, Armana is able to adjust her workload schedule around the change of the date. This gives her an ample amount of time needed for all due assignments. Self awareness also comes into play with adaptation. Armana knows how much time she needs to complete certain tasks and when they need to be done. For subjects and topics, she is also aware of what she needs to do in order for her to attain the things learned in the classroom. This is a great trait to have, for if you don’t have a true understanding of yourself, this might cause you to be working on an assignment well over the due date. Self motivation might be the most important trait to have out of all of these though, because without something to push you forward, you wouldn’t develop your academic self as much as you would if you had some sort of motivation. These traits align with a few of Dr. Chew’s 10 steps to getting the most out of studying, such as “finding what’s the point in what you’re learning to succeed, planning ahead to be a successful learner, and facing challenges and risks in order to improve oneself” (Chew, 2011).

Like a lot of students in school, Armana has a few academic challenges that she struggles with. There are some times where she procrastinates, and doesn’t allow herself to have a plentiful amount of time to complete. There are also some school subjects that she stresses and is anxious about. Although these struggles are still ongoing, she is learning how to deal with them and doesn’t allow them to bring her academic self down. 

In conclusion, Armana is a highly educated student who sets the bar high for herself in order to attain consistently high grades. Although she has her own way of learning things, she believes that everyone should understand their academic selves and have their own unique methods as to how to get the most out of a subject or assignment. When discussing these issues and achievements, I realized there are most likely more people out there who might share the same qualities as us. From adaptation to procrastinating, we all have different experiences as to how we modified our academic selves. Even though I knew I wasn’t the only person with academic struggles, it was refreshing to hear someone who shares the same struggles and thoughts about various subjects. They were interesting to hear, and got me thinking about a couple things regarding our academic selves. How are we able to find the best way of learning to get the most out of different subjects? What are the most effective options for resolving academic stress and anxiety? And How are you able to give someone the motivation they need to improve their academic self? 

Citations

• Wilder, Armana. Armana Academic Profile. January 2022
• Wilder, Armana. Personal Interview. January 2022
• Steven C, PhD; Getting the most out of studying. Samford University, AL. August 2011
• Steven C, PhD; Shallow-Level and Deep-Level Processing. Samford University, AL. August 2011
• Steven C, PhD; Beliefs that make you stupid. Samford University, AL. August 2011

This essay is a transcript of an interview that was conducted during the weekend about an Academic Profile. The interview that I had to organize was with my partner, Ayanna Cade. This interview was of Ayanna telling what was her academic self during grade school to college. Her academic self started as soon as she started her education. She went to Rock Chapel Elementary for Kindergarten through 5th grade, Lithonia Middle for 6th through 7th, and Shiloh High School for 9th through 12th. After Kindergarten through 12th grade, Ayanna went straight to college for the reason of wanting to graduate as fast as possible. 

Ayanna has been to GSU for about a whole year. The reason that she chose GSU was and I quote, “I had a feeling that it was the school for me. I wanted to stay close to home because I didn’t want to be far away from my family and I didn’t want to pay for housing.” She will be getting her associates degree in Nursing at the perimeter college and will soon get an accelerated Bsn at the Atlanta Campus. The biggest influence of her academic self would be her father figure. Ayanna states, “Whenever I’m down or stressed from college, he always reassures me that I am smart and capable of anything.” Her father figure always motivates her and prepares her to be her best academic self. The few things that Ayanna is proud about her academic self is that she is more productive, more organized, and she doesn’t procrastinate anymore.

The frustrating thing about college for Ayanna is Advisement. This is actually a common subject that Ayanna and I share. She claimed that Advisement recommended her to take summer classes and what classes she needed to take for Nursing. Another thing that Ayanna finds frustrating in college is the workload given by professors. She told me that most professors don’t care about your personal life issues and they only care about if you turn in your work. Ayanna’s favorite video from our class time is “How to Studying: Part 5 of 5.” That video taught her a lot of information about studying tips, do’s and don’ts, and different ways to raise your grade. She didn’t have a particular reading that she favored but the video was her only interest. The last thing she told me was about her favorite subject. Her favorite subjects that she loves to learn is American Government and Health Science. Health Science is her favorite since she is a major in Nursing and American Government is for learning about our government and politics. This is the profile of Ayanna Cade, who is a brilliant student of GSU of Clarkston Campus.

Taken by Nebyou on January 6, 2022

Hello everyone, I would like to introduce my partner Nebyou Tesfaye. He is 19 years old and went to Tucker High School. He graduated in 2021. His favorite subject is math.  To make math easier, he would find easy ways to remember rules.  His hobbies include music, anime, gaming, and origami. 

He came to Georgia State University (GSU) because it’s close, affordable and the scenery is great. His major is computer science. Ultimately, he wants to become a Technician or work in information technology.  In interacting with people at school, Nebyou believes communication and social skills are key.  One aspect of school he enjoys the most is the diversity and different perspectives. 

 Nebyou believes his learning abilities aren’t up to the standards that he desires.  He wishes to improve them.  More accurately in time management and studying.  He feels that he needs to focus on working out his life and balance his work life as he grows into a more capable adult. He considers himself to have creative versatility.  That means you approve of people because they have a variety of skills.  He also has personal resilience.  Being individually resilient involves behaviors, thoughts, and actions that promote personal wellbeing and mental health.  He is able to withstand, adapt to, and recover from stress, and misfortune.  Also, continue or return to a state of mental health wellbeing by using effective strategies. 

 Nebyou also would describe himself as very ambitious. Being ambitious means, you have a desire to achieve particular goals.  Ambition motivates you to stay up late studying and defer partying to increase your chances to be successful.  Ambition in life is very important because it will guide your future goals and achievements.  It motivates you to aspire for excellence in all you do. 

Another aspect that he thinks is key to his academic self is being organized. He believes being organized makes life a little easier.  Keeping your homework and important class information sorted out by subject.  Also, Nebyou believes that having a clean space leads to a clean mind. Furthermore, he tries to maintain a neat and orderly study area, it promotes attentiveness and improves your performance.  

When it comes to Covid, for Nebyou it was a crazy experience.  Covid forced him to study on his own and he never knew how to properly self-study. As a result, his grades dropped.  He felt he couldn’t take the class seriously without having to come into a classroom daily.  He was accustomed to laying in bed playing video games.  In addition to his education, Covid was difficult for him in general, for him and his family. His family lost close relatives and loved ones.  The isolation was difficult.  He squabbled with his sisters a lot because they couldn’t leave their house.  Regarding the article, we read in class (COVID-Era College: Are Students Satisfied?), Nebyou felt it was an interesting article.  He agrees Covid was a hard time for everyone and no one was prepared for it.  Also, he felt college rules didn’t help those students that needed help.  Often students did not technically qualify for services based on arbitrary rules.  I agree with Nebyou that students did not know how to adapt when the virus hit.  Ms. Ezarik accentuated students that were even torn on whether they anticipated common COVID mitigation strategies. 

In conclusion, my interview reveals that Nebyou is still trying to figure out how to deal with college and just life in general.  Life is always unexpected. No matter what life throws at you if work hard you will always succeed.  Success in school and education should be every student’s number one priority.  In reality, no one ever wants to go to school, no one enjoys it, but we know that it must be done. In the end, Nebyou and I agree, with anything and everything you want to accomplish, hard work pays off.  

Works Cited

Nebyou Tesfaye, Pair interview transcript, January 2022

Ezarik, Melissa. Student Experiences during COVID and Campus Reopening Concerns, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/24/student-experiences-during-covid-and-campus-reopening-concerns.

I had very interesting conversations with my Profile Partner about our Academic Self topic.  She is a very friendly and kind person. Her name is Amayah Jones – an 11th grader and freshman at GSU. Before that, Amayah attended K-4 in Miami, then she moved on to New York and eventually moved to Georgia. Amayah is currently in Early College or dual enrollment program because her school is connected to this GSU campus. Her major is Biology. As far as I know, she will go back to College right after graduating from K-12. Surgeon is her career goal because she loves science.

Photo of Amayah Jones taken by her mother

She said that her three “academic self” words are: Determined, Resilient and Eager. Through these 3 words, I believe that she is a hard-working student and always tries her best in studying. One of Amayah’s most frustrating things about college is difficult professors . But I believe that she is a person who is determined to study no matter what. As far as I know, Amayah has made the Dean’s list recently. That proves she is a hard-working student and very self-disciplined in learning. One thing she is proud of with her academic self is her drive. She works towards learning and getting good grades no matter the obstacles.

Like other students, Amayah also has a mentor who has a profound influence on her academic self. That is her mother. Amayah’s mom is her biggest influence. She can talk to her about anything and inspires her to be great. She has a master’s in business and is an author as well as a realtor. That is the reason why Amayah studies so well and always tries her best. Her mom is such a wonderful and talented person. Amayah also said that she really wants to be as determined as her mother.

Her favorite reading so far was College is creating poverty. I think this video is really interesting as it talks about another aspect of going to College. The new economics of college are creating poverty. Hunger, even homelessness, are holding students back. Higher education finance must be rethought so students aren’t punished for pursuing education.

Thus, I think a College student needs to have determined, resilient and eager like her. Those are the factors that help us succeed in our academic self.  After the interview, I learned a lot of useful things from her.

Work Cited

Jones, Amaya. Personal Interview. Conducted by Trang Nguyen, January 2022.

Goldrick-Rab, Sara. “College is creating poverty” TED, May. 2019, https://www.ted.com/talks/sara_goldrick_rab_college_is_creating_poverty

           During my interview of Samuel Alemu, a first-year student at Georgia State Perimeter College, it was immediately clear that he is a very logical and organized thinker. He has skill in identifying patterns that will lead him to a desired outcome. Because of this, math and physics come easy to him as they consist of plugging in numbers. After analyzing more than just his response to the questions I asked, but how he answered them; I realized that he goes about all areas of his academic life using this same calculated process. Through just his body language alone, one can pick on the fact that he is attentive and precise by nature. His plain act of sitting up straight and listening makes it is apparent that Samuel’s academic self wants to be here which is arguably the core of a successful learner.

Samuel Alemu

            Originally from Ethiopia, Samuel attends GSU as an international student. He described that his views of education shifted as he transitioned from grade school in Ethiopia to college in the United States. From a young age, education to him was paired with competition. He had the mindset that he didn’t do well unless he did better than someone else. Samuel states that “It wasn’t until I saw the value of collaboration that I realized competitiveness in the academic setting was undermining my education” (Alemu. Academic Self IP). He admitted that this was a toxic way of thinking because it blocked him from truly learning. Samuel described that when he got to college, he began to recognize the importance of collaboration. In viewing other students as a resource rather than an obstacle, he started to value feedback. In Dr. Stephen Chew’s video “Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning”, Chew explains 10 Study Strategy Principles. In particular, principle 7 says “Feedback helps you get better” (Chew). Samuel said that this principle stood out the most to him. Getting a second opinion always helps with improvement and better understanding. The idea of appreciating feedback encouraged newfound growth for Samuel’s academic self.

            It is important to note that Samuel’s previous competitive outlook innocently stemmed from his desire to make his family proud. After being asked if he had any mentors, he brought up his uncle who is a software engineer. This inspired him to major in computer science and later he hopes to pursue a career working for Linked In. It is significant that he wants to work for an online platform that aids in helping people find jobs because that is an opportunity to positively impact the future of employment. Simply put, Samuel displays that he has direction and purpose.

            Probably the hardest job for professors, academic advisors, counselors, etc. is trying to get students to realize why they are here (in college). That “why” is the living root that feeds the academic self. It can be described as an individual motivation that never runs dry.

          “Are you passionate about your chosen career path?” I asked him toward the end of the interview. He smiled. There was no hesitation, confusion, or doubt.

Citations:

         Alemu, Samuel. Interview. Conducted by Alyssa Harris. January 24^th, 2022

         Alemu, Samuel. Academic self IP1. January 18^th, 2022  

         Chew, Stephen. Ph.D. Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning. Uploaded by Samford University. March 25, 2015 https://www.samford.edu/departments/academic-success-center/how-to-study

3 years from now, Keith Kearney – Pelsey can see himself being a voice actor or a director. Keith went to Avondale, Medlock, and Laurel Ridge Elementary. After he attended Druid hills middle school and Druid hills high school. As soon as Keith graduated high school he went straight to college because he wanted to continue his craft and career.  Keith chose Georgia State University Perimeter College because he wanted to start off easy at perimeter college and get his associate’s degree in theatre. After he receives his associate’s degree he will be transferring to the Atlanta campus to receive his bachelor’s degree in theatre. He also wants to get all his knowledge in his hometown. Keith’s major is Theatre and his favorite subject is drama. He takes four classes this spring semester and a couple of them are American Government and English composition 1102. 

While interviewing Keith I learned that advisement is the thing about college that baffles him the most. Keith stated, “ I know that advisement helps you get the right classes for your major but they barely have any clue on what they are trying to do “. In his first semester of college, Keith was trying to register for intro to theatre but they gave him art society and culture instead. Keith stated, ” intro to theatre fits my major, not art society and culture”. Keiths three academic words were prepared, focused, and persistent. Keith’s influence on his academic self is one of his high school teachers named Ms.TO. Ms.TO gave him preparation for college and taught him how to become a better student. Keith stated, “ I owe her tons of gratitude for everything she’s done for me”.

Keith does not have a favorite video or article but he does have a small interest in the reading “ COVID -Era college: Are students satisfied?”.The reason why he likes it is because it’s very relatable to him trying to get his education during a pandemic. The article talks about the troubles that college students go through during the pandemic. Keith relates to the article given that he is a first-year college student during the pandemic.

After interviewing Keith I learned the three words that would describe his academic self are prepared, focused, and persistent. His high school teacher, Ms.TO had a huge influence on his academic self. Keith is extremely proud that when it comes down to his academic self he becomes a different person when it comes down to him learning something new or being more productive with the work he is given. All if not most college students go through a lot of struggles, especially first-year college students like Keith. Keith went through struggles with advisement and even the pandemic which is why he relates to the reading “ COVID – Era college: Are students satisfied ?“. In the future, Keith wants to be a voice actor or a director with a bachelor’s degree in theater. 

Citations 

Keith, Kearney – Pesley. Interview. Conducted by Ayanna Cade, 6 February 2022.

Ezarik, Melissa.” Covid – Era College: Are Students Satisfied ?”. March 24 , 2021,  https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/24/student-experiences-during-covid-and-campus-reopening-concerns?utm_source=pocket_mylist.

Alyssa Harris is an art major at Georgia State Perimeter College, who shared her academic self in the interview we made in English Composition 1102. Alyssa told me that she was diagnosed with ADHD and dyslexia when she was eight years old. However, being a strong learner, Alyssa did not let the learning disability hold her back in the academic world. She instead believes that if she stays hungry and prepared in the academic environment, she will thrive in her scholarly goals: to broaden her view of the world through knowledge.

Growing up with ADHD and dyslexia, Alyssa used the learning disability to complain when she failed or scored poorly. When Alyssa’s mind saw a failure (cue) it produced a craving for pleasure in which it responded with a reason that she has a learning condition. Because the response satisfied the craving, Alyssa made it a habit. For instance, in her middle school math class, Alyssa used the fact that she has ADHD and dyslexia as a disadvantage for her failure and not understanding math. That belief makes Alyssa satisfied even if she fails. However, deep down Alyssa’s heart knew that was not the case.

However, observing many students in her junior year, Alyssa concluded that she is not the only person with a short concentration span. Alyssa knew that most students lose their attention, often in the lecture. From that point onward, Alyssa’s reward stopped satisfying her craving, which led her to break the habit of complaining. Instead, Alyssa set a belief that staying hungry and being prepared to be the path to a successful academic career.

Embodying that ideology, Alyssa became a better learner who is always hungry to learn new things. In our conversation, Alyssa told me that her eagerness to learn new things commenced increasing from her intuition to broaden her view of the world. Alyssa even brought up an analogy that her mind craves knowledge as her stomach craves chips. As an art major, Alyssa knew that if she learned more, her worldview would grow. Increasing her knowledge in return will lead her to be more creative. Being more creative, Alyssa dreams of becoming the best designer after finishing college.

However, as a full-time worker and student, Alyssa knew that staying hungry would disappear given the shortage of time. Dr. Chew, professor of psychology at Samford University, in his video series “How to Study,” said, “Your level of understanding is a direct result of how hard you prepared” (Chew, Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning). Chew clarifies that the level of understanding something is directly proportional to the level of preparedness. Alyssa also knew that she must plan most of her academic work to be prepared enough. As a strategy, Alyssa primes her school material and starts assignments early to increase her understanding and do the job with the least effort but with greater frequency.

In conclusion, Alyssa Harris, an art major who wants to be a designer finishing college, believes that ADHD or dyslexia is not a disadvantage in her academic setting. Instead, Alyssa thinks that the “doctor was partially wrong;” and that she is “not suffering from anything. . . quite the opposite”: She is “thriving which is the last word [She] chooses to describe [her]self academically.” The fact is for her that being prepared and staying hungry is the key recipe for becoming a successful student. In short, prepared plus hunger will yield triumph in the view of Alyssa’s academic world.

                                Work Cited

 Chew, Stephen.” Developing a Mindset for Successful Learning. “Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 25 Mar 2015

Harris, Alyssa. Interview. Conducted by Samuel Alemu, 26 January 2022

Mizaan Arshad is a student who brings a new meaning to the phrase, “study hard to study harder”.  From her dreams for the future to her biggest motivators, Mizaan gave me thoughtful and thorough answers to every question I asked her. You may be asking, ‘who is she?”, and “what’s so special about her responses?”, well, I’m about to tell you. Welcome to the Academic Profile of Mizaan Arshad.

Mizaan was bullied as a child and often spent time alone. She completed her work and participated in class, but she still felt uncomfortable. Eventually, Mizaan’s family decided to enroll her in an online school, where she would complete her high school coursework in only eight months.

When I asked her why she was motivated to finish so quickly, she responded, “When you’re younger, you’re more ambitious. You have more opportunities, and you have more time. I’m too young to work, and I’m too young to have other things to do, so I feel like I have more energy to put into my education and succeed.”

And succeed, she has. At only fifteen years old, Mizaan has joined Georgia State University’s Honors College. She works hard and has found many different motivations to move forward and receive an education.

The biggest motivator?

The life she says waits for her without education.

“I realize that I’m a minority in many different senses of the word. It’s hard keeping up with studying and assignments, but my background is what pushes me to keep going; it pushes me to prove to people that traditional life is not what I want and not how I have to live,” said Mizaan.

Mizaan has crafted her academic self under insurmountable pressures, and it shows. When I asked what the three words that described her academic self were, she told me that she picked Determined, Focused, and Isolated. These three descriptors are perfectly reflected in the beliefs she shared and the stories she told me during the interview.

Her focus shines through with her ability to complete meaningful work in less than half the time it takes traditionally; even as I write this, she works next to me, focused entirely on the task in front of her.

Her determination was revealed when I asked her about her college journey, specifically, where she would like to take this journey once she graduates with a degree in science.

 “No matter what, I’ve told myself I’m going to an Ivy League. My major is undecided, but it will be something in STEM, definitely … I believe it’s super important to major in something that can go towards your career path,” says Mizaan.

Her Isolation shined through when I asked her how graduating so early influenced the development of her academic self. She answered with this explanation, “To me, my academic self doesn’t describe my social habits. It describes the mindset I bring to school and the purpose of why I’m here. I’m here to learn not to pursue social things. That’s my purpose.”

Not many people finish high school in such a short time, and while Mizaan is proud of this accomplishment, she also explained the downside of graduating so quickly. Her explanation led me to question if any of the class readings or videos helped her combat these struggles. She responded, “Dr. Chew’s ‘How to Study’ series has helped me to understand what I’m doing. It’s difficult keeping up with materials and class prep. This video series gave me a sort of roadmap and helped me get more confident in my time management and my study process.”

Dr. Chew’s study series contains advice that all students can utilize. It introduces methods like deep-level thinking and creating a productive study space. 

Mizaan has shown that she is ready and willing to do whatever she can to stay at the top of her game, but why? What pushes her to remain steadfast? Who builds her determination and helps her remember what awaits at the end of this journey?

When I asked Mizaan who her biggest influence was, she didn’t hesitate to answer, “My mother… she’s so hardworking even without an education. It’s so motivating living with someone who didn’t get the same opportunities yet still wants the best for you.”

Following this, I asked about her mentor, and just as quickly, she answered, “My aunt. She’s shown me how to stay organized, create my schedule, and the best ways to study. She doesn’t help me to be average; She helps me reach for the top and healthily achieve above-average success.”

Mizaan worked hard to get where she is, and the help of those around her has only fueled her resolve. When I asked her about the frustrations she held with college, she responded, “It’s honestly hard to think of any complaints since I’m so thankful to be here,” which is entirely understandable. 

Mizaan Arshad is an anomaly in the best way. She has worked hard to be where she is, and she is not afraid of what is laid before her. Why would she be? Her academic self continues to grow every day, and from this conversation alone, it was evident that the rest of her is growing with it. Determined, focused, Isolated; these words are what Mizaan used to describe her academic self, but let’s add one more: resilient.

                                                                              Mizaan Arshad

Citation

Arshad, Mizaan. Interview. Conducted by Laila Thurman, 24 January 2022.

Chew, Stephen. “How to Study.” How to Get the Most Out of Studying, 25 Mar. 2015, https://www.samford.edu/departments/academic-success-center/how-to-study.