In this essay, I will be introducing William Rast-Wells and his academic self. I started off with a simple introduction and proceeded to ask him a series of questions regarding how his life has shaped him academically. William is 19 years old, and this is his second semester at Georgia State Perimeter College. He is a first-generation college student and is majoring in Psychology. William grew up in the rural area of South Carolina for the majority of his childhood. Through these years, William was actively finding himself and how he wanted to live his life. Around his 11th grade year, William felt like making money was more beneficial to him than continuing an education. He spent less time in school and more time trying to make a living. His mom’s side of the family was not as supportive of him when he decided to take this route. William has strong perseverance and did not allow these actions and opinions to take a toll on how he wanted to pursue his future endeavors. William takes an interest in chemistry and forensics. Growing up, he got a little bit of exposure from his uncle, who was a chemistry professor. Even though he is pursuing his interest at GSU Clarkston, he plans to transfer to Georgia State’s Downtown campus after a few semesters. He also plans to get a master’s degree because the psychology and forensics field is more accepting of people who have higher credentials. With this, he wants to use his knowledge to gain employment in the forensic field, one that aids in litigation or in a clinical/lab environment. The classes he’s taking to pursue this career are psychology, history, statistics, english, and global issues.

William expressed the words that he would use to describe his academic self are conscientious, scatterbrained, and reserved.  Although some of these words may seem like they can’t fit all in one person, William described himself as one who doesn’t seek out many social interactions and is very specific when it comes to his work. These traits cause questioning when it comes to academics. He told me that they also prevent him from asking important questions that could help him refocus his thoughts. Dr. Steven Chew’s video on good study strategies to be successful in college highlight the important facts of how having a solid understanding directly correlates to how much effort and hard work is put into the groundwork. This analysis has shown to be very true regarding William. He cannot effectively prepare for his classes without having a strong comprehension of the material. To get this, William must push himself to ask those crucial questions and gain key details to better his overall knowledge and understanding.

As William wants to work in the field of forensics and chemistry, he knows that to be successful, he must work on things like being less reserved and more open to curiosity and questioning himself. His main goal going through college is to delve deep into subjects he cares about. William emphasized that he wants to gain this knowledge through curricula that accentuates depth over breadth. This self-observation aligns with Dr. Chew’s value of finding pleasure in what is being learned. Connecting the subjects he cares about to the ones he questions can open other potential interests that have not been identified. While working on things like that, he continues to be self-critical. Feedback helps him learn and grow from his mistakes and challenges, also a topic from Dr. Chew. He judges himself and his work more rigorously than the standard. His outcome is usually more underwhelming than expected. He doesn’t necessarily see this as a bad thing. It further shows his dedication to the subjects he enjoys most and his receptiveness to criticism from himself and others.

As we see, William knows and is confident about his academic path and future plans. He hopes to gain occupational opportunities and expand his worldview as he progresses through school. Having a better understanding of his skills, capabilities, and those of other people will grow his passion for the future. His perseverance and awareness continue to inspire the people around him and hopefully the people reading. William will continue to go on a path that benefits him most, regardless of critics, and college is only honing his character and academics further.