During my sophomore year of high school, I remember getting back my first argumentative paper. It was an analysis on Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. When I looked at the grade, I was immediately disappointed. The grade was dismal. There was a short, but decisive comment: “This paper is basically just a summary.” At the time, I didn’t understand what that meant. However, I decided to talk to Mr. Kiehn about how I could improve. He was so warm and welcoming that it was easy to have a frank and productive discussion. From then on, I went to him for writing advice and techniques that I could try to implement in my papers. I learned more about sentence variation, literary devices and using a thesaurus. Being able to ask for his help allowed me to consistently advance my writing style.
As a political science student at the University of Washington (UW), I have to write at least one ten-page paper per quarter. These topics have varied from political theory, literary analyses and historical comparison essays. On each assignment, I have been challenged. However, I now have effective methods for approaching each paper head-on. By knowing how to research, outline and execute the various stages of drafting, I have been able to tackle any topic thoughtfully. Moreover, my experience with Mr. Kiehn made me more assured in asking my TAs and professors for help when I an unsure about something. I now have more confidence when I write for any assignment. Without the extra help and dedication Mr. Kiehn provided in high school, I don’t think I could have been the successful writer and student that I am today.
Future plan & current projects:
As for current projects, I’m working on altering my senior capstone so that I can submit it to the Association for the Advancement of Scandinavian Studies in Canada (AASSC) undergraduate publication award. This 25-page paper (soon to be 10-15 in order to fit the requirements for this award) is about radical right-wing parties in Europe, particularly in Finland. The paper is a proud achievement of mine. I was able to utilize my Finnish comprehension and scrutinize the political concepts that I had learned about during my time at UW.
At UW, I majored in Finnish Language and Political Economy. This is a niche focus that I really enjoyed, so I am now applying to MA programs in either international political economy with a focus in Europe or European politics with a focus in international political economy. I also applied to do a Fulbright in Finland. So, at the moment, my future is completely up in the air. All I know is that in Fall 2020, I will be in a completely different place. However, for right now, I am happy just being in Seattle and working on whatever projects that might come my way.
