Hello,

My name Is Nathan Carroll. I am a music enthusiast, who is currently pursuing a degree in music
education. Up until this last year, I have been homeschooled my entire life. I have always
enjoyed stories, whether I be reading, watching, or listening to them, but Im not particularly
gifted at writing. Writing has never really been a strong point for me. Growing up, I would have
to write for the various school classes I was taking, but I often wouldn't put much effort into it.
Continuity and the flow of my papers, wasn't something I challenged myself to do. I started out
writing brief book reports, eventually moving to short stories and poems. As I moved along
through highschool, I could tell my writing was improving, but since attending college, I have
seem a sizable difference in my writing style, structure, and planning.

When I started my concurrent college classes at Northern Oklahoma College, I enrolled in an

English Composition 1 class. Stacey Frazier, my professor, taught me about formatting my
papers (which is also something I really had not thought about) and how to work and cite sources
into my papers. In English Comp 1, I was challenged with writing about subjects I did not pick.
Many of the topics were given to me - with of course some wiggle room. I learned how to
research my topic effectively, and how to keep track of my sources. Understanding that even
though I might not have wanted to write about a certain topic, I still need to put forth my best
effort in communication. As a writer I try to pursue a subject with an open mind, considering that
respecting others opinions will often mean others will respect your work.

These four essays I have posted show how I have changed as a writer through my first year of
college. The first essay I wrote in 2016 and it covers the topic of substance abuse. The topic of
substance abuse interested me because of my mom's past in working with inner-city kids in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She taught school there and also ran an after school program. There
she was able to see the effects abusing substances has on a person, family, and community. My
writing style lacked descriptive vocabulary and flow. But by the time I finished the semester and
wrote my final essay for English Composition 1, I had improved those qualities. My second
essay example is of the final I wrote for Comp 1. My topic was the 1960s era, specifically the
Vietnam war. In the paper, I was able to interview two Vietnam war veterans. That experience
helped me understand how to quote/paraphrase people in my writing. My use in descriptive and
effective vocabulary had increased, but I still had much improvement to make. I also was able to
learn how to organize my materials. Having to look up articles and other source work while
keeping track of my interviews, and pacing my writing, really challenged me as a student and a
writer. My third essay of choice is a letter I wrote for my English Composition 2 class. Professor
Diana Watkins really stressed the importance of considering both sides of an argument. She
would often provide materials in class that she knew not everyone would agree with. I believe
that further encouraged me to make sure my research was not solely based on finding evidence to
back up my points, but to understand the opposing argument, in hopes to be able to present and
strengthen my opinion in an educated way. The topic of that essay is on whether or not we
should put as much emphasis on Standardized Testing in the public schools and in college
admissions. I found good evidence of why the idea of standardized testing is good, but in reality
it doesnt accurately accomplish the goal it was made to do. Coming to my last essay on included
in this portfolio, it is about American obesity. This is one of my favorite writing compositions to
date. I researched this topic and gathered together a wide variety of source materials. I
considered the biggest culprits for American obesity, and took a paragraph to explain why
fast-food restaurants and our government are not to blame for the epidemic. As I hope you can
see, these essays and letters are all on different topics. I have learned how to read actively and
write a variety of topics, and I hope I can continue to do so.

I still have a long college career in front of me. These essays only represent my writing skills and
growth as of my first year of college courses. I tend to write as if I was giving a talk or lecture to
a group of people, so I still have a lot to learn structure, grammar, creative flow, etc. In the future
I hope to gain more knowledge on how to work sources into my writing compositions. Writing is
a vital tool to have and I hope to be able to efficiently communicate my ideas and thoughts
throughout my life.

I am very thankful for my parents for all of their help in raising me to think about problems from
all different perspectives, and for helping me learn how to compose my beginning pieces of
writing. I also am very thankful for the great English teachers I have had in college. I have
learned a lot about not only grammar, vocabulary, and formatting, but how to maturely approach
topics and materials, and to be able to communicate in a clear and helpful way. As I mentioned
above, taking the time to respect another person's work will go a long way in having others
respect yours.

Thank you,

-Nathan Carroll