Jared Balduzzi
Student/ Artist/ Film-Maker
A LITTLE ABOUT ME
Ever since I was little, I’ve been obsessed with art. I started off drawing dinosaurs and giant monsters, however; by the time I was eight years old, I began to transition out of drawing and more into film. I discovered something called stop motion, which caused me to fall in love with photography and cinematography. As I got older I began to appreciate more aspects involving my surroundings, causing me to get more involved with the nature around me. Something about unique and abstract photography stole my attention. Studying at Northridge has really changed my perspective and beliefs. I'm starting to discover that I love writing, which marks the spot at the beginning of my new transition.
Dear Professor Koning,
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Although I was excited to start college, as I took that first step into the classroom my anxiety began cluttering my mind with suspicions.
English 115. Damn, I don’t know? Will I be good enough? Do I have what it takes to be successful with my writings? I was alright in high school but do I have what it takes to meet college standards?
My mind was constantly inducing this feeling of negativity as I began to worry about the “what if.” I wasn’t sure if I had faith in myself. Although I was an honors English student in high school, I felt I wasn’t good enough to make any sort of positive impression with writing. Then you introduced Progression 1 Exercise 1, a second person flash narrative about an experience with a microaggression. It was time to either prove these thoughts wrong or succumb to the entanglement from the ropes of my own mind.
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I began writing out a scenario as if I was some sort of script for a film I could see myself watching. I wanted to make sure I described the atmosphere in detail so that the reader could be put into a trance they could no longer leave. In the end, I had mixed feelings about the piece. I debated with myself whether or not I should even turn the piece in. After pacing around my room for about half an hour, I took the risk. Submit. To my surprise, your response from it was positive. In fact, you blew my mind when you mentioned that the piece had the potential to be published.
Wow! Published?! Imagine that, my work published.
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It was around that moment when I felt more encouraged to write. This new inspiration not only helped me write papers but also helped me participate in our online discussions.
The online discussions were an important focus for me in this course because these acted as an engagement element towards any given assignment. Being able to discuss our opinions, thoughts, and/or confusions really allowed me to see things from a different perspective. It essentially made each discussion a learning experience. In the long run, many of these discussions allowed to write more intricate pieces. These discussions made my writing better.
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From these smaller pieces of work, I began to create essays, which I now see as my defining pieces from this course. All the countless hours I spent sitting in front of the laptop, thinking, writing and revising reflect how passionate I am for these pieces. The progressions and struggles essentially introduced me to this brand new world I never really considered focusing time into. Hell, I’m even considering minoring in creative writing now. I’m far from a flawless writer but, in the end, who really is. I’ve grown tremendously, from the start of my journey in college and I only plan to continue forward. The spark from your course has lit the flames. A new passion has been created and it’s pushing me down this path. I’ve listed two of my strongest essays, three of my most creative excises and three of my most engaging discussions within my portfolio because I feel they best demonstrate my growth from a nervous high school student into a more composed college student.
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I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for you. I am grateful for all the hours you spent helping me navigate out of the mud. Overall I’m blessed to have you as a professor for my first semester. Looking back, I don’t know if you were entirely serious about that flash narrative piece, but I thank you because whether or not it was true, it inspired me to work harder on all my other pieces within the webstite. I hope you enjoy.
Thank you Professor Koning,
Jared Balduzzi
