Class Panel: "Interrogating the Journey"

      The Department of English on Tuesday March 25, 2014 offered a Student Conference. The activity was called Interventions in General Studies: Interdisciplinary Project and Creative Initiatives. I had the opportunity to see our panel class "Interrogating the Journey: Literature and Personal Experience", supervised by our profesor, Dr. Cynthia Pittmann. The panelist that were presenting their essays were: Laura, Sylvette, Carla, Sahara, and Lorna. 

         
        For me to see some of my classmate speaking and presenting their essays in front of a group of other students, teachers and faculty members is something that made me understand the courage and good preparation that those things need. In the panel of our class concepts and topics like identity, idea of being a tourist, lack of knowledge of some tourist, subordination, the barrier communication that exists between a tourist and a local, and the communication model were things well expressed in the conference. The five classmates that where presenting look really calm and they express very well the message that they were willing to transmit. Also the audience were listening really carefully to the message my classmates were willing to transmit. Therefore the audience were asking questions to the speakers and in a completely professional way. The only thing that maybe was affecting the continuous message of the speakers, was that students were entering to the amphitheater almost every ten minutes. But in general my classmate did an excellent job in the student conference. 

        I never imagine that an English class was capable of helping not only me, but also a lot of other classmate to understand better our identity as Puerto Ricans and to face our social and daily problems in the island with a better understanding and with solutions.  It was such an amazing and enriching experience that I know will help me in future and similar situations.