Going back to college as an adult learner made me realize how much knowledge I had let slip away over the years. Sitting in classrooms speaking of authors and dissecting works of literature was an unfamiliar thing for me and something I did not think I would be doing much of on my path to becoming a nurse. Looking at my education I feel, as of now, it has exceeded my expectations, but I do feel this is in part due to the Honors Fellows program. The honors curriculum gave me a break from my other classes and allowed me to express myself in a safe environment. I feel my motivation has remained the same, I want to make a better life for my family. I want to make a difference.

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       Since starting the program, I have experienced many highs and lows, sometimes even a few emotional breakdowns along the way. My education has taught me how to be more effective in my communication skills, develop more efficient critical thinking skills, and helped improve my time management skills. I have learned how to communicate more effectively due to the online nature of the honors program. I have learned to take the time to slow down, listen to what my peers are saying, or at times what they are not saying. Learning how to be more of an effective active listener has also helped develop my critical thinking skills. Weekly ZOOM calls, readings, and discussion boards have allowed me time to evaluate and look at what my peers are saying with fresh eyes. Critical thinking is so important to a nurse, being able to look at a situation and assess it quickly is important for patient care and safety. Finally, time management, the nursing program is very faced paced. I am a mother, wife, full-time student, work part-time, and volunteer weekly plus I am taking extra courses for my degree. There were times when I was very overwhelmed. I learned quickly what resources were available for me and how to use them. I found I was more effective as a student when I would study at the National University library. I learned how to effectively plan and set apart time for all the different courses I was taking. Most importantly, I learned when to ask for help and to admit that I cannot do it all.

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       I completely changed the direction of my social change project while in the program due to my experiences as a nursing student. I originally planned to look at mental health within the adolescent population and the stigma surrounding it. My current research is looking at incivility in nursing and the behaviors that cause it to occur. I have been thinking a lot lately about what is next and looking at how much I have grown since January of 2019. Next, I plan to finish my social change project. As of this writing, I have reorganized my way of thinking due to the current pandemic. I plan to complete my literature review, make a video speaking of the findings from my review, and completing a PowerPoint presentation that I can present to groups of my peers either in place on via an online platform. I am so excited to finally put my thoughts onto paper and see what will come out of it. I plan to update and add to this reflection at the end of my social change project and at the end of my nursing program in October of this year.