Completing MOOC/ Online Course (3pts): Choose Your Own Journey 3-day Online Course- Kristian Caldwell

  

     I participated in the Spelman College three day virtual Choose Your Own Journey Health Education course with Professor Harris. The course had only six students, which made discussions feel personal and engaging. The main focus was on identifying short term and long-term goals and understanding how they connect to career preparation, job interviews, and overall life planning.

    During the course, we talked about short term goals such as improving organization, overcoming procrastination, finishing the semester strong, and maintaining a 4.00 GPA. Hearing others share similar struggles made me feel supported and motivated. As we moved into long term goals, majority of everyone shared hopes a stable career and families. This led to discussions about safe sex college, STD rates in Atlanta, and make responsible decisions through prevention methods like birth control, condoms, and Plan B.

    Those conversations encouraged me to reflect more seriously on my future. When it was my turn to share, I spoke about my long-term goal of becoming an international broadcast journalist.  Although when I said my answer, I realized I always said it without deeply examining it. One of the strengths of Professor Harris’s teaching style was that she consistently followed up with our responses with question “but why”.

    That question challenged me to move past surface level answers and really think about my motivation. I realized that my passion for international broadcast journalism comes from wanting to tell stories that matter, uplift voices that are often unheard, and help people understand perspectives beyond their own.

    This experience contributed to my personal growth by helping me better understand myself and my purpose. I leaned that having a goal is not enough if I don’t understand the reasoning behind it. Knowing my “why” makes my goals feel more intentional and achievable. I can apply what I learned from this course to real life by being more mindful of daily choices, improving my organizations skills, and making decisions that align with the future I want to build.