Dear Ms. Hoffmann, Wow! The semester has flown by and I cannot believe we are half way to summer.

Every day in class we always seem to have great discussions regarding our readings or ideas presented from articles. One of the most impactful readings we were assigned came from the Ballenger book. I was hesitant at first because I judged the book by its cover. Once I started reading my mind set changed. I began to realize the unique purpose behind our inquiry project. This quote really made my light bulb flicker, I need to keep looking, walking around the lighthouse, taking lots of shots until I found one that surprised me, that helped me see the lighthouse in a new way, in my way. I began to think of ways that I could incorporate my passions into the body of my paper. I have to admit I went through many hours of research and brain racking in order to reach my number one topic. I believe the discussion you and I had in the library about my topic, ticketing in sports, was a defining factor in my ultimate decision. I really appreciated you taking the time to sit down and help me sort through some of my initial problems. This helped me jump start my thinking so that I could understand exactly what you were wanting from my paper. Throughout class I usually partner with Ebone. We are very similar and have a lot of the same values. Recently we both joined Basmas group which includes Joe, Regina, and Jessica. I believe we have an eclectic group because Regina and Basma present a different cultural aspect whereas Ebone and I are represent a more traditional American view. We all feed off each other and bounce ideas around like a bouncy ball dropped from the ceiling. Personally, I feel as if I contribute greatly to our class and group discussions. I like to be able to speak my ideas and see if anyone agrees or disagrees. Not only does this stimulate discussion, it also helps me hear what other people are thinking. Up until this point there have been a three in class writings that I thoroughly enjoyed. The first writing assignment was about a Mexican fisherman who had a small skiff but always returned home with a boat load of fish. One day a Harvard student came along and asked the man, Why dont you get a bigger boat so that you can catch more fish, sell them to the village, and make more money. The educated student went on to explain that the Mexican could become a millionaire and move from his village to the states and live the dream life. The Mexican said,Why do all that work when I have all that I need. I chose this article because it reminded me of my mission trips to Honduras. People living in Latin American countries live life relaxed, they make the most out of what they have, and they cherish the little things in life. As Americans we are always thinking of ways to earn more money or move up in our economic status. Whereas, the Mexican is completely satisfied with his family, small boat, and little village. This is just one difference between the American and Latin American culture. One aspect is for sure, the author of this short story wanted the audience to take a step back and enjoy the simplicity of life. That is why I loved this writing assignment. Another topic we talked about in class was the decline in attendance and interest in National parks. Personally I have never been to a National park so I had to draw off my experience in attending small state parks such as Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. As a class we discussed how the change in times have left parks in the dark. In the age of technology at our fingertips my generation is reluctant to attend national parks. Students have the mind set of why go outside, sweat, and walk around when I can sit on my couch with a bag of pop-corn and watch a virtual tour online. On the other hand, my grandparents generation, who are less tech savvy, they want to go out and experience the parks first hand. They have a been there done that type of mindset. In the article it stated that National

American parks do not appeal to the majority of minorities living in America. National parks rightfully educated Americans on their history and where they came from; however, few parks show case the evolution of the Hispanic culture in the American society. I believe this small disconnect is a major problem because the Hispanic and minority population is growing at a vast rate. The last in class writing assignment that I felt like I displayed some of my best thinking and writing was about alcohol consumption and culture. We discussed some of the cross cultural differences on the prospective of alcohol. Regina told us that in China they view alcohol as not a big deal, whereas in America there are strict and loose interpretations of drinking alcohol. I believe I come from one of those strict interpretations. Neither of my parents drink so therefore my exposure up until coming to college was slim to none. One time I had a sip of Bud Light and I almost puked. That was enough for me. I know a lot of people say it is an acquired taste and they only drink because it is a beverage they like the taste of. I live a healthy lifestyle and I try to only put things in my body that will help me not harm me. Alcohol has the potential to harm my thinking and endanger others around me. However, this is just my belief. Everyone has their own prospective. I think their prospective has a lot to do with their cultural background and values. Depending on how someone is raised will determine their outlook and interpretation of alcohol consumption. All of my writings were composed on laptop. When you said that your class was paperless I was a little puzzled. I have never been a part of a class where using our laptops were encouraged so greatly. This was a drastic change for me, but it was a change I was happy to make. In the past I always used a pen and paper to convey my thoughts; however, I have found that using my laptop is much easier, efficient, and more compatible with all my other classes. All of my in class writings are saved in a separate folder so that I am organized with every writing assignment. This has been extremely helpful in the beginning stages of creating my portfolio. Last semester I had to scan all my writings into my flash drive, then I had to transfer them to my portfolio. Now, I have each assignment at my fingertips which allows me to access my writing and easily upload them to my Weebly portfolio. The UNC-Charlotte attendance policy is very straight forward; however, I do not pay it any attention. I have created my own attendance policy. I know how hard my parents have to work in order for me to attend UNCC, therefore I understand how much it cost for each class session. Going to class is not an option, it is a priority. My parents break their backs so that I can go to school and I am going to take advantage of every opportunity to learn. I have not missed a single class since the beginning of the year. The only reason I would miss class is if I could not function properly or if I was about to die. The great aspect about my attendance policy is that I love going to class and learning so it is really not a big deal. Most of our in class writing comes from discussions or article readings. On the other hand, the three out of class writings that I chose came from homework assignments. Homework assignments are unique because it is just me and my own thoughts. I do not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. During this time my mind is not using my classmates ideas to formulate my own prospective. My first writing that I chose was the introductory letter we wrote to you about ourselves. I wanted to use that assignment because it was my very first paper for our class. I was able to open up about myself, give you a little sneak peak into my life, where I am from, and what values I hold near and dear to my heart. My second two assignments were very recent. I thought it would be a good idea to compare my writing from the beginning of the semester to the middle. I wanted to see if my writing changed in any way. As I put the writings in my portfolio I could not see any major difference in writing styles, however, I did notice that I

am writing at a much faster pace. It is almost as if my mind is thinking on a new level. I attribute that to our in warm up writing. Warm up writing makes me spit out what I really want to say without thinking about grammatical errors or sentence structure. I just write what pops into my mind regarding a particular subject. I chose my pre and post library memos as my last two pieces of outside writing because I felt like they were an accurate reflection of the hard work and thinking I went through to grasp the concept of the inquiry paper. My pre-library memo gave me a great starting point when we began searching for article. Actually before our library visit I had already went on the librarys website and found tons of information regarding ticketing in sports. I felt like I had an edge on my classmates because I took the initiative to prepare for what I thought we were going to be doing in class. I also chose this piece of writing because it showed the evolution in my thought process from when we were first told to think of a topic to what I am currently researching. I went through many ideas. Although they were all centered on sports, it seemed like I was always running into the problem of doing a research paper instead of an inquiry paper. This made me realize I had to broaden my spectrum and work from the outside in. Finally, I get to talk about my post library memo. I chose this work because it shows all the research that I have put into my topic. I was able to find three books and a plethora of articles that will supplement my paper. I am so excited to start this paper I can hardly wait. I have so much passion, energy, and information that I want to share with everyone it is hard to contain. The article I chose will help me lay the foundation to my paper. It defined many of the key words that are imperative for my audience to understand the meaning and significance behind ticketing in sports. The only drawback to this article was that it was published in 2004. In order to compensate for the 10 years difference in time I have pulled recent articles from ESPN, Fox Business, and CNN to supplement my knowledge. I believe I have a good mix of older articles that represent the history of my topic and a mix of newer articles that represent the present evolution of ticketing in sports. When you were telling us about the guidelines for our inquiry paper you told us to start thinking of a topic or idea you wanted to pursue. You said, You will have plenty of time to explore and research different topics so you are not locked into the first idea you have. I was thinking wow thats odd. Most teachers say look online for the topic you want and come back to class with your introduction to your paper. Then you came in and said explore, look around, and find something that really interest you. To say the least I was a little caught off guard. My mind was in a tail spin. In the past I had been so centered on trying to find a topic and conduct research before the next class that I never really got to dive deep into what I truly wanted to write. I believe the extra time you gave us in class to discuss and present our ideas has really helped me come to my topic. Personally, I went through four different ideas before I came to the one I plan on writing my paper on. This extra time gave me the opportunity to find information on what would and would not work concerning my topics. I believe this project could be renamed the exploration paper because in previous classes we needed to find an exact answer to our question. However, this paper we are encouraged to observe our topic from many different angles not searching for a definitive answer but rather exploring a multitude of different outlooks. Ultimately, with the research I have conducted I am full steam ahead ready to buckle down and begin writing my paper. One of my inquiry questions that I came up with centers around the relationship between ticket prices and attendance and in what ways does pricing affect the game. Leading into my paper I have minimal knowledge of ticketing in sports. I am a sports fanatic but the ticketing process is

foreign to me. I have only attended four or five professional sporting events because attending professional sporting events is expansive. I feel as if I am closely connected to my topic because I can represent a new angle that sports journalist will not be able to replicate because they get free access to all sporting events. My prospective is one from a sports fanatic who does not have the luxury to attend games because high ticket prices and the cost associated with going to the game. I believe I represent a large target audience that has not previously been highlighted in sports articles. I hope that I can supplement my prospective with information from previous articles to help me formulate new questions that I can explore throughout my paper. By the end of my paper I hope that all my research will pay off and other people will be able to read my paper and learn something about ticketing that they did not previously know. My goal is to bring to light the best time to buy tickets so that fans like me can take advantage of cheap prices and enjoy the ultimate fan experience of attending a game. Looking ahead to the second half of our semester there are a few questions I want to research or gain understanding on. First, I have always wondered how sports journalist gain so much attention from ESPN or Fox from the articles they write? It seems like every day there is a new story or breaking news surrounding sports. How do the journalist get their hands on the information and within hours have an article plastered on the internet or ESPN? I also want to learn how to research more effectively. The internet is notorious for spitting out information that we request, but I want to know how to research efficiently? Lastly I want to find out if books are better for learning about sports or are articles that are up to date more resourceful to my generation? I understand that reading, writing, and learning are the gateway to success. I am inspired to be a lifelong learner but I believe in todays time articles are slowly replacing books because of the brevity and convenience of reading an article online. My goals for the rest of the year are simple. Come to class every day ready to learn, take in information, and broaden my prospective. I will work as hard as I can to be successful and I know that if I do everything in my power to succeed then my grade will reflect the work I put in. I also want to be more authentic in my writing. I want to be able spit out exactly what I want to say without thinking about sentence structure. I hope by the end of the semester I will have evolved into a more concise, effective, and efficient writer. I know through hard work and continual practice I can achieve the goals I have set for myself.