Ximena Duque

Transforming into a well-rounded individual

Becoming a well prepared and versatile professional depends on the environment
and quality of education in which one develops. High school prepares you for college and
college prepares you for your future, thats why you are what you learn. Loras College, as a
liberal arts institution, allows one to become part of a community of active learners,
reflective thinkers, ethical decision-makers, and responsible contributors in diverse
professional, social, and religious roles. In other words, Loras College will contribute to
my development as a highly qualified individual, which can take any path in life and be
successful with the tools, virtues, and lessons it provides me during the four years that I will
be part of its community. However, it is up to me to take advantage of what the institution
provides, and exploit my potentials and previous preparation in order to embody Loras
dispositions.
While some people believe liberal arts only represents acquiring some general
knowledge and developing intellectual ability, I believe there is more to it than just that. It
is also about being ahead of the game; about being able to understand something to apply it
on different situations; its to follow your passions using the tools provided by education
that would contribute significantly when becoming a professional. In Colombia,
universities have an assigned curriculum for every career that can be modified by the
preferences of the student but that doesnt require taking the general classes. This type of
system deprives the student from nurturing from different subjects not necessarily related to
his/her career.

On the other hand, at Loras, Liberal arts, compels the student to face a broad variety
of subjects that will exercise the mind to be prepared for all kinds of situations, since each
one them contributes in a slightly different way. Even though you go to college to follow a
certain career and you take classes regarding that subject, you will also have to take certain
credits of some classes regarding math, writing, reading and science among others. Even
though you take these classes it doesnt mean they are not going to be useful. For example,
the college writing class, a liberal arts class, would not only help you to write an
appropriate English paper, it would also be advantageous for the rest of your classes and
your future. As a matter of fact you would find yourself using your acquired knowledge and
tools when writing a report about the annual development for the company you work at; a
speech for a conference you are hosting; an article about your new discovery; and even a
novel you want to publish. That is to say that college writing would not only benefit an
individual who is trying to become an English teacher, but also for someone who wants to
be a businessman, an accountant, or a scientist.
With this in my mind, I was able to identify my challenges and strengths according
to my previous preparation prior to Loras. First of all, back at my high school, they have an
educational system with some similarities to Loras liberal arts. Once a year I had to take all
my general knowledge classes but in addition I was free to choose three electives of any
available class that would go according to my interests. Through this system, I discovered
by myself how the basic tools provided by the general classes were necessary in order to
get the GPA I ended up having on some of the elective I chose, such as my journalism class.
Similarly, I developed certain abilities that contributed to my academic efficiency.
First of all, I became a critical thinker since my teachers would challenge the students with

high level exercises and assignments. Even though I would not always get the correct
solutions, these types of activities stimulated my brain as they intended to make me find the
answers by myself before just having the teacher to give them away. The idea was to try as
hard as I could, applying all the basic tools and knowledge the classes provided me, which
is why I also became an active learner. Each class would tend to make the students learn in
different ways and activities in which they would not only be part of the audience by
listening , but at some point they would take the teachers role and participate by sharing
their own opinions and judgment about an specific subject. This ability, can be related to
Loras reflective thinkers disposition since, students demonstrate their ability to think in a
reflective manner, and that was what my school was trying to promote as they gave the
student the challenge to try to learn things by themselves instead of just providing them the
exact information and answers (Loras College dispositions). They would be forced to go
back to what they learned in class putting mind to the issue and being creative with the
ways of coming up with a solution.
Secondly, I was also fortunate to grow up in school where students are encouraged
to become well-formed individuals both personally and professionally, which is why Im
ahead in being an ethical decision marker as Loras dispositions states. My school would
always try to find solutions or take decisions that would be ethical and most convenient for
all as they tried to take every single detail in account. By setting this example in every area
of the school, I became highly aware of the effects that my words and actions would have
within the community, either inside or outside classes. Consequently, I began to be aware
that as students we are not always right and can make mistakes. Thanks to active learning I
was always able to speak up in class and give my own opinions about things since I was
taught to be critical at all times. In some of the situations I would eventually realize by

listening to others opinions that some of my contributions were not always right. As a
reflective thinker I learned from my mistakes and others constructive criticism, meaning
that I accept my mistakes but take advantage of the situation to get a deep understanding of
things.
At last, I have to mention that I have always been a person who likes giving back to
the community, and most of all share my values and virtues in a way I can contribute to
making a change. In The Goals of Liberal Arts, William Cronon states that, Liberally
educated people understand that they belong to a community whose prosperity and wellbeing are crucial to their own, and they help that community flourish by making the success
of others possible according to this, I am aware that helping others play a big role in the
liberal arts educations, since I have been involved in social service activities ever since I
was able to sign up for them at school (Cronon, 7). For example, I have learned English as
my second language and I am aware that in todays world that is a requirement but also a
privilege since not everyone is able to pay for classes. I decided to share my knowledge
with lower class children by teaching them English once a week. This type of actions made
me realized how important is to be conscious and aware of the global environment but also
how important is the role we play within it.
Besides all the strengths I believe my prior preparation has granted me, I also have
one particular challenge. In Colombia, even though I took most of my classes in English
there would always be someone around to clear to up thing in Spanish if it got really
difficult. However, at Loras, I will have to make English my first language and that could
become difficult when being an active learner. This might also get harder since the
academic level in college is very different form high school, so I would encounter with

challenging readings and assignments that are going to put me out of my comfort place.
However I will try my hardest as I did back home, by trying to be critical and by making an
appropriate use of all the help Loras provides students with making the transition from high
school to college.
When you have a liberal background you have the capacity to broaden out the
disciplinary framework so that you cover problems, challenges, and issues from multiple
frameworks, you are not rooted or fixed in a single one. This helps you solve your
problems, think more critically and to make connections that sometimes other people are
not able to make, since it depends on how your mind is trained. This goes back to what
Robert Harris says about, exercising the mind in one area--whether literature or
sociology or accounting--will strengthen it for learning in other areas as
well, since you develop tools that you can use in different situations
(Harris, 10). Loras does a good job expanding the often narrow disciplinary focus
because you are able to dive deep into a level of expertise. For example the MOI classes,
which often deal with unordinary topics for a class a college student , would expect to be
required, help the student face an specific topic through different ways and scenarios
allowing them to get deeply involved with it and finally developing a personal position
towards the topic. In a certain way, the class provides the student with expertise in the
topic, as well as in developing the ability to be critical about things and being able to take
into account all the different sides that play a role when talking about a specific topic. Is
about having a bigger picture of an issue and being able to get out of the box and expand
ones thoughts and opinions while sharing them with others that would help the individual
develop abilities that can be applied to any other class or an everyday situation. This is

what liberal arts do; it can expand that and pushes out those boundaries a little bit, which is
a valuable way to train our minds.
Also, Liberal arts value the respect for others and enforce the ability for one to come
out of their own experiences and preconceptions so they are not judgmental with others
when they hear them out (Transitional Words & Phrases). Loras makes sure students
separate their own traditions and values so they can interact with others in a respectful and
compassionate way in order avoid discrimination or putting people down just because they
dont share the same characteristics you do.
As a Catholic institution, Loras always makes sure to value what the community
provides them as well as what they give back. Cecil Rhodes said that young people will
spend their lives, [struggling] to leave the world a better place than they had found it.
This is why Loras, tries to involve their students with either social service or environmental
conscience activities which are a way to contribute to the Dubuque community and the
world itself.
Last but not least, Liberal arts help you make things understandable, since your
mind is already educated with a general context of the world (A Liberal Arts Education).
This is why new things wont seem as difficult and blurry than if you had no background
knowledge about the basic stuff. For example the writing and reading abilities gained form
liberal arts education will make everything more easier and the analysis you make are not
going to be the same to most of the people who dont have the m. Loras students are
reflective thinkers who are able to understand things better since they take all they know
and force their mind to have a broad view of things making it easier for them to understand
different subjects, lectures or assignments.

In conclusion, in order to become a well-rounded individual it depends on how well

you prepared yourself and the kind of education you receive. Liberal arts will help you
develop certain attitudes and tools that will give you the ability to handle any situation or
challenge with integrity and intelligence. When you are well packed with general
knowledge you will no longer feel lost and you will find yourself being able talk about
everything with everyone, and most importantly you will be able to exploit your strengths
to the maximum. Loras is an institution where you can find the appropriate education that
will form you into a highly prepared professional who will at all times think critically,
respect others and care about the world, as well as be efficient and develop successfully
into all different areas.

Bibliography
"College of Letters & Science." A Liberal Arts Education. N.p., 2011. Web. 23 Aug. 2012.
<http://ls.berkeley.edu/about-college/liberal-arts-education>.
"Study Guides and Strategies." Transitional Words & Phrases. N.p., 13 Sept. 2002. Web.
15 Aug. 2012. <http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr6.htm>.
Cronon, W.The Goals of a Liberal Education. The American Scholar Volume 67, No. 4,
Autumn 1998. Page 7

Harris, R. On the Purpose of a Liberal Arts Education. 1991.