Reflection

My time as a student in the media scholars program has influenced me in a variety of ways. Growing up I did not have too much exposure to the news, nor did I really have much interest. The news may have been on TV, but it was never my primary focus as I was probably doing something on my phone not really paying attention. After going through my scholars experience, I've become much more aware and attentive to the world around me. There were many guest speakers, podcasts, documentaries, and other forms of media in class, but what impacted me the most was the class discussions we had about all of these types of media. I heard so many new views and ideas from my classmates which really made me think about and reconsider my views on many of the current issues relevant in our world today. For the past year and a half I have watched some sort of news media almost daily. After joining scholars, I decided to subscribe to NBC's Stay Tuned snapchat story, which is about a 3-5 minute long video discussing the daily news. I have seen how the media can play a large role in my life. When I consume media and hear ideas on many different topics, I have a more knowledgeable and accepting mindset towards those with opposing opinions. I think many different forms of media should be consumed by all people so everyone can understand their world and form their own opinions on it. Moving forward in my life as a mechanical engineer, media will become an integral part of the engineering world. In the past, engineering has been crossed with biology, chemistry, physics, and other STEM disciplines. But moving forward in a world that is more sensitive to different ideas, the arts, news, cultures, health, and many other disciplines will be much more relevant. The future is a place where everybody can express themselves how they want without being discriminated against. Understanding this is incredibly important for future engineers us they design and build the future. An example of this can be seen in the design of the National Museum of African American history and culture. It was engineered to resemble a three-tiered crown, which is common in Yoruban art in West Africa. At a closer look, one can see the modernized porch/overhang feature and the metal lattice surrounding the building put in place as a tribute to the African diaspora and to the intricate ironwork made by slaves and freed black men in the South. Being able to do this myself, by having creative ideas that make everybody happy, I will be able to have a successful engineering career. Throughout my future I will always be more conscious of the current news and what my world looks like. This scholars program made me a more well-rounded person as it showed me a new side to things I didn’t know. And the most important thing: Once a media scholar, always a media scholar!