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prof read the article pls and give me example / ide for the…
prof read the article pls and give me example / ide for the questionaire
Lessons Learned
by Vera Oleynikova
By age 30, I had an unfinished degree in English cultural studies, finger knuckle
tattoos and no résumé. I had no discernible skill set yet had somehow managed to
convince a local theatre company that I was the right person to handle props for a
coming production. [1]
Impressed by my sheer gumption and can-do attitude (or else, unable to find any
qualified person willing to work for so little pay), they invited me back. That one
props gig led to more, and eventually other theatre companies began reaching out
to me as well. Props requests turned into: “Hey, we need someone to do sets …” or,
“Can you do costumes?” “Sure!” I said, having not the slightest clue how to do any
of those things. [2]
For the first time in my life, people were offering to pay me money to do
something other than the most menial tasks, and I figured it would probably be a
good idea to be at least a little bit qualified at that thing I was being paid to do.
Besides, everyone I worked with had a theatre degree, and this gig was something I
could picture myself doing for a long time which is why, at the ripe age of 31, I
made the hard and scary decision to go back to school and get a degree in theatre
production and design. [3]
Being in school in your 30s means you are old enough to know what you want
and how to go after it. The work itself is relatively easy after having to navigate life
as an adult, and your professors make great intellectual sparring partners. Also,
they’re usually nice people who like their jobs. [4]
However, being in school in your 30s can be depressing, too, because – let’s
face it – you are in school in your 30s. In some classes, I was being taught by
people roughly my own age but with a decade of experience in the industry. I could
have been them if I had made better life choices! Instead, here I am, learning how
to hang a stage light for the first time with people who graduated high school last
year. [5]
While I certainly wasn’t going to try to integrate socially by acting like a 19-year-
old, the truth is, most of my classmates seem pretty cool. It’s nice to be surrounded
by people who plan on contributing to society. There is nothing nicer than meeting a
20-year-old who is bright and talented, but also confident and self-assured in ways I
didn’t yet know how to be when I was their age. [6]
However, the truth is that most of us don’t just emerge fully formed. It takes
years to become “yourself”. My first shot at university was defined as much by
mental illness as by a persistent feeling of, “What am I doing here?” The future was
one big scary unknown, marred by the lingering suspicion that I actually wasn’t cut
out for any sort of employment. My depression clouded my brain like a heavy haze.
I’d think to myself, “Is this really who I am?” [7]
It wasn’t until my late 20s, when I started taking antidepressants, that I began to
know my true self, who is as smart and funny and competent as anyone. To be
sick for a long time and then to feel well again is a magical thing. You feel brand
new and capable of anything. You marvel at your own capacity to do things that for
a long time were unavailable to you because of your illness. [8]
Since COVID-19 hit, I know the faculty at my school have worked hard to adapt
our experiential, studio-based curriculum to something that could be delivered
largely online. It feels like a setback, but years of setbacks have made me nothing if
not resilient. I remain optimistic. There is deep satisfaction in knowing that I am
working toward bettering myself; that once I graduate, I will have an
accomplishment that nothing and no one can take away from me. [9
Rewrite these sentences so that they are expressed in your own words.
Consider vocabulary, sentence structure and context. Do not change the original
meaning.
1. “I could have been them if I had made better life choices!” (paragraph 5)
2. “It’s nice to be surrounded by people who plan on contributing to society.”
(paragraph 6)
3. “There is deep satisfaction in knowing that I am working toward bettering
myself …” (paragraph 9)
Consider the ideas presented in the essay when you answer the questions found
below. If you refer directly to the ideas in the essay when you answer, you
must use your own words (i.e. paraphrase). Do not provide word-for-word
copies of phrases or sentences from the essay, even with quotation marks, in
your responses. Respond to each of the questions in accordance to what you
have understood from the essay. Do not offer personal opinions or personalized
explanations unless asked. Write all answers in complete sentences.
1. According to the reading, why was having teachers close to her age
depressing for the author? Remember to use your own words.
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2. Explain the author’s experience with mental health issues in 2 to 3
sentences. Remember to use your own words when developing your
answer.
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3. What is the main idea of the reading? Provide a 1-sentence answer.
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