During the fall semester of my sophomore year of college, I enrolled in Sociology 2013 Honors. I had to write an autoethnography for this class which required me to examine the master statuses in my life such as race, gender, sexuality, and class and determine the factors that shaped them and consequently shaped me into who I am today. I am a deep thinker and an overthinker which has likely helped me develop the ability to critically think. This competency is one which aided me in my completion of this assignment and also one that this assignment helped me to further grow in and strengthen. Before this paper was assigned to me, I had no idea what an autoethnography even was. Now, I am so glad I wrote one. This piece was powerful. Working on it caused me to ponder on and dissect things I never have before. It was difficult at first to find a deeper meaning in things that are so ordinary and black and white in our lives. Having to do so definitely opened my eyes to how even the smallest things can completely alter the course of our lives.

My autoethongraphy is my favorite piece I’ve written to this day. It tested my critical thinking, which is a career competency I believe I already have acquired through my experiences and have further developed while completing my autoethnography. Critical thinking is a crucial skill that is needed in and out of the workplace. I could not have accomplished what this assignment intended for me to accomplish without it. Examining race, gender, sexuality, and class on such a deep, intricate level was eye-opening to say the least. Factors such as our families and environments have an affect on how we view our own master statuses as well as the master statuses of others. This assignment forced me to critically think about the labels that I have had since I was born and what they truly mean. I broke down all the pieces of my life from the experiences I’ve had to the people I’ve associated with and how they have formed my views of myself, others, and how we are connected. This autoethnography made me take labels that I have had my whole life and never thought much of and think critically about them. I learned so much about myself and how easily our views of ourselves and others can be influenced by the world around us. In my autoethnography I chose to focus on the master statuses I have the most personal experience and knowledge of. My writing served the purpose of addressing the contradicting, destructive, and unrealistic ideals placed upon women by society. The structure of this particular society puts expectations on everything and everyone. This is rooted in a stigma that developed centuries ago and has evolved to fit into current times.

A goal I am currently working towards is to one day pursue a career as a physician assistant in the field of neurology. I am currently looking for opportunities that would allow me to further expand my knowledge on the psychological and medical aspects of the mind and how they can affect each other. Neurology focuses more on the anatomical and physical health of the brain rather than emotions and mental health, however, as a psychology major pursuing a degree in the medical field, my interest lies in both those areas and how they intertwine. The autoethography covers the psychological aspects of who we are and how we developed and continue to develop into who we are. This is of great interest to me and my future because I would like to further study and discover how mental health affects overall health and vice versa. I have attached my autoethnography above. If you feel so inclined, please read through it to get a fuller understanding of what this assignment taught me and how it helped me grow in the competency of critical thinking.