To whomever may be reading this,

I hope you are well. I appreciate you taking the time out of your life to read what I have made.

My name is Javanee McFarlane. As of this writing, I am a freshman in undergraduate chemistry who just completed my first semester at The City College of New York. This portfolio is a collection of my major works throughout my Bridges to Success course. Although this course replaced another course I originally chose, I don’t regret how things turned out. I believed that this course would be more of a history course considering it filled the credit spot on Degree Works, and with the name US Experience, you would assume something along those lines. But was I correct? Yes, but not in the way I assumed. I quickly learned that this course’s purpose is to introduce incoming students to CCNY and its history while preparing them for the future. 

Throughout my time in this course, I compiled multiple pieces of work, including my Sixth Demand Research Project, Demand PSA, Elevator Pitch, Personal Statement, the Bridges to Success writing assignment, and multiple group projects/presentations.

My personal favorite was my Sixth Demand Research Project. It allowed me to research something meaningful. It allowed me to take a closer look at the college, seeing past its good looks and looking into its flaws. It wasn’t an easy task. My research question was: “To what extent does the current campus security at City College of New York (CCNY) effectively protect students?” During my time here, I noticed a serious lack of security around the open campus. Like, it’s laughably easy to enter the NAC building, and it’s the main building everyone goes to. So I set off to collect the opinions of other students through a survey. Making the survey and handing it out was the trickiest part. Distributing the survey allowed me to work on my salesman tactics, even though it was awkward asking some people. But I got through it. It was a valuable experience in life that I needed and will continue to build on. As my first big project in college, I was pleased with the outcome. I encourage you to read it first to learn about my findings.

My least favorite assignment was the Elevator Pitch. It was not the first time I’ve had to write one, but it was the first time I had to record it. I’ve never used any kind of recording app before. I ended up recording myself using my phone, so the quality wasn’t so great. But it was done. Throughout this challenge, I learned how to use editing apps, something I never imagined I would be doing. Writing the Elevator Pitch made my Personal Statement a breeze because I incorporated and elaborated on some of the things in my Elevator Pitch. These assignments were specifically more difficult to write because I struggled to write pieces of work about myself. However, after doing these, I gained a better understanding of myself and now am more confident in my capabilities.

Finally, my most beneficial assignment was my LinkedIn account. I like that I have it on standby until I’m ready to use it. It’s a great thing to start my college life with as I can connect with people along the way.

Overall, after reflecting on everything I’ve done this semester, I’d say that this course has met my expectations and that I’ve transcended my expectations. I stepped out of my comfort zone due to this course, and I’m glad that I did. I met a lot of new people and learned many new skills. I can confidently say that I’m prepared for what comes next.

And on that note, I’d like to personally welcome you to my portfolio.

Hope you enjoy it,
Javanee McFarlane