That one thing….

One thing that stood out for me throughout the Amal journey is a growth mindset and being a lifelong learner. Before joining Amal Academy, I never gave a thought to what kind of learner I was. I never questioned things like why I experienced things the way that I do and never analyzed my life experiences and how they have shaped me as an individual. The courses and project work that Amal assigned to me made me take a step back and realize how I have grown in recent years. A quote that I find I can relate my experiences too, is a quote by John Dewey. He states, “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”

I found through my experiences in Amal online sessions and interacting with fellows that the real lessons are not learned in the classrooms but in fact, is a part of my day to day life. It was through this that I was able to really discover what I have been able to learn as an individual, and how I apply those lessons to my life today. Through this Amal, I have found that I am an experiential learner, and to be on a road that deepens the values of experiences as a learner, I can’t thank Amal enough for walking me through this amazing journey of self-discovery. The vast portion of my learning comes from experiencing things at the moment, and lessons that I can take away from these events, and through Amal academy, I have realized how important it is to maintain a growth mindset to become a lifelong learner.

So far, my favorite learning experience was when I got the opportunity to talk about my strength stories and listen to other inspiring and empowering stories of fellows. This was a valuable experience for me because I felt like I was learning from other’s experiences as well. Sharing my story with the class definitely boosted my confidence in speaking. The presentation also made me more open to others and appreciative of the contributions they have made.