While reflecting back to how and why I chose my topic, I realized I don't know. I kind of just chose the first topic that popped into my mind. I thought about changing my topic in the beginning but I couldn't think of anything to do it about and I didn't really think about the fact I'll be working on this topic for months so I should have chosen something that I wouldn't grow tired of. If I could choose a research topic all over again then I would change my topic because if I would be working on something for a long period of time and putting in all my effort into it then, it should be something that interest and benefits myself.
One challenge I encountered during my research was I lost interest in my topic. It was hard for me to focus because it didn't interest me at all, Another challenge was finding reliable sources to use as evidence for my research paper. I feel like after moving past this, I've become a better researcher especially with knowing if a source is reliable or not. I'm not only proud with one source, I'm proud with all of them. It took time and effort to find those reliable sources so I'm not just proud of a specific one. As a writer, a challenge was staying on focus and making sure that all evidence agreed with my thesis. One area I'm most proud of in my paper is the first body paragraph because it was my strongest source. An area I'd like to work on is coming up with assertions. Just basically summarizing what the paragraph is about in one sentence.
What I gained out of this project is becoming a better researcher and a writer. A goal I have for myself for the next to years is just to put in all effort for all my work and doing the best that I can do. Knowing that I'll be involved with the portfolio defense project again, some advice I'd give myself is to choose a topic that benefits and interests me, Also to manage my time and not do everything at the last minute.
