Interview Narrative: Coming of Age
As a prerequisite to understanding coming of age in a post-secondary institution, I interviewed Natalia. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and now works at UC Davis as a postdoctoral researcher. She studied at Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology for a total of 5 ⅕ years, before moving to the United States. We decided to discuss Natalia’s experience in attending a postsecondary institution at a small, cozy local coffee shop. Natalia revealed her fears, hardships, important lessons, and effects of and about college, and how this contributed to her coming of age. The interview began with a couple of background questions (which were not scripted). Natalia answered shortly and simply, …show more content…
”I became more confident in myself. I learned that I can do anything I put my mind to. That I can overcome difficulties and learn from them” she explained. When Natalia started university, she was insecure, but by the end, she became more confident and began to believe in herself. This exemplifies how she came of age and matured over the years. Towards the end of the interview, I inquired about the one thing in university that still affects Natalia today, because it would probably be a major realization to the coming of age. Her answer intrigued me - “University taught me how to live independently. I also understood that, without effort, you can’t reach much in life at all. Everywhere you have to put in effort unless someone promotes you. Without that, you are on your own.” This quote demonstrates that you have to try your hardest so you can to achieve something in life; no one is going to set up your life for you. Overall, this interview helped me in the understanding of coming of age. I learned about the fears, hardships, important lessons, and effects of college. College isn't easy, and is a learning experience. You just have to never give up, and work through all your
As a prerequisite to understanding coming of age in a post-secondary institution, I interviewed Natalia. She graduated with a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering and now works at UC Davis as a postdoctoral researcher. She studied at Moscow Institute of Fine Chemical Technology for a total of 5 ⅕ years, before moving to the United States. We decided to discuss Natalia’s experience in attending a postsecondary institution at a small, cozy local coffee shop. Natalia revealed her fears, hardships, important lessons, and effects of and about college, and how this contributed to her coming of age. The interview began with a couple of background questions (which were not scripted). Natalia answered shortly and simply, …show more content…
”I became more confident in myself. I learned that I can do anything I put my mind to. That I can overcome difficulties and learn from them” she explained. When Natalia started university, she was insecure, but by the end, she became more confident and began to believe in herself. This exemplifies how she came of age and matured over the years. Towards the end of the interview, I inquired about the one thing in university that still affects Natalia today, because it would probably be a major realization to the coming of age. Her answer intrigued me - “University taught me how to live independently. I also understood that, without effort, you can’t reach much in life at all. Everywhere you have to put in effort unless someone promotes you. Without that, you are on your own.” This quote demonstrates that you have to try your hardest so you can to achieve something in life; no one is going to set up your life for you. Overall, this interview helped me in the understanding of coming of age. I learned about the fears, hardships, important lessons, and effects of college. College isn't easy, and is a learning experience. You just have to never give up, and work through all your