James Klamo

Professor Martin
CIS 110
8 December 2014
Portfolio: Reflective Essay
Coming into this class, I had no idea on what it would be like. It turned out that this class
has been very helpful in a few ways. This class helped me in exploring other cultures. Through
the portraying culture project, I was able to learn about many different cultures. I also learned
very important communication and speaking skills in this class. This class has been very
beneficial to me because it has helped me become a better communicator and it helped me learn
about cultures that I was unfamiliar with.
This class has been very helpful in learning about other cultures that I had no past
experience with. Through my research and interviews, I learned a great deal about college
professors. Coming into college, I was a little intimidated by my professors at first. I was not
sure what to expect from them or their classes; however, after being in college for a few months
and completing my project, I am no longer intimidated by my professors. The portraying culture
project also helped me see artifacts that portrayed my culture. I was able to conclude that the
media and pop culture give college professors a bad name, and people should not judge college
professors if they dont have any past experience with them.
The project and the class have also allowed me to learn about other cultures other than
the one I researched for my project. By listening to my classmates presentations, I was able to
learn about many different cultures around the world. These cultures varied from religions like
Islam and Southern Baptist, to cultures of other countries such as Columbia and Iran. Listening

to their projects made me realize that there are many different kinds of cultures, and no matter
what, we should respect other peoples beliefs even if they are different from our own. While this
class and project helped me look into many different cultures, it helped me become a better
communicator as well.
I learned many different communication skills during this class. Through the many
different presentations, I became a better public speaker. My presentation skills were lacking at
the beginning of the course, but I now have more confidence in speaking in front of a class
because of all of the practice we got. My interviewing skills also were able to develop. My
interviews with my professors taught me how to properly carry out formal interviews. This class
taught me many every day communication skills that will help me later in life. I learned that nonverbal communication could many times be more important than verbal communication. My
communication skills have greatly improved because of the skills I learned from this course.
This class has been very helpful to me because it has helped me become a better
communicator and it helped me learn about cultures that I was unfamiliar with. It helped me
explore many cultures that I had no experience with in the past. My communication skills are
much better now than what they were before I took this course. I plan to take theses skills I have
learned and use them to my advantage in the future. Communication never stops, and the
communication skills I learned through this course will help me succeed in the future.