Description for Letter of Introduction:
From the initial draft to the final product my writing for the Letter of Introduction changed by having a very detailed explanation on the topic I was discussing. In my draft I wrote very broadly about all the questions I had to answer, I didn’t go into detail about anything. However, in the final product I made sure to elaborate on the answers I had for every question. I also included my opinion when answering one of the questions because I felt very strongly about it and wanted to express that in my writing. I navigated this assignment by creating a quick outline which was each question being a paragraph. I forced myself to organize the essay like this and to make the outline early so I wouldn’t be able to procrastinate writing the essay and turning it in late. The overall Letter of Introduction was not really difficult for me to write. The only hardship I had was the first question which was asking, ‘What makes me a social scientist?’ When I am being asked questions about myself I struggle to answer it because I really have to think about qualities I have that pertains to it. But besides this, creating an outline then a draft helped me make the final product. Therefore, I was able to push myself to finish the essay on time. The easiest question I had to answer was, ‘What social issues or current events do I care about?’ The reason as to why it was easy was because I was already interested in the social issue which was about police brutality. Even though I had evidence to support what I was saying I believe the majority of the answer was based on my opinion. Like I said earlier when I feel passionate about an issue I like to state my opinion and why I feel that way. I think this also deepened my response on the question and the audience had a better understanding of my perspective.

February 1, 2020
Aquilah Jourdain
Professor
City College of New York
Shepard Hall S-276

Dear Professor Jourdain,

My name is Kayla Griffith and some qualities I have that makes me a social scientist is the amount of research I do on a topic. I like to find an excessive amount of evidence to support my claim and then back that evidence up with a lot of reasoning, this provides the audience with a better understanding of what I’m talking about. I also observe and analyze any situation that is at hand so I can gain knowledge, this makes it easier for me to know how I can be of help. Me, being a very logical person in situations helps me apply reasonable solutions for a problem. Communication, working with others, and managing people are some key qualities I have that I believe also makes me a social scientist. For example having communication skills allows me to listen to others and respond to them respectfully and having an open mind. Furthermore these qualities are shown in the MLK reading when it discusses the job of a social scientist and the impact they make on peoples lives.

The social issue I care about the most is police brutality. A study found that 1 in 1000 men and boys can expect to die as a result of police violence over the course of their lives. That is 2.5 times higher than their white peers. The highest cause of death is assault. I believe that police officers are using a ridiculous amount of force when arresting someone especially when it concerns a black person. They will even go to the extent of using extreme measures which in many cases is a weapon (a gun). The aftermath of most of these situations is the death of a young adult or a teenager. Two cases I personally will never get over is Trayvon Martin’s death and Eric Darner’s death. Police officers should not be able to have the right to take away a life especially when the men they deal with are innocent and unarmed. What is very infuriating is the fact that the police officers goes to court but the charges are sooner or later dropped. Another social issue I strongly care about is school and church shootings. I believe that it should not be easy to buy a gun. Many innocent lives have been lost because of this. It also should not be easy to get in a school with a gun. I noticed most of the people who are armed with the guns are Caucasian. This is another case where because the person is white they are not facing heavy consequences. I recall a few years back, after the police officers caught the school shooter (Dylann Roof) they calmly arrested and bought him Burger King.

Regarding the way people act, I am most curious about the behavior of the person in public and in private. Basically the difference of the behavior in different environments. I would like to know what makes them want to change the way they act. Does the people around them influence them to behave differently? For instance a person being an introvert at home, meaning not really socializing with the family. However when the person is outside they are extroverts, meaning they are very outgoing and talkative. Does this person feel more like themselves when they are at home or outside? Which environment makes them uncomfortable to express themselves in? In addition to this I am curious as to how a person can communicate differently with many people. For example communicating with your friends differently compared to how you will speak to your mother or father. What is the reason for this? Another thing I am curious about regarding people is the way they live. I want to know why some people live simplistic lives while others don’t. As well as why some people are materialistic and how being materialistic hinder a person’s peace and happiness?

Softball and reading are hobbies that I feel helps me better understand people. When I am on the field for softball I have to be able to trust people, have good communication skills, be a good team player, and observe the opposing team to see what their strengths and weaknesses are. Reading and/or reading different genres is a way of gaining a sufficient amount of knowledge on something, in addition to expanding my imagination and vocabulary. Reading is a way of seeing things in a different perspective alongside feeling emotions from a character I connected to.

• Sincerely Kayla Griffith