A Semester of Growth

Skills in Motion.

Looking back on my experience in IS101 - 3003 - 3005 Spring 2026, I can say that this course became much more than simply learning how to use technology. I enjoyed learning the features of Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as how to apply them in realistic and professional situations. However, I must admit that excel took the most of me ha-ha, but I feel confident about it now. I also had fun challenging myself and improving my creativity, confidence, and discipline throughout the semester.

Professor Wu also set a standard for the kind of teacher I would like to have from now on. He demonstrated patience, a genuine willingness to guide his students, and the ability to provide critical feedback that encouraged us to improve in everything we did. Instead of simply grading assignments, he pushed students to think deeper, pay attention to details, and develop real-world skills that can be applied outside the classroom.

As for my classmates, I truly enjoyed sharing this experience with them. Although I connected more closely with some classmates than others, it was still interesting to hear about their passions, hobbies, goals, and perspectives throughout the semester. Overall, they were a very nice group of classmates.

For Chapter 6.5.1, Slide Master, I found it interesting how one tool can completely improve the organization and consistency of a presentation. Slide Master allows users to apply the same formatting, fonts, colors, logos, and layouts to every slide (template) at once instead of editing slides individually. I believe this is extremely important in professional environments because consistency creates a more polished and organized presentation. It also saves a significant amount of time, especially when working with large presentations or making updates later. In summary, Slide Master centralizes the design process and improves efficiency.

Also, I want to share that it was actually a fun experience to create my first slide presentation before really learning PowerPoint in depth. Now that I have passed my PowerPoint exam, I realize how much I have learned and how many ways I can improve that original presentation. Looking back at it, I can clearly see the difference in my skills, especially in design, structure, and overall presentation quality. It’s rewarding to see how much more confident and capable I feel now compared to when I first started.

Outside this course, I know these skills will continue to help me in many areas related to finance, business, and real estate. Excel can help me organize budgets, track expenses, compare property values, calculate profits, and analyze market trends. PowerPoint can help me create professional presentations for clients, business proposals, or real estate listings. Understanding topics like URLs and social engineering is also extremely important when handling online financial transactions, communicating with clients, and protecting sensitive information from scams or phishing attempts.

Something else this course taught me is that progress is not always immediately visible. Many people only see the final result of an assignment or project, but they do not see the hours of practice, mistakes, revisions, and effort behind it. Throughout the semester, I noticed myself becoming faster and more confident when completing assignments, which showed me that consistency truly leads to improvement over time.

Something that I would want the readers is to notice that I am someone who values growth, creativity, perseverance, and continuous learning. Learning is a process where someone builds abilities, confidence, and experiences that stay with you long after the semester ends. As I move on from this chapter, I will continue sharing parts of my journey when it feels right, even if it is not consistent or predictable. Growth doesn’t always follow a schedule. As Nelson Mandela once said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”