Wicked Problems has been a very eye opening class for me. I have thoroughly enjoyed discussing the problems we face as a society. To be honest, I have lived in a very sheltered area. I come from a wealthier family and some of the problems, like poverty, I have had no idea how they really worked. It has been very interesting to say the least to learn about such topics. One of my favorite wicked problems we have discussed in class has been over poverty. It was difficult to hear about the challenges some families and/ or people faced, because you would never think people could live that way. It has opened my eyes to so much, and it has  inclined me to help others more often. I have also come to enjoy the time we spend in class to meditate or have quiet time. I have never been one to do this before, and with everything going on in the world now, it really helps keep me calm most days. I have also started this as part of my daily routine. I begin my day with fifteen minutes of quiet time, and then I pray. I have never been one to do this, but it has helped me grow and develop as a person since beginning the first couple of weeks of school. Another topic that has been on my mind since taking this class is my imprint on our Earth. Again, this problem has been mentioned to me before, but I have never thought deeper about the issue. I have now started taking better care of the environment around me. Seeing how quickly we have industrialized our forests and wildlife has really shocked me. I never knew how bad we were hurting our world before really reading the articles in class or watching “The 11th Hour”.  I believe we can change our ways if we really wanted to, but so many people, like me, are/ were uneducated on the subject at hand and truly have no idea how bad we are hurting the Earth. If we all collectively came together to help alleviate the harm we have put on our environment, we can hopefully fix the issue. Another problem along the way could potentially be how we try to “fix” what we have created. There is potential to harm the environment more by trying to reverse the effects from this so quickly. One of the main causes of our environment’s decline is due to deforestation. It’s prevalent in the Amazon and in other parts of the world. Deforestation is the clearing of trees and wildlife in the area to build or industrialize a specific area. Where I am from, most of the area around me is still rural. However, if I were to drive ten minutes, I would be in a heavily industrialized area. What interests me is how my town has put laws in place to keep our town rural. It’s important to the people in Argyle to remain small and to preserve our way of life and the traditions revolving around our school. Our town carries itself on our small town-homey feel and close-knit community. Coming from a big school before moving to Argyle, I really flourished in a small town. I feel like there is a need to have smaller towns and rural areas. It is nice to have everything so close, but heavily industrialized areas like Dallas can be overwhelming and many people end up homeless in these areas. Even throughout Texas, many major cities, like Houston, there are so many people living on the side of the highway or seen begging for money and food. It has always hurt my heart to see others struggle like that. But as I have learned through this class, it is sometimes hard to break the vicious cycle of poverty and to put yourself out in the world. There are even differences between the issues those living in poverty face in rural areas, and in urban areas. The issue of those living in urban areas are overpopulation, overcrowding, and pollution. Those in rural areas have problems directed more towards lack of resources and opportunity. Most of the time those in rural areas migrate towards the city when they do not have any other options. This causes an even bigger problem and adds to the pollution, overcrowding, and overpopulation. Another topic we discussed that interests me is the rules and regulations behind sustainable living. My major is interior design and sustainable design is something I will be seeing a lot of in my future. I think it is important now to start building set rules and regulations that are all the same for sustainability. After reading one of the articles given to us, I took away that not all set rules are the same for sustainable building. I think having the government put laws in place would help keep a consistent basis on sustainability. I know it is becoming more common to build in those set ways, and contractors have specific steps to follow to insure that what they have built or remodeled is in fact sustainable. For instance, my dad remodels homes for a living. He has always discussed the different challenges he faces with me so that when I do enter the field I have some knowledge and sense of what to do. In the past couple of years, he has started getting into commercial construction. Sustainable building is sometimes difficult to follow but in the end both parties benefit from it. Since I was a little, I have always gone with my dad to visit his job sights and I have always had a passion for interior design and remodeling home. I hope to finish out my major and to also minor in marketing or construction management and to work alongside my dad. I like to think I have a good eye for design and I hope to one day help others feel comfortable and at home in the spaces I design in for them. This class has really helped me evolve my ways of thinking and made me understand the bigger problems we face outside of our bubble we live in. I hope to be part of the solution one day.