How Has Gisella Influenced Me
Academically and professionally my former boss, Gisella, has been the most influential mentor in my life. Gisella was once a professor at my junior college but I knew her as the director of the East Los Angeles College Writing Center. I was hired as a writing tutor and Gisella was my main boss. What I admired most about Gisella, was her intelligence and her empathy. Her knowledge of literature and her ability to think critically, always inspired me to push my intellectual abilities. As a student, I knew I had good insight. However, Gisella was always able to help me gain a deeper understanding within texts. Another aspect that Gisella held, was her ability to empathize with others. I have seen her assist students with learning disabilities,
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I had never considered myself to be much of a professional, because I do not like to take things too seriously. Gisella would often point out that my clothes were not professional because my shorts or dress were too short. I was even warned that if I wore unprofessional attire, I would be sent home. In retrospect, I did not want to dress in a sophisticated matter because I wanted to represent my true authentic self. Unfortunately, during a tutoring session a male student seemed to be very distracted by my shorts and my unshaved legs. I took notice of this, and realized the way I portrayed myself was a way to set the tone for a tutoring session. If I went into a tutoring session looking too casual, a student might interpret that as me not caring about my job; as a result, the student might not care about the tutoring session. I also learned the importance of recognizing other people’s biases, while respecting their thoughts and opinions. I realize that leg hair can be shocking to people who hold traditional perceptions of gender, especially femininity. I decided not to wear short shorts to work anymore, because it caused distractions during my tutoring sessions. I decided to make a compromise between expressing myself and being a professional, and began wearing capris to
I had never considered myself to be much of a professional, because I do not like to take things too seriously. Gisella would often point out that my clothes were not professional because my shorts or dress were too short. I was even warned that if I wore unprofessional attire, I would be sent home. In retrospect, I did not want to dress in a sophisticated matter because I wanted to represent my true authentic self. Unfortunately, during a tutoring session a male student seemed to be very distracted by my shorts and my unshaved legs. I took notice of this, and realized the way I portrayed myself was a way to set the tone for a tutoring session. If I went into a tutoring session looking too casual, a student might interpret that as me not caring about my job; as a result, the student might not care about the tutoring session. I also learned the importance of recognizing other people’s biases, while respecting their thoughts and opinions. I realize that leg hair can be shocking to people who hold traditional perceptions of gender, especially femininity. I decided not to wear short shorts to work anymore, because it caused distractions during my tutoring sessions. I decided to make a compromise between expressing myself and being a professional, and began wearing capris to