Reflection:

EES Outcome and Artifact: The essential employability skill demonstrated in this artifact is personal skills. I have selected a compilation of photos demonstrating my significant weight loss through surgery, lifestyle changes and nutrition over the span of a year. I have lost just under 100 pounds in the last year. This experience required me to reflect on my past, my habits, decisions, and, most importantly, what led me to weigh 300 pounds. I had to analyze what got me to that point, where I went wrong and how I was going to fix it and prevent it from ever happening again, not only for myself but for my family.  Through analyzing the source of my issues, I was able to collaborate with my healthcare team to come up with a game plan on how to get myself healthy again. This involved dozens of appointments with specialists, surgery, special vitamin and dietary requirements, a commitment to lifestyle and diet changes, therapy, and so much more. This life experience allowed me to truly analyze what I wanted and needed, and how to achieve them with the support and collaboration of those around me.

Self Assessment: I would assess my Personal Skills as Exemplary. I believe I have developed an astounding level of self-awareness throughout my weight-loss process and lifestyle transformation. I was able to ask myself the hard questions, be honest with myself, and take daily steps to improve my life and health.  While showing up for myself, I also took steps to find support when I needed it and knew I couldn't do it alone. As a result, I now have a significantly better relationship with food and physical activity, and I have built relationships with those around me that support the changes I have made for my health and to ensure my long-term success.

The Artifact- Successes and Challenges: One of my greatest successes in this process was finding and recognizing my incredible strength, determination, and self-awareness, which proved highly valuable to the process. It made the entire process possible. One of the most important steps is what I found most challenging: learning to take accountability for my own actions, no matter how shameful. I didn't gain weight overnight. It took a series of small decisions over time to get me to that point. I was able to overcome this by shifting my mindset; rather than shaming myself, I took the opportunity to learn from my experience and set myself up for long-term success. I had to understand those decisions and seek support and guidance from my healthcare team on how to change my mindset and daily choices to build a better life for myself.

New Learning: This transformation has taught me that everyday decisions, such as going for a walk or cooking at home rather than ordering takeout, can have lasting effects on my long-term health. The transformation involved a lot of relearning and learning new ways to better care for myself through daily habits. One particularly important insight I learned along the way is that it's not a matter of changing my life all at once; it’s a matter of swapping one daily decision for a better, healthier daily decision. For example, going on a walk during my break rather than sitting on my phone scrolling social media. This significantly facilitated the transformation by breaking things down into small, manageable decisions.

Future Impact: This transformation helped me gain a better understanding of my health, not only physically but mentally. By seeking support from my healthcare team, I was able to access tools that will help me in the future not only to care for myself but also for those around me. The transformation has also given me insight into aspects of myself that are true strengths: my strength and determination to get things done when I set my mind to something. Those are skills I carry with me across many aspects of my life, including academic and professional settings.