Hi! My name is Sorymar De Leon. I am a senior in high school and an early college student through City College. This portfolio shows my progress in English Composition.

Being in this English composition class has helped me become a better writer. In the beginning, sometimes I would stress because I was not sure about how to properly organize my ideas or explain what I had to say. At times I would understand the topics, but had difficulties with putting information together in a clear way. As the semester kept Going, I got so much better at planning my writing and understanding how to structure essays.

A challenge I had to face this semester was organizing my ideas. Sometimes I knew what I wanted to write about. I just didn’t know how to start writing it or how to connect everything together. What helped me a lot was using outlines and revising my drafts.Breaking assignments into smaller sections made the whole writing process feel less stressful and was useful for staying organized.

The Learning Analysis Essay was an assignment that helped me grow because as I was writing it made me reflect on my own learning and also made me think more deeply about my experiences. The Annotated Bibliography also helped me improve because it taught me how to read sources carefully and find useful  information to support my ideas. It made it super  easier when it was time to work on my research.

The Research-Informed Essay shows a lot about my growth this semester. It challenged me to combine research, analysis, and organization into one essay. Writing this essay helped me understand how to support my ideas with evidence and it taught me the importance of revision. Going back and editing helped me make my writing more clearer and stronger.

I feel like the Multimodal Translation project helped me in a whole different way because it showed me that  communication is not only through essays. Visuals helped me to think about presenting my  ideas in a way that connects with my audience.

Overall, I think I’ve grown a lot as a writer this semester. I feel way  more confident now organizing my ideas, when I do research, and improving my writing by revising it. There are still some things that I have to  improve on, but I can see the progress I made. This portfolio shows the work I completed this semester and my development  as a writer.

Learning Through Mistakes And Actions.

How I There are many different ways that someone can learn. Some people learn through readings or just by listening. Personally, I learn the most through reflection since it allows me to think back on life experiences. This exposes me to different points of view in situations and allows me to think back on my mistakes in order to build resilience. I feel like challenges are what makes me grow and help me understand myself because it allows me to think about my actions. In my life what makes me learn the most is reflecting on my mistakes and turning difficult moments into lessons.

One time I had to learn through reflecting on my mistakes was when I disrespected my uncle. There once was a time  when I disrespected my uncle during an argument because I let my emotions take control over me. In the end, looking back, I hurt my favorite uncle, damaged our relationship, and I regretted my behavior. This moment taught me how important it is to be respectful, have emotional control, and think before speaking or acting. Since that situation, I’ve tried to communicate calmly with my family and handle conflict in a more mature way. The impact that this experience has in my life is that I think before reacting and I try to stay calm.

Another experience I learned through was struggling in one of my classes. The outcome was that I felt really frustrated, asked everyone for help, and started developing  better study habits. At first, I was feeling a little down because I was not really understanding the material and it was obvious because my grades weren’t that good. This taught me a lot about perseverance, having discipline, and even the value of asking people around you for help. Now I take my assignments more seriously, I have way better time planning, and I do not give up on things that might feel overwhelming. Through this experience I became more responsible as a student and it made me realize that struggles make me grow.

I’ve also learned important lessons through personal disappointment. Another example of how I learned was through a heartbreak and personal disappointment. This forced me to focus a lot more on myself. The outcome was emotional pain but most importantly, a period of self-reflection and growth. This heartbreak taught me self-worth and independence by understanding how important protecting my peace is. I now prioritize my goals, self-improvement, and protect my emotional health all by focusing on the important things like school. Going through this experience helped a lot to understand that hard emotions teach valuable lessons.

In the end, all of these experiences help me realize that I learn when life challenges me. I’ve learned that I am resilient when it comes down to things like challenges, whether that be personal or educational. I am reflective when it comes down to my actions involving disagreements. When I turn difficult moments into lessons, they help me grow into a better person. All of this proves that people can learn through many ways, not just by reading or listening. 

Artifacts

• Learning Vignettes
• outline

Reflection week 6-Rhetorical Situation of LA

For this learning analysis essay my purpose was to reflect on a real life experience explain how this situation shaped me. My audience was my professor, so I tried to keep things as clear and thoughtful as possible. The context was academic but still personal so I had to balance both.I believe I achieved my goals because I explained my experiences and what I learned from them. However I could’ve made my essay stronger I had included more details in some parts to strengthen the analysis. This assignment helped me better understand how to reflect on personal experiences while organizing my ideas clearly for an academic audience.

Annotated Bibliography 

How to Build Wealth in 9 Steps | Guardian. (2025). Guardianlife.com; GuardianLife.
https://www.guardianlife.com/investments/how-to-build-wealth
Summary: This source explains some primary methods on how to build wealth over time
by using long term financial planning. It discusses strategies like saving money, how to manage debts, setting financial goals etc. This article highlights that building wealth is a process that occurs in small stages over a long period of time, rather than suddenly which requires being informed when making decisions and a lot of discipline.
Connection: This information is useful for my research of business because it teaches me how people finally become stable and grow finances through financial strategies and consistent habits.
Luther, D. (2022, July 14). Law of Supply and Demand Defined. Oracle NetSuite.
https://www.netsuite.com/portal/resource/articles/erp/law-of-supply-demand.shtml
Summary: This‌ source explains how the law of supply and demand is the theory that price are determined by the relationship between supply and demand. This describes how the changes in supply and consumer demand influence the cost of goods. This source is reliable because it was published by a known business and financial software company that provides. Professional information about financial principles. It also talks about how the relationship sometimes changes due to market conditions and consumer behavior.
Connection: This is a useful site for my research because it helps me understand that
economic factors impact financial decisions and opportunities.

3The golden rules of investing. (2022, August 1). FCA.
https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/golden-rules-investing
Summary: This source explains the rules people should follow when making investments. It discusses that if you can’t afford to invest yet don’t do it, planning and understanding investments, diversifying etc. This source is useful for me because it helps understand what factors influence people’s decisions on whether they want to make investments, yes or no. This is a reliable source because it belongs to a financial organization and it provides trusted guidance about investments. This article strongly highlights that making investments without knowledge or stability is just gonna lead people to losses.
Connection: This source is useful for me because it helps understand what factors influence people’s decisions on whether they want to make investments and how to make financial decisions.

Corley, T. (2026, March 3). The Rich Don’t Get Lucky — They Follow These 20
Habits. Entrepreneur.
https://www.entrepreneur.com/growing-a-business/the-rich-dont-get-lucky-they-follo
w-these-20-habits/502636
Summary: This source explains that people become wealthy and successful by staying consistent with their habits instead of expecting luck. It talks about some behaviors like setting clear goals, maintaining your discipline, continuously learning new things, and managing your time the right way. The source also highlights the importance of persistence, building
relationships, and making informed financial decisions. Connection: This source is going to be really useful for my research because it strengthens the idea that financial success comes from good habits and a smart mindset, which helps explain how people build wealth and succeed in business and maintain it over time.
rich. (2021, July 27). ELAvate Global. ELAvate Global .
https://www.elavateglobal.com/ezines/https/growacornscom/habits-millionaires-have-
in-common
Summary: In this source, Tom Corley talks about the results he got from a study that took him 5 years of 233 millionaires to find habits that helped these people build wealth. He reported that people who are successful commonly accumulate wealth steadily over time, they prioritize learning, enjoy the things they do, maintain physical wellness, manage their finances,
and plan ahead. Corley also mentioned that millionaires save and invest a portion of their
incomes, surround themselves with growth mindsets.
Connection: This is a supportive source for my research because it spots specific daily habits and durable practices that lead to financial success, which helped me understand some useful behaviors of wealth building in business contexts. 
One article I plan to use in my research discusses important issues connected to my topic and provides evidence that supports my argument. In my annotations, I included the main argument of the source, important evidence, and how the article connects to my research question.

Artifacts

• Research notes
• Feedback and revision

Reflection 7: Annotating Research 

Annotating helps me a lot because it forces me to read the text more carefully and think critically about the source instead of just summarizing it. Annotating has also helped me organize my research and. understand which information would be most useful in my essay.

Personal savings & Market Equilibrium

In today’s world, understanding how money grows is really important if you want to be financially successful. People nowadays usually struggle with money. When having money problems, people would automatically assume it’s because one might not have opportunities but it’s really due to the lack of knowledge and understanding one has about how the economy works like for example supply and demand, investing, saving, etc. People these days struggle financially and it is not just because they don’t  have chances to make money. It is also because they don’t know much about money. A lot of people never learn about things like budgeting, investing and saving. The economy has changed a lot. This is because of inflation and the cost of living. There is also some doubtfulness about the economy. Back then a lot of people in America had jobs that they knew would always be there and they had pensions to fall back on but things are different now. Now, people have to take care of their money and make plans for when they retire. This means that being financially educated is super important to understand the economy and for people’s lives. Financial education is more important now than it has ever been before because people have to make their financial decisions. The economy and financial literacy go hand in hand. They also do not understand how supply and demand works. Financial education is something that many individuals are missing. People today need to know about things, like budgeting and investing to get by. This should make us wonder about today’s economy and how people can actually make good investment decisions and become financially successful. This paper focuses on long-term financial success, economic choices, and the role of supply and demand. It argues that building wealth requires smart budgeting, responsible investments, and a strong understanding of how the economy works. It also explains how financial capability, risk management, and economic conditions all play a role in financial success.

At the end of the day, people don’t just easily become financially successful. Financial success doesn’t just happen without any actual planning . Financial success is something people build over time by making smart decisions and actually understanding what they’re doing with their money. Financial success takes time to build. It needs discipline, planning and making money choices.If someone doesn’t understand how money works and spends more than what they make, it’s way easier for them to make mistakes that slow them down financially. That’s why learning about money, investing, and the economy is so important today. Building wealth requires discipline, planning and making financial decisions.

Building wealth takes  a bunch of planning, discipline, budgeting, and saving. According to Guardian Life, some important steps include investing, saving money, and managing debt (Guardian Life, 2023). The way we manage our money really determines how successful we’re going to be financially. This shows that financial stability isn’t based on luck, but on making smart and consistent decisions over time. This shows that financial stability is not based on luck, but on making smart decisions over time. 

For example, if someone actually who consistently follows a budget is generally more prepared for emergencies and future financial opportunities.This connects to financial capability, which is basically someone’s ability to understand and use financial knowledge in real life.  People who get management are more likely to make smart money choices.They can keep their finances stable, for a time. Financial management helps them make decisions and leads them to term financial stability. This shows that having discipline with money really does make a difference in the long run. Another important part of this is cash flow, which is just how money comes in and goes out. If someone understands their income and expenses, they can control their spending better and actually plan ahead. This helps them avoid stress and also gives them more chances to grow their money. Saving consistently can also help build an emergency fund, which is really important when unexpected things happen. Emergency savings are really helpful in times like when you lose your job, big medical bills or any financial struggles. Having savings means you won’t have to rely on debt much and you can get back on your feet fast. Budgeting isn’t about cutting back on things you want, it’s about making a plan to help you succeed.

While saving preserves wealth, investing grows it. However, the path to growth is paved with risk, and navigating this requires a high degree of financial capability. According to the Golden Rules of Investing, you should only invest money you can afford to lose .This advice is important because financial markets can sometimes be very unpredictable and change quickly, you never know what will happen. If you make investment decisions with your money you can lose a lot of it. This can be a problem with your financial markets investments since poor investment decisions can result in losses in the financial markets.This is important because it helps you grow your money while also protecting yourself from serious financial damage. Understanding risk is a big part of investing, and it helps people make smarter decisions.Risk tolerance basically means how much risk someone is okay with taking. Some people are more comfortable taking risks, while others prefer to play it safe. People who understand investing better are more likely to make smart choices, like spreading their money across different investments instead of putting everything in one place. People who understand financial markets are more likely to diversify their investments rather than placing all of their money into just one asset. If you invest your money in different things instead of just one, you’re less likely to lose everything at once. Diversification is really a thing because it helps a lot with financial risk when you have different investments. The money you lose on one investment can be made up for by the money you gain on another investment and that’s why diversification is so important and helps to balance things out. Leading more into the smart choices, when it comes to taking such a big risk with your money, you’ll need to have some sort of strategy in place that doesn’t let you just jump into the, for example, investment because this isn’t about feeling brave but more so having a strategic move that plays in your favor later on. 

Another key factor in investing is that you have to remind yourself, investing isn’t something that always works fast. A lot of people think they’re going to make money quickly, but that’s not always how it works. Markets go up and down, and people who panic usually make worse decisions. The people who do better are the ones who stay patient and think long-term because they don’t make decisions based on emotions when the market changes. Instead, they focus on growing their money, not looking for profits. Long-term investors want growth over time.This is mainly also due to the power of compound interest. Compound interest is the process where the money you earn on investing starts earning its own money. Over time, this creates a “snowball effect” where your wealth grows exponentially rather than just adding up in a straight line. By remaining patient and keeping money invested for long periods, you allow this cycle to compound, which is far more effective for building wealth than trying to time the market for quick, risky gains.

Supply and demand are economic principles that affect prices and investment  opportunities. According to Investopedia, prices go up when demand is high and supply is low. The supply of things and the demand for them have a big impact on businesses, people who buy things, and people who invest their money. This is because supply and demand directly affect how much things cost. The prices of goods and services in our economy are always changing because of supply and demand.This principle is vital for investors to understand, as it helps identify undervalued assets or expanding industries. This is important because it shows how the economy affects financial decisions. Things like the government, trends, technology, and income levels are all factors that can all impact supply and demand. For example, demand can increase because more people want something, or because of trends or population growth. When that happens, prices usually go up, and that can create opportunities for investors.This shows that financial success isn’t just about personal decisions, but also about what’s happening in the economy. Markets are always changing, and that’s why it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on. This inherent instability is why “paying attention” is a full-time requirement for serious wealth building. However, simply observing price changes isn’t enough, one must understand the underlying mechanics of Supply and Demand to predict where the market might move next. If someone understands how supply and demand works, they can make better decisions about when to invest, save, or spend.

If a product is in high demand, some people might invest in it to take advantage of higher prices, but the real key to making “smarter moves” isn’t just seeing that demand is high, but also trying to understand why it is high and how long it will last. This then involves having to analyze the Consumer Opinions or better known as Market Trends. When thinking, is the demand temporary? or is it a fundamental shift in the economy? It causes one to dig deeper into the causes of demand such as population growth or even changes in consumer habits. Investors can better distinguish between when the prices are high but not supported by real value and when there’s a legitimate growth opportunity. So understanding the economy helps people make smarter moves with their money. 

Financial knowledge is good for both people and society. When people know how to budget and save and invest their money they make choices about money which helps the economy. People who know about money do not get into much debt, They can also help their communities or Create jobs. Financial knowledge can even help people who do not have a lot of money because it teaches them how to manage their money. Financial education can also help reduce poverty by giving individuals the knowledge necessary to improve their financial situations. 

In conclusion, financial success depends on knowledge, planning, and understanding how the economy works. If you want to build wealth, you need discipline, smart choices, and good investments. Understanding supply and demand also helps people make better financial decisions in today’s economy. This paper showed that people who understand money, manage risk, and pay attention to the economy are more likely to be successful financially. Financial growth isn’t about luck, it’s about knowing what you’re doing and making smart decisions over time. Financial growth is not based on luck, it is based on education, patience, and responsible decision making. At the end of the day, people need to take control of their finances while also paying attention to what’s happening around them. When you combine budgeting, investing, and understanding the economy, you give yourself a much better chance of being successful long-term.

References

FCA. (2026, January 19). The Golden Rules of investing. FCA. https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/golden-rules-investing

Insurance and benefits with a purpose. Guardian. (2023.). https://www.guardianlife.com/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Law of supply and demand in economics: How it works. (2010, May 19). https://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/law-of-supply-demand.asp

Reflection 6: Rhetorical situation of research informed essay 

For my learning analysis essay my purpose was to reflect on my experiences and explain how they shaped me. My audience was my professor, so I tried to be as clear and thoughtful as I could. The context was academic but still personal, so I had to balance both. I think I met my goals because I explained my experiences and what I learned from them, but I could have added more detail in some parts to make it stronger.

Artifacts:

• Annotated Bibliography
• Reverse Outline
• Draft essay
• Class notes

Reflection 6: Rhetorical situation of research informed essay 

For my learning analysis essay my purpose was to reflect on my experiences and explain how they shaped me. My audience was my professor, so I tried to be as clear and thoughtful as I could. The context was academic but still personal, so I had to balance both. I think I met my goals because I explained my experiences and what I learned from them, but I could have added more detail in some parts to make it stronger.

Reflection 15: Uses Of Information 

My research essay and my multimodal project are connected because they talk about the same topic their just presented in different ways. In my essay I tried to explained everything in a formal way, while in my multimodal project I made it easier to understand. This shows that I can take the same information and adjust it for different audiences.

Artifacts

• Slides
• Research informed essay
• images

Reflection 4: writing process 

Something that has been helpful to my writing process is revision and feedback. Revising my work helped me notice when my argument sounds unclear and improve the flow of my writing. Ive also noticed that f organizing my ideas before writing made the assignment way easier to complete. Something confusing at times is developing stronger details and making my writing sound more academic. I plan to acquire the knowledge by continuing practicing descriptive writing and reviewing examples from class.

Reflection week 6 Rhetorical Situation of LA

For this learning analysis essay my purpose was to reflect on a real life experience explain how this situation shaped me. My audience was my professor, so I tried to keep things as clear and thoughtful as possible. The context was academic but still personal so I had to balance both.I believe I achieved my goals because I explained my experiences and what I learned from them. However I could’ve made my essay stronger I had included more details in some parts to strengthen the analysis. This assignment helped me better understand how to reflect on personal experiences while organizing my ideas clearly for an academic audience.

Reflection 7: Annotating Research 

Annotating helps me a lot because it forces me to read the text more carefully and think critically about the source instead of just summarizing it. Annotating has also helped me organize my research and. understand which information would be most useful in my essay.

Reflection 8: one learning objective 

A learning objective was improving my organization and research skills. I learned that planning and outlining ideas before writing helps create a more clear and better essay. This skill developed throughout the semester because I tried to focus on organizing information and connecting ideas together.

Reflection 9: Research Sources 

For my research topic , I used different types of sources like articles and websites. Using sources helped support my ideas about financial success and economic factors. Each source gave me different information, like how investing works or how supply and demand affects prices. Using multiple sources made my essay stronger because I wasn’t just using one perspective.

Reflection 10: Integrating Theory 

The main ideas related to my topic are economic concepts like supply and demand, investing, and financial decision making. These ideas connect to my research because they explain how wealth is built and how to actually make money decisions. Understanding these concepts helped me explain my topic better and made my argument stronger.

Reflection 11/12: Rhet Sit Of Research informed Essay

For my learning analysis essay my purpose was to reflect on my experiences and explain how they shaped me. My audience was my professor, so I tried to be as clear and thoughtful as I could. The context was academic but still personal, so I had to balance both. I think I met my goals because I explained my experiences and what I learned from them, but I could have added more detail in some parts to make it stronger.

Reflection 13: Argument Evolution

As I continued researching for my essay , my argument became more clear and focused. At first it was more general, but after doing more research I was able to make stronger points about budgeting, investing, and supply and demand. My ideas developed because I had more evidence and a better understanding of my topic.

Reflection 15: Uses Of Information 

My research essay and my multimodal project are connected because they talk about the same topic they’re just presented in different ways. In my essay I tried to explained everything in a formal way, while in my multimodal project I made it easier to understand. This shows that I can take the same information and adjust it for different audiences.

Reflection 16: Your Writing Growth

The most useful thing I learned this semester was how to improve writing through revision and feedback. At first, I didn’t focus too much on revising, but now I understand how important it is. I’m becoming a better writer because I explain my ideas better, organize my work more clearly, and feel more confident in my writing overall.