Research Reflection

Marina Moussa

I wrote this research paper in my sophomore year for Pre-AP English 10. The

assignment was pretty open ended and we were allowed to write about anything that

interested us. My research paper ended up being about the persecution of Christians in Egypt.

I chose this topic because my family is from Egypt and I had heard a lot about how the

Christian community was badly treated by the Islamic terrorists within the country. There

was a lot of small-scale attacks on churches that interested me because it affected my family

and the people that I identified with. I chose this research paper to be a part of my portfolio

because it dives deep into something that I truly care about. Sometimes it's upsetting to know

that where I come from, life isn't always easy, but this paper allowed me to become more

educated about the hard aspects of life in the country my family is from. I chose this essay

also because it allowed me to open my eyes to see that life isn't always as easy in other

countries as it is in America. I became more aware that there are other countries that are

suffering and it made me more thankful of what I had here.

The research process for this particular paper really grew me as a student. I grew a lot

because I began starting to have to research subjects that weren't necessarily easy to learn

about. it was hard to see that the country that I love that was a big part of who I was had such

a big problem such as terrorism and religious persecution. However, I grew as a student

because I was continually diligent in my research regardless of how hard it was to learn about

some of these details. I grew as a student because no matter the obstacle, I pressed on in order

to successfully complete my assignment.Because of this experience, my future education will

be affected because I will be able to have the same determination and diligence in any

assignment that I complete. As I continue studying and pursuing my educational dreams, this
experience will have laid the foundation it will allow me to work hard even when things get a

little tough.The aspect of the research process that I gained most confidence in with my

ability to draw information from multiple sources. I no longer based my opinions on a couple

of sources that possibly had bias in it but I was becoming capable of finding multiple sources

that supported my argument and increase my credibility.

The main reason I chose this artifact was because how much it meant to me. Being a

Coptic Orthodox Christian in America has always been easy because we have freedom of

religion and are allowed to worship the way we please. However, I was moved when I saw

that that wasn't the case everywhere and that the country where my family live how to deal

with things like terrorism and persecution. They had to deal with the fear of bombings while

they were praying at church. This artifact is a documentation of my curiosity to learn more

about this problem. An important lesson I learned from all this research was to always be

thankful for what I had. I am fortunate to live in a country where I have rights that I can

exercise. So when I learned more about countries with that not share that same luxury, I

realize that I need to change my attitude into be more conscious of how fortunate and blessed

I am. That is why this information is practical in my life; everyday, I was given another

chance to be reminded of good things that I have in my life and to live life to the fullest

because of that gift.

During this research process I became more aware of the world around me. I was no

longer confined into a utopian View have the rest of the world but I saw things for how they

truly were. As I stated before this really affected my attitude towards everything that I had in

my life. And it also made me have empathy for those who didn't share the same luxuries.

Gained a new social perspective because of this research assignment because I finally

understood that not all men are good and sometimes bad things happen in the world.
However, there will always be strong people who will fight back and who look to God for

support in the midst of tribulation. That is the way I wanted to live my life and because I saw

how persecuted men and women were continuing to be strong, I was inspired to do the same.

This artifact really meant a lot to me and is a reflection of one of the most important

parts of me. This research assignment taught me to be diligent in my studies. It also taught

me to be thankful for what I had and to be aware of my surroundings. My eyes were open to

the world around me and that knowledge was priceless.