Reflection

What did you enjoy about this project?

My favorite part was being able to interview Jeff Bryan and Lynn Westfall. They were so generous with their time, and were more than happy to assist me with this project. I could not have asked for two better people to work with.

What surprised you about this project?

I was surprised by the amount of work that I had to put in to make this project the product I wanted it to be. Initially, I thought it would be an easy assignment, but soon realized that in order to produce something I was proud of, a lot of effort needed to be exerted.

What was the most challenging aspect of the project, and how did you manage it?

Definitely the hardest aspect of this challenge was the rollercoaster of information I had to manage. At one point, I came across an article from The Trinitonian  (Trinitonian, April 1, 1989 -Page 20) that described a betting scandal involving the Trinity football team, which rivaled the death penalty scandal from SMU. Obviously, I was thrilled to see this, because it was gold material for my project. However, I later realized the article was from an April Fool's edition of the newspaper and was not something I could use in my paper. This was a big let down for me, but I was able to recover and move on.

If you could start over, what would you do differently?

I would probably have chosen something involving the tennis team. Trinity has so much rich history with tennis success and incredible players that have passed through the school. I also do not know much about the sport itself, so I think it would have been interesting to perform some research on the subject. 

What did you learn about history and/or the historical process through this project?

I discovered that NOT ALL HISTORY IS TRUE HISTORY. History can be what people want it to be. I learned not to trust every source I look into and thoroughly make sure that the article, journal, or paper is valid and the information is legitimate. I realized that history can be something that people can easily change. When recording documents, it would be simple for people to adjust the truth and create a false reality.

What did you learn through this project that can be applied to life outside the classroom?

Through Jeff Bryan and Lynn Westfall, I learned that who you surround yourself with in college is just as important as the material you learn in the classroom. The connections and friendships you make will have a lasting impact on the rest of your life.