The task of defining citizenship is an difficult endeavor which takes much thought and careful examination in order to make sense of what constitutes the ideals of citizenship. Coming into NCLC140, I never gave much thought to what citizenship is and what it means to me. My first inclinations were that citizenship was related to politics and practicing the rule of law. From the experiences of NCLC140 I can confidently say that my views of citizenship have changed for the better to include a broader vision than just the politically involved law-abiding citizen. Citizenship is, at its least, the individual’s practice of civic engagement in the forms of political participation, critiquing government, instituting change through democratic process while abiding by the rule of law, contributing to society as an economically efficient/skilled worker, building the local/national community through means of financial donation and/or active participation, being environmentally conscious, and recognizing the valuable cost of freedom while exercising in civic engagement with a global vision incorporating the voice of the youth.

Before NCLC 140, I never really took a moment of my time to recognize what citizenship means to me. I chose combine aspects of citizenship from scholars of citizenship such as Thomas Hobbes, Benjamin Barber, John Locke, John Smith, Robert Bellah, W. Wagner & J.E. Owen, David Orr, Martin Luther King Jr., and Cornel West. Even in the ideal definition of citizenship I have outlined, I feel that I personally fall short of many of the requirements of my own definition. I believe I have only just begun to delve into the thought process of citizenship and what it takes to grapple with the difficulty of putting myself in a position of representing my views, beliefs, values, morals along with those of my fellow members of society in order to compose a personal definition of citizenship. As far as my own dreams and visions, I know that I want to be a productive member of society and give myself to those who are in need and have often been forgotten by mainstream. I also want to correct influence and perception of the media to accurately represent what is happening at the local domestic, broad national, and collective international arenas. More than anything, I want to represent the unheard voices of the world who are either conveniently forgotten or drowned out by the views of the majority. In all of these endeavors I must carry diligence and humility in order to develop a well spoken and clear approach to representing those who, for one reason or another, cannot speak for themselves. I am still young and have much to learn.