One of my biggest areas of growth I believe in my writing has been how I use my sources to support my message. While comparing my older writing to my chosen work sample, I can clearly see a shift in how I selected, integrated, and explained quotations. In my earlier works, I tended to just insert short quotes into my writing, and often didn’t fully explain them, or integrate them. I tended to just drop my quote in without it really relating to my essay, and did not end up fully introducing it clearly, or even explaining how it supported my point. It was more like as if I was putting the quote into my sentence because to me, it sounded good, but it did not deepen my argument. By the time I was finished writing Project 2, my approach has changed drastically. I was able to start thinking for critically about why I was even choosing the quotes I would put into my work and how it would connect to my message to the reader. For example, I wrote “Kelly puts in his own perspective many times, and expressed “The net is now vastly wider than me, wider than I can imagine, so in this way, while I am in it, it makes me bigger too. I feel amputated when I am away from it” (Kelly 5).” With this quote, I used it to support the point from a larger aspect. I did not choose it just because it sounded good, but because it directly supported my point about how digital connections influence our sense of identity. I also made sure to introduce the speaker, provided context before the quote, and followed it up with analysis of the quote to make sure the reader understood why I used it, and how meaningful it is. This shift proves how much I was able to improve my ability to engage with my sources thoughtfully. I did not see quotations as something to just put into my essay but am now able to use it as a tool to support and build upon my ideas with. I am now aiming to integrate my sources into conversation within my writing and making sure that each of my quotes can fit the flow of my paragraphs. Because of this, it has helped make my writing more clear, persuasive, and concise.