Team First Gear

I think that Team First Gear has worked together extremely well over the past few months, building off of one another's talents to create a strong group. We have discussed that one of the most difficult aspects has been execution of our ideas. We worked on our team for a long time making sure that all of our bases were covered, including peer reviews, delegation and good communication. 

Each of Team First Gear's members offer a unique but cohesive aspect to our team. Jenny is incredibly good at technology and organization: blogs, websites, and the video were all done well and efficient. Ian is a really good group member in the sense that I can tell he cares that everyone has their say and he often builds conversations through what he learns by listening to all of us. He was also the very first person to reach out to anyone about cars so I see him as a proactive person as well. Jessica is a great member due to her focus on the team- aspect of this challenge. She insisted on outlining goals, expectations and tasks for our group and this has kept us on track as we work to accomplish our goal. Jessica is also well spoken and persuasive; talk to her for a few minutes and you will probably end the conversation by donating your car. Kyle is a good member because he was the first person to put us into contact, making our group text message.

Overall each member has many strengths but utilizes the ones that are most needed in our group. I don't doubt that all 4 of my group members could perform well in public speaking or organization etc but I think that we have all found that through collaboration of our skill sets, we have become a very strong team. I believe this because I know that we all respect one anthers work and care more about the success of BLF and Goodwill's partnership than we do our own personal gain. Through this, however, I have seen all of my team members grow their leadership and team skills. 

Getting to know Joe :)

On Wednesday I attended The MCGC event “Breaking the Color Barrier: Interracial Relationships”. Joe is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha a chapter within the Multicultural Greek Council and therefore not only attended the event but also sat on the panel board for this discussion. The event was incredibly interesting because it focused on the difficulties of dating someone that came from a different background or culture. Joe, among others, shared that he was learning new religions, foods, etc through this new relationship. Although this event was supposed to be about dating, I definitely think it should be interpreted as the importance of just getting to know someone new. It was discussed that there is this fear of approaching someone because you might not know what you have in common or know what you would talk about.

Joe and I had dinner at Panera this week and although I wasn’t exactly nervous, I was curious what exactly we would talk about. Besides BLF, we were both a part of Greek life and had younger sisters but our conversation wasn’t limited at all by our differences. We talked about his religious explorations, tattoos, our time in high school and aspects of college we are experiencing.

It was a really fun and interesting dinner and I am thankful that we got the push to break some of the walls as we continue getting to know one another.

Stressing

I often feel overwhelmed by school and the other events in my life and for me the best way to deal with stress - or at least the first step - is making a To Do list. After I have outlined the important things that must get done I am able to relax a little and get started on the list.
One of the problems with my To Do lists is that they continue to grow rather than shrinking. When I need a break I usually have two go-to activities, first retail therapy and second hanging out with my roommates. Being able to hang out with my friends and unload my stress by simply talking and watching tv allows me to relax and remember to slow down.
I think that college and intense classes can make it easy to get swept up in planning every minute and the negative part of this is that collage is also meant to have random moments and times where nothing is planned. These moments will make collage just as memorable as all of the events on my calendar.

Leadership

Video Blog- Leadership at the Ohio State University

Response to the Goodwill Challenge

My initial response to the Goodwill challenge was shock, and the curiosity of how we would manage to collect a substantial number of cars in 10 weeks. I feel that although this challenge is still extremely daunting, I am excited to begin working with my group. One thing I am particularly curious about is how the different groups will vary in their methods, because to me it seems there are not many places/ people in Columbus ready to donate a car.
My strengths will help in this challenge because I am able to keep focus on the goal, and will hopefully keep my fellow teammates working together cohesively. Also, being an achiever and discipline I feel that I will be able to help delegate jobs that need to be done and I will be able to complete these tasks in a timely manner. One strength that worries me slightly is my individualization. I often prefer to work alone, or in a situation where I can delegate. I am excited for the opportunity to work with peers in an intense group setting. I feel that this is something that I must be able to accommodate. I hope to improve my teamwork through this process. Building the skill set that allows me to function successfully in a team is one of the most important aspects of any career, especially in business and entrepreneurship. Being in the health field, very few of my classes require group work, despite the fact that it will be very important when in practice. I am looking forward to improving this aspect of myself through the Goodwill Challenge. I also feel that my communication skills will be improved in the process through team communication and communication with the donors and Goodwill.

Summer 2012

Summer 2012

I spent my summer vacation at home in Kansas. I work seasonally for an Optometrist and was lucky enough to be working almost full time for this doctor throughout summer. I enjoy working for this Optometrist, as well as shadowing her, because it helps me learn about my future career, in hands-on experiences working with patients. Learning from a successful business owner is always exciting, however, my favorite shadowing experience from this summer was standing in on a day of Lasik surgery. Although my summer was majority work it was helpful for me to continue learning from doctors in my respective field. The more I learn, shadow, and am surrounded by Optometry; I am even more excited to continue the career path that I am on.