Communication
Communication is a large part of my life, as it is for all of us. I pride myself on my ability to understand and communicate ideas and stories to others. In several instances as a leader in different organizations, I took it upon myself to ensure that everyone was heard and their ideas were shared. As an example, as a member of a professional student organization, I take the time to communicate with each member individually when we are working on a project. This helps each person feel like their opinion matters to the group as a whole, and it also makes for a better final product.
Critical Problem Solving
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Critical problem solving is a vital attribute for any employee or team member, and I try to hone my problem-solving abilities as much as possible. I enjoy the challenge of a difficult problem, and I see solutions through to completion. As an employee for a business that relied on client satisfaction for growth, my task was to communicate with the customer and ensure that their needs were being met by our contractors. Juggling different individuals and limitations was stressful at times, but I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Collaboration
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Collaboration is one of my favorite things about problem solving. I love connecting with others and approaching a given situation from many unique perspectives. When I am struggling with a project, I will often step back and have someone whose opinion I trust, usually a peer or colleague, take a look at it and offer some advice. I have found that they almost always have something valuable and unique to offer. I cherish the opinions of others and lean on them to complete any task effectively.
Culture
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Culture is something of a hobby of mine. Specifically, I am interested in the often overlooked microcultures of different communities. During a trip to Mexico, I was struck by some of the stark distinctions between different local communities, and since then I have been interested in this topic among Americans. It took seeing the phenomenon through the lens of an outsider for me to realize how prevalent it was in my own culture. I drove across the country, solo, in the summer of 2019 to observe and enjoy the abundant microcultures of the American West. I left looking for what made Americans different, but I came back with a stronger sense of what made Americans united.
Competencies
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My competencies include writing, interviewing, audio/visual recording and audio/visual editing. To me, all of these skills fall under the umbrella of storytelling. As I became more interested in telling stories, I knew that I would need to develop the technical skills necessary to do so effectively. The first story I attempted to tell semiprofessionally was my great uncle's. He was an Air Force pilot in Vietnam. The project was arduous, but it taught me how much there was to learn about videography, audio recording and interview skills. I came away with a firm grasp of working in video editing software and the technical aspects of an interview.