Monday 2/17 : I modified my draft for the OW project and added more information to my proposal. I also asked my mentor for times to meet
Tuesday 2/18: I began working on my mentor assessment Wednesday 2/19: I gathered more resources for my original work Thursday 2/20: I wrote down my questions for my mentor meeting and also added research to my OW. Friday 2/21: I prepared for my mentor meeting, and it went really well. We finalized a structure for the board game and discussed next steps. I also submitted my mentor assessment based on this recent meeting. Monday 2/24: I had many work shifts this week so I was very organized with school work to prevent backlog. I did some more research for OW as guided by my mentor. Tuesday 2/25: We did an interesting activity in ISM today, and I reflected upon it. I also checked out some books from the library for my OW. Wednesday 2/26: I began working on my evidence of learning and continued working on OW as well. Thursday 2/27: I added more research to my OW proposal during class and after school Friday 2/28: I completed my evidence of learning assignment and also began creating a structure for my OW board game. Reflections: I was very productive these past two weeks and I am really happy about that. Specifically last week in ISM was truly a wake up call for me as I went back to reading books. I have always been interested in non-fiction books but for some reason because of school and a little lack of motivation I stopped reading for a long time. Last week when Mr. Pirtle told us about AJ’s book, I was very inspired to restart reading so I ambitiously checked out 5 books from the library and I have enjoyed reading this weekend. I also got a lot of research done for my original work project and I will continue to add more for my upcoming mentor meeting. Goals: I am very motivated on my Original Work project especially after reading my mentor’s evaluation. My mentor is very empowering and she inspires me to work hard so I have set goals for myself to continue to progress. I need to talk with school counselors, get feedback from other LPCs, add more research to my OW regarding the three mental disorders and also update my OW proposal. This week I hope to finalize some research for my OW so that I can start creating the layout for the board game during spring break.
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Monday 2/3 : I finished my weekly blog and reviewed my goals for the week. I also reviewed my questions list for my mentor and updated it with more deeper level questions regarding OW
Tuesday 2/4: I reviewed all the worksheets shared by my mentor Wednesday 2/5: I began reflecting on my mentor meetings and took notes for the upcoming mentor assessment. Thursday 2/6: I started writing my mentor assessment due for Friday. Friday 2/6: I wrote my mentor assessment based on my reflections and turned it in on time. Monday 2/10: I started working on my OW proposal and updated my calendar to reflect changes from last week. Tuesday 2/11: I reviewed some of my questions with my mentor regarding OW. Wednesday 2/12: I took extensive notes on the worksheets, games and research papers shared by my mentor. Thursday 2/13: I reviewed my OW ideas with Mr. Pirtle and incorporated the feedback in my proposal. Friday 2/14: I finalized my OW proposal, got feedback from my mentor and submitted the assignment. Reflections: So far, I have been very productive regarding progress on my OW, so I am proud of myself for that. I was initially a little disappointed that due to circumstances I wasn’t able to meet my mentor for a while, but I took a step back, reanalyze the situation and realized that I should make the best of this by finding resources on my own and taking extensive notes and asking questions. I realized that this is the Independent part of ISM, so I took this opportunity and made the best of it. I am eager to discuss this with my mentor in our upcoming meeting. I am also very fascinated overall by everything I have been learning about Counseling through the work I am doing for OW. I am constantly learning new things about Depression, Anxiety and PTSD and also learning innovative counseling methods. I still hope to continue doing this research and learning more. Goals: I have become better overall in productivity and I am able to keep up with most of my goals. I hope to continue this trend. Specifically regarding ISM, I hope to try and be less last minute because I want to try to make the best of every assignment. I want to reflect more on all the assignments and make it more meaningful for myself, so I am going to strive to do that here on. I was quite disappointed this week in Statistics because I actually worked quite hard and studied for my quizzes and test but I still didn’t perform well. I am a little discouraged by that, but I hope to review my assessments and figure out where I am lagging so that I can set goals accordingly. Otherwise, I have been doing really good in all my classes, so that still gives me some self-satisfaction. Monday 1/20 : I reflected on my meeting with my mentor and wrote down some notes. I also recently attended an informational session on domestic violence in CHETNA and the information was so interesting. I asked many questions and learnt a lot about DV.
Tuesday 1/21: I reached out to the faculty at CHETNA and communicated my availability for volunteering. Wednesday 1/22: I brainstormed ideas for my OW and discussed it with my mentor Thursday 1/23: I reviewed ideas for my OW. Friday 1/24: I submitted my evidence of learning assignment based on some articles and research papers that my mentor had sent me. Monday 1/27: I prepared my slides and chose a topic for my topic of choice presentation. I also did research on articles for my OW. Tuesday 1/28: I gave my presentation today in ISM about senioritis and I implemented some of the tips I learnt on how to overcome senioritis. I also gained valuable feedback from my audience. Wednesday 1/29: I created a folder for my original work and looked over the documents that my mentor shared with me. Thursday 1/30: I wrote down some notes from my previous mentor meetings to help me on my upcoming mentor assessment. I also wrote down my questions for my phone interview with a LPC and took notes while I was on the call. Friday 1/31: I completed and updated my mentor bio, reviewed it with my mentor and submitted it. Reflections: I am pretty proud of myself for being quite productive, at least I can say I am making progress. Just last week, I presented my topic of choice presentation about senioritis and I am so glad I did that because I was able to share my experience with incoming seniors and also offer tips on ways to overcome it. And a lot of the tips that I researched really seemed to work for me as well, so I am glad I did that research. Additionally, I am also happy that I am keeping up with my original work planning. I have created a folder, shared it with my mentor, updated my calendar and done some research. Additionally, I am also happy that I was finally able to reach out to the professional I met at winter showcase and ask her about her experience as a LPC. She gave me such amazing advice and information and I am so glad that I was able to secure such an amazing contact in the winter showcase. I hope to still continue conducting interviews and talking with professionals so that I can get a better idea of my career and this information also impacts the college I choose. Overall, these past two weeks have been memorable and I am truly happy. Goals: My mentor and I have been brainstorming for OW, and we have many ideas in mind. As of now, my mentor has shared tons of resources with me and I hope to read through them, take notes and ask discussion questions. I will also do research using mackinvia and other credible websites to gather articles. Additionally, I will continue meeting my mentor every week and also try to add some visits to CHETNA to seek an internship opportunity and learning experience. Regarding other classes, I hope to continue to do good, and I need to work on improving my statistics grade. I will study hard for the test and attend tutorials as well to keep my average high. Monday 1/6 : I reflected on my mentor meeting with Ms. Bhavika Parmar. I consolidated my notes and reviewed them
Tuesday 1/7: I reviewed the mentor docs and informed Mr. Pirtle that I have found my mentor. I sent an email introducing her to the program and updated all necessary docs. Wednesday 1/8: I brainstormed ideas for my winter showcase centerpiece Thursday 1/9: I made a google doc with a rough outline on how my board will be set up Friday 1/10: I prepared for my mentor meeting. I also made extensive notes on the articles that my mentor sent me, and I shared the notes and questions with her. Monday 1/13: I reviewed all the docs in the mentor meeting, shared invitation and details about winter showcase. We also discussed my questions from the article and set up a plan for original work and next meetings. Tuesday 1/14: I made some final adjustments to my board. I organized everything, and finished the center piece, I was very satisfied with it. Wednesday 1/15: This was the day of the winter showcase. I had people at my table all the time and I got no breaks, but it was so exciting and worthwhile I didn’t see time go by. I met another professional and established connection. I also felt really nice talking to younger students and encouraging them to take ISM and consider career choices. Thursday 1/16: I reflected on winter showcase and also finally cleaned my room. Friday 1/17: I discussed with Mr. Pirtle on how amazing winter showcase was, and I worked on some scholarships. Reflections: I had great plans for winter break. I was supposed to be productive everyday, but that didn’t happen. But the one day that I was productive, was the day that I set up an interview with a LPC-Intern. I woke up one morning with so much guilt, that I went on LinkedIN and Psychology Today and emailed about 15 professionals requesting for an interview, and the one that responded to me is my mentor today. This made me realize that if being productive that one day of break yielded such amazing results, I wonder what being productive every day must feel like. This motivated me to stay on top of my game, and I am glad to say that so far I have been pretty good on productivity. I haven’t mastered it, but I am making progress. I value the progress I make everyday, and I try my best to go to bed without guilt. I guess that’s my new year resolution. And I am also proud to say that my sincere efforts have gotten my so far in ISM especially reflecting on winter showcase. It was truly one of the best experiences as I learnt so much even talking to younger kids, and I am so glad to be a part of this program. I also made a valuable contact with another LPC and I hope to get more insight on Counseling Psychology from her. Many people were impressed with my board, especially my mentor and I am so thankful for that. Goals: I hope I can continue my productivity, but I also realize that I shouldn’t be too hard on myself; everyone has their days of unproductiveness, it's what they do after that that makes the difference, so I want to make sure that I don’t have continuous days of unproductivity. I also want to excel in statistics this semester. The last semester was definitely not my best, and I know that I have more potential to do better, so I really want to try my best. Regarding ISM, I hope to document my mentorship experience and have meetings every week to gain knowledge and insight. I am so glad that my mentor introduced me to CHETNA and I am hoping to secure an internship and gain hands-on experience with DV clients. Monday 12/4 : I made some phone calls to professionals in Frisco Counseling
Tuesday 12/5: I read a little of the book Dr. Lockett recommended to me. Wednesday 12/6: I made some follow up phone calls to other professionals Thursday 12/7: I read some articles and wrote my research assessment. I also brainstormed ideas for my original work proposal and submitted that. Friday 12/6: I reviewed and submitted my research assessment Monday 12/9: I prepped for my presentation, gave it in class and received some great feedback from peers and Mr. Pirtle. I made some careless mistakes like forgetting my professional dress but like all mistakes, this was a learning experience too and I'll be sure not to repeat it. Tuesday 12/10: I reviewed some of my research assessments and interview assessments and proofread it to make sure it's ready to be put in my research portfolio. Wednesday 12/11: I took some notes in class on ideas for ways to improve my presentation. Thursday 12/12: I reflected on how to respond to some professional emails and reviewed it with Mr. Pirtle. I went around all day to different stores trying my best to get my invitations printed, and I was so grateful to finally get it done at Walgreens. Friday 12/13: I gained some more ideas to improve my presentation by watching my peers. I also got some ideas for my winter showcase board and my research portfolio. Reflections: Thanksgiving break was truly a learning experience and a great relaxation for me. I had many deep thoughts over break and I got to reflect a lot on my progress in general these past years of high school. After the break, I immediately got back to making calls and following up. I was a bit disappointed that I was very close to getting a mentor but it didn't work out. Nevertheless, with Mr. Pirtle's encouraging words and some thought, I tried my best to be persistent and I have been trying to stay smiling through all of it. I continued making calls and trying my best to secure a mentor. Last Thursday was also a hectic day because I spent a lot of time trying to get my invitations. First there were technical issues with the invitation itself, then I couldn't find a store that would get it to me the day of. Standing in Walmart, hopeless and scared I thought of all the other options and finally Walgreens came to mind. I went there and I was so grateful that I was one step closer to holding my invitations. Then, there were technical issues again because my invitation got cropped. I didn't give up, and tried to think outside the box. I quickly opened my photo collage app and cropped it to the desired size without cutting parts of my invitation. Then finally after preserving all evening, I held my invitations, warm straight from the printer. The staff was so nice to give me free envelopes and I drove home with joy and pride. I take pride in my quick critical thinking and not giving up at any time. Goals: I am really going to work extremely hard this break. Thanksgiving break was more relaxing and less productive which is fine because I really needed a break, but this winter break I really hope to get back on track and try to make the best of my time by working on winter showcase. Senioritis is a real thing, and I've been starting to feel lazy often so I need to fight it and work hard to get the results I desire. Additionally, I'm going to use a planner to organize all my tasks because I have been a bit careless for a while now and I don't want to miss out more than I have. I realize that relaxing is important but not to the extent that I become lazy to do anything. I want to work hard on trying to achieve my dreams, such as doing a good board for winter showcase Monday 11/11: I did some college apps and also thought about some topics for my research assessment
Tuesday 11/12: I read a little of the book Dr. Lockett recommended to me. So far it has been very interesting, and I am eager to read more when I get some time off this break. Wednesday 11/13: I made some follow up phone calls to other professionals Thursday 11/14: I did some more college apps and also wrote my research assessment Friday 11/15: I reviewed and submitted my first research assessment. I also finished all my college apps this day. I felt very relieved and took some time to refocus back with school. Monday 11/18: I sent some follow up emails to professionals Tuesday 11/19: I made many calls to colleges to follow up on my applications. I think this actually increased my patience because I learned to be very patient through all the long holds. Wednesday 11/20: We did a creative activity in ISM and that kept me thinking of more ideas all evening Thursday 11/21: I reflected on my first interview, and wrote down some ideas for my third interview assessment. Friday 11/22: I submitted my third interview assessment and a research assessment; I put a lot of thought into this research assessment because it was a topic that was personal to me and also helps me grow in my career. Reflections: These past two weeks were both stressful and relieving. I was stressed because of college apps and when I thought I was finally done, I just realized that I still have to wait and continuously follow up. I diligently did that and I was glad to see that my following up yielded good results. Additionally, I had some personal revelations this past week as I learnt the power of meditation. In ISM, Mr. Pirtle was so kind to let us take a few minutes to just relax and breath. I laid down on the couch and just followed my thoughts. Then I slowly felt like I was able to step back and analyze my fast thoughts and that's when I felt so peaceful. The music quietly whispered in the background while I just felt so relaxed watching my thoughts. I realized that I need to be persistent and patient in meditation; oftentimes when I meditate I just do it for about ten minutes and it usually becomes ten minutes of collecting all my worries. Instead I realized that meditation is a chance for me to step out and watch without being involved. I'm so glad I learnt how to do this in ISM, it's been a very helpful technique. Additionally, this week I felt a surge of relief and joy as I had slowly completed all of my college applications process, and I even got admission into two colleges. I felt like after college apps finished, I can finally take the time to relax this thanksgiving break and also focus on what I really want. I have always had a penchant for learning and now that college apps are done I feel like I can learn without worrying too much about grades and GPA. I can focus more on ISM and make the best of all my experiences in school. Thus I am very thankful that I completed college apps. Goals: I hope to focus on ISM a lot more. I was lagging a bit on my calls because the past two weeks, I'd been heavily focused on college apps so I need to get back to following up more regularly. I really want to try hard to secure a mentor soon. I also want to catch up in a few subjects in school that I have not been doing very well in. I need to take some time to study and truly understand the material. I hope that this break will allow me to recharge and refocus on important things. Monday 10/28: I made some phone calls to professionals and did extensive preparation for my interview. I researched all I could about the professional, read their website, articles, etc.
Tuesday 10/29: It was the day of my interview. Overall, I was really satisfied by her responses, and she also expressed that she was pleased to meet me. I discussed about this interview with Mr. Pirtle, sent a thank you email, reflected on what I learnt and wrote it down. Wednesday 10/30: I finished all my homework for Thursday as well, so that I can enjoy on Halloween Thursday 10/31: I sent a few follow-up emails for ISM Friday 11/1: I reviewed and submitted my first interview assessment. I had to reflect a lot on what I learned, and I am glad I took notes during the interview because that really help retrieve information. Monday 11/4: I gave my quick trip presentation, and I was very satisfied with it. I felt like I had improved a lot in terms of confidence and consistency. I solicited feedback from my peers and noted it down so that I can implement during my next speech. Tuesday 11/5: I worked on some college applications Wednesday 11/6: It was interesting to listen to more speeches in ISM, I learnt a lot from my peers and tried to make a note of how they incorporated humor. Thursday 11/7: I reflected on my email interview, and wrote down some ideas for my second interview assessment. Friday 11/8: I submitted my second interview assessment; I think my writing style improved for this one and I also tried something new when writing this, so I am eager for my grade to see if it’s a good idea. Reflections: Two of my most memorable days these past two weeks were Halloween and Saturday, November 2nd--the day of our long awaited religious festival. I really enjoyed Halloween because it took a spooky turn on my life and I learnt a lot more than I expected on this day. I became closer to my dad, learnt to sympathize with my mom, and learnt about my inner warrior. We went to a place called dark hour, and I thought I would be quite scared. Instead, I was leading my friends and I was able to detach myself from the situation. I took pride in my confidence, and I think it overall I have become more brave after that event. I was scared at times though, especially at the mental asylum because it was so real, and there’s some truth in everything we saw. I felt bad for all the people who suffered severe mental/psychological disorders, and I felt this guilt which I am not sure why. Other than that, it was a great bonding experience with my friends, I found some self-confidence, and this day was truly memorable; I am so glad I could go. It was so memorable, that I decided to make my quick trip presentation about it and I think it went really well. There were some things I could’ve done better like the lighting, my vocal projection and voice modulation. Mr. Pirtle advised me to really get into that situation and show my emotions when describing the events. The second memorable part of last week was our religious festival. We had been planning for this for a long time and I was not only excited but also prepared. I think overall it was a very blissful experience. The vibrations were soothing, the guests were pleased, and I loved all the deep reflective thoughts that I had. Actions/Goals: My main priority for this week is to finally submit all my college applications. I will finalize my essays, review it with adults, and also do some scholarship essays.I need to also talk to a few of my teachers regarding ways to improve my grades. I started working again so I need to come back to a routine so that I can balance work and school. I also need to get back on ISM follow-ups. I have a potential mentor but while I wait for a response I need to continue calling professionals and send follow up emails. Monday 10/21: The ted talk we watched in ISM was quite interesting and memorable, I reflected upon it tried to build my confidence and made some phone calls.
Tuesday 10/22: I made notes about my interview so that I could write it down in my upcoming interview assessment. Wednesday 10/23: I wasn’t feeling well, so I didn’t go to school, studied for ACT and did follow ups with professionals via email Thursday 10/24: I studied more for ACT and did college apps. I also finished my research assessment Friday 10/25: I reviewed and submitted my research assessment and tried to improve it from the previous times. I also made some follow up calls. Reflections: In talking with Mr. Pirtle a while ago, I expressed my concern about having one of the professionals I interviewed as a potential mentor. He advised me to evaluate the pros and cons and then keep her on hold while I seek other interviews. I learnt that in general when I left voicemails or introduced myself over the phone, I tended to sound a bit dry and less natural. Thanks to Mr. Pirtle’s feedback, I improved on that made a phone call to a professional. I had left many voicemails to her, so I incorporated Mr. Pirtle’s advice and mentioned that I am just trying to be persistent, and I don’t want to be bothersome. She chuckled and softly agreed to listen to my questions. I had a wonderful phone interview that day in ISM and I am so glad I was able to improve on my professionalism while also sounding genuine and being natural. I also learnt a lot from the video we watched in ISM last monday. The first speech given by a middle schooler was very passionate and insightful. I made notes of some of the strategies he used such as, repetition, emphasis on phrases, connecting with the audience, emotional appeal, poise posture, some jokes to relate with the audience and just genuine passion which was the driving force. We also watched another video which was very funny because the presenter had used pretty much the same tactics but his overall tone and voice made him look like he was so passionate that he was going to cry. That over enthusiasm became quite funny and we learnt that overall the enthusiasm and the appeal makes a huge difference on how our message is perceived. Actions/Goals: I studied a lot for the ACT because I wasn’t very satisfied with my SAT score. So I tried my very bes to improve. I worked very hard and I hope that the results reflect it. Now I have to finish college apps soon and also prepare for my upcoming interview that is tomorrow. I will make sure to research all I can about the psychologist I am meeting so that I can ask questions about her research and her background. I will also continue following up on phone calls and emails with professionals. I am also very happy that I was able to impress the psychologist I interviewed. She responded back to my thank you email saying I did a great job. I was also able to get an email interview with a psychologist, and I had been very persistent in trying to get an interview with her. She was pleased with my kind words and replied to my questions very thoroughly. I will continue being persistent and I hope that I can secure a mentor soon. I also have a lot of work to do for my club because we are fundraising soon for Syrian Refugees, so I must plan and make sure it is executed properly. I also need to shadow my tutors’ meeting and ensure that everything is smooth between the tutor and the refugee student. So my plan of action for this week is to continue to follow up, prepare for interview, plan for club and also catch up on school work. Monday 10/7: I kept thinking of many thought experiments like the one we did in class with the Twister sheet. It was really thought provoking and I loved thinking creatively.
Tuesday 10/8: I started thinking about my topic proposal and reflected on Business Symposium Wednesday 10/9: I did speech interviews during this class and it was quite interesting to see the students. Thursday 10/10: I started drafting my topic proposal and made a few phone calls to professionals Friday 10/11: I completed my topic proposal and my 4th research assessment Reflections: I felt bad for the students who were stammering, nervous and unprepared during the speech interviews. I tried my best to give a lot of feedback regarding ways to improve confidence and how to present oneself in the best way. I highlighted the importance of giving examples to exemplify one’s personality. There was one girl who really impressed me; her answers were not all professional but they were genuine and showed that she had given it some thought. She talked very casually but she made a heartfelt connection, added humor and expressed her thoughts freely. I learnt something very important from her: oftentimes when being professional I might get caught in the dry, straightforward answers, but it's important for me to also think about how to just be natural sometimes. After all, everyone likes to make heartfelt connections and people just light up and smile when someone incorporates humor. Making a heartfelt connection can often leave a greater impact than just dry and formatted answers. People generally comment on my natural ability to make heartfelt connections, but I feel like I lack this quality when talking with professionals as I become quite robotic. Henceforth, I am going to try my best to be candid about my personality and present myself in the best way but also be natural and make heartfelt connections. Actions/Goals: I took a brief break with standardized tests after the SAT, but now I am back on track as I tackle the ACT. I have studied hard this four day weekend while also just taking a mental break. I made many phone calls Friday; there were some professionals who were nice to consider me while one professional hung up right when I said independent research. That was a bit disappointing, but I was able to stay strong and motivated as I made more calls. In fact, I feel like this experience has increased my confidence because I rose above my standards as soon as I was put down. My goals for the next week is to continue to follow up on phone calls and successfully complete my interview which is this thursday. I will make sure to research all I can about the psychologist I am meeting so that I can ask questions about her research and her background. I also have a lot of work ahead of me as we are in a very critical phase in my club: we just began sending emails and contacting students from Middle East so I need to support my tutors and help them as much as I can to get started. Last week, one of my goals was reducing music and I take pride in that I was able to successfully implement that this week. I liked reducing music because I felt this inner transformation as I became extremely thoughtful; I started thinking deeply and analyzing things quite extensively. I actually felt good allowing my thoughts to just run while I watched. Monday 9/30: I made a few phone calls and scheduled an interview with a professional
Tuesday 10/1: I rehearsed a lot for business symposium with friends and family Wednesday 10/2: Business symposium was extremely beneficial and I was so satisfied with my experience. I reflected over it and noted down some key things that I learnt Thursday 10/3: I made a few more phone calls they mostly lead to voicemails Friday 10/4: I wrote some of my business symposium thank you notes Reflections: I loved Business Symposium this week. I gained a lot of helpful feedback and learned some professional skills. The first person I networked with advised us on interview skills, presentation and general human interaction. He also spoke about the need to develop knowledge on different cultures as it helps people connect. Regarding interview skills he advised us to present our best self and ensure that we phrase it accurately. Even though he was in sales, he gave some good input on careers in general as he talked about willing to accept the fact that not everyone will start out in the CEO position. I learned that I have to be ready to start out small and grow. The next professional I talked to told us about her role as an online school teacher. She demonstrated how her job and degree allows her to fit in many roles within the educational field and that made me realize how beneficial it is to have a degree that allows flexibility. Overall during the networking session I was able to assert myself while preventing domination which allowed me to ask insightful questions and gain valuable feedback. During the interview process, I felt that overall I presented myself well and was able to give thoughtful responses to the questions I received. I was not sure of how the professionals would think of my response to the question “What’s unique about you?”; I answered saying how I extract psychological aspects from movies and social interaction with friends, and the professional loved that I integrated a fun element with my career choice. This boosted my confidence and self-assurance. The professional also commented on my accomplishments and seemed very impressed by them. She gave some helpful tips on how to organize it and I have implemented them in my updated resume. The second professional I interviewed didn’t ask me many questions but instead gave me career advice. He recommended me to always consider neighborhood career choices and carefully evaluate each aspect of related careers. He also told me how important it is to build my volunteer experience as it serves to shine my personality and it is very appealing for companies if I do volunteer relating to my career. He affirmed my decision to minor in business as it is very important to gain professional skills and business is essential for any career. The alumni at the breakout session were also extremely resourceful. They gave me advice on interacting with professionals and ensuring that I communicate what I hope to get out of it in advance. They also emphasized the importance of forming lasting connections with professionals and maintaining relationships. Overall, I feel that I have accomplished so much and gained such insightful feedback in just one day, and the impact of business symposium lasted the whole week. I hope to implement all the things I learnt over the course of my career and I will be sure to maintain connections with the professionals I met. Actions/Goals: I just took my SAT this weekend and it was a tiring experience. I hope to refocus back to school work and catch up on ACT as well. These next few weeks are going to be very draining because of ISM phone calls, interviews, ACT, college apps and tutoring management for my club. I need to make sure that I stay productive and motivated as I continue to work through my goals one at a time. My goals for next week would be mostly ISM and school focused, and I need to consistently persevere. Also, I love listening to music a lot but the next few weeks I need to reduce it to make sure I am concentrating on the task at hand and also I need to allow my mind to be thoughtful rather than constantly stimulating it with music. Monday 9/16: I worked on modifying my Resume and incorporating the feedback I received from my peers
Tuesday 9/17: I revised my interview questions based on my peers feedback which was mainly to ask open ended questions. I practiced the voicemail script also, and looked over the phone script. Wednesday 9/18: I worked on my handshake and practiced some more of the phone script to prepare myself as much as possible Thursday 9/19: I reflected on the feedback I got in class about the phone calls. I took some notes on them, and I’ve elaborated on it in my reflections. Friday 9/20: I worked on my research assessment by finding a psychology related article and noting my reflections. Reflections: I learnt many professional skills this week. I volunteered to participate in the phone script example with Mr. Pirtle and I got some valuable feedback. I will remember to always conclude by restating my name and number. I need to make sure to not mention about the mentorship aspect of ISM in the first call itself. I took note of the professional language that Mr. Pirtle employed: “thank you for your time,” “I understand that you are busy” “Would you be able to spend about 10-15 min, I would like to learn how you got to where you are” “I am an aspiring __” “Thank you, you have been so helpful today” etc. I will make sure to take more notes of these phrases so that I can implement them. A few more tips I learned were to keep my calender ready when talking with professionals so that I can schedule accordingly. Apart from phone scripts, I also gained some advice on my resume from Mr. Pirtle, and I got some ideas from some of my peers on how to make it more concise and professional. Role playing Business Symposium in class was extremely helpful as I got to practice my eye contact, posture, questions, attention, etc. Actions/Goals: My goal for last week to be more productive and I am making progress but occasionally, I fall back. I need to get into the habit of this because if I form the bad habit of procrastination, it will be detrimental to my progress as habits die hard. I will try to reward myself when I complete tasks to keep myself engaged and organized. Additionally, upon deep consideration, I have decided to take the SAT October 5th. I don’t have a lot of time to prepare, so I must make sure to be organized and prioritize. Also Business Symposium is coming up, so my schedule is going to be busy, but I am going to try my best and put forth 100% effort. Monday 9/2: I worked on the Career Industry Forecast, specifically the job description and training, education and certification.
Tuesday 9/3: I began to consider interview questions and organize my ideas. I reviewed my AP Psychology notes to familiarize myself with the terminology and created questions based on those terms and theories. Wednesday 9/4: I worked on Career Industry Forecast, continuing onto the education and organizations category. I learned the most from these two categories as it helped me outline a path. Thursday 9/5: I finalized my interview questions, and reviewed them with a friend. Friday 9/6: I completed the Career Industry Forecast detailing a thorough analysis of all my thoughts. Reflections: I learned a lot through the career industry forecast. It was truly an eye opening experience as I was able to evaluate the pros and cons of my career and understand what steps I would need to take. As I mentioned in my analysis in the career industry forecast, I learned some information that might prevent me from pursuing counseling psychology: the doctoral degree requirements. I would love to pursue my education and continue learning, but the cost, duration of PhD is something that can prevent me from pursuing it. Nevertheless, I tried to keep an open mind and explore the related areas. I tried my best to learn about these related fields and compare them to counseling psychology. This comparison showed me that being a counselor, therapist or school psychologist is very close to counseling psychologist. There are many overlapping aspects of these careers and the greatest advantage to pursuing counseling, therapy or school psychology is that a masters degree will suffice. This week my work was really satisfying as many of my students responded well. Seeing their faces light up when they understood a concept gave me so much joy. This experience at work made me realize how much I would enjoy helping people overcome problems, making me more confident regarding my choice of career. Actions/Goals: This week I was not as productive as I could have been, so I hope to organize my tasks and plan better next week and so on. Making the best use of my time has always been my biggest goal, and I hope to keep adhering to it. I also hope to explore fields related to psychology more extensively to gain a clear understanding of what aligns most with my personal requirements |
Sanjana VenkatasubramanianThis is a collection of my weekly progress blogs where I reflect over my independent studies and progress in ISM Archives
February 2020
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