Sue described several myths about careers. One myth she spoke of was the one that identified the major you choose now will lock you into your career. Describe at least two different career paths you have had interest in throughout your college career. What classes have you taken that have exposed you to possible career paths?
I have had so many different options for career paths throughout my college career. I have thought about being an engineer, a math education major, a business major, and now I am in public health. Talk about indecisive! I am so grateful that I have found my major and feel confident that it is the right thing for me. I have thought a lot about potential opportunities after college. Maybe I will do one of the following: Teach for America, MPH/MPA, MPP, Law Degree, or a Masters in Higher Education. I guess we'll see what my perspective brings following my mission. I am glad that I have numerous options to choose from!
"When I find my calling, work will be bliss." Please describe how this statement is a busted myth.
This isn't true at all. Your calling doesn't necessarily mean what you do will be easy, but it means it will be worth working hard for it. I honestly feel like I would be bored if what I did as a career were always easy for me. I don't want that at all. I have learned the most when I have been challenged to reach outside of my comfort zone and become a better person. My calling will be composed of many opportunities to become a better version of myself and hopefully benefit others along the way.
"Focus your work on blessing and serving others rather than getting rich or being noticed, and you’ll find great success and become extraordinary at whatever you do." Please describe how your service in BYUSA has helped you in adopting this type of focus as a leader.
Everything I do in BYUSA has helped me to understand this. I am SO poor. As in, I have basically no money, but I don't even care. The sacrifices are completely worth it when I have an experience with a student in BYUSA, where I am able to help them have a better experience. The more I focus on others, the more I find myself growing. This has been especially true this year. Rarely have my challenges been with how to do the little details in BYUSA, but instead, I find myself struggling with how I am going to communicate effectively with people to help them improve.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Leadership in the Home - VP Scharman
Please describe how you feel you can apply the leadership lessons discussed during this session as a leader in you family.
I really enjoyed the portion of VP Scharman's lesson our need to discover where the Lord is taking me and how I can use my talents when I am there. I am so excited to be a mother someday and have the opportunity to find ways to use my talents along the way. If I am willing, I know the Lord will provide opportunities for me to be of service to those around me. I want to be the leader the Lord needs me to be, and always be willing to serve when called upon. At the end of the day, it is very important to keep my priorities straight so I can be the leader my Father in Heaven wants me to be.
Recognizing that you will meet and likely marry someone who will come from a somewhat different background and family than your own, please identify what you will do as a leader in your home to insure that you have a unified and successful family.
Lately, I have realized the importance of establishing your roles upfront. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to work in BYUSA this year and learn this lesson. In my future family, it will be important for us to establish what our roles are upfront, so we can be on the same page throughout our marriage. Also, I will need to make sure that love is at the center of what I do as a parent. I need to encourage my children in their dreams, and help them to be successful. It will also be important for me to have family dinner and go on trips, like VP Scharman suggested.
I really enjoyed the portion of VP Scharman's lesson our need to discover where the Lord is taking me and how I can use my talents when I am there. I am so excited to be a mother someday and have the opportunity to find ways to use my talents along the way. If I am willing, I know the Lord will provide opportunities for me to be of service to those around me. I want to be the leader the Lord needs me to be, and always be willing to serve when called upon. At the end of the day, it is very important to keep my priorities straight so I can be the leader my Father in Heaven wants me to be.
Recognizing that you will meet and likely marry someone who will come from a somewhat different background and family than your own, please identify what you will do as a leader in your home to insure that you have a unified and successful family.
Lately, I have realized the importance of establishing your roles upfront. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have had to work in BYUSA this year and learn this lesson. In my future family, it will be important for us to establish what our roles are upfront, so we can be on the same page throughout our marriage. Also, I will need to make sure that love is at the center of what I do as a parent. I need to encourage my children in their dreams, and help them to be successful. It will also be important for me to have family dinner and go on trips, like VP Scharman suggested.
Leadership in your Community and Government - Senator Jake Garn
Sen. Garn spoke about the importance of serving and giving back to the nation. Please share some reasons you feel gratitude for the opportunities you have experienced.
I am grateful for the opportunities I have experienced here in the United States for many reasons. I have highlighted some of them below:
- Without freedom of religion, I wouldn't have the gospel in my life. I would not have BYU, the blessings of the temple in my life, or my family to enjoy life with.
- Without the sacrifice of many in the military, I would not be free to enjoy life in the ways I want to enjoy it.
- Without the inspiration of the founding fathers, we never would have made it as a great, innovative nation.
- Without the sacrifices of many great leaders (Lincoln, Washington etc), we would have never understand the power our government can have when it is lead by good leaders of integrity.
It is so easy to be overcome by the little difficulties or weakness of others you may be working with. It is absolutely crucial for me to remember to have an eternal perspective. With an eternal perspective, it doesn't matter if someone snaps at you for one second. An eternal perspective enlightens the mind and encourages us to be better leaders to those around us so that we can be better prepared to live in Heavenly Father's presence someday.
As a young man, Sen. Garn witnessed many great technological advancements. His attitude of courage and determination helped him achieve success in his life. How will you approach change in your life and how will you persist in being involved as a leader in your community and government.
For the longest time, I have had no interest in serving in my local community and government. Lately though, I have had a serious change of heart. Our country has a great need for honorable people to serve in the government. I'm not saying that I plan to run for office someday, but I am saying that I plan to be an active participant. I plan to be informed, and to participate in my local caucus meetings. I plan to teach my children the importance of public service. If public service is in my future path, that would be great, but I guess we'll see!
Leading With Love - Dean Heperi
Describe three different ways that you have made your love for students you lead visible through work you have done.
- I am a words of affirmation person, so I strive write notes to those I lead to tell them how much I appreciate the time they are spending serving in BYUSA.
- I try to spend time outside of the office with each of the BYUSA presidency members. It has made a huge difference in our relationships as I have come to get to know them as people in other settings.
- I have been trying to get to know the coordinators better by asking about how they are doing. I think a little time can go a long way.
Dean Heperi talked about the importance of truly loving those you work with enough to help them improve. Please describe a time when you have had to help someone by having a difficult conversation about their need for improvement. Please identify what things you said that helped you in this experience.
I had a difficult conversation with one of my Vice Presidents about something that needed to be improved. It was really tough. Honestly, I probably didn't communicate as well as I probably should have. I wish I would have had my thoughts better organized. That said, it was good for us both to be more open and communicate how we actually feel. During the conversation, I was able to share how much I care about this person and how proud I am of their work. We both left feeling so much better.
I had a difficult conversation with one of my Vice Presidents about something that needed to be improved. It was really tough. Honestly, I probably didn't communicate as well as I probably should have. I wish I would have had my thoughts better organized. That said, it was good for us both to be more open and communicate how we actually feel. During the conversation, I was able to share how much I care about this person and how proud I am of their work. We both left feeling so much better.
Leadership Opportunities in your Career - Dr. Ben Wilson
Dr. Wilson spoke about the effect working in Student Leadership at BYU had on helping him become a "grown up." Please describe the ways that your involvement has helped you develop as a leader from when you started serving until now.
WOW - this experience has changed me and helped me to become more of the person I want to be in my life. To highlight a few of those ways -
- I am more able to love others. Many of my experiences in this organization have helped me to see the value that people can bring to life. I have been enriched on many occasions by my opportunities to associate with people, on a daily basis, that make me want to be a better person.
- BYUSA has helped me to understand why I want to be able to serve all of my life.
- BYUSA has helped me to better organize my life and maintain balance. I have had great leaders that have helped me to understand that I won't be able to serve others effectively if I am unable to first keep my life in order.
- BYUSA has also helped me to recognize how to choose my battles. There are some disagreements that simply aren't worth it. I need to be perfect at the important things, so I can be open to inspiration in difficult conversations.
- I am a completely different person in terms of confidence. I now understand that I have the capacity to have a vision for my life and make it happen. I am able to work hard and succeed at the things most important to me if it is my desire.
Dr. Wilson shared his experience serving an internship in Jerusalem. This experience was not part of his program, but was approved because he was willing to do additional work to make it possible. Please describe the ways you can be effective in advocating for change or making improvement in existing programs.
Through my experience in BYUSA, I have learned that change doesn't always happen on our timetable, but there is great power in effective information. By gathering information and relaying it to the correct people, we are more able to make a significant change on campus than we would otherwise be.
Leadership in the Church - President Samuelson
President Samuelson warned of the dangers of waiting to serve until you are less busy. Describe how you will make yourself available to serve, even in the midst of an ever increasing schedule and responsibilities.
I think the first part to conquering anything is deciding that you want to. I want to be someone who is able to serve my entire life. I have learned over the past few years in BYUSA that I need to be sure to focus on making my time line up with my priorities. If I am sure to maintain proper balance on my day to day activities, I will definitely ensure that service is apart of my life.
In sharing his experience in speaking at a funeral, President Samuelson encouraged those in attendance to have the courage to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said. Describe a time when you have had to stand alone in your role as a leader. Please include how you will respond to future opportunities to stand alone as a leader.
I think the first part to conquering anything is deciding that you want to. I want to be someone who is able to serve my entire life. I have learned over the past few years in BYUSA that I need to be sure to focus on making my time line up with my priorities. If I am sure to maintain proper balance on my day to day activities, I will definitely ensure that service is apart of my life.
In sharing his experience in speaking at a funeral, President Samuelson encouraged those in attendance to have the courage to say what needs to be said, when it needs to be said. Describe a time when you have had to stand alone in your role as a leader. Please include how you will respond to future opportunities to stand alone as a leader.
Many of my experiences over the past year would be good examples for standing alone in my role as a leader, especially in my experiences working with Ryan. On many occasions, we have not seen eye to eye, but I have been in a position to offer my opinion and help us to be on the same page.
In the future, I hope to always maintain my honesty, but tactfully communicate how I feel about different issues. It's amazing what you can learn from people when all parties are willing to be honest and open to new ideas. I want to strive to understand where people are coming from, without ever compromising who I am. I want to always stand for the church and never be ashamed of my beliefs.
President Samuelson shared an important lesson he learned about making assignments in his role as an Elders Quorum President. Please identify what you believe made the difference in the outcome he described going from having to complete the assignment himself to having others take accountability. How will you apply this concept to leadership roles you have in the future.
By fulfilling all of his commitments by himself, he wasn't truly able to fulfill his calling. Part of serving in the church is enabling others to also serve. By helping others to have accountability, he was enabling them to learn how to be more effective leaders. I plan to apply this concept by committing myself to have frequent self evaluations about whether or not I am fulfilling my role, and whether or not I am in balance. If I am not in balance, I will need to delegate more. If I am not appropriately helping others to fulfill their responsibilities, I will need to delegate more. Either way, it is going to come down to regularly looking at where I am at and how I can improve.
Leadership in your Career - Dr. Neal Cox
Bro. Cox shared 13 tips on leadership in your career. Please choose two of those tips and describe how you might apply those in your current role, then how you might apply them in your future roles.
Well, there were many tips I could easily find a way to apply them to my life, and in my position now, but I guess I will need to confirm one. :)
Prepare before opportunity knocks - I love this tip! In my current role, there have been many occasions where I am extremely grateful for the experiences I have had thus far in this organization to learn different leadership principles. I am able to consistently draw on them during stewardships and different interactions I have with my team members. I really want to be able to benefit those around me by continuing to seek opportunities to learn throughout my life. Most immediately, I think about applying this in terms of my upcoming mission. I really want to be able to serve well, and I'm excited to be teaching in English, where I can draw from my current experiences to do so.
Don't value security more than service - I want to be able to say yes to anything I am asked to do in the church, or for the individual. In my experience as a VP, I really want to be quick to help others, even if it means being willing to open up a little more than I would like. I definitely don't have complete financial security right now, but I am happy for it. In my future, I have committed myself on many occasions to never say no to a calling. I am willing to make it happen because I believe the blessings we can receive from callings will always help us to make things happen.
Leadership in your Career/Community - Judge Griffiths
Judge Griffith spoke about the importance of remembering the "least" among us. Describe how you can apply this concept in your leadership role today in BYUSA. Also, describe how you intend to apply this focus on the "least" in the future as you serve in leadership roles.
I feel like I can apply this concept in many ways. It seems like it is now the time of the semester when everyone is overwhelmed with life and feeling unsettled about what they are going to be doing in the near future. I am lucky to now be one of the older students in the office, having experienced a few of those decision making times. During my last semester of BYUSA, I need to seek out opportunities to serve those who I can uplift and inspire to become their potential. Too often, great people just don't believe in themselves. I would love to change that!
This semester, I plan to become better friends with each Executive Director in the office. I want to help them understand that I love them and appreciate all of their hard work this year. I want to leave an individual impact on each of them this year and plan to do so by spending more of my office hours visiting with individuals and getting to know them. I want to be a source of support for people. People are always more important than the results. I need to remember that!
Judge Griffith talked about how we learn what God wants us to learn from listening to those who speak to us through talks, lessons and home teaching. Please describe how it is possible to learn from those who might night have the same level of education. Identify and describe a time in your life when you have learned from an individual with a differing educational background.
There are many ways to learn from people who do not have the same level of education because everyone has a different set of experiences than we do. We can learn from who they are as a person and what they are doing to become better people. At the end of the day, I feel like most people want to be their best selves.
I feel like we are often able to learn a lot from children and their eagerness to be good. A few months ago I got in a fight with my brother Ben on the phone. He has a tendency to make rash judgments about things, without considering all the facts. In this situation, he was criticizing me for something he didn't fully understand. I am embarrassed to say that in the middle of his lecture to me, I hung up the phone. Not exactly tactful or loving communication.... A few minutes later, I received a text message from Ben. He said he didn't really care about our previous conversation because having a good relationship with me was more important than any disagreement we may have. He taught me an important lesson today. I should be the bigger person, and not hesitate to do so, regardless of our differing opinions. Our relationship is always more important than my stubborn opinions.
Please describe something you learned about leadership from Judge Griffith's presentation.
I always enjoy listening to Judge Griffith because he reminds me how much good we can do in the world as active Latter-Day Saints if we are willing to work hard and be diligent in keeping the commandments. I need to be sure to keep my priorities straight throughout my life. There is never room for me to not act my best in life if I want to be an effective leader in the church and in the world.
I feel like I can apply this concept in many ways. It seems like it is now the time of the semester when everyone is overwhelmed with life and feeling unsettled about what they are going to be doing in the near future. I am lucky to now be one of the older students in the office, having experienced a few of those decision making times. During my last semester of BYUSA, I need to seek out opportunities to serve those who I can uplift and inspire to become their potential. Too often, great people just don't believe in themselves. I would love to change that!
This semester, I plan to become better friends with each Executive Director in the office. I want to help them understand that I love them and appreciate all of their hard work this year. I want to leave an individual impact on each of them this year and plan to do so by spending more of my office hours visiting with individuals and getting to know them. I want to be a source of support for people. People are always more important than the results. I need to remember that!
Judge Griffith talked about how we learn what God wants us to learn from listening to those who speak to us through talks, lessons and home teaching. Please describe how it is possible to learn from those who might night have the same level of education. Identify and describe a time in your life when you have learned from an individual with a differing educational background.
There are many ways to learn from people who do not have the same level of education because everyone has a different set of experiences than we do. We can learn from who they are as a person and what they are doing to become better people. At the end of the day, I feel like most people want to be their best selves.
I feel like we are often able to learn a lot from children and their eagerness to be good. A few months ago I got in a fight with my brother Ben on the phone. He has a tendency to make rash judgments about things, without considering all the facts. In this situation, he was criticizing me for something he didn't fully understand. I am embarrassed to say that in the middle of his lecture to me, I hung up the phone. Not exactly tactful or loving communication.... A few minutes later, I received a text message from Ben. He said he didn't really care about our previous conversation because having a good relationship with me was more important than any disagreement we may have. He taught me an important lesson today. I should be the bigger person, and not hesitate to do so, regardless of our differing opinions. Our relationship is always more important than my stubborn opinions.
Please describe something you learned about leadership from Judge Griffith's presentation.
I always enjoy listening to Judge Griffith because he reminds me how much good we can do in the world as active Latter-Day Saints if we are willing to work hard and be diligent in keeping the commandments. I need to be sure to keep my priorities straight throughout my life. There is never room for me to not act my best in life if I want to be an effective leader in the church and in the world.
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