Intern, Intern, Intern (and Study) ... ABROAD!

Source: The University of Sydney (http://sydney.edu.au/)

Journal Entry 8/26

Becoming a Better Me: The Internship Experience

My journey began at the University of Sydney Business School on August 6^th 2014. I was interviewed for the position of marketing and communications intern by my two supervisors and was hired later on that day.

At first, I was quite skeptical about the internship since I had previously worked at the UCLA Anderson School of Management Executive MBA Program (Global Access Program) as a student assistant, and wanted to expand my scope and work in a different field. As long as I can remember, I have always been passionate about writing and journalism. Back home, I write for my newspaper every week and have been itching to interview and report ever since I arrived in Sydney, Australia. I wanted to intern at a company that pushed me to become a better writer and journalist. Little did I know, this internship would do just that.

I was surprised to learn what all this internship entailed. So far, I have been working on composing social media posts for articles and events (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook), posting and editing blogs for our Marketing Matters and Opportunity Blog, analyzing and tracking our social media likes, shares, followers and comparing them to other business schools and utilizing excel and PowerPoint for additional projects. Although I had used excel in my previous job, I had never explored its fancy features and format details.

So far, I have found editing to be my most challenging task. At UCLA, I worked as the Community Editor at the Daily Bruin for a couple months. After being an editor and adapting to a specific journalistic style of writing, I thought I knew everything to look out for. Editing the blogs has shown me how much I have to learn not only about editing but about my own writing and grammar. I find myself constantly googling words for possible spelling errors (ex. Australians spell some words with an ‘s’ instead of a ‘z’ (realise)) and grammar mistakes such as semicolons and apostrophes. After reflecting on my internship and my own writing, I feel as if this is my weakness, something I will have to constantly strive to better myself at. With hard work, a little research each day and a positive attitude, I believe I will be able to improve my editing skills for my internship, future employers and the journalism world.

Journal Entry 9/9

A Holistic Approach to Education and Self

These last couple weeks I have worked on the goal I had set for myself in my previous journal, which is, researching universal grammar rules and rules only specific to Australia writing. Although it has not been the most exciting task, I have found that researching one rule (ex. use of commas) each day before work has immensely helped me with editing blogs throughout the day. Although I do not have the best memory and revert to “googling” words and sentences to double check my judgment, I feel as if I am more confident in editing and presenting my findings to my supervisor.

Lately, I have been doing more than editing and posting the MBA, Opportunity and Marketing blogs. My supervisor has extended my editing sphere to include proof reading our business school’s e-newsletter, a monthly letter with various articles featuring clubs/societies, professors, financial donors, etc. In addition to editing the letter, I look over the design of the page and check all of the links online to ensure everything looks professional and runs smoothly. I have caught a few errors and have presented them to my supervisor (something I feel extremely proud about).

Besides editing, I have been learning an immense amount of knowledge in the area of marketing. For our monthly e-newsletter, we use the online platform “campaign monitor.” This site traces our online distribution, audience, subscribed, unsubscribed, soft bounce and hard bounce emails. At first I was quite scared to tackle on this project of tracking down and recording these figures since numbers and math is not my strong suit. After a short information session with my supervisor, I no longer felt scared to try, rather, I felt excited to undertake such an interesting assignment that lies far beyond my realm of expertise.

Although I wouldn’t choose marketing as a career, I found the exercise in using a tool that marketers use to be very exciting and eye opening. I had never realized how much companies really do take note of our every move online and how this information can assist in catering to customers and employers.

Ultimately, my reflection from these last couple weeks can be defined as “you learn something new every day.” May it be researching, learning new editing skills, or testing the waters of a different career, every experience I have encountered so far has contributed to not only a holistic approach to my education, but also, of myself and what I can achieve.

Journal Entry 9/23

Career: A Way of Life

My normal tasks I complete during my day to day shift have gone smoother and faster than they have ever been. Lately, I have been working on our September social media power point report in addition to my other responsibilities. I have found myself sifting through the statistics with ease and confidence as I prepare the report. I have learned that with time comes confidence and experience in the workplace.

Because of my familiarity with my tasks and the increased speed in which I have accomplished them, my supervisor asked me if I would be interested in writing a blog for the Big Opportunity page after editing and posting the MBA students contributions like I normally do. I more than jumped at the opportunity and felt privileged to be able to complete such a task that I felt was extremely valuable in helping me grow as a writer. After I wrote my blog for the business school, I reflected on what had gotten me to this very point. As a marketing and communications intern, personal blogging is not usually tied with the job. I realized that because of my hard work in the office, my supervisor probably wanted to provide a creative outlet for me as a thank you for my efforts. With hard work comes a reward so bright and wonderful which makes the work not seem like work at all, rather, a learning process to the ultimate prize of self-growth.

This week I celebrated my 21^st birthday, which did not go unnoticed by my coworkers. I was pleasantly surprised with a pre-birthday morning tea since my birthday was the following day. I was absolutely blown away by their kindness and good vibrations for me. They showed me how much they cared by taking the time from their own busy schedule just to wish me a happy birthday and ask me about my plans. In that moment, I understood why the business school functioned so well. Because of my co-workers’ natural concern for people and their caring demeanor, their professions were more than just a place of work to them but a way of life.

From this simple but impactful experience, I learned that no matter what profession you go into, you must believe in what you do and give your best in everything. Success can be equated with having a positive attitude and genuine care. May it be a birthday or an assignment, a person’s true character will always shine through and will not go unnoticed by a supervisor or by a thankful intern.

Journal Entry 10/15

It’s a Wrap

As of October 20^th 2014 I will have officially completed my 120 hours working at the University of Sydney Business School as a Marketing and Communications intern. These last few weeks have seemed to fly by as my supervisor has kept me busy with my normal projects with an added bonus of assisting with photography shoots of the Business School faculty. I have learned the importance of lightening, background, and people in taking photographs. While analyzing the photographer, I focus on the way in which he creates a “safe” environment of positivity and humor. Although some of the faculty members came in nervous and pessimistic in being the subject of the photograph, the photographer and myself joked around and made the experience fun and enjoyable. In effect, the faculty members left with smiles not only for the camera, but also for themselves.

From this seemingly insignificant experience, I learned more about the business industry than I ever thought I could. In any career we choose, we must learn how to connect with our co-workers in order to sustain a comfortable environment of mutual trust (ex. the faculty members trust that the photographer will take a flattering photo of them). While an exchange or a business deal can be just that, we must go the extra mile to encourage and motivate others to aspire to their full potential (ex. the photographer encourages the one being photographed to smile so as to capture the most beautiful and authentic picture of happiness). If so, the other person we do business with will remember us as a hardworking and driven individual and will network with us in the future. In other words, you reap the benefits of your work in full and only get out as much work as you decide to put in. So why not dive in feet first, splashing in a couple mistakes along the way and learning from them, until completely submerged within the best reality we could have never dreamed of. Living passion.

My time here was short, but the benefits I have received are everlasting. I came into this program with a skeptical view of how much I could really learn from a seemingly familiar job I had worked at before. My initial perspective couldn’t have been more incorrect. What I have gained is more than I could ever write on a resume. Through sociological lenses, it is the way in which we communicate. It is diligently working, genuinely caring about your cause, and always trying to better yourself. While my internship may be over, the path to my own definition of success has just begun.

With Nature We Are Infinite

Royal National Park

We are body. We are soul. We are mind.

But are we infinite?

I believe in an unbounded natural experience that can only be understood by doing. This experimental learning theory, known as creating meaning through direct experience (theory of experience), was pioneered by psychologist and education reformer John Dewey (Neill, 2005).

In order to gain infinity in the natural world, I believe to experience the beauty of life first hand, or to engulf oneself in mother earth's divinity, is to feel as endless as the vast pulse of sea and land before us.

This last weekend, I received the chance to breathe deeply and feel existence.

During my semester abroad at the University of Sydney, Australia; I chose to enroll in the course "Learning in Outdoor Education" taught by Ian Boyle. For our first natural learning experience, we journeyed to the beautiful Royal National Park for a day hike (Aug 16), located about 40 minutes away from uni.




Google Maps: Distance from the University of Sydney to Royal National Park

We started off our adventure by breaking into separate groups of about 15 students per one instructor. I was fortunate enough to receive the witty and knowledgeable Wayne Cotton as my outdoor education guide. We got to know each other through "the name game" and ice breakers. Although I had recognized some members of my group from lectures and tutorials, I had never had a long form conversation with them until this trip. Come to find out, these students were from all over the world and had a lot to share about their cultures and countries.




A photo collage of my hiking group

After getting to know surface details about one another we received a 10-15 minute period of solo time along one of the cliffs. This alone time was by far my favorite part of the adventure. The weather was chilly and overcast with slight winds and showers. At first I wasn't quite feeling up to the hike. I hadn't gotten much sleep that night on account of a long night out dancing with the mates and waking up to the cold weather didn't add to my enthusiasm. The bus ride made me nauseous and quite frankly I just wanted to crawl back in bed and catch a couple extra zzzs. My mentality changed as soon as I sat down on that cliff, opened my eyes, and inhaled deeply.

I sat by the far end of the cliff about 20 feet from the drop where the rock fell down to the cold crashing waves of the pacific ocean. The air felt refreshing and cool on my skin as I listened to nature's rumbling yet peaceful sounds.

As I sat there transfixed by nature's glory, I thought about those common topics that seem to rest within us all: What is the meaning of life? What is my purpose? How can I become a better version of myself? These questions are never easy to answer, and as such, do not have a simple black and white answer. As I pondered over my thoughts, I let my eyes wander across the endless ocean to the point where the sky and water joined forces as if to profess its yearning for affection from other natural forces as well as the human race. This thought led me to think about my life course and how insignificant some of my so called "problems" really are. I thought about taking a break from my daily routine back home and getting in touch with the very earth which sustains my existence and feeds my craving for natural adventure. Why not get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, constantly crowded with others innovative ideas, to listen to my own heartbeat and soul?  

While I idolize the city and my journalism dreams it represents, New York will always be there. On the other hand, nature's beauty and the outdoor experiences will not always be sustained. Below is a self-reflection video I made a couple days after returning from the trip: 

Initially, before the Royal National Park hiking experience, there's nothing more that I could have wanted from life than to become a successful young journo with a passion for telling the lives of the voiceless, the ones with stories worth telling and lives worth fighting for. While I still feel that same passion and drive burning within my heart, I now feel a fresh sense of purpose. A purpose that thrives off of my career objectives and humanitarian goals, almost to say, "Hey Jenn, you need some balance in your life."

My goal in journalism has always been to renew compassion within our human race; that very same compassion that has grown cold. To provide a throbbing pulse of kindness and generosity within each and every individual to connect them in a way which makes them feel more human than skin deep. I now know that before I can do this for others, I must become the best me I can become, that is, a well cultured and traveled young woman with a strong connection with the outdoors. To become a better writer, I must first become a better human. And to do that, I must experience the world with a sense of adrenaline and tranquility that can only be provided through natural challenges bestowed upon me by mother earth herself. 

After mulling over my thoughts, I was left with a sense of ease and calm. I had faced my understanding of purpose, came up with short and long term goals, and was left with Australia's magic: its natural scenery. 



A sharp contrast of water to sky



A few shots of the aqua water and colorful stone along the hike

My drastic perspective alteration of my own life can be attributed to David Kolb's model of experimental learning. Kolb, an educational theorist, created his four step model in conjunction with other theorists such as Dewey to highlight the developmental process of the exercise and to accentuate the importance of direct experience (Dewey) in learning. Kolb's four step process is as follows:

The Experimental Learning Cycle 
1) Concrete experience
2) Observation and experience
3) Forming abstract concepts
4) Testing in new situations.
(Smith, 2010)

My direct experience of being surrounded by creation in solitary fulfills the first criteria while my observation of myself in relation to the natural world satisfies number two. From this experience and observation I was able to form an in depth abstract outlook on my life's course from beginning to end. Since the hike, I have tested my new found perspective on living by setting a goal to actively explore the earth's natural brilliance every weekend, a goal I have been accomplishing thus far.

It is noteworthy to point out that this learning experience can start at any one of these four steps, since learning is a continuous cycle (Smith, 2010). Why then, should we break down our experiences into a step by step process? James Neill, the author of Experimental Learning Cycles (overview of 9 experimental learning cycle models) states that "by breaking fuzzy processes (such as learning) down into distinct stages (such as a 4-stage model), the idea is that we can better understand, test out, and make use of the main components" (Neill, 2010).  Therefore, if we can grasp our own series of thinking, we can then use it as a guide in other situations that befall our way.

After becoming familiar with my own mentality that day and how my thoughts jump from one complicated topic to another, I felt adequate enough to stand up with confidence and trudge forward with a clearer view of who I was and who I wanted to become.

What started out as a gruesome morning turned into an uplifting and exhilarating experience. All from spending 10 minutes alone with nature. From then on, the chilly weather nor my responsibilities back home did not once enter my mind. Instead, I focused on the trail before me and the learning experiences left along the way.

During a portion of the hike I brought up the tail end of the group. Here is a picture of a couple students walking ahead of me as I immersed myself in the scenery.

References:

Neill, J. (2010, November 14). Experiential Learning Cycles.wilderdom.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014, from wilderdom.com/experiential/elc/ExperientialLearningCycle.htm

Neill, J. (2005, January 26). John Dewey, the Modern Father of Experiential Education. wilderdom.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014, from http://www.wilderdom.com/experiential/ExperientialDewey.html

Smith, M. K. (2001, 2010). ‘David A. Kolb on experiential learning’, the encyclopedia of informal education.  Retrieved August 26, 2014 from http://infed.org/mobi/david-a-kolb-on-experiential-learning/