Howdy! I'm Vanessa Zemke
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Within this ePortfolio, I highlight many of my experiences at and outside of the Bush School that demonstrate my competencies as a student, worker, and individual. I discuss my ability to lead, serve, and communicate with others, critically think about issues, contribute to the public policy process, and work in teams. I also discuss the skills and knowledge I've acquired through a capstone project, which is a year-long research project required by the Bush School during a student's second-year, and a semester I spent studying at a graduate student campus while I was in my undergraduate program that contributed to my ability to be a lifelong learner. These experiences showcase my unique expertise and skillset that will benefit me in my career and contribute to my ability to collaborate effectively with others to complete responsibilities on and off the job.
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I am scuba-diving on a study abroad in Little Cayman, Cayman Islands, during my second year at the University of Delaware.
Master of Public Service & Administration, candidate
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Education:
The Bush School of Government & Public Service
Texas A&M University
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Interests:
Marine Conservation
Environmental Protection & Restoration
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Hobbies:
Outdoor Activities
(hiking, swimming, playing with my dog)
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Vanessa Zemke
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Texas A&M's mascot, Reveille, and I in front of the George H.W. Bush statue in the Bush School.​
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Biography​
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I earned a Bachelor's degree in Marine Science from the University of Delaware in which I learned about the various threats to the environment, the ocean, and its species. With this knowledge, I changed my focus to learn about public policy processes and management techniques to develop effective conservation programs. I felt a desire to take action against these threats and contribute to finding solutions that would reduce their impact on the environment and its species. This passion led me to pursue a Master of Public Service and Administration at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. I studied Public Management and created my own concentration in Marine and Environmental Policy to gear my interests in ocean conservation. I applied scientific concepts to learn how to create effective policies and management practices that conserve the environment, the ocean and its species.
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Aside from my education, I consider myself very enthusiastic and driven as an individual. I learned during my time at the Bush School that my Myers-Briggs personality type is Extroversion (E), Intuition (N), Feeling (F), and Judging (J). ENFJ's are typically characterized as being sociable, supportive, empathetic, and organized, which fits the bill for me. I expand on each of these characteristics below and how my personality type leads me to being an effective worker and leader.
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E: I get energized by interacting with others. As a leader, I truly enjoy working with others for their development and helping them reach their full potential. I am very enthusiastic and supportive of others in which I foster collaborative atmospheres within team environments. As an example, I was the co-chair on the Athletics Committee during my second year at the Bush School in which I cheered on students playing in sports games and supported them during tough games or calls.
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N: I process information by looking at the big picture and the possibility of what could be rather than what's right in front me. Because of this, I am very creative and imaginative when considering the potential of projects and opportunities. This allows me to evaluate information more critically and discover what information is the most relevant to a task I'm working on to identify patterns and reach a conclusion. I am also swift when reaching conclusions through my innate ability to problem-solve and identify a beneficial solution.
F: When making decisions, I consider my values and what is important to me and others before reaching a conclusion. I am very empathetic and compassionate when I make decisions to ensure I make the best choice for myself and those closest to me. As a leader, this means I will not compromise my team when making tough decisions but rather consider their input and make the best decision for everyone involved. In other words, I consider the "greatest good" for all involved parties.
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J: I am very organized and quick to make decisions. I also am very methodical in which I set timelines to complete tasks so I finish them ahead of schedule. I frequently completed assignments in my graduate program before the due date with extra time to review my work. In addition, I get energized when completing projects so I am quick to finish tasks assigned to me. This will serve me well in the workplace by not only getting tasks done, but completing them well and on time.
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Being an ENFJ demonstrates my ability to create harmony and foster collaborative atmospheres. Within the environmental-career field, there is a lot of tension when it comes to balancing economic, social, political, and environmental interests. I am confident in my ability to balance each of these because of my personality traits and my expertise within these fields. During my undergraduate program, I studied Marine Science in which I gained a holistic understanding of the environment. After finishing my graduate program at the Bush School, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the social, economic, and political aspects in which I can consider all of these aspects when reviewing issues and recommending solutions. This will benefit me in my career by accounting for multiple interests to reach a beneficial solution for all involved parties.
Education
2019-2021
Master of Public Service and Administration
Concentration in Marine and Environmental Policy
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My first day of class in my graduate program.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
The Bush School of Government & Public Service
I received a Master of Public Service and Administration in which I created my own concentration in Marine and Environmental Policy to gear my interests in ocean conservation. I focused my policy assignments and projects on environmental issues and thought both analytically and creatively about solving them. In addition, within my second year, I became more involved with the Bush School by serving as co-chair on the SGA Athletics Committee and as Team Lead on Paint USA within the Public Service Organization.
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I also received a Certificate in Nonprofit Management. I took track-specific courses in which I learned how to manage and lead nonprofit organizations as well as evaluate programs within these organizations. I also learned about various leadership theories and styles that I can apply to varying contexts within my career. This certificate broadened my knowledge while attending the Bush School to learn more about the nonprofit sector, particular how to be a leader within it. This will help me in my career when collaborating with or working in nonprofit organizations to achieve successful conservation outcomes.
2016-2019
Bachelor Of Science in Marine Science
Concentration in Marine Biology
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My brother and I in front of the University of Delaware's mascot statue, "YouDee".
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UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE (UD)
College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment
I completed an undergraduate marine science bachelor's degree in 3 years, graduating Magna Cum Laude. I resided at the marine science graduate student campus for a semester to take graduate-level courses, studied abroad in Little Cayman to study coral reef ecosystems, researched with a professor on the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and got involved with environmental clubs to learn more about issues within the ocean. My experiences at UD taught me about the many threats facing the ocean and its species, which led me to pursue a graduate program in public service and administration to contribute to solving these issues and developing practices to protect marine species.
The Bush School
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Leadership
I was the co-chair of the SGA Athletics Committee in which I coordinated intramural sports for the Bush School, termed "Bushwhackers," and recruited students to play. This position was very challenging and rewarding at the same time. It was challenging because intramural sports was the primary mechanism for new students to meet current students at the Bush School during the COVID pandemic. The new students did not have the same opportunity to meet each other as the current students did during orientation and within traditional class format. This was something my co-chair and I took on, particularly during the fall semester of 2020, to organize intramural sports and provide a means for students to engage with each other. As someone who values inner harmony, I was pleased to present a mechanism for students to meet, engage, and play sports with each other outside of class time.
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Something I learned from leading athletics is by having a forum for students to have fun and engage outside of class time has fostered a true atmosphere of teamwork. One of my skills as a leader is motivating others and it was an enriching experience to motivate students during games. I cheered them on and supported them as they played during tough games. I was and am extremely proud of the students who played for Bushwhackers and the enjoyment and courage they exemplified during games. Pictured below is the intramural soccer team after one of our games during spring 2021:
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Bushwhacker's Intramural Soccer Team, Spring 2021.
Service
I was the Team Lead for Paint USA within the Public Service Organization. Paint USA paints the United States (US) on local elementary school's blacktops in the Bryan/College Station area for students to learn US geography. I motivated others within this position by recruiting and supervising volunteers for the event. I maintained an optimistic attitude and ensured each volunteer enjoyed their time painting. As someone who values creativity and enjoyment, this service position benefitted me by working well with others for a common cause and getting creative during the process. I felt a deep sense of joy serving in this position by servicing the local community while also engaging a multitude of students to volunteer their time on a Saturday morning to paint for children's benefit. I learned in this position that US geography is not taught in elementary school's curriculum as much as it used to be so, this service project allows children to see where US states are located in relation to each other that they do not learn during class time.
Another lesson I learned from leading these service events is the ability to bring together diverse groups of people for common cause. I engaged both new and current students at the Bush School and from both programs the Bush School offers; the Public Service and Administration program and the International Affairs/Policy program. I was personally impacted by this because I was able to bring together diverse students for a service event where we all got to interact with each other. Particuarly, during the COVID pandemic, there hasn't been as many events from the Bush School to boost engagement among students. This was something special where students got to interact with each other for the first time outside of intramural sports. In addition, students left the event feeling accomplished and pleased with the finished result. A picture of the spring 2021's service event is below:
Paint USA's re-paint with Bush School students, Spring 2021.
Capstone
Communication
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I interned at the Marine Education, Research, and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute during the fall semester of my final year at UD in which I effectively communicated with the public about marine mammal and sea turtle stranding events. MERR is Delaware’s official stranding agency for marine mammals and sea turtles. MERR rescues and rehabilitates these species and encourages their conservation through public outreach events. Within these events, I educated and listened to the public to speak with them about these stranding occurrences and how they could help.
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Skills
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Education
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I spent the majority of this internship interacting with the public to educate them about the causes of stranding events and how they could help prevent them from occurring. I volunteered to speak at a League of Women Voters event in a small town and educated women of various ages about sea turtle and marine mammal strandings. I showed them pictures of strandings and told them stories of how MERR helps these animals through their operations. I effectively engaged with them by telling stories of previous strandings and educating them on how prominent and severe these strandings are through visuals and infographics. I also transitioned the conversation into how they can help prevent them from occurring by reducing their plastic usage since plastic entangles or gets ingested by these species that causes them to strand. I learned how to effectively educate people through demonstrations to teach them about this important environmental issue.
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Listening
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While at these outreach events, I also listened to the people I was speaking to in order to assess their current level of understanding on stranding events. Some people were very knowledgeable about strandings and so, I could transition the conversation almost right away to how they could help prevent them. Other people were not as knowledgeable about these events and I would spend some time providing background on what they are and how they happen before getting into how they could help. I was able to assess a person's current understanding of a topic through listening to them rather than brushing over what they had to say. This will benefit me in my career when speaking to others about important topics so I can engage more effectively with them by listening well and focusing on the topics I can teach them as opposed to topics they already know.
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Takeaways
I greatly enjoyed this opportunity to interact with others and contribute to protecting these species during my internship. These outreach experiences will help me communicate with a multitude of people and educate them about important environmental issues while also listening to their understanding about these issues. This will help me in my career by generating a diverse network to collaborate with various stakeholders for a better environmental future.
I am showing a woman a whale bone at the League of Women Voters event in October, 2018, to educate her about marine mammals.
During my second-year at the Bush School, I completed a year-long capstone project with seven other graduate students. We worked with a client, Warm Heart Worldwide in Thailand, and provided them with income-generating strategies for their styrofoam project. This project involves hiring men in the community to remove styrofoam waste from the environment and convert it into bricks to be used to construct homes and other buildings. Within this project, I worked and communicated effectively with my team, I thought critically about our project, learned about a new culture, and developed my skills as a lifelong learner.
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​Teamwork
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I worked effectively with other students throughout this project to research, write, and prepare formal documents and meet deadlines. Our team met weekly to set research deadlines and divided up tasks among the team. We also set internal deadlines for finishing our research so we could move onto the next part of the project. In addition, we collaborated together to write sections of our project and edited each other’s parts. At times, when the work became challenging, I would motivate my team members by keeping an optimistic attitude. This went a long way to keep my team in a good head-space, especially when we changed course within our research topics or experienced set-backs that led to frustrations. I learned by working together as a team, we were able to accomplish objectives quicker and brainstorm topics to develop the most sound recommendations for our client.
Communication
In order to complete the many components and meet deadlines for this project, I communicated effectively with my team to ensure we researched and completed tasks effectively. I communicated with my team often to inform them when my sections were complete or to offer assistance if anyone needed me to review their section. I was the editor for my team in which I edited formal documents for professionalism and clarity. I was willing to look over other student’s sections frequently and provided feedback to ensure the group's writing was succinct and clear. Aside from editing, I would also communicate with my team if I needed assistance with my research or writing. I learned that because our team fostered a collaborative atmosphere through our ability to communicate and willingness to work together that our project was completed on time and with sufficient information.
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Global Learning
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I also learned about a new culture throughout the duration of this project because our client is a nonprofit organization located in Thailand. Our client’s employees are men hired from rural communities to earn a living for themselves and their families. These men utilize extremely low-technology equipment for Warm Heart’s styrofoam project, which has revealed to me the types of technology available within rural communities in developing countries. As my team researched and developed recommendations for Warm Heart, we placed them within a rural community context to accommodate for their lower technology availability. This taught me about a new culture and I learned about placing strategies and recommendations for a client in a different context that I had not thought about before completing this project. I used to research and think about recommendations in the same context I was familiar with, which is the United States. However, after completing this project, it broadened my scope of thinking to consider other communities when applying concepts across cultures and countries.
Lifelong Learning
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Throughout this project, I critically thought about our project and sorted through high volumes of data to find the most pertinent information for our client. Our team underwent multiple focus shifts in which our starting point was to develop a replicable business plan for our client, but after researching through replication processes, our team realized Warm Heart was not yet at the stage to replicate. With this new understanding, we transitioned our project to make recommendations to Warm Heart on the steps they needed to implement first before replication could occur. Even with our project changing course, I continued evaluating data critically and located the information we needed to develop substantial recommendations for our client. I also accomplished this under time constraints since we had a short project timeline and there were certain deliverables our team needed to meet by a certain time. In addition, I problem-solved throughout this process by assessing what research needed to be done, applying the research our team found to Warm Heart's setting, and then assessing what more information we needed to then formulate recommendations.
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I learned more about evaluating data critically and problem-solving throughout this project that is applicable to my future career. Since I am highly interested in crafting conservation strategies, I must consider environmental, economical, and political aspects during the developing stages. Considering all three of these aspects involves problem-solving and using the most pertinent information, which I did throughout the duration of this project. This gives me an advantage for my career because I have the necessary experience to think critically about problems and research relevant information to then inform substantial recommendations and conclusions. I will also be able to further develop these skills as I progress through my career after graduation by working on more projects similar to this one through researching complex topics and developing sound recommendations based on scientific evidence.
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Takeaways
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This capstone project has been an invaluable experience with the knowledge I've acquired, the teamwork I've fostered, and the skills I've gained throughout the process. In working with seven other students, I worked collaboratively and communicated with them to meet research priorities and deliverable deadlines. I have also learned about a new culture that will assist in my ability to transfer skills and knowledge to different contexts. In addition, I thought critically about our client to problem-solve for their income-generation needs and evaluated vast amounts of data to find the most relevant information for our project. This project has strengthened my skills and knowledge while also enhancing my global and lifelong learning for my career.
Contributing to the Public Policy Process
Background
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I have contributed to the public policy process through evaluating the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and recommending a policy amendment to account for a limitation within it. ​When reviewing Section 11 Penalties under the ESA, I discovered there is a substantial burden imposed on private landowners. They can be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars if any harm comes to endangered or threatened species or critical habitats on their lands. Their lands can also be confiscated by the federal government if any of these species or habitats are present on their lands for protection purposes. In response, landowners will intentionally harm these species or their habitats on their lands because they want to avoid being fined or their property being confiscated. Private landowners do whatever they can to avoid conserving these species or their habitats by harming them first so the government does not know they are on their lands in the first place to regulate them.
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Skill
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Making a Policy Recommendation
To account for this pitfall within the ESA, I recommended implementing both compensation funds and conservation easements to incentivize private landowners to conserve both these species and their habitats. Since the ESA targets conserving both species and habitats, and private landowners were harming both, I was looking for a solution that would address both aspects. Compensation funds target the species aspect and act similarly to insurance. They provide financial relief to private landowners if endangered or threatened species cause any harm on their lands; for example, trampling their crops or harming their cattle. In addition, conservation easements targets the habitats side and are a voluntary agreement for private landowners to enter into in which they can be paid to maintain the natural habitat on their lands. I learned how to innovatively think about an environmental issue to address two of the ESA's primary areas of concern, endangered and threatened species and critical habitats, when developing a policy solution. I was effectively able to contribute to the public policy process because of my ability to identify a pitfall within the ESA and develop a substantial recommendation to address and prevent it in the future.
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Takeaways
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I learned through this evaluation how to contribute to the public policy process by developing a policy amendment to a federal environmental policy that would increase its effectiveness and success. I accomplished this through researching various methods that would target both species and habitats to recommend two proven methods, compensation funds and conservation easements, to incentivize conservation.
Critical Thinking
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I have analyzed the issue of plastic pollution critically and creatively by thinking about and developing two different solutions to it from both a policy and social perspective. Plastic pollution is detrimental because it harms marine life, environmental and ocean ecosystems, and the economy. I critically thought about addressing the issue of plastic pollution from both a policy/regulatory standpoint and a social perspective to consider which solution would be the most effective for addressing it and reducing its negative impacts.
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Skills
Examining An Issue From a Policy/Regulatory Perspective To Make A Recommendation
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When I started thinking about addressing the issue of plastic pollution, I knew it was a problem because plastic has a high demand and a lack of proper disposal. I evaluated waste management studies to discover what type of environmental policy would reduce plastic in both consumption and production while also encourage its proper disposal. I came across a deposit-refund policy as accomplishing both in my research and it was shown to be the most effective type of waste management policy. With this in mind, I went on to think about developing an effective implementation plan for it. I researched similar deposit-refund policies to see if there was any successes and I came across state bottle bills as being highly effective for reducing plastic bottle waste. These bottle bills have a similar deposit-refund policy in place and I based my implementation plan off of the bottle bills implementation. I critically thought about plastic pollution by examining the research to discover an effective policy solution. I also researched similar policies in place to evaluate which ones have been successful to base my implementation plan off of to effectively address an environmental issue.
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Examining An Issue From a Social Perspective To Make A Solution
After addressing plastic pollution from a policy perspective, I also wanted to address it from a social standpoint to see if there was another way to combat it. I took a Social Innovation course during my last semester at the Bush School in which I worked with another student to develop a social venture that addressed plastic pollution. We also identified the need to reduce plastic in both consumption and production while also increase its disposal, but from a social standpoint. We brainstormed together and identified an increase in consumer demand on companies and corporations to utilize greener substitutes to plastic was needed. We developed an ecolabel that certifies companies’ products and packaging do not produce plastic waste with an identifiable logo that operates similarly to the Non-GMO Project. We critically thought about this issue to recognize that capitalizing off the market share of consumers that care about the environment will pressure companies to choose greener substitutes to plastic. I learned through this process how to think about an environmental issue from a grassroots level compared to a policy viewpoint. I also learned how to work with consumers in the market to help solve an environmental issue that I had not thought about going hand-in-hand before.
Takeaways
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I learned how to think about and address an environmental issue from both a policy/regulatory and social perspective. I gained the ability to look at environmental issues from multiple perspectives to discover different solutions for addressing and solving them. This ability to consider multiple perspectives will benefit me in my career by considering diverse solutions to an environmental issue and choosing the one that will be the most effective for addressing it.
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My Mother took a snapchat of me on my move-in day for my Semester-in-Residence.
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I took this picture one early morning on my way to a review session.
Lifelong Learning:
Semester-in-Residence
Shaping Up
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In the fall semester of my senior year at the University of Delaware (UD), I resided and took classes at UD’s graduate marine science campus in Lewes Beach, Delaware, termed "Semester-in-Residence." I advanced skills of time management, a strong work ethic, adaptability, and taking initiative during this semester. I got involved with researching the effectiveness of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act with a professor and interning at a local nonprofit organization, the MERR Institute, all the while taking graduate-level courses. This semester developed me into a lifelong learner through the skills I acquired by challenging and cultivating my skill-set based on my experiences.
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Skills
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Time Management
In taking courses with graduate students, I improved my studying tactics to learn the more challenging course material and complete homework assignments in a timely manner. On top of this, I balanced the number of hours I devoted to researching with the professor at UD and interning with the local nonprofit. I was able to keep up with each responsibility and excel as best as I could in each by delegating a certain amount of hours needed for each responsibility. In doing so, I contributed sufficiently to my courses, research, and internship through refining my time management skills.
Strong Work Ethic
Enrolling in graduate-level courses with graduate students taught me to work with those more knowledgeable than I and contribute to the conversation with concepts I understood. I rose to the graduate student’s academic level and worked at their pace by spending extra time outside of class reviewing the material and meeting regularly with graduate students to study with them.
Additionally, researching with a professor on the Magnuson-Stevens Act strengthened my work ethic in experimenting with different researching techniques. Data collection for the project took a number of hours each week combing through pages of stock assessments (reports with data on population numbers of fish species) within various NOAA fishery websites. I developed effective researching strategies to find data in minimal time and compile the data in a central location. I became more efficient in researching and moved onto other tasks that needed completion in a swift manner. I was able to learn about a variety of topics through research by shrinking time allotments needed to research topics and apply data findings to evaluate the effectiveness of the act.
Adaptability
My internship at MERR taught me about balancing responsibilities as I was always prepared for something new since no two days were the same. I learned to be flexible in managing tasks between:
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Taking care of the two resident turtles, Mrs. T and Humphrey
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Preparing for public outreach events
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Entering data from various strandings of marine mammals and sea turtles in NOAA’s research database
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Creating posters and brochures for public use with information regarding causes and preventions for stranding events
This experience taught me to switch from one task to another very quickly and work well at each I was assigned. Additionally, it broadened my skill set with what I thought I could accomplish versus what I could actually accomplish in my daily duties.
Taking Initiative
I took the initiative to attend optional review sessions early in the morning for my courses with professors to go over homework assignments and ask questions about course material. These sessions were rarely filled with students and I learned more about the material than I did in class time. Plus, I got to see some beautiful sunrises on my way to review sessions.
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Along with this, I emailed the professor researching the Magnuson-Stevens Act out of the blue because her work in fisheries interested me and I desired to learn valuable research techniques. Once I began to research with her, I continued to take initiative in asking her what I could research next after I finished the tasks she instructed me to finish.
With my internship, I reached out to a previous intern about his experience and he got me in touch with the executive director. From there, I introduced myself, applied, and got the position through successful networking. Once I started work in September, I constantly asked the executive director what I could do next to help, even before certain responsibilities were finished. For example, if I was caring for Mrs. T or Humphrey, I would ask if I needed to enter data into the NOAA database or help organize for public outreach events after I finished. I was always thinking a step ahead of what needed to be accomplished next and how best I could help.
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Takeaways
Throughout all of my experiences, I was able to improve my time management, work ethic, adaptability, and initiative skills. In refining all of these skills, I am able to divide various roles and projects into time increments so I can best accomplish each in a productive manner in my career. I can also work hard at each task I am assigned to rise above expectations and get involved with new opportunities wherever I go. Additionally, I can easily shift from one task to another to ensure each is done effectively. One day, I aspire to work in marine species conservation and this semester was an incredible experience for striving towards those goals and acquiring skills to assist me along the way in my career.
Teamwork
Background
I was the co-chair of the SGA Athletics Committee during my second year at the Bush School in which I learned how to effectively foster teamwork with my co-chair, Sabine Truyol, and current students playing sports. The Athletics Committee facilitates Bush School students playing intramural sports both fall and spring semesters and coordinating the spring semester’s city league softball team and Dillo Cup softball tournament against the Lyndon B. Johnson School at University of Texas-Austin. During this time, I considered Sabine's input and identified the strength of students playing intramurals to effectively foster teamwork between both Sabine and I and the students.
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Skills
Consider Another's Inputs
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This experience required me to work well with another student to create a memorable and enjoyable sports experience for students. Before I stepped into this position, my leadership style was to take the reins and make decisions as I saw fit. I typically did not work with others and worked primarily by myself. Being in this position taught me to slow down and consider another person’s input and ideas. I frequently found myself communicating with Sabine on things I thought we should do so we could co-lead Athletics rather than making all the decisions myself. For example, I thought about taking all the students playing on the city league softball team to attend a Texas A&M softball game for fun. Instead of going ahead and asking all the students if they wanted to go, I asked Sabine her thoughts and she suggested we all go to a baseball game instead because they normally draw a larger crowd and they might be more fun. I actually liked her idea a lot because I'd been wanting to check out a Texas A&M baseball game and thought this would be a great opportunity to do so. I learned from this experience to listen to her and consider her input on ideas before going ahead and doing whatever I thought we should do. I learned to slow down and hear her thoughts on things so we could make a joint decision together and provide a better experience for the students we were leading.
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Identifying Strengths of Individuals
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I also worked with Sabine on identifying the strengths of individuals for where to place them during sports games. For example, when we created softball lineups in the spring for the city league team, I would work with her to place students where we thought they'd play best. Rather than going in and putting students wherever I thought they should go, I collaborated with Sabine and considered her input to place students on the field. Often, she recommended students to play in certain spots on the field that I had not considered and it turned out that they played well in that position. I learned through this experience to truly recognize individual student's talents and place them where they would play best on the field rather than placing them randomly. I also learned to collaborate with her and to truly consider her input because it led to better outcomes rather than solely relying on my ideas.
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Takeaways
Collaborating with Sabine on the Athletics Committee was a rewarding experience in that I learned how to effectively collaborate with her and identify the strengths of the students playing. It also helped me slow down so I wasn’t jumping from one task to another but rather, taking a step back to consider her input. It made me feel more in control and relaxed within this position, which wasn’t something I was used to. I was glad to have this experience because it allowed me to slow down and collaborate with another that made managing athletics a lot easier, and more enjoyable, in the long-run.
My co-chair, Sabine Truyol, and I after the 1st year v. 2nd year softball game we organized for current students on April 3, 2021.
Skills
Adaptability
I transitioned easily between working on assignments for class to ensure they are completed effectively and on time. I frequently transitioned between writing analysis papers to creating lineups for softball games when I was in graduate school and co-chair of the Athletics Committee. This ability to swiftly change my focus allowed me to complete more tasks efficiently and get ahead on my assignments.
I transition easily between working on assignments for class to ensure they are completed effectively and on time. I can swiftly change my focus from one topic to another throughout the course of my day.
I transition easily between working on assignments for class to ensure they are completed effectively and on time. I can swiftly change my focus from one topic to another throughout the course of my day.
Communication
I communicated with team members in group projects to collaborate with them on ideas, meet research objectives, and complete the assignment by the deadline. I also collaborated with my co-chair, Sabine, for Athletics to ensure students enjoyed their time playing sports on Bushwhacker teams.
Critical Thinking/
Problem Solving
I have analyzed the issue of plastic pollution analytically and creatively. I have recommended and designed an implementation plan for a state-level deposit-refund policy and designed a social solution to plastic pollution.
Leadership
I led Bush School students on and off the field within intramural sports. I provided advice to students on how to play, cheered them on at every game, updated them on game times, and asked them how they were doing with school at each game. I ensured each student knew I appreciated them and their time playing intramurals with other students.
Project Management
I managed multiple projects within my second year at the Bush School and scored well on each of them. Specifically, in my fall semester of 2020, I managed projects within three of my courses along with capstone. I scored an A on all of them and completed each of them before the assigned due date.
Research
I researched multiple topics while attending the Bush School to complete analysis papers, policy briefs, and memorandums. I frequently evaluated multitudes of data to find the most pertinent information for my projects. I, then, compiled and synthesized this data to make substantial recommendations and conclusions in my papers and presentations.
Service
I engaged in service events for both Paint USA and other teams in PSO. During the spring of 2021, I painted the US on an elementary school's blacktop and beautified a garden for Ronald McDonald House Charities. I spent two Saturday mornings engaging in these service events for the local community and really enjoyed my time completing these tasks with other students.
Teamwork
I fostered teamwork in both my group projects and on sports teams. Within group projects, I worked with team members to complete tasks and brainstorm on complex ideas. We worked together to think about the content so we could write about them in a group paper. I also fostered teamwork with students playing intramural sports by cheering them on and with my co-chair as we coordinated sports.
"The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it"
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-Robert Swan