maddyinbcn

[maddyinbcn]

Managing My Own Life

During my study abroad experience in Barcelona, Spain I was given the opportunity to completely manage my own life. Surrounded by a new city, new friends, and new teachers, I was able to create my own schedule and learning routine like never before. Unlike at the University of Rhode Island, I was no longer a two-hour drive home to my family, but rather an 8 hour plane ride across the ocean. 

During my time abroad, I had to manage my own schedule, study when I deemed it necessary, and make sure I stayed healthy myself. I developed better time management skills because of my increased freedom, and I will carry these skills with me in my life. I also learned how to balance work and fun better than before, knowing that I was the only one that could hold myself accountable. 

By taking a leap of faith and choosing to study abroad thousands of miles away from home, I was able to develop priceless life skills such as managing my time correctly and developing a healthy work-life balance. 

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Thank you, study abroad

Since I first stepped out of the cab coming from the Barcelona El Prat airport on January 8th 2020, I knew that this semester would be one that was completely different than any semester I had ever experienced. I turned out to be right, in the best way possible. 

I believe that my choice to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain forced me to truly step completely outside of my comfort zone. I was able to make new friends, have new experiences, and absorb myself as much as I could into a new city and its culture. By studying abroad in Barcelona this semester, I was able to prove to myself just how well I am able to adapt and enjoy an entirely new situation. I now know that I am able to problem solve and open up to new people and new experiences with more confidence than before, and I am forever grateful to the people I met while abroad as well as the various experiences that I had for helping me to become a better person. 

Looking forward, I believe that my semester in Barcelona, Spain will truly help me in my career by allowing me to see and understand the perspectives of different people and be able to communicate better. My experience as a study abroad student, through my classes, weekend trips, and daily adventures, has caused me to be more confident in my ability to learn new things and adapt to new situations. 

So, thank you, study abroad and Barcelona, for helping me to achieve new levels of confidence in my everyday life and communicating with others that I did not know was possible. 

[maddyinbcn]

Finding My Potential Calling

During online class on March 25th, the topic of “calling” was discussed through a powerpoint video and various video assignments. I found this topic especially interesting because finding my calling in the career world is something that I want to achieve one day.

Before entering college or during their first year at college, many students are asked to choose their major or concentration in which they want to focus on during their time at college. I believe that this can be related to one’s calling, and choosing my major, or calling, was something that I had decided before entering school at the University of Rhode Island. After taking some United States history classes as well as Government classes during high school I thought that I would pursue a major in Political Science. As much as I did enjoy this topic in high school, since then I have added a minor in Spanish as well as a double major in Public Relations. As of now, i have realized that I enjoy Public Relations much more than Political Science, and believe that my calling may more closely align with Public Relations rather than Political Science.

Given my experience with choosing my college majors, and possibly my callings, it is evident that my calling may change, which is something that Daniel from “As it is in Heaven” experienced himself. I found this online class on March 25th to be extremely relevant to my own life, and I enjoyed learning more about finding one’s calling in life. 

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Improving My Understanding of Entrepreneurship

During the online class on March 23rd, I viewed the PowerPoint video about Entrepreneurship as well as read multiple articles about the topic as well. Before this online class, I was familiar with Entrepreneurship and knew that it had to do with people inventing their own business or creating ideas for new products. After learning more about Entrepreneurship during this class, I am definitely more familiar with the concept of Entrepreneurship. 

Specifically, during this class, I enjoyed learning about the qualities that make someone a good entrepreneur. According to the PowerPoint, these qualities include being creative, a problem solver, and goal-oriented. I found these three qualities to be the most important because they can truly help one develop their business the best they can and to produce quality products that consumers will enjoy.

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Work-Life Balance And My Career

During the online class on March 18th, the topic of ethics and corporate social responsibility was discussed. Something that resonated with me in the lecture slides was the idea of work-life balance. 

In the lecture slides, work-life balance is defined as “a concept including proper prioritizing between "work" (career and ambition) on the one hand and "lifestyle” (health, pleasure, leisure, family and spiritual development/meditation) on the other”. When planning my career, work-life balance is definitely something that I need to consider. In the future, my goal is to not only be happy in my career but to make enough money to have a good lifestyle and support my family. Therefore, I want to make sure I work enough to make a good salary but have enough breaks to spend time with my family and enjoy life out of work.

Therefore, the main message that I took out of this class was that work-life balance is a concept that is relevant when pursuing your career and is not something that should be overlooked. 

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The Importance of Flexibility Within My Future Career

During the online class on March 16th, we learned about employment trends and 21st-century jobs. A quote from the lecture slides that stood out to me was: “We are currently preparing students for jobs that don’t exist, using technologies that haven’t been invented, in order to solve problems we don’t yet know”. To me, this quote is especially relevant when it comes to finding a future career after I graduate from college. As of right now, I plan to pursue a career in Public Relations, but I am not sure which specific career path within Public Relations I want to go down. 

Given this interesting quote from the lecture slides, I believe that I must be flexible and willing to learn when it comes to my future career, whether it be within Public Relations or another sector in the workforce. Moreover, I must be willing to adapt to new technologies and methods of work in order to be successful and to truly embrace the theory of the career world constantly changing. 

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Guest Speaker: Francesc Granja

During class on March 11th, we had Francesc Granja attend the class as a guest speaker and share his experience with coaching. Before class, I conducted some research on Francesc Granja to be prepared to ask questions during his time as a guest speaker. I learned that Francesc Granja was the head of sales and marketing for a company when he endured a terrible accident in 1994 that left him quadriplegic.

Since this accident, Francesc Granja has gone down the path of coaching and supporting others in the same situation as him. I believe this is extremely admirable work for him to give back to others and help people who felt the way he did after his accident.

Unfortunately, I was not able to attend the class that day, but after doing research on Francesc Granja and his experiences with coaching, as well as watching the videos posted on Slack, the lesson that I took away from Francesc Granja and his experience is that a terrible situation and struggle can be turned into a positive outcome through hard work and determination. I believe that this is a very important lesson that I will take with me in the future.

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What Matters Is What’s Inside

During class on March 9th, we watched a video about a company that interviewed a candidate that happened to have down syndrome. After watching this video, one message was clear: never judge someone by how they appear on the outside, rather on what is inside. For example, look at one’s character or one’s passion, rather than their appearance. 

Also, this video demonstrated how there may be a battle between culture and values within a company, which is something that must be balanced appropriately in order for a company to be successful. 

My takeaway from this class, and the video, is that it is unethical to judge a candidate interviewing for a job based on how they look on the outside. Moreover, this video reinforced my belief that it is wrong to make prejudice judgments before even listening to what someone has to say and seeing the person they are on the inside. 

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The Importance of Behavior in Interviews

During class on March 4th, the topic of interviews and one’s behavior during an interview was discussed. I have done a few interviews before, and mainly focused on the content I needed to know and the questions they may ask me in preparation for the interview. After this class, I learned that it is very important to focus on your behavior during the interview as well, such as body language. 

Therefore, when preparing for future interviews, I will make sure to practice proper body language such as eye contact and not fiddling with my clothes during the interview, in order to make an even better impression and possibly having a better shot at the job. 

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Guest Speaker: Juan Carlos

During class on March 2nd, we had a guest speaker from the business field. His name was Juan Carlos, and he answered many questions from my class regarding his positions in various roles and companies. It was especially interesting to learn about his experiences working internationally, as well as working remotely in Spain. 

During his talk, he spoke about the importance of preparing for an interview and really knowing the company you are applying for. This is one of the most important things that I took away from this guest speaker experience because I will soon be in the position of looking and interviewing for jobs, given that I will be a senior in college this fall. His advice to be extremely prepared for interviews will definitely stick with me and influence me to spend days leading up to an interview learning about my potential new company and their practices. 

After this class and hearing from the guest speaker, I feel as though I have a better idea of the business world and have learned more about the potential career paths I can take. 

[maddyinbcn]

Video Resumes: the Resume of the Future?

During class on February 26th, the concept of video resumes, as well as the “do’s and don’ts” of resumes were discussed. As a Public Relations major, I have experience with resumes and have been able to build my own in multiples classes at my home university. One type of resume that I had not heard of before was the idea of a video resume.

During class, we were shown an example of a video resume and how it can be useful in grabbing the attention of a potential employer, as well as how it can showcase different aspects of your experience. I found this especially interesting to see a video resume firsthand because it gave me a great idea of how to create one for myself.

I also liked learning about the “do’s and don’ts” of resumes because it was helpful in strengthening my own. I saw this class as overall very helpful and interesting to learn more about resumes, which are very helpful in furthering one’s career.

[maddyinbcn]

Networking And My Life

During class on February 24th, the main topic of discussion was networking and how important it truly is in this day and age. As a Public Relations major, networking is a skill that I have been learning and developing since the first introductory class that I took at the beginning of my sophomore year of college. 

A large part of my networking is through LinkedIn, as well as keeping contact with people that I know in the career fields that I am interested in. Moreover, I have done multiple informational interviews at different Public Relations firms to garner more contacts in that field and to learn more about different aspects of Public Relations. As for LinkedIn, I have worked diligently to maintain a robust and professional profile not only in my Public Relations classes but in my own free time as well. 

This class was especially interesting for me because I learned new aspects of networking, but was also able to confirm what I already knew was correct as well. After this class, I am now even more certain that networking is a topic that is important for everyone to learn. 

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What Do I Want To Do After College?

During class on February 19th, we discussed objectives and goals. During this discussion, one question came to my mind: What do I want to do after college? I pondered this question and decided that I had no clear answer for myself. The longer I thought, the more I realized that I may not have an answer to this question until I graduate and am able to explore my career options for myself. 

As a Public Relations and Political Science double major with a minor in Spanish, there is no single clear career path for me. Therefore, my only known career goal post-college is to earn money in a job as well as to have a job that makes me happy, although I do not know what that job is at the current moment. I know that I need to explore my options post-grad and see what job I like the most. 

This activity was meaningful to me because it caused me to discover something about myself and my future. Although my plans after college are vague, I am excited that I will have many options and the ability to pursue any opportunity that I like the most. 

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My Myers Briggs Test Results

During class on February 17th, I took the Myers Briggs test and got my results for which personality fits me the most. After taking the test, it was determined that my personality is ENFJ. As for what each letter of this personality type stands for, E = Extravert, N = Intuitive, F = Feeling, and J = Judging. The highest percent for a characteristic that I received was 59% for ‘extravert’. 

I believe that my results are accurate because I consider myself very outgoing, as well as sympathetic and good at judging certain situations. Moreover, I really enjoyed doing this activity in class and taking this test, because it gave me an idea of my exact personality type which could help me determine my career path and which jobs would fit my best in the future.

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Creativity in the Classroom

During class on February 12th, we were given the task of drawing a portrait of ourselves on a large piece of paper and filling it with magazine clippings and other drawings that represent ourselves. 

I liked this activity because it gave me the opportunity to express who I am in a visual, artistic way. I also liked using the magazine clippings and finding pictures and text that I related to, and using this to make a collage-like mural. 

Finally, I appreciated doing this activity in class because it gave me a jumpstart to my final marketing plan as well. I am glad we were given this opportunity to work on this aspect of our marketing plan in class!

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A Tree Is A Symbol For Growth

During class on February 10th, we were shown a video that depicted a man’s life and how a tree influenced the various stages of his life. During the video, the man met his wife, got married, and had a child. Throughout these stages, the tree remained a part of his life, whether it was rooted in the ground or made into a crib for his child. 

After watching this video, I interpreted that the tree was a symbol of the man’s growth throughout his life. For the first part of the video, the tree was healthy and rooted firmly in the ground. Toward the end of the video, there was a terrible storm and the tree was struck by lighting. This killed the tree, and the man was devastated. Instead of letting this be the end of the tree, the man transformed his beloved tree into a crib for his baby.

Through this action, it is evident that the man did not let the adversity of the lightning strike be the end of his love for the tree. Instead, the man turned this situation of adversity into something good for himself and his family. 

I truly did enjoy watching this video because of the strong message of overcoming adversity and turning a challenge that one faces into something positive. Moreover, I enjoyed watching the evolution and growth of the man’s life and how the tree wove itself into the different stages of his life.  

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The Most Influential People In My Life

During class on February 5th, we were tasked with making a list of who the most influential people in our lives were, and why. In the time we were given, I came up with a list of three people that influence my life the most: my grandmother, Mimsy, my dad, and my sister, Phoebe.

My grandmother, Mimsy, is one of the most selfless, caring, and resilient people I know, and this is why she is one of the most influential people in my life. She has given me my love of travel, as well, and how to work hard no matter the obstacles put in my way.

The second person on my list who greatly influences my life is my dad. My dad is extremely hardworking, smart, family-oriented, and caring. My dad is always there to support me and help me with anything I need. My dad gives me great advice and has truly helped guide me to become the successful and driven person that I am today.

Finally, the last person on my ‘most influential persons’ list is my sister, Phoebe. Although Phoebe is 21 months younger than I am, she influences me to be more light-hearted, positive, and school-oriented. Phoebe is also a very loyal person and is one of the most hardworking people that I know, always giving 110% into everything she does.

This activity in class made me realize just how impactful my family has been on how I have managed my relationships, career, and education thus far in my life. I will be forever grateful to Mimsy, my dad, and Phoebe for being great role models for me.