Mi Vida

When I was at Science North in Sudbury, Ontario, there was a display that had a gears exhibit similar to this picture. The point of the exhibit was to connect the gears with the materials provided so that when you turned any one of the gears all the gears would start turning. It was pretty tricky to figure out but satisfying once solved. This picture made me remember that and also realize that collaboration is a huge part of working as a team. Before attending Durham College, I've had plenty of experience working as a part of a team as well as the leader of a team at my jobs. However, working as a part of a team at school has definitely proven to be difficult. Not everyone cares the same for the work or wants to. Although group projects in school have been a little trying at times, I never back down from a challenge. And I always figure out a way to get the job done in the end. While I have been a team player as well as a leader, I enjoy being a hardworking team player more. I t...

(Adelman, 1963) “I have a dream.” With these famous words, Martin Luther King, Jr moved an entire nation and changed a country’s view on race forever.  It is truly amazing how an intricate string of words can change history. Think of Abraham Lincoln, would he really be so significant to us if it weren’t for his speech at Gettysburg?  One can only dream of being the kind of public speaker that can make people get goosebumps. All my life I have hated public speaking. It wasn’t ever the getting up in front of people that scared me. Because I’ve played piano pieces in front of hundreds of people without any hesitation. But the second you ask me to speak in front of them I’m done.  While I’ve had to do some presentations before college, college was the first time I’ve had to do weekly presentations and it is my nightmare. My first year of college was really difficult for me because I’ve never had to present, or speaking publicly so often in my life.   This ye...

Have you ever worked in customer service? If not, consider yourself one of the lucky ones. I've had more than four years of experience dealing with customers and I have met some of the nicest people in the world and some of the worst. Being a manager on top of that brings it a whole other level. Leadership has only recently become a soft skill of mine, and I will not deny it took some work. However, having soft skills such as a positive outlook on things, good communication, and initiative all made becoming a leader an easier job. Leadership is essentially a combination of a number of soft skills. As a leader, I have found myself taking on a lot of tasks. Even just simple things, like changing the garbage. I figure that I can just get it done faster if I do it myself. I pile on all these simple tasks and my plate gets so full, and I find myself getting stressed. I have definitely learned to delegate these tasks over the years, but I still catch myself taking on too many tasks. Del...

Ever since I was little, the most important thing my parents taught me was to be kind. Isn't it crazy how a 2-word phrase can have so much meaning behind it? It can be applied to so much more than just personal relationships. You can apply it to what your work ethic is like or how you treat strangers or even just the person taking your order at a restaurant. You never know what an individual is going through and even something as small as a smile or kind word can turn someone's day around. I grew up in a home with Christian values and although that has had a huge impact on how I treat others, I still believe that kindness is an important value that needs to be taught to everyone. I genuinely believe the world would be a better place if everyone realized how important kindness is.  It's kind of funny how there is kindness in places where you wouldn't even think to find it.  Have you ever thought about how much the trees and plants offer us and how they are such a...