Becoming something…

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**Objective**

Combine current cultural, social and economic knowledge with new ideas and concepts in a rigorous learning environment exposing new solutions for today’s businesses and organizations.

**Education**

Kalamazoo College Bachelor of Arts Kalamazoo, MI 2003-2007
+ Major in Economics and Business - Minor in Chinese - 3.4 GPA
+ Senior Individualized Project - English Department - “Couches”

Capital Normal University Intensive Mandarin Study Beijing, China 2005-2006
+Cultural/Sociological focus
+Intercultural Research Project: observed local restaurant business

**Employment**

MI Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA MI 2007-2008
+Is national service fighting poverty through student empowerment and departmental development via service at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) to the campus and surrounding community.
+ Administered scholarship; 250% increased enrollment
+ Created and/or facilitated over 25 professional level trainings
+ Established department standard for tracking Learning Beyond the Classroom, a general education requirement
+ Developed training curriculum and new recruitment system
+ Helped recruit over 600 volunteers who served over 2,700 hours

Kalamazoo College Computer Lab Assistant Supervisor MI 2004-2007

Y.M.C.A. Professional Rescuer & Swim Instructor MI 2003-2006

Times Ledger Newspaper Subscription Telemarketer NY 2005

**Other Experiences**

Community Records Volunteer
+Attend board meetings and vital to recent recording project

National Collegiate Athletics Association Swimmer
+Teamwork, led underclassmen, time management, goal setting, Most Valuable Freshman

Answers for Students with Sexuality Questions (ASSQ) Founder
+ Campaigned successfully for gender neutral restrooms; peer-counseling

Human Rights Campaign Statistical Analyst
+Introduction to statistical results, pre-coursework conceptual application

Manpower Inc. – Externship Executive Assistant
+Presented customer intake analysis, front-desk, assistant to Vice President

ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES AND SKILLS

**Professional Development**

MCC Solutions Summit –
+A collaboration between groups/educators with similar missions who want to encourage the greening of service-learning, volunteerism, community-based research and place-based education
National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) conference -
+Focusing on precision in experiential education outcomes, assessment and promising practices
IMPACT conference -
+The largest campus community conference on service, activism, politics, advocacy, and other socially responsible work across philosophical and ideological lines
Pre-Service Orientation -
+Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA; community partnerships, identity and privilege, recruitment and volunteerism
The Institute -
+Tackling issues and exposing best practices in service-learning and civic engagement
EMU Office of Research and Development grant writing workshops –
+Topics included an introduction to and funding sources
MCC AmeriCorps*VISTA trainings –
+Fine tuning the skills of collaboration, meeting facilitation, problem solving, and youth outreach

**Trainer Experiences**

ASSQ and EMU’s PRIDE Education Coalition - sexual identity and peer counseling
EMU students and staff - general education system
EMU Emerging Leaders - citizenship and service
EMU New Student Orientation Advisors - diversity issues and awareness
Life-size Game of LIFE reflection activity - social privilege
EMU student program coordinators and staff - program development, delegation
Michigan Service Scholars - cohort development
One-on-one student development and mediation; including web-based group surveys and team building activities

**Professional Skills**

+Scholarship administration
+Job description development
+Volunteer recruitment
+Workflow and staffing systems
+Staff orientations, student/staff meetings, and classroom presentations
+Conflict facilitation and resolution
+Program presentations and promotion
+Hiring and interviewing systems

I nearly killed myself in college to get straight A’s. Well, almost straight A’s. I graduated with 37 A’s and 3 B’s for a GPA of 3.921. At the time, I thought I was hot stuff. Now I wonder if it wasn’t a waste of time. Let me explain:

1. No one has ever asked about my GPA.
2. I didn’t sleep.
3. I’ve forgotten 95% of it.
4. I didn’t have time for people.
5. Work experience is more valuable.

-This post content is from Jon Morrow as posted on Penelope Trunk’s Brazen Careerist. His blog is On Moneymaking. Read it’s full content here.

Me: (I didn’t get straight As, but my only C was from study abroad. I too didn’t sleep much, but usually thanks to procrastination, or what I called “learning outside of the classroom”)

What are grades? The subjective and objective opinions of professors usually concerning your work for and within the classroom. Sometimes you get lucky (or not) and the professor considers yourself outside of the classroom in determining a grade. We know why we need them, or at least we think we do. Few other alternatives have been accepted, so why care?

From the day that grades were introduced to me (4th grade), partially the explanation of the “fourth grad slump” I learned about yesterday, I saw them as a personal indicator. Before that, looking back at my younger report cards, I remember thinking the higher the number the better (we used a number system before 4th grade). Those 2s, 3s, and 4s out of 5 always looked good to my younger self, the bigger the better. I still remember being placed on a more advanced track, thus the teacher recognized my ability despite my “poor” performance. It wasn’t until Junior year of high school that I detached grades, for the most part, from a system that was grading me as a person. This was good, but not good for my grades. There was a rebound and grades took on a mixed meaning in college as I learned of learning outside of the classroom as well.

So what is it? Doesn’t everyone learn differently? Many of the students that I am involved with right now spend their life in DSA (Division of Student Affairs), many times at the cost of their school work. Yet, they learn and exhibit extreme skill. There has been a trend in college these days to reincorporate “out of the classroom” experiences into the curriculum. Anything from service-learning, externships, to actual work experience counting as class credit. This was the topic covered while attending a conference in Seattle.

I love this trend.

So I say learn on! Yet as a graduate looking at graduate school, thinking of my career, working full-time, and trying to pursue my own interests while trying to make a difference, I still wonder if those grades represent my ability of thinking to learn or learning to think?