Points of View

The view from my balcony..

Photo Cred: Malinda Masing

I am definitely going to miss waking up to this beautiful view of the Mediterranean every morning. I type this introductory post about my study abroad trip to Israel from the Hotel Sharon in Herzliya. I have less than 24 hours remaining in this beautiful country; it has truly been one of the best experiences of my life. I have learned a lot about inter-cultural and inter-religious conflicts in the middle east. I have really valued much about Judaism, but am still critical of religion and the role it plays in society. I have broadened my horizons about different career paths available to me, and have seen the vast importance language and culture plays in international job markets.

The point of studying abroad is to learn through different perspectives and to see the world through various lenses. Like India, this trip did that and more for me. International experience is something invaluable to me, and I am very gracious to have been able to travel incredible places in this world.  There is a lot left to explore, and I am ready for it. After, of course, another daunting trans-continental flight home to Henniker.

Things to be happy about:

Supportive friends and family

Achieving a 4.0 GPA this past semester

Warm weather and avoiding sunburns

A nearly one-year anniversary

Continuously exploring Israel on an amazing trip abroad

Learning new things and meeting new people

I have just felt very happy, really lucky, and extremely blessed this past month, especially. May 2012 has brought me amazing things to be incredibly proud of.

I am a Syracuse University Remembrance Scholar

Do you remember the Pan Am Flight 103 attack on December 21, 1988?
Well, 35 Syracuse University students traveling home from a semester abroad died in that plane bombing.

The Remembrance Scholarship at Syracuse University is among one of the most prestigious and well-recognized scholarships across the country. I am humbled to say, I am one of the 35 scholars for the 2012-2013 academic school year.

If you would like to read more about the scholarship, please visit: http://undergraduatestudies.syr.edu/Remembrance/LEVEL%202/Home.html and navigate through the links.

I am so honored, so happy, and so proud to be representing one of the SU victims of that horrible incident 24 years ago.  I am eager to see what Remembrance Week will be like this coming fall!

Study Abroad: Take 2

Doesn't this look like fun?  This is what I will be studying when I go to Israel May 10-May 28 for my second study abroad opportunity of my college career.

In a last minute application decision, I applied to study for a 2.5 week term in Herzliya, Israel.  Called: Israel and Middle East Policy, the program sounded like too incredible of an opportunity to pass up.  The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs in partnership with the Lauder School of Government of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya offer SU undergrads foreign study with some of the world's top foreign affairs experts. The IDC's Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) is one of the leading academic institutes and think tanks for counter-terrorism in the world.

I am excited to learn how Israelis view their conflict with the Arab world; in addition, we will be able to explore how Israelis deal with terrorism and other security issues in their country.  There are a number of interesting lectures I get to attend, several travel opportunities (including trips to Nazareth, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Sea of Galilee).  Not to mention, I will be staying in a hotel on the Mediterranean ..

Needless to say, as my semester in Syracuse winds down - I am so excited to be in Israel in two weeks!

Dulye Leadership Experience

For the three years I have been in college, Spring Semester is the semester that runs away from me.  Maybe it is the improving weather?  For this semester, perhaps it was re-engaging on and off campus after a semester abroad?  Whichever, I apologize for being behind in this blog that I - promised to keep up with.

The weekend of March 30-April 1 was an incredible weekend for me this year.  I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful experience that Syracuse Alumni, Linda Dulye has created for Syracuse Students: The Dulye Leadership Experience.  Basically, it is an intense-professional-job-skill-building-boot-camp for Syracuse Students.  It is aimed to transport us physically, mentally, and emotionally to a higher ground of preparedness as we graduate college and enter the tough job market.  As someone who has been weighing Grad School vs. Career for my post May 2013 life, this was an excellent leadership seminar.

From the brochure: "Now in its fifth year, the DLE offers powerful techniques, knowledge and networks to help you- the select group of 14 SU juniors and seniors comprising the DLE Class of 2012- to make the leap from college graduate to new hire."

Here were the program goals:

• Provide skills and tools to help shape students' future career path after graduation
• Promote goal setting on both personal and professional levels
• Provide a roadmap that gets students on the track for success in the real world
• Deliver a network of experienced leaders who serve as coaches and mentors during the program, and well beyond, helping students navigate the cultural, operational and political dynamics of business.

...but this is unlike any other "leadership experience" I have ever heard of.  For three days, 14 of us traveled to the Berkshires in Western Massachusetts for an all-expense, paid for conference comprised of real post-grads, CEOS, and successful business wo/men offering worth-while tips for me- in the now.

Here are some of the most valuable tips from the speakers that I wanted to share with my friends and family:

From Anne McCarthy, Client Analyst, Burson-Marsteller

"Get Uncomfortable in your new job"

- Move beyond your comfort zone

- Take on "dirty work"

- Be confident: identify problems and propose soultions

- Know when to tell people what you are doing

- Watch how you conduct yourself in a conference call vs. at a bar. Co-workers notice everything.

From Kendell Bryant, Strategic Consultant, CSC

"Let your interests and passions guide you"

- Set up a professional dashboard following trends and articles related to your new field

- Participate in Toastmasters at SU or off campus

- Activate the resources on campus to help land you a job, i.e. Orangelink

- Update that resume often

- Re-invent yourself to help your profile stand out

From David Bartell, Director of Development. Syracuse University

"What do you do in social situations?"

- Have a goal in mind: how many people do you want to network with/meet today

- NO shoulder surfing to spot another person when you are engaging with someone

- Introduce yourself accurately; introduce others, if you can, to show you care about the environment

- Keep one hand free (hold your drink in the hand you don't shake with)

- Stay in the "safe zone" of conversation; no politics, religion, income

- Be appropriate with your napkin at the dinner table

- Follow the lead of your host when ordering drinks/dinner

- Food to mouth, not mouth to food when you are eating

- Pace yourself!

From Rich Armstrong, VP/GM, DRS Power Technology

"Put people before progress"

"Ask clarifying questions while you are the new-guy"

- What's needed?, In What format?, What's the overarching purpose?

- Be a good communicator

- Don't think you know everything

From Brian Burlingame, Senior Director, Pfizer

"Learn how to take calculated risk"

- Always be yourself; relate to people on a "human level"

- Never pass up an opportunity to meet people

- Stay in touch with people you have met/worked for: technology makes it easy

- Revamp that resume every six months

- Create a list of places you could see yourself working

- Keep a journal about who you've met, where they work, when they said they would follow-up

From Sue Edelstein, President/Founder, The Edelstein Group

"So... tell me about yourself"

- Don't list tasks on a resume; list positive outcomes or purposes of projects (accomplishment driven)

- Know why you want to work "here"

- Know the job function

- Talk to employees past/present

- Learn the culture of the company

- Track current events

- Be a consumer yourself

- Study the competition

- Research the annual reports

From Daniel Thompson, Regional VP, Capacity Coverage Company

"Small talk is a fundamental concept"

- Make eye contact (visual)

- Vary your tone of voice (vocally)

- What is it you want to talk about? (verbally)

From Linda Dulye, President/Founder, Dulye & Co.

"Communicating for Success"

- Be inclusive (use "talk with" vs. "talk to")

- Be interactive: relay, relate, receive, and respond to information

- Mix your media

- Nail your message: why is it important?

- Tune in: open ended vs. closed ended questions

- Never lead a bad meeting (PACER structure: purpose, agenda, conduct, expectations, responsibilities)

- Follow-through and follow-up with everyone

- Recognize others, simply: birthdays, significant events, achievements in the office

From Matthew Keator, Partner, Keator Group

"Always live below your income"

- Establish a savings account with a "bunker" (six months worth of expenses: rent, car payments, college loans)

- Have a checking account that can be used with a debit card- forces you to live with what you have

- Open up one credit card

- Open a retirement account: 401k or RotnIRA

Overall it was an incredible weekend full of incredibly knowledgeable and helpful people. I learned a lot about myself and what I want to do.  At the end of the conferences, we were divided into teams to create and propose a business plan- hopefully drawing on all the components of the weekend.  My team, who created a business called "Blitz," is based off the old concept of speed-dating to assist the job hunt.  We won the competition at the end of the weekend! I will take many of these skills with me into job interviews in the near future.  I not only feel more prepared, but more confident about what I can bring to any job.

Viral.

Whether you support it, think it’s a scam, or want to be apathetic… the point is to watch it, think critically, and play a role. Whichever role.

A person I greatly admire is volunteering her time, her efforts, and her huge-heart by advocating on behalf of Invisible Children all over the western U.S. I know she would not be spending her time (after a semester in Africa herself) doing this kind of work if it was not worthwhile..

The video did what it was supposed to do. It educated me. It brought tears to my eyes. And.. it made me think about tomorrow; it made me think about human-nature and the world we live in; it made me think about how someday, I would like to have a “Gavin…” and how I would never want him to live in that kind of place.

Watch it. Spread it. Live it.

Or..

Stand by.

Welcome to 'Cuse Spot!

Thinking back to my February breaks when I was in school, I was so fortunate to (1) have parents who both worked in the school system (2) have things to do during the week and (3) to have people to spend my time with.

Last week was Syracuse City School District's mid-winter recess.  All the city school children had the week off! Although this sounds like an amazing week, for many of the children who live in the city it is a week of no after-school activities, no parent interaction, and a long week of potential trouble-making.

Last year, I was on a committee that created a winter-break program for youth at a local community center -  Wilson Park.  The center supports a neighborhood of incredibly disadvantaged children and is only a 5 minute walk from a SU Residence Hall.  Given the proximity to campus, a small group of us were challenged in finding a way to get Syracuse University students involved in their local community, but by allowing them opportunities to work with kids on something that already interests them. Thus, the 'Cuse Spot was born.

Essentially, the program gets Syracuse University students down to Wilson Park Community Center teaching skills, hobbies, or lessons on subjects they are already good at. For instance, an SU kid who enjoys Martial Arts can teach a course on Beginners Karate. A student who is majoring in French can teach a beginners French Language course.  The project aims to solicit worthwhile community service by encouraging kids to "do what they would be doing anyway."

This year, I was the co-student director for the volunteer initiative. Since I arrived on campus in early January, I have been planning for this past week: recruiting volunteers, submitting press releases and working with campus press, coordinating schedules, reaching out to community donors and campus supporters, organizing transportation and signing off on volunteer hours... printing off brochures and juggling youth registration at the center... it was an incredibly time consuming initiative, but it went off very well this last week. The program ran from February 21st-February 24th, and was very successful. We had classes in the following: Cooking, CSI Wilson Park, Jewelry Making, Fashion Drawing, Computers, CPR Skills, Culture of India, Photography, Screenwriting, Presentational Speaking, Beginners French, Ice Skating, Crafts and Competitions, Movie-making, and beginners Korean. The wide range of selections were perfect for kids at the center, and allowed SU students to volunteer in an area of prior expertise.

The cooking class prepared the daily meal for all the participants 

Carlito shows off his photo collage 

A group of girls get into jewelry making 

Although the mission of this project is unique, it was not difficult to conceptualize. Too often, community service is made into a "have-to" activity. It is required from our majors, our curriculum, and often by those of us who broke the law. Why can't volunteerism come naturally? Why can't it be in the form of sharing our skills and talents rather than "wasting our time...?"

I am very happy to be apart of the 'Cuse Spot. Even though it is an exhausting week, it is well worth the time and energy to see that these kids have something productive and fun to do during their week vacation from school.

Mail from Italia!!

Samantha is studying abroad in Florence Italy this semester.  I miss her terribly, and often question why we allowed ourselves to study abroad opposite semesters of the same year.  I probably got her letter on the best day possible -- it has been a long week.  Inside contained one of my favorite song lyrics:

Hey, my friend. It seems your eyes are troubled, care to share your time with me.

Would you say you're feeling low and so a good idea would be to get it off your mind.

See, you and me have a better time than most can dream.

Have it better than the best; and so can pull on through --

whatever tears are us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done,

We'll make the best of what's around.

The Italian stamps, the letter, the birthday card -- perfect. I miss her.

A Weekend in Montréal!

Last weekend, some friends and I dared the border crossing and ventured into beautiful Montréal Canada.  It was a very easy 4 1/2 hour drive, and was an incredible weekend. I have been to Montréal before, but it is a totally different experience when you are a seemingly more independent twenty-year-old.  

We only stayed two nights -- but it was a wonderful time. We found the perfectly convenient (and cheap) Days Inn in downtown Montréal.  It was so close to restaurants, bars, the old historical side, and the financial district. 

 We're almost there! AND, the signs are in French!

At a Hookah Bar before dinner 

(L-R) Anne Marie, Adam, me, Jesse, and Chris

I know, we are so cute ...

Wasting time inside a transportation center 

Beautiful Old Montréal 

 Annie and I being cool dumb

  Another shot of Old Montréal

We were also able to see the Olympic Stadium, the Montréal Biodome and some of the fantastic Canadian night life.  Overall, escaping Syracuse for the weekend was well-worth the money exchange and the cold winter air. And, it is never bad to share some company with good friends.

A Syracuse Spirit

I have to say, going to a University with such a successful athletic program has its perks. As in, it is great-fun to be in such a spirited atmosphere.

Tonight, Syracuse University beat Georgetown University in a huge rival basketball game (in OT!).  Although student tickets are incredibly hard to come by (unless you have season tickets), and I was unable to be present in the recognizable Dome, I was still able to catch the tail end of the game.  This team is really pulling together some wonderful things this season. It is impressive, and fun, to watch.

Some of their success may be due to this guy:

Yeah, Boeheim is nuts.