Social Concience and Network Building

On your blog, choose 2 of the following topics to reflection on regarding your mentorship and the inner- office/personal dynamics that you have discovered while participating in the program thus far.

Social Conscience:  How well do you believe your site is demonstrating a strong commitment to improve the world (i.e., environment, community, education, youth, etc.)?  Explain.

 

 The company I intern with, the Hall County Government, I believe has only good intent of improving the community of Hall County, in every way. Being on the inside of the government has really opened my eyes to all that they do to try and help everyone as a whole. Thanks to the HC Government, we have  major revenue-creating industries, organizations, tourist attractions, environment-caring companies, and even multiple higher education facilities. We have Lake Lanier that provides water and tourism to the area, Gainesville as the poultry capital of the world, multiple compactor and recycling centers, Elachee Nature Center to teach people about how inportant the environment is, over 7 high schools and 3 universities and colleges to educate tomorrows workers and leaders, and much more. Our county government is focused on what it should be, making Hall County a better place to live. 

 

Building your Network:  How have you or others in this organization effectively utilized relationship building/networking?  In what ways can you build a strong network with those you work with for future benefit?

I have absolutely built relationships and connections that I will keep for years to come. It is important to have connections in powerful places, and i have chosen a very powerful place to have one, in the Hall County Administration, where I work alongside the Hall County Board of Commissioners and other high officials. I can use these connections to my benefit when applying to college and future internships, where I can use the connections I have made for references, letters of recommendation, and other things I may need to move onto the next level in my career path.

My Essential Question

In the past few decades many citizens, governments, and businesses have joined the growing movement to "go green" and protect the environment, especially to reduce pollution. What kinds of environment-protecting actions have been implemented to reduce pollution locally, such as in the lake and city hubs? Identify what environmental action is in place today and evaluate if it has been effective or not in reducing and preventing pollution. 


 Why did you select this as your essential question?  What excites you most about finding the answer to this essential question?  Do you feel that this question accurately reflects a desire/need that you have to find out more about this topic?


I chose this question because I believe it is important to be environmentally conscious and to protect the Earth as much as we can, and not everyone shares that belief.  I am excited to answer this question to discover how much effort people really give into protecting their own living area. This question is one that greatly reflects an interest I have to find out more about how much people invest into protecting the environmen.

The 26th Amendment _ November Assignment

1. What does the right to vote mean to you? How important do you think the right to vote is to you and your classmates? What evidence supports your answer? 

The right to vote is a privilege that most young eligible do not take advantage of. It is the simplest way to take part in the government as a citizen of the US. I had the honor and privilege of being able to work in the Hall County Government Elections Office, assisting in the city mayoral elections, while doing my mentorship, and I am proud to say that I did. In my experience there, i realized from the inflow of elderly people making an effort to vote in such a small election, that the right to vote does not mean as much to my generation as it did to, for example, my grandmother, who could not vote at an early age but wanted to. Statistically, the age range from 18-29 has the least ratio percentage of eligible voters who actually vote. It is very disappointing that my age range has the largest pool of eligible voters, yet we do not take advantage of that. However, it would be worse if people voted blindly just to say they voted.

2. Read The Twenty-sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including the annotations. Then answer the questions that follow to understand the amendment in its historical context. 


1. What was going on in 1971 that led young people to pressure the government to grant voting rights to 18-year-olds? 

18+ year olds were granted the vote in response to Vietnam War protests that argued that soldiers who are old enough to fight for their country should be old enough to vote.

2. The process of granting voting rights to 18-year-olds involved a complex series of events. Explain what role the legislative and judicial branches played, and the states. Also, explain why a constitutional amendment was proposed and ratified. 

Legislative:   On March 10, 1971, the Senate voted 94–0 in favor of proposing a Constitutional amendment to lower the voting age  to 18. On March 23, 1971, the House of Representatives voted 401–19 in favor of the proposed amendment. Within four months after the Congress submitted it to the states, the amendment was ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, the shortest time in which any proposed amendment has received the number of ratifications needed for adoption.

Judicial: On June 22, 1970, President Richard Nixon signed an extension of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that required the voting age to be 18 in all federal, state, and local elections. Oregon and Texas challenged the law in court. In Oregon v. Mitchell, the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional the parts of the law that required states to register 18-year-olds for state and local elections.

States: As stated in the "Judicial" section, Oregon and Texas challenged challenged Nixon's extension to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, in Oregon v. Mitchell which was later repealed by the 26th Amendment. When it came time to ratifying the bill in 1971, all states eventually ratified it except for Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah.



Amendment: Congress and the state legislatures felt pressured to pass the Constitutional amendment because of the Vietnam War. People felt that if you were old enough to fight, you were old enough to vote.


3. How do you think young people having the right to vote has affected elections since 1971?
I think that young people have not taken advantage of their right to vote since the Amendment passed in 1971, and therefore have not affected the outcome of many elections at all up to date. 




3. Young voters—many voting for the first time—had a big impact on the outcome of the 2008 presidential election. Watch Impact of Youth Vote, which aired on NBC on Nov. 5, 2008, the day after Barack Obama was elected president. Work with the person next to you to list the three most significant things you learned from the video. (If necessary, you can watch it again or read the transcript.) Share your pair’s list with another pair, and change your list if you need to. Think about the question you answered regarding the 26th Amendment, about the possible impact that the youth vote might have. Was your hypothesis correct?

 My hypothesis, that young voters have not affected the election outcomes, was proven wrong with this video. However, it does state that in most previous elections, the youth vote has been very low. The three most significant things I found in the video were 1. the youth vote played a pivotal role in the outcome of the 2008 election, and perhaps even make the difference between a loss and a win for Obama. 2. The youth vote supported Obama 2 to 1 in the exit polls, showing how much the young generation supported Obama and cared about the election. 3. Obama's heavy campaigning through social media played a crucial role in getting young voters to the polls.

4. The NBC report concludes with news correspondent Luke Russert predicting that the youth vote will continue to make a difference in future elections. In November 2011, the Pew Research Center released a report that suggests he may have been right. With a small group, work through the following steps studying the data from the Pew report.
a. One of the biggest changes across generations has to do with the ethnic makeup of the population. Look at Nation’s Race & Ethnicity in 2011 and follow the directions on that handout. 

The data shows that since 1900, the ethnic percentage of voters has become more diverse. The white percentage is going down while most of the others are going up. I think the change will effect the outcomes of the elections. Historically, race can somewhat predict political views by way of social class. White males tend to have different political views than, per say, a Hispanic male (gender plays a role too but I guess we can leave that out), and the more the race and party with the opposing view grows, the more power they will have in influencing election outcomes.

b. Look at Young-Old Voting Gap Largest Since Nixon v. McGovern in 1972 and follow the directions on that handout. 

The horizontal axis shows the candidates running for office that year. The vertical axis shows the percentage of people voting for the democratic presidential candidate. The blue line shows voters aged 18-29. The yellow line shows voters aged 65+. 2008 had the largest gap between young and elderly voters. The gap was largest then because candidates have had more access, through the internet, to younger voters, who tend to be poorer and to vote more democratic. The graph predicts that Obama and Romney will be running in the 2012 election. The young-old gap is projected to be slightly smaller than the 2008 election. The graph shows a general increasing trend of voting more democratic in recent elections in both young and old voters. Young voters have a larger percentage of people voting democratic. If the projection is accurate, then the youth vote will have a great influence on the 2012 election, just like it did on the 2008 election. It would pull the majority vote as being more democratic.

Post Card Art _ October Assignment

To high school and beyond!

Pick ONE class you have had at any point in high school and be specific on how that class has helped you while you have been at your mentorship.  This can be an academic class or an elective class.  Only choose one class however and write another well developed paragraph, with details, on how that class has helped prepare you for what you are doing now.

          The class that has helped me the most for my mentorship is AP US Government. I didn't realize that the information, vocabulary and all, is actually used in the daily lives of the Hall County Government Administration. In the first part of my mentorship i was with Katie Crumley, the Public Relations Admin. On Tuesdays I would often help her prepare for a "Work Session" where the heads of each department would gather in a court-room-like setting and would inform the Board what was going on in their department, whether there were changes, problems, fixes, or if everything was running smoothly. At this meeting, although i cant remember specifics, I was surprised that I heard vocabulary from the simple vocab quizzes I took in AP Gov, and understood what was being discussed at the Work Sessions at my mentorship because of it. It also greatly helped me get a jump in the Elections office. I already knew how voting was supposed to work and also knew much of the terminology, which pleasantly surprised them. That knowledge better helped me communicate more efficiently with the people who came in to vote. Even if I didn't realize it at the time, what I learned in AP US Government truly and greatly assisted me in understanding what was happening throughout the offices of my mentorship, which helped me impress my coworkers. 

About My Mentorship

Please write a reflection on your mentorship, things that have happened in the last month.  Make sure you are writing a reflection that is through and gives the reader a glimpse into what you are doing for your mentor. This should be at least a well developed paragraph.

          In the past month, I have moved around a bit within my mentorship at the Hall County Government. I started with my mentor, Katie Crumley, who is very lovely and always had a project or task for me to work on. These projects and tasks were not trifle things (at least not to me), but things that i enjoyed doing and learned from. When Katie would ask me to do something, she would describe the general idea and then let my creative freedom fill in the gaps. For example, I had the opportunity to recreate the annual payroll donation packet, which included a new logo image, multiple old and new agencies to give to, and the donation form. When I started this, Katie told me that she wanted to revamp the old, boring packet in hopes of getting more employees to donate. She gave me a list of agencies, and I went at it. In doing this I had the opportunity to use my creative and analytical skills to make the new packet attractive, informative, and clear. This is just one example of what I did in the Administrations office.
          In the beginning-near-middle of October I was moved to the Elections office, since it was time for the mayoral elections (this year was special because it was the first time the city of Gainesville could vote for mayor). In the Administrations office I loved the official feel of everything, but I also enjoyed the somewhat more relaxed feel of Elections. Here I would prepare absentee ballots to be sent out, file address/name changes, and assist people who would come to vote. To prepare for this job, I became a registered Elections Poll Worker, and, since I was doing a "job", I was paid for the hours I was there, which I liked. Assisting voters is what I spent the most time doing, and what I enjoyed the most. I was able to meet all sorts of interesting people as well as learn about the voting process, which I believe is important in the duties of a US citizen. My supervisors were all very lovely and helpful. Perhaps something I would have liked better was more work to do, but I think my opportunity in the office was the best it could have been. The workers there had gotten most of the busywork done early because they were expecting a large crowd of people to vote. We were all left with less work than expected, I believe.
          About a week and a half ago I was moved to the Tax Commissioners Office. Here I process misaddressed mail by checking the balance of the bill and then trying to locate the new address of the person. This task is somewhat interesting to me because it is like a mystery or puzzle to find the new address of the person. (also, whenever I see that a bill has a $0.00 balance, I do a little mental "hooray" for the person :P). In the Tax Commissioners office, it seems like I was given tasks to do just to keep me busy. The mail I sort through, I guess that it is a job that must be done, but there are two other college interns there that are paid, and with me there, the place seems a little overstaffed. Of all three areas I have mentored in, working in Administrations was my favorite, followed by Elections, and Tax Commissioners in last.

Plagiarism

(a) how would you define plagiarism? (b) Do you think it is important? (c) Why or why not? (d) When can you imagine high school or college students struggling with plagiarism?

(a) I would define plagiarism as taking someone else's work or ideas and claiming them for yourself.
(b) I believe that it is wrong to plagiarize someone's ideas and work in the sense that you are stealing them, and it is important to make sure you don't purposely or accidentally plagiarize.
(c) It is their work, their effort, and you are taking that and freeloading off of it. However, there is a difference between plagiarizing and using someone's work. The difference is that using someones work means you are building off of it to create something on your own, kind of like a citation.
(d) I could imagine students in college more than high school struggling with the action and penalties of plagiarism. In college you are there because you CHOOSE to learn and work. If you are cheating, that violates the very reason to go to college. It is pointless to plagiarize in college  you are THERE to do things on your OWN.

Bring on the Learning Revolution!

1.  What would you pursue or study if you had unlimited time and resources?

 If I had no boundaries of time or resources, I would pursue life and connections with other people. I want to meet them, learn about them, listen and talk to them, do things with them, inspire them, learn from them. When I say "them", I mean people from all over the world and from all kinds of backgrounds and viewpoints. I would travel the world to meet these people. I would learn about their culture, life, history, language, science, and Earth. 
 
2.  Which has more influence, Aptitude or Attitude, and Why?

Attitude is more important for sure. By definition, aptitude means: a natural ability to do something. This is an unchangeable thing. You cannot change what you are born with. By definition, attitude means: a settled way of thinking or feeling about something. This is a changeable thing. People can change their attitude about how they feel about something. I believe this is the key to success. You can be naturally talented at something, but if you do not have a positive attitude about it, the effort is useless. Everyone has natural abilities. Attitude is just the gateway.
 
3.  Do you think that our current grading system needs to be abolished? What alternative do you recommend?

Not only does our current grading system need to be abolished, but our entire view of standardizing needs to be abandoned. As he said in the video, life is not linear. There is no one direct path to success. Life is organic. There are many ways to get to one place, yet there are also many paths to take from one. Grades in this sense, are linear. Our world of different minds and different abilities are being put along a linear pathway, with one beginning, one way, and one end. 

Alternatively, I recommend that we take on a system something like I heard Nadia, my German exchange student, describe last year. From what I understand, in Germany there are different levels of high school, with different concentrations or pathways. Here's where my thinking goes beyond the German school system. I like the concept behind this system, where there are different concentrations if you think you know what you want to do. Also, there are different levels of learning, which I would develop into places for different types of learning. In my system, if you think you know what you want to do you can explore that career area easily. If you are not sure what you want to do, you can explore a wider variety of options. Also, if you learn differently than others around you, you can join the group that learns similarly to you. Perhaps, with this system, high schools in general should be different from each other and act more as a pre-real-world education system. 
 
4.  Some of the HMP class goals are: to help students develop time management skills, foster a sense of independence and accountability, and real life problem solving. This class requires a lot of student motivation since you are not meeting with a teacher on a daily basis. What areas of improvement or areas of personal growth has this class brought to your attention (time management, procrastination, self advocacy, computer skills, writing or communicating deficits, etc.)?


 This class has definitely brought time management to my attention, as well as the importance of communication and and computer skills. Since I have rowing practice at 4:30 every day, and the Hall County Government office is not open after 5 pm on weekdays or open on the weekends, I must go during my scheduled HMP hours. I have to account for the time driving there as well as get enough hours and also get to rowing in time. It's been a real challenge but it has taught me many lessons (and has also broken the monotony of sitting in a classroom everyday!). 

The importance of communication and computer skills has also been more prominent in my life since I started HMP. I must communicate with my mentor, and her to me, about what I am to do if she is not there that day or where to go if I have an out-of-office assignment. (in fact the other day my mother threatened to take my phone, which is my only email access during the day, and I freaked out because I wouldn't have been able to communicate with my mentor or anyone). My computer skills have definitely improved with the wide variety of weekly assignments I have been given. With the computer assignments, however, has also come many challenges. I discovered that when your internet goes down at home, you must have a plan B to get your assignments done. For the last few weeks internet has been unavailable at my house so I have had to carve time on the weekends (because the library is no longer open after rowing during the week) to go to the library, where I am right now. This has been a challenge but I have found a temporary solution :). 

College

1. List 3 colleges you would apply for with the degree program you will need to enter the field you are studying in HMP. Please provide the college's name, location, and link to their website.

My HMP: Hall County Government Administration 

My planned college major: major in Business Economics or Journalism with a minor in Environmental Science

My planned career field: Encourage and educate people on greener living. I plan on starting a company that bridges the gap between green/efficient energy and everyday use by the people, to reduce man's impact on our natural environment.

George Washington University, Washington DC http://www.gwu.edu/
New York University, New York City, NY http://www.nyu.edu/
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA http://www.ucla.edu/

2. What will be your criteria for a quality program of study?

4 year degree program, Medium-Large University, Near/In a Major City, <40% acceptance rate, Has quality degrees in at least some of the following programs: Business Economics, Journalism, Environmental Science.

3. Which universities would have the criteria you came up with?

Most top 100 universities

4. Is there additional entrance requirements for your field of study?

At UCLA, you must have at least one performing/visual arts high school credit to apply.

5. What is your criteria for a "quality" ranking and educational program (size, location, sports, diversity, funding)?

For me, a quality school is one that is medium-large that is not affiliated with a religion. It would be in or near a large and worldly city, but still have a definable "campus feel". Even though I am not interested in doing competitive sports in college, sports programs are still important to having a well-rounded student body. Also, good academic drive is important to have forward-looking, progressing, and successful college students and alumni. Well roundedness is needed. Also, passionate and open minded students are needed too.

6. What is the ranking for this program nation wide and what criteria is used to determine that ranking?

 (in can not find one single list with all the colleges on it, but all of these colleges are very strong in Business Economics and Journalism)

                    Overall ranking        Program Ranking

George Washington U.-    #52           in the top 20 - especially strong in politics

NYU-                             #32           in the top 20 - especially strong in business

UCLA-                            #23          in the top 20 - especially strong in journalism

7. What professional and honors associations are related to your field of study?

There are many awards and associations that are dedicated to promoting "going green." Perhaps the most well-known association is the Environmental Protection Agency, which is tied with the government. This is most interesting to me, because it is an agency of power and influence. An award associated with the EPA is the Energy Star award. This is awarded to products, homes, and businesses that are independently certified to save energy without sacrificing functionality or features.

8. List 3-4 potential scholarships for which you are eligible and can apply for. Please check on scholarships that may be specific to your school, church, clubs or organizations you may be involved in and the North Georgia Community Foundation's website: http://www.ngcf.org/page.aspx?pid=396

 Jenny Melton Scholarship

 Northeast Georgia School Superintendent's Scholarship

 Gail Ingram Scholarship

Government Shutdown _ September Assignment

Original:

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/572415-regime

Growing Leaders

1.  A summary of the article

           In this article, Tim Elmore writes about how interns are misunderstanding their purpose and expectations they are being held to during and after their internship. Elmore says that "the adults in [the student/intern's] lives have failed to prepare them for [the real] world". He goes on to explain the true expectations and qualities of what an internship really is... "a 12 week interview" and a "simulation of the job you'll have one day". He ends with his idea of the values an intern or worker should posses to be desired by future employers: teachability, initiative, responsibility, energy, giftedness, work ethic, and passion.

You can find the original article on this blog by Tim Elmore: http://growingleaders.com/blog/

2.  How do you imagine this applying to you and your mentorship? What are some concrete things you can do to make sure you are making a good impression during your year-long interview?

          I know that the idea discussed in this article will come into play at some point in my mentorship. That is why I am venturing into the professional working world so early; I get more chances to explore. I believe that I possess the qualities stated above, and if I do not, that is why I am mentoring, to learn. I learn best when I am given goals just beyond my current abilities, because it helps my talents grow and tests my dedication to my choices. In my current mentorship, I will make sure to not only do what my mentor tells me, but to try to surpass expectations. A good thought to have in mind is that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten. If you are not doing something correctly (like if your mentor asks you to do something), and you do not fix it, you will not go to the bigger and better places that you want to go.

3.  Discuss, again for your readers, what you found most relevant to you regarding this article.

           In this article I found the beginning part, where the unprepared interns fail on the job, the most relevant to my life. This is not what I think of myself, but it is something I see all too much in today's working society. People with college degrees but lack experience and true knowledge of their profession. Degrees and titles mean nothing if you can't to the job right. As a driving force to motivate me to succeed, I remind myself to always strive to be better than what is expected of me (with respect to boundaries), and to not be someone that someone regrets knowing.

Importance of Money

"We do not break the bad habit of debt through earning more money, but rather we break any habit by replacing it with a better one."

What do you think this means? 

          This quote is addressing the psychology behind money management. It is saying that no matter how much money you earn, you will still be in debt if you do not understand how to manage the money you earn. I like this quote because it makes me question not only my money choices, but also America's idea of money management. I am not extensively knowledgable on our country's financial state, but I do know that we owe a lot of money to a lot of people/countries. America represents freedom, especially the freedom to choose how to earn and what to do with your money. Two years ago, I was friends with a student fom Hong Kong who was fascinated by America's way of spending. She said that in China, you work and save your entire life in order to spend and enjoy when you get old, whereas in America you spend and enjoy now, and pay later. If she was to study the relationship the US has with money a little further, I think that student from Hong Kong would understand the US differently. With a "buy now and pay later" mindset, the debt of individual people and the US will only grow more and more, and the consequences will eventually catch up to the spend-and-pay-later-ers. Making more money will not fix any debt problem. Learning how to manage money will. 

Are you worried about getting into financial trouble as you get older?

          I know that at some point I may have financial trouble, but I will get through. Unlike many people my age, I watch what I spend and earn and I enjoy working the money system. I make surenever go below a certain amount in my banking account, to put a percentage of my earnings into savings, and to keep only a small amount in my wallet for a random emergency. In times where I have extra money, I invest it in high school ways, such as baking cookies and selling them at school.  This is only a high schooler's budget, so I expect my flow of money to be more complicated when I get older. I know that I may not always be at the top of my game on the income-outcome ratio, so that is why back ups are important. "If it weren't for the last moment, nothing would get done around here" is a quote I saw on an office desk once, and I believe that to true, especially in financial situations. Sometimes the stress of the last moment, or even when your time is up, is what it takes for someone to learn how to use their money wisely. If they truely choose to, a person can understand that money is a game that you can win or lose. With a positive vision in mind and strong effort to support that vision, I believe I will always be smart with my choices and will work my way through any obstacle. 

Does money factor in to your culminating project/or career path you have chosen? If so, how? Should money be a major consideration in choosing your life’s path?

          I would be silly to say that money doesn't factor into my career path, or anyone's career path for that matter. I'm going to need money to pay for gas and business-professional clothes for this mentorship. I'm going to need a heap of money in order to go to college and pay for food and housing and live on my own. On the flip side, money is the driving force to even pursue a career. If we already had everything we wanted, we would have no need to work a day in our lives. However, since that is not the case, I'm going to need money in order to make money. That's what my aunt says, and she built a multi-million dollar business from nothing. Well, near nothing ($360.82 to be exact, and part of it was borrowed from a friend). To some people, money may not make the world go 'round, but it sure does help. I believe that money should be a considered in any choice, but it should not be the deciding factor. If someone loves something enough, they will find a way. If they don't, they will find an excuse. I aspire to follow in the footsteps of my aunt by becoming my own boss and someday I will make enough money where I can make choices based on what I want, not what my bank account tells me. Money, whether being earned or spent, should always be considered but it should never limit anyone's choices. If there's a will, there's away.

Ethics

-Where do people learn about ethics? From family, school, religious leaders, television, friends, etc.?

      As children, we learn about ethics from our parents, school, church, or anything that has more knowledge than us. That is because they have lived longer and children understand that they need someone to learn from. Yet, children steal, cheat, and disobey their elders anyway, despite being taught what is "right and wrong". This shows that children have a mind of their own and can create their own idea of morals and ethics. 

-What is the difference between ethics and morality?

      Morals are things taught directly by families, friends, and anything that has direct influence on a single person. Each person can have different morals, even a married couple. Morals plays a large part in defining who we are as a person and also defines differences between us and other people, kind of like personalities and character. Ethics is considered a more worldly idea of accepted morals. A whole nation can have a general form of accepted ethics, and when another country does something outside of those ethical standards, then it is a big deal. For example, it is generally accepted worldwide that murdering is wrong. That is ethics. So when a country is found murdering people, it is "unethical" and "wrong" and many other countries may step in to stop the one area from doing such a thing. (But what do you do when the country that is stopping the murdering, is found killing the people? [topic for debate]). Ethics is a broader more widely accepted idea of morals, often can be applied worldwide, whereas morals are on a much smaller scale and can be applied to one specific person.

-What makes some people more ethical than others?

      Some people can be more ethical than others because they choose to follow the ethics they know. These are most likely the rule followers and try to be correct. Some people who are considered "not ethical" actually do know that is ethically accepted, but they chose to go against it. These people are often law breakers. Rules and laws are not what create ethics, but they often reflect the ethics of a state or country. That is why third world countries are CONSIDERED less ethical (whether or not they are actually), because other countries do not know the standards that they live by (shown by laws and governments). 

-Can people follow different codes of ethics?

     Yes, people can follow different codes of ethics, but it often causes great debate and is often put down, depending on how outrageous the ethics are from what is accepted. Take religious sacrifices for example. Some religions, especially older and smaller ones, believe in religious sacrifices to "the gods" for prosperity and for forgiveness. Sacrifices could be human or animal, but either one is frowned upon and illegal in the United States. Codes of ethics held by people who believe sacrifice is okay are different than the people who created the laws of the US (which laws are believed in by the majority of US citizens).

-Discuss an ethical dilemma you might face in the area of study you have chosen for your mentorship? How will you handle the situation?

     At the moment, I am in the middle of a mentorship change, but in the field I plan on entering there could be many ethical issues. I plan on doing something along the lines of broadcasting or journalism, where the opinions and ethics of the viewers matter substantially. People that are creating the broadcasts or writing the newspapers must take the ethics of the region into consideration if they want to be accepted. If I say something ethically unaccepted to either the viewers or my coworkers, people may not trust me to do a good story and could stop watching or reading the program. I must make sure I stay in coordinance with the morals and ethics of the region of Hall County. If I ever step out of line in this way, I will do my best to either explain my point of view kindly or correct myself, depending on how severe what I did was.

My Mission Statement

Blog post, part 1.  Write a mission statement.


My mission is to lead by example and spread joy, compassion, gratitude, and healthy ambition in others.


I am happy, successful, and positively ambitious and use my talents and abilities to their very best.

I am grateful, trustworthy, passionate, and confident in myself and others.

I do my best to spread love and light everywhere.

I have an open mind and do not judge others.

I treat others how I want to be treated: with respect. 

I love challenges and complete them with grace and efficiency.

I allow myself to have fun on the journey and I am not attached to the outcome.

My happiness and success is up to me. No one can limit me or push me around.

I love and appreciate myself exactly the way I am.

Blog post, part 2.  Dare to Dream!  What do you envision gaining from your mentorship?  What actions will you take to ensure you get the most from your experiences?  How is preparing you for the future?

          From my mentorship I want to learn more about what it is like and what it takes to be an important part of a government. It is intriguing that government can be such an important factor in people's lives, and ranges from the national to the local level. I intend to learn how to oversee the different departments at our local level, and learn of all the connections and duties of the different people. Being mentored in this will best prepare me to attend business school in New York City and be a better candidate for the business school or important internship/job because I have had previous experience in the area.

Blog Post, part 3.  Reflect back to our "Perfectly Polished" meeting on Friday.  List and discuss 3 lessons learned that made an impact on you and why.

          The "Perfectly Polished" meeting on Friday was fabulous because it taught me things that I don't learn in class. One thing I learned was that appearance is very important. How a person dresses tells other people how much they care about about themselves, their job, and what they are doing. Overdressing, under dressing, or dressing inappropriately can be disrespectful and distracting and therefore should be something all people pay attention to. Don't show the wrong image! Another thing I learned at the class is handshakes and body language. Body language tells a person how much interest and enthusiasm someone has in what is going on. For example, if someone is getting an interview but they give a weak handshake, they're slouching, and they aren't making appropriate eye contact, they probably won't get the job. The person's body language shows the interviewers that he didn't have enthusiasm for what he was there for. It can look disrespectful too. Whether being interviewed or being on the job, good posture and respectful body language is definitely important. The third thing I learned at the "Perfectly Polished" class is the importance of verbal greetings and pronouncing words. Even the greeting "hello" instead of "hey" shows the level of respect someone has for the conversation! An appropriate level of verbal casualness or professionalism should be held, depending on who the conversation is between. Pronouncing words is important so that the correct information is given. For example, someone is greeting someone and they say their name. They say, "Hello, my name is John Doe" but he rushed, so it sounded like "Hello manameisJohDoh". That leads to confusion and awkwardness for the other person, and can be overwhelming too. A pause is appropriate between words that are important for the other person to hear, and it is respectful. Overall, attire, body language, and speech are very important. The "Perfectly Polished" class was one I personally enjoyed very much and the knowledge I gained from it will assist me in many situations in the future. 

First Impressions

          I very much appreciated the "Getting to Know Your Mentor" handout and the "Making Positive First Impressions" podcast. I liked them because they created a set list of guidelines that are good to follow in many situations, especially when interacting with your employer or mentor. It intrigues me that in the first ten minutes, whoever you are talking to will have a lasting first impression of you. "You never have a second chance to make a first impression." In my life I have always been taught about how important image is in a professional setting, so I believe I have a good idea of how to dress professionally and appropriately. However, I don't often have a chance to use those skills except for in school, so really look forward to practicing how to present myself in the professional world. Also, I was very grateful to hear about how to communicate and interact with people around me. This is not something I believe I am good at, so I see this as a great opportunity to improve myself on how to make a good first impression not only to my boss or mentor but to my coworkers others around me. I greatly appreciated the podcast and handout and I will absolutely use these skills when I go to interviews and new jobs!