Academic Courses:

AGED 260 (Spring 2017)

I am taking this specifically required course to talk about leadership and understand roles
in a group setting. Currently, it is week 9 of taking this course for intro to leadership
studies and I can honestly say that this is one of the most interesting courses that I have
taken all semester. Class is engaging, the material discussed in class is relevant and the
information I receive in this class can definitely be beneficial for me well after
graduation. I think AGED 260 is a perfect way to apply leadership practices and theories
into personal as well as professional relationships. In class I learned that the definition of
leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve
a common goal. I have learned that leadership can come in the form of emotional
intelligence, situational leadership, behavioral leadership, traits, and skills. Having this
new found knowledge broadens my understanding of what it means to be a leader which
will be highly useful for me in my professional career.

CMN 230 (Spring 2017)

This class is going to help me become a more effective speaker. Communication is

paramount and being able to speak publicly or interpersonally, fluently, and clearly as
possible is what I hope to gain from taking this class. It is currently week 9 and so far I
have learned so much about interpersonal relationships. This class focuses on how to
have effective relationships with others. I have learned why it is important to study
interpersonal communication. You spend so much time communicating that it is also a
learned behavior. It is vital in order to have better relationships in general. It can lead to a
more successful career. Interpersonal communication leads to better overall health. It also
points out that communication and ideal relationships are linked. An topic that I found
most interesting topics in this class so far are the relationship satisfactory theory and the
social exchange theory. The relationship satisfactory theory suggests that there are 3 rules
to follow for ultimate relationship satisfaction: 1) Equality rule where partners are more
satisfied when each partner perceives themselves as benefiting/contributing equally, 2)
Reward level where the more people get rewarded, the happier they will be, and 3) Need-
based rule for when people do not exchange resources for equality instead they are based
on their partner's perceived needs.

Non-Classroom Team Experiences:

On-campus Job (8/20/2014 6/23/2016)

During this experience, I worked with many other student workers in the Illinois Street
Resident dining hall where we prepared and maintained an efficient eating establishment.
This job was my first job that I participated in during my first year of college. It was
interesting to work with so many different people with many different roles and positions.
 My first job working in the dining hall was as a table washer. It was a pretty tedious task
of cleaning off tables before and after people ate on them. My sophomore year I
continued to work in the dining hall but as a dish washer. This position is more than self-
explanatory but in sum I washed dishes; I washed a lot of dishes. During my junior year,
the dining hall was low on student workers so I was working many different positions;
from table washer and checker to patty maker and stocker. Soon my job became an
unfavorable working environment. I quit my job in the dining hall to find a better one and
now I work in a job where I was cars for the university.

Student-led Social Organization (9/21/2016 Present)

In this organization, I actively engage in dialogue along with other students within our
group. We also participate with other organizations, fraternities, sororities, and the like, in
volunteering and other on-campus involvement. This student organization was meant for
me to become more involved on campus. I wanted to participate in an organization that
appealed to me and when I found out about this student organization it was to my surprise
that it was primarily a group of multi-cultural, bi-racial, and ethnic students. Considering
that I am bi-racial, I really enjoy the idea of having a group where there are others who
can relate to me. I am both black and Korean. I come from a very diverse family and I am
always interested in different cultures so this organization called Mixed Student Union
Organization was very appealing to me.

I-Programs/Leadership Programs:

Innovation (November 5th)

When I signed up for this I-program I did not know what to expect. I knew there would be
something involved with leadership but I did not know what the event entailed but what I
experienced was a way to work with different people and understand my role, as well as, the
role of other's in group-led projects. What I got from this I-program was an understanding of
how exciting and complex it is working in group-led projects. There's constant input and
feedback from both leaders and followers of the group who each have unimaginable talent
and creativity. This program also taught me that it is always good to have a variety of
different people with different backgrounds and expertise to analyze and solve challenges
more effectively. I believe this will prove to be useful information for me when I begin to
start my career or it could be a future reference for when I find myself in a leadership role.

Integrity (March 14th)

When I signed up for this I-program I was under the impression that I would be talking about
trust and bonding and how important it is to have integrity in both your professional career
and your personal relationships, but it was to my surprise that the program provided a lot
more insight on what it means to have integrity and the choices that people make every-day
that challenges their morals and beliefs. The program started us off in what the program
facilitator called "small group" and from there we discussed how integrity plays a role in how
 we handle certain situations. For example, questions were asked about a situation involving
your best friend who was struggling financially and couldn't afford to stay another year in
college but your friend decides to apply for a scholarship that would pay for his tuition. Your
friend decides to fabricate his resume to increase his likelihood of winning the scholarship.
My group's task was to think about what we would do since we know that lying on a resume
for a scholarship is against the student code of conduct and what we would do after knowing
this information. It was a heavily debated topic because we all know that our friend was lying
and that is wrong but we all want to stay loyal to our friend. It was a very difficult question to
answer and it really made me think about what actions I would take without compromising
my friendship or challenging my morals or integrity.

Communication and Management Conflict Workshop (10/28/2016)

This workshop involved different styles of communicating with others as well as

improving communication skills, how to resolve arguments and develop an
understanding of others. This could be very important for me when being involved in any
organization because communication is vital for the contribution and commitment an
organization. I for one had a great time in this workshop because I was able to expand my
network and meet new people. I experienced a way to work with different people and
understand my role, as well as, the role of other's in group-led projects. What I got from
this workshop was an understanding of how exciting and complex it is working in group-
led projects. There's constant input and feedback from both leaders and followers of the
group who each have unimaginable talent and creativity.

Understanding Your Strengths and Effective Teamwork (11/4/2016)

This workshop was a great way to develop an understanding of my personal strengths as

a leader and I was able to use those strengths in group-led problem-solving activities.
This program was interesting due to the account of the strength assessment test I
participated in. I was able to learn more about what my strengths were and where my
strengths could be used in effective teamworking. There's constant input and feedback
from both leaders and followers of the group who each have unimaginable talent and
creativity. This workshop also taught me that it is always good to have a variety of
different people with different backgrounds and expertise to analyze and solve challenges
more effectively. I believe this will prove to be useful information for me when I begin to
start my career or it could be a future reference for when I find myself in a leadership
role.

Successful Motivation in Organizations in Strategic Planning (11/11/2016)

This workshop involved different styles of communicating with others as well as

improving communication skills, how to resolve arguments and develop an
understanding of others. This could be very important for me when being involved in any
organization because communication is vital for the contribution and commitment an
organization. I for one had a great time in this workshop because I was able to expand my
network and meet new people. I experienced a way to work with different people and
understand my role, as well as, the role of other's in group-led projects. What I got from
this workshop was an understanding of how exciting and complex it is working in group-
led projects. There's constant input and feedback from both leaders and followers of the
group who each have unimaginable talent and creativity.