Showcase Artifact 1
teamwork
Throughout my time at IU Indianapolis, I have learned so much and grown into a brand-new person. One of the biggest lessons that I have learned is the importance of teamwork. I have participated in many different experiences that have all taught me new aspects of teamwork. I also recognize that working with other people is something that will never go away. In the real world, teamwork is a part of everyday life. I now feel prepared to be the best teammate I can be in whatever situations may pop up in the future due to what I have experienced in undergrad.
PSY-B 110 Honors project
This podcast was not only my first group project in college but also my very first honors experience. This project was a semester-long project that I completed in fall of 2022 where I worked with another honors student to research a common myth in the psychology world and provide evidence to dispel it in an intriguing way. There was a lot of role division that we had to navigate in this experience. There was background research that we split as well as the actual podcast and coming up with a script for who would say what. Through this experience I learned that it is important to be accountable to your team members and to complete your responsibilities on time and with adequate effort. We were also able to take on tasks that showcased our personal strengths and allowed us to shine in our specific competencies.
Executive board positions
National residence hall honorary
vice rpesident of engagement and vice president of recogniton
I have had the opportunity to be a part of NRHH all 4 years of my undergrad experience with two years serving as different executive board positions. In our exec board there are 7 positions and we all work closely with each other weekly. On my first run as Vice President of Engagement during my sophomore year, I both worked with my exec team and also fostered teamwork within the club members. I was responsible for ice breakers at each meeting, running the social media, and meeting one on one with members to check in. In this role I learned that in order to be successful, sometimes you must take on additional responsibilities to help out your team members. Tensions would occasionally run high in our team meeting, so I learned how to manage both others and my own feelings and had to help facilitate multiple personalities. I also noticed the importance of checking in on "lesser" members within a team to make sure everyone is on the same page and feeling comfortable.
In my junior year, I transitioned to Vice President of Recognition which came with many more responsibilities. I was now in charge of an entire committee, had to plan 3 large scale events, and plan in meeting activities. It was in this role that I learned how to carefully listen to others. There was much more collaboration and therefore I had to adapt and change to be able to efficiently work in a team from a different perspective. With being in charge of a team I had the opportunity to see teamwork from a leadership perspective. I had to take the time to understand my committee members and work together as a team to ask the appropriate questions and compromise to reach our goals.
Resident Assistant
August 2023- present
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For the past three years I have worked as a Resident Assistant (RA) here at IU Indianapolis. This has been the most rewarding and life changing experience I have ever had. I work with others on a daily basis. There is a staff team of 16 who meet weekly and plan different events for the residence halls. There are a lot of different kinds of dynamics within an RA staff team. These include years of experience and proximity. There are some brand new RAs and some who have held the position for three years. Proximity affects team dynamics because we live where we work so we see our co-workers 24/7 and if there are interpersonal issues, they will be known. Holding this role for so long has allowed me to see different levels of an RA staff team. When I was a new RA, I had so many questions and saw how well my mentors responded to me. Now as a third year I am able to offer that same wisdom and advice to the first years. There is also a greater opportunity for strong working relationships because of the things we deal with, we bond quickly. In this kind of team, transparency and pulling your own weight is extremely important. We are taking care of about 800 students, so when there is an issue, it is all hands on deck. Along with this I have learned sometimes it is better not to give an immediate solution but to help other team members think through a problem first.
REFLECTION
All these experiences and so much more have taught me how to be a great team member and how to work effectively within a team. Just to highlight a few of the plethora of things I've learned since being in undergrad, here is a list pulling skills from each of my experiences that I was able to gain:
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Accountability
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Responsibility
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Collaboration
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Adaptability
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Compromise
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Transparency
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Critical Thinking
The rest of my life will utilize everything I have learned in undergrad because working well with others is a skill that can and needs to be applied to most jobs post-grad. For me specifically, I aim to become an American Sign Language interpreter. This is a field where you are working with others on a daily and personal level. Oftentimes you have something called a "team" on assignments which just means the other interpreters you are with. Taking the time and opportunities to learn good teamwork skills in undergrad will allow me to be the best team I can be for my co-interpreter. We must get along as a team and be able to overcome and adapt to changes on the fly as well as hold each other accountable to make sure the deaf client is getting the best service possible. We also must think on the fly and it is our responsibility to hold ourselves accountable for ourselves as freelance interpreters operate as a small business. I feel prepared to present myself as the best team member possible through learning how to be a better team member all through undergrad.