I Got Lady Skills

I’ve heard it said that “you learn something new every day.” I wish I could say that this past Wednesday was the first time I’d learned that sprinting uphill in a pencil skirt and heels is a terrible, difficult idea; but, alas, it wasn’t.

The problem is that I always budget my time a little too closely. The last time this happened, it was in Salt Lake City. My date and I were heading to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert, and we’d gotten stuck in traffic. In order to make it in before they closed the doors, we had to make a run for it. He at least had the freedom of slacks. I say again, I was in a pencil skirt. And heels.

This time, I’d just gotten out of my Accounting 310 class in the Tanner building when I realized I had a job interview in 15 minutes in the LSB. This was a problem. First off, I hadn’t had time to prepare for the interview. I’ve never had to officially interview for a job, since most jobs I’ve had have fallen into my lap because of networking. Despite my best intentions, I hadn’t gotten around to researching what I should know going into the interview. As a result, I didn’t know what to expect. Secondly, I was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Based on the second suggestion I read from the online article I skimmed as I sped-walked across campus, this was not acceptable attire. I live in Condo Row, which is just south of campus, so there was a possibility I would have time to go home, grab a skirt, and make it back to the interview in time. I would have to make a run for it. Literally.

Miraculously, this story has a happy ending. With all my running and frantic online-article reading as I ran in a pencil skirt and heels up the hill just south of campus, I made it to the interview 20 whole seconds early. I interviewed well, and ended up getting a call two days later that I’d gotten the job.

What can I learn from this “iffy” victory? I need to give myself more realistic time frames. Just because I can do something in a certain amount of time doesn’t mean I shouldn’t give myself a bit more breathing room. Generally speaking, time management is an extremely valuable skill to have (I also happen to think running in heels is a valuable skill, but that’s a different story). I’ve been working on my time management skills the past few months, but I still have some work to do. My main struggle is budgeting travel time between commitments. As a rule, it might be a good idea for me to start overestimating, rather than underestimating, my travel time.

Well, that, or stop wearing pencil skirts. 

The Power of One

I enjoy learning how little actions, little moments, have such large impacts.

A few days ago, I came across a photo on Facebook that Humans of New York (HONY) had posted. For those that do not know, it is a movement that a photographer named Brandon Stanton started a few years back. He finds random people on the street, takes a few portrait shots of them, and then asks them to share their story. Often the pictures he posts are accompanied by tragedy, beauty, strength, humor, and hope. Name any emotion, and HONY will make you feel it. It aims to humanize individuals in the mess of 8.4 million people swarming about in New York City.

A few days ago, a picture of a young boy from the projects came up on my newsfeed.

"Who's influenced you the most in your life?"
"My principal, Ms. Lopez."
"How has she influenced you?"
"When we get in trouble, she doesn't suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter."

Find the story on Facebook here.

I felt a flare of hope for the boy, and gratitude for the worthy educator who understood the influence she had. I thought about the picture for only a moment, and then moved on. After all, what could I do?

Today, I returned to Facebook to find Brandon Stanton, the mastermind behind HONY, had tracked down Ms. Lopez. They had brainstormed how to help the children of Mott Hall Bridges Academy. They realized they were fighting against the "limited horizons of disadvantaged youth," and that the best way to help them was to let them see a world beyond the projects they grew up in. As Ms. Lopez put it, "It can be very difficult for them to dream beyond what they know." So, Brandon Stanton set up a Kickstarter to fund field trips to Harvard for the students. In just three hours, the HONY community raised $185,000. It was enough to fund the program for six years. When I started writing this blog post, it was at $315,065. It's now up to $337,427.

***Update: As of 1/29/15, over $1 million has been raised***

Find the link to the Kickstarter here.

Hundreds of children’s lives, for years to come, have been changed because of the actions of one man. Brandon Stanton really didn’t do very much: he took a picture, he met with a woman for a few hours, and he set up a Kickstarter. None of that takes much effort. Yet, the impact he will have is incredible. Now, many of those children from the projects have the opportunity for brighter futures. Ask just one of those children whether they think Brandon's few actions matter, and I bet I know what they would say.

This sequence of events hit home for me. Every decision I make has consequences, but I know some actions I take will have farther reaching effects than others. I choose to live my life with purpose, so that what I choose to do benefits others. The question is, how? For a start, I’m going to donate to that HONY kickstarter so that some kid from Brownsville, NY can develop into a backbone for the community. I’m also going to actually do what I’ve been planning on doing every year since I arrived at BYU: I’m going to volunteer with Y-Serve. I may not have the same influence to help as Brandon Stanton , but I can help in my own community, here in Provo, UT.

Now, what are you going to do?

Humans of New York Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork

My Skills Are Real!

MCOM 320 -- Week 2

Last night I listened in as my roommate, Jessie, participated in a Skype call with her new internship employer. The new employer guided her through what her purpose was, what she would do, and how she would do it. The company is creating a dictionary for closed captioning in Spanish. Many closed captioning services mark names or slang words as misspelled-even when they’re not-which is where this company comes in. Jessie’s job is simple: Go through all the words the service marked as misspelled, identify which were marked incorrectly, and then add them to the dictionary they’d created.

Everything sounded like it would run smoothly, until I heard how this particular company processes and stores the data they receive. My only experience with data storage comes from taking IS 110 last semester and IS 201 this semester. I am not an expert in data storage by any standards. However, I’d learned enough to know that trying to store data with Excel is a terrible, awful, shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-repeatedly idea. Unfortunately, that is what this company was trying to do.

Then came an empowering moment of realization; I could help these people. By the end of IS 201 this semester, I could design a more efficient and secure database for them. That’s what I was going to school for-to learn how to improve the world, to go forth and serve-and I had a golden opportunity. This was possibly the first instance I recognized where my education had a practical use. I felt that I could contribute in a significant way to improve a significant portion of this company. As soon as Jessie hung up, I mentioned what I was thinking, and asked her to see what her employers thought about the idea at the next opportunity. I’ll follow up with her a month before the semester ends, hopefully when I have more knowledge of data storage structures. Hopefully I’ll be in contact with her employers during finals week.

If the employers are willing, I will work with them to create a database that outperforms their current Excel spreadsheets. I will use the information I gain from the classes I’m taking and advice from my Information Systems professors to create a database tailored to this company’s needs.

A Test of Apple Loyalty

MCOM 320 -- WEEK 1

This week, I learned that my Mac is not my friend. Last semester in my IS 110 class, I found out that the Marriott School prefers laptops other than Macs. It made sense. The market of computers in the business world is dominated by HPs and Lenovos and other Windows laptops. But, out of loyalty to my Mac, I tried to make things work. This Monday, I found out things were only going to get harder the longer I tried to hold on to my Mac.

First off, all of my Microsoft Office applications crashed. I couldn’t access any of my documents, spreadsheets, or presentations. Since it’s only the first week of school, the effect wasn’t devastating. I didn’t have enough coursework yet to make me panic. It does make applying for a job difficult when you can’t access your resume, though. After a day or two of working on it, I got everything reinstalled and sorted out, but I learned the importance of keeping backups of important documents. If my situation had been worse and my computer had suddenly given me the blue screen of death, I would have lost everything. However, I was given a second chance, and now all my important documents are backed up, safe, and accessible. I’m going to make it a habit to continually back up all important documents, and look into purchasing some form of external storage.

Secondly, I need to run Windows for my IS 201 class. If I try to continue using my Mac, this requires a virtual machine that will run Windows programs within the OS X. After researching online and tapping into my network of computer science friends, I know how to proceed. Once again, I saw the power of networking this week. In September of last year, I met Taylor Funk, a computer science major. After describing my Mac issues with him, he sent me an email with links and detailed instructions on how to install a virtual machine. Even though it was months ago that he sent the email, it happens to be exactly what I need right now. I need to make sure and send him a hearty thanks for his help.

ACTION PLAN:

1. Make it a habit to back things up
2. Research/buy an external hard drive
3. Follow Taylor’s instructions on how to install a virtual machine
4. Send Taylor a thank you

Value of Memory

As a student, my job is to memorize. Some professors cringe at the word, but it is the truth. Whether I’m memorizing certain formulas or data, or whether I’m memorizing paradigms that professors prefer, the bottom line is that I’m memorizing. I don’t mind, though. Luckily, I have a knack for memory. I enjoy being able to recall valuable information, and I have noticed how it has given me an edge in various situations. The inherent value of memory is its enabling power.

Recently, the importance of memory has gained new meaning for me because of one word: Networking. Networking is the lifeblood of business potential. Want a new job or a promotion? Network. Need something done that you can’t do? Network. Want to build trust in a relationship? Network. Everything that networking can do for me boils down to a simple requirement: That I remember whom I know.

Specifically, I’ve focused on the power of remembering people. Memorizing others’ personal information leads to relationships. Caring enough to remember someone’s name, hometown, and major indicates a desire to continue the association. Now, instead of that one girl just being some random person I sit next to in class, she’s Lexi from Portland, who’s going into Recreation Management. I can build on my acquaintance with Jacob from Holladay, who served his mission in New Zealand. I have the necessary basis for a friendship with Nate, who’s going into Finance. Remembering people opens up potential, for both parties. These people are now part of my valuable network, and we’ll each be able to benefit each other in the future. In fact, the functionality of society is founded on relationships with others. No business could survive if relationships were not maintained. Remembering others and what they can do for each other is vital to an efficient and effective individual.