Assessments and a New Awareness

          As the fall semester of my sophomore year comes to a close, I want to discuss a few of the many things I have learned within the last four months. Not only did I increase my academic knowledge, but I also discovered new things about myself. The personal growth and awareness I have experienced this semester is infinite. I have learned much about myself in terms of my strengths, motivators, interests, communication and learning style, and goals based on three specific assessments I took within the last few months. The StrengthsQuest, and CareerLeader tests have contributed to a greater understanding for who I am as a whole, and have allowed me to recognize my unique traits in everything I do. Not only did these two assessments highlight a few of my key qualities, but they also indirectly emphasized how I am different from others, and I now have the knowledge to see how my characteristics play out in day-to-day interactions.

          Since taking the StrengthsQuest assessment last year, I have utilized my top strengths in a more effective manner. My top five strengths are achiever, positivity, communication, maximizer, and individualization, and while I had always recognized that I had these qualities, I never realized that they were strengths or tangible, definable abilities. I see my strengths being used everyday and in most situations. I strive to accomplish tasks in an efficient way so as to save time, produce a high quality product, and maintain good time management. This has always been important to me, and even in middle school and before, I knew that I had a talent in getting tasks done on time and aiming to ‘achieve’ objectives. I love being a positive person and pride myself on being optimistic. I enjoy encouraging others but also like to surround myself with equally as giving and happy people. I feel that I communicate well in regard to my ability to concisely and effectively transfer information from one person to another, and like connecting with people on a deeper level. I look to constantly improve things from average to superb, and find this task to be very rewarding. I can see other people’s strengths easily and enjoy finding ways to bring out these qualities. Each person has a special skill, and through my individualization strength, I enjoy finding what makes every individual distinct.


          The CareerLeader assessment helped me a lot in terms of categorizing my motivators, my interests, and my skills into a set career path. These results have helped me realize what I value most about life and have shown me the jobs that will align with my goals and personal objectives. My top five motivators are lifestyle, affiliation, altruism, financial gain, and security. I want a job that will be flexible to accommodate for family life, but also one that provides me with many networks and social groups at work. I want to work within a positive, upbeat environment where relationships are emphasized and the employee’s wellbeing is put first. I am looking for a position that will provide me with job security and financial gain, but also one where I can work towards bettering our planet and the people that live in it. I am interested in creative production fields, and my natural inclination towards this area is greater than 86% of other business professionals. I am skilled in written communication and time management, and hope to pursue a career that allows me to utilize these abilities. The culmination of this data led to my top five business career choices to be advertising account management, training and organizational development, human recourse management, management of new product development, and marketing and marketing management. I am very much interested in learning more about all of these job options and hope to continue to do research about the jobs themselves and the opportunities that come along with them. I enjoy writing, working with others, having stability and consistency, and being successful, and I will keep these characteristics in mind while analyzing possible career options.

          As the first semester of sophomore year comes to a close, I wanted to take the time to analyze how these assessments have impacted me. Although college has an academic focus and drive, I believe that some of the most valuable things we learn in college don’t come from a textbook. A good understanding of how the world works and how you will fit into the chaos of ‘real life’ is important, and I feel that these tests have provided me with the necessary information to do this. I can see how I fit into the professional world, and I look forward to taking on these challenges.

Swinging and Speaking

              Barbi and I hung out yesterday and enjoyed the last moments of the beautiful weather together before the temperature drop. Both Barbi and I dislike cold weather so it is fitting that we enjoyed each other’s company while hanging out in the sun. We walked around campus for a little while and then found a nice spot near the TCU swing. Barbi told me that she enjoys playing and told me how to say the word swing in French. While she swung, I sat down in the grass and enjoyed the quiet. It seemed as if everyone else was in a rush to get somewhere but Barbi and I weren’t. We talked, laughed, and hung out as if time had no meaning.

Our conversation started when I asked Barbi if she likes board games. She was confused at first and asked if I was talking about constructing puzzles. Her confusion led to some confusion on my part, however, I soon realized that she didn’t know what I meant by a board game. I explained it to her that it is a game with playing pieces, dice, or cards and that you keep score as you move your piece around the game. After my explanation, she realized what I was talking about and said that she loves those kinds of games! She mentioned the word for board games in French and for the second time yesterday, she had to tell me how to say a word in French that she hadn’t initially understood when I said it (the first word was swing and the second was board game). Up until yesterday, we had not had much miscommunication due to the language barrier. Barbi mentioned that this is because yesterday, we spoke about subjects she is not familiar with in English, while upon other meetings, we spoke about somewhat generic topics. I am curious to find out what some other words are that may not have an easy translation into English and hope to find out how to say more phrases and words in French.

I asked Barbi about what she is most looking forward to in the future and she told me that she cannot wait to see her best friend, Modu. Modu currently lives in Haiti but applied for the Intensive English Program at TCU last week. Barbi told me she hasn’t seen her friend in over two years, ever since her father’s funeral. She told me that her father’s funeral was a lot for her to deal with since she had just lost one of her parents, wanted to be emotionally strong for her mom, and had to constantly be surrounded by police and security guards for the family’s protection. I asked if the police ever found out who murdered her father and shot her mother but Barbi said they never found out. She said that there is no justice in Haiti for the common man, only for those who are rich and can bribe the police. Barbi would like to know who murdered her father to find out why they did it but she accepts that the event happened and that she may never know. I complimented Barbi on her bravery and strength, and she said that most people tell her that as she smiled.

As Barbi continued to swing and I continued to mindlessly people watch, I asked Barbi about her experiences with school in Haiti. She told me that school in Haiti is different than how it is here and that it is not as good. She received poor instructions and did not have the help she needed to finish high school there. During junior and senior year, students take benchmark tests made by teachers and the government in order to assess who is ready for university. Barbi told me she had trouble passing, which is why she came to the United States to learn. She said the tests are extremely difficult and that qualified instructors do not grade them, so a math teacher could grade a history test while a history teacher could grade or teach science. I was shocked to hear this, and realized how truly blessed I am to have grown up in a country that values education. I never used to consider starting a nonprofit organization in an underprivileged nation since I have always been focused on helping animals, however, my interactions with Barbi have made me rethink what I am passionate about. Although I am still an avid supporter of animal welfare and environmental sustainability, Barbi and her experiences make me want to help others who have gone through similar things. I am unsure how this compassion will translate into my life and career decisions but I do know that Barbi has left I huge impact on me in just a few short months, and her attitude towards life is truly admirable.