Since the beginning of the year, ISM has taught me many new aspects of professionalism and proper business etiquette. Something new I have learned this week was the importance of properly addressed and hand-written thank you cards. I had never mailed a hand-written thank you card to anyone before until Mr. Wysong began encouraging us to send one to each professional that had agreed to speak with us for ISM interviews. These cards would serve as genuine tokens of appreciation for those who took time out of their busy schedules to help ISM students in their endeavors. After having a research interview on Monday morning at BestNest Pediatrics with Dr. Mee Yung Knapp and another research interview on Tuesday with Dr. Iresh Kumar at Lone Star Physicians, I made sure to write thank you notes for both of them and mail them to their offices as a way to show my gratitude. Later in the week, Mr. Wysong sent out an email with a list of contact information for each of the professionals who had attended Business Symposium last week. After looking through the list, I chose to write letters to the two professionals who had interviewed me during the mock interview period of the symposium. After having written quite a few of these letters, I have now realized that the seemingly small gesture means a lot and I know that taking the time to sit down and make hand-written thank you cards is something I will continue to do for years to come.
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I am currently typing away on my laptop during the four-day weekend following the most hectic and exciting week of my senior year to date. This past Wednesday morning had brought the highly-anticipated Business Symposium that my ISM class had been preparing for the past few weeks. The event was scheduled to start at 8:00 in the morning at Independence High School. However, I have learned from experience that when it comes to ISM-related activities, being fifteen minutes early is being on time. With this in mind, I was dressed, ready, and walking up the Independence High School stairs at 7:45 am, in a business-professional outfit complete with my blazer and a pair of shiny black high heels (which I would begin to regret wearing about 10 minutes into the morning). The event began with a thirty-minute period of networking with local professionals. This part of the morning was both extremely rewarding and surprisingly tiring. I was able to speak with highly influential individuals in the Dallas Fort-Worth area, including the CFO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Executive Director of J.P. Morgan and Chase, and the president of the Texas Republic Bank. By the end of the networking period, I had been hobbling around in my high heels for about thirty minutes too long. Thankfully, the next activity scheduled would consist of mock interviews, an opportunity to give my aching feet a break as I sat down and answered professionals' questions about myself and my field. Looking back on the Symposium as a whole, I would say that the mock interviews were the most beneficial to me personally. Although I wasn't able to meet with any pediatricians, the professionals I interviewed with were able to share with me amazing advice and feedback on my resume, interview etiquette, and career goals. The busy morning came to a close as we heard from ISM alumni and a public speaker. Overall, Business Symposium was an action-packed three hours that exceeded all my expectations. I left Independence High School on Wednesday with my heels in my hand, feet throbbing, and a huge smile on my face because I knew that my experiences that day had shaped me into a more confident and professional individual.
Yesterday was the first day of fall, which marks the shift into my favorite season of the year. I honestly love the cooler weather, the sweaters and scarves, and of course the pumpkin spice lattes! In ISM-related activities, two big events happened this week. First off, we prepared our individual portfolios and put together the resumes, research assessments, and weekly reports that we have created thus far into binders with cover pages and individual page protectors. These portfolios will assist us in our research interviews and at the Business Symposium, which is quickly approaching in less than two weeks! On Thursday, ISM hosted the annual Teacher Appreciation breakfast for the staff here at Liberty. We all signed up to bring certain breakfast items and Mr. Wysong directed us as we set everything up in the conference room of the front office. My 2A class period was lucky enough to fall right at ten o'clock, the time the teachers stopped coming by the conference room to get breakfast. My classmates and I were assigned the duties of cleaning up the room, bringing the uneaten food back to class, and making sure that all the leftovers were either given to the teachers who hadn't had a chance to stop by in the morning, or taken care of by our hungry selves. This week has been a busy and productive one, and I'm looking forward to what the upcoming fall season has to offer! As the second month of school approaches, I am starting to ease into the daily routine of school again. Lessons in my classes are starting to shift from concept review to brand-new topics, a nerve-wracking yet exciting change. My ISM teacher, Mr. Wysong, has been preparing us for the upcoming Business Symposium in October. This highly-anticipated event will consist of all the ISM students in the district in one building, interacting with local professionals through mock interviews. I am looking forward to the Symposium because it will be an eye-opening experience that will give me valuable insight to aid me in my future research interviews with pediatricians. To help establish my professionalism before Business Symposium, I have set up a new voicemail greeting as well as phone and email templates to help me when I contact professionals. I have also revised my resume and asked my classmates for advice on how to improve it. Once Mr. Wysong approves of my completed work, I will be able to start contacting professionals in Pediatrics and hopefully scheduling meeting times. So far, my experiences in ISM have set an amazing standard for the rest of the year! I'm excited to see the growth that my classmates and I undergo as we begin to delve deeper into our fields of study. |
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