Feb 24 post

I originally wanted to become a better leader, make positive change for children, and refine my personal marketing skills.  While I have definitely made better my skills that strictly apply to my actual job with STEM Outreach, the other to have not gone well.  I do not feel like I am making much change because I run table top marketing events for STEM the most which is more about maximizing profits than improving lives.  As for leadership, I am working with a group that does not want to be working at all, and I have trouble helping them as I too feel like OSEEL is more of a hindrance to our STEM jobs than a bonus.  That said, I plan on making things better by seeing this as a test of our ability to make good out of something that we are currently committed to.  One cant always have everything they want, but it is important to do well in undesirable circumstance, only then can you shine in the desirable ones.

I got to attend the World Robotics Olympiad and document the entire event.  This was very different than anything I had ever done.  At one point I was actually help time and judge a robot soccer game which was a great experience.

We plan to continuously come together to discuss what is still needed to be done and do everything as a team.

Blog Prompt 3

I would like to start by saying that I love the Gender and Sexuality community at NIU, truly.  In fact, I spend a vast amount of time at their headquarters building with my free time on campus as I am a commuter with no home to go to between commitments.  That said, I found the star activity that we conducted to be absolutely sub-par at best.  I have done a star activity as young as eight years old and found the activity to be predictable and unrepeatable.  I love the idea of this avocation, I am a firm Marxist-feminist, yet this is no way to teach those who need the education most as they would not find this to be very moving.  I would suggest something a little more real, perhaps some actual stories by people, or people sharing if there are people in their lives that they love that they have a hunch might treat them differently and how that makes them feel.

I took the role as team leader for this group.  I used techniques such as electronic brainstorming and Roger Fisher’s getting to YES methodology. Electronic brainstorming is a way to generate ideas in a group without over shadowing more introverted members by using the shield of separate computers.  Additionally, Fisher’s method is for problem solving and negotiating.  The technique is to focus on problems not people, focus on interests not positions, invent options for mutual gain, and use objective criteria.

Blog 2

“I alone cannot change the world. But I can cast the stone across the waters to create many ripples.” –Mother Teresa

At STEMFEST my primary job was to hype the event via social media before, during and after the event as well as document the experience with photographs and some videos.  This position really made me one of the bigger STEMFEST “faces” because I was getting around so much and participating with the community both online and in-person.  Because of this role I found that my ability to go around talking to visitors and explaining some of the stations to them while also capturing great photos of them at the event that they could acquire the next day on Facebook created a very kind, joyful energy around the event.

I believe the greatest strengths and assets that I bring to my team is a genuine & and joyful demeanor as well as the enthusiasm to make the best out of the hard or less enjoyable portions of our work.  Regarding the Community Engagement Project, I believe these characteristics will become very useful in powering the group the tough times such as mid-terms and finals to keep us on track and motivated to reach our goal.

STEMFEST was a massive project for NIU STEAMWORKS to take on, and I would say it went off without a hitch.  Events like these not only spark the passion needed to get younger people interested in STEM, but it also does a great job of tying the community together and making DeKalb a homier place to call home.

Service leader post 1

Working as an intern via the OSEEL office has been a great experience and I am only a month into the program.  I was assigned to the ideal program for me, STEM outreach.  With STEM I get to work with children and fellow students and staff on designing fun experiments and interactive projects to spark passion for the sciences in children.

I wanted to gain experience with working with children as I have little experience, as well as to learn about all of the different complexities that go into a big event from conception to initiation and beyond.  For example, Oct. 8 is STEMFEST 2016 and it is by far the biggest STEM event of the year!  There are many different elements that go into an event this size from gathering sponsor, getting hundreds of volunteers, informing the pubic, and of course designing and building hundreds of fun exhibits.  I have been lucky enough to get to work in each one of these required positions at one time or another for STEM and I look forward to learning just what it takes to run a business and lead a massive event.

More to the point, I have concern that within the local community there is a vacuum for STEM passion and enthusiasm.  This leads to decreased general knowledge among people as well as the stagnation of a country as a whole.  We live in a time where our planet is at stake and as we see the generation currently in power doing very little, the responsibility will fall on the children of tomorrow to fight the issues.