Student events and Career Fair 2.0 ~ Week 29

Dear readers,

I am writing this entry this week with excitement and ‘nervousness’ as I am coming to the realization that I am about to start my eighth month of my placement at Northeastern University.

The past couple of weeks have given me opportunities to use my creativity on several types of projects and made me realize how much I wanted to be able to use that skill set in future employment. I have been, as I previously stated, more involved in the Global Experience Office. Alongside one of my colleagues, I have been leading parts of their induction presentation. My task specifically focused on creating ‘ice-breakers’ and presenting them to students. The students I presented to are going to be representing the office around campus and presenting the office to different entities on campus.

The ice-breakers have created had ‘Travel’ as a topic, so that the students could relate to something specific and most importantly that they had in common. The following are the ice-breakers I used with that specific group of students.

60-second travel tips

Ask each student to share their favorite travel tip in 60 seconds or less and tell others how this tip came in handy in the past. Staff need to have some too; then, call for a vote to determine which tip and anecdote were best.

Pass the note

Give all the students a piece of paper and ask them to write the names of three international cities they have visited, and then ask the students to guess who went there. And ask the students to pick their favorite and why.

Describe this country

Write the names of different countries on several small notes (one on each). Fold each note and drop them in a hat. Ask each student ambassador to choose one folded note and read the name of the country. Then, ask for their off-the-cuff reaction to the country they were presented, even if they have never been there.

Those activities I created gave me the opportunity to reflect on how I was hoping to make that specific group of students interact with one another without making it awkward. This specific activity I was undertaking as a ‘leader’ helped me to develop my interpersonal skills further, as I was part of a team that students will further rely on to achieve their goals. This activity wasn’t just about me and my creative/public speaking skills but necessary for effective work as a member of a team seeking to achieve organizational goals.

Furthermore, I have been able, over the past couple of weeks, to practice and enhance my public speaking skills - as I was taking part in Global Co-op Info Sessions as a representative of my department. Through this experience, I have been able to further relate to students and how sharing my knowledge and experience would help them. Being able to share my knowledge gave me the opportunity to relate to them, using my own experience in academic studies and work. I have been acquiring knowledge that will assist me in planning and evaluating the skill set I will require in future employment. Additionally, I have acquired more cultural competence that will enable me to succeed in a cultural environment different from my own and better prepare me for the global borderless market of the future.

With the Career Fair approaching, I am really pleased to say that we are, for the first time, bringing global employers to this year fair at Northeastern University. Alongside one of my colleagues, I have been intensively working towards making their experience the best it can possibly be. I have worked on creating a guide for the employers coming to Boston, as well as ensuring that they have all the information needed prior to their arrival in Boston. The reason I offered to create such a lengthy document is due to the fact that when I first arrived in Boston, I felt a little lost and confused, so I thought that providing information for employers would be appreciated and useful.

With that being said, I will go back to my To Do List for this week.

Thanks for reading,

Until next time! Alexandra

PS: Feel free to check my social media

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Welcoming 2017 and it's opportunities

Dear readers,

I am writing to you today with happiness and excitement as it is the beginning of 2017. As always the  New Year is bringing excitement and opportunities, it is time to make the most of life and opportunities that are coming with it. As I said in my last entry of 2016, this placement "really been a life learning experience as well as a tremendous professional growth opportunity", 2017 being here I am now ready to embrace more challenges and develop even further as a professional.




After spending a fantastic time back home in France and Scotland over the holiday it is now time to make 2017 a year full of challenges and opportunities and growth. 

I have now been back in the office for two weeks and I have to admit that it has been really busy but really rewarding at the same time. This first couple of weeks back were challenging as it seemed really difficult to be back in America after spending such a wonderful time back home, it was those June types of feeling that were back, questioning the reason why I am in Boston, so far away from those places I call home and those people I love more than I will ever be able to express. That constant feeling of having to ask myself questions was really hard emotionally but I have realised that despite the fact that everyone lives an ocean away they are there for me as if I was home; so I need to prove them and more importantly myself that the sacrifice of the distance between us is nothing compare to the growth, knowledge and learning I am getting this year.

Within my first two weeks back in the office I have been able to create flyers of opportunities created for students abroad, to further be able to present them to students with upcoming info sessions in the next weeks. This first step is giving me the ability to be knowledgeable in greater details that I am confident will increase my easiness and capabilities speaking in public.

In those two weeks, I have further enhanced my knowledge about the Global Experience Office as I  have been taking part taken in the Peer Advisor training. This training helped me to gain a more defined and specific knowledge of the office allowing me to further develop my skills at assessing others strengths and weaknesses.

The training has also allowed me to take part in a supervisory type of role as I was over the course of the training assessing the new ambassadors on their performance giving me the opportunity to understand and assess students on what some might refer to as small details but in our job critical for the work the office is doing on a daily basis.


Sorry for a shorter blog entry this week but the task I have been undertaking have been really similar to the ones I was undertaking in December. And my eyes are getting tired from staring at my screen as one of my contact got stuck on Saturday night and sent me to the emergency room all day yesterday to have it removed.

I will expand my next entry, I promise.

Thanks for reading,

Until next time! 


Alexandra

PS: Feel free to check my social media
You can follow me on Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and follow me on Snapchat to see more of my daily life