Author David Brooks said, “I’ve come to think that flourishing consists of putting yourself in situations in which you lose self-consciousness and become fused with other people, experiences, or tasks. It happens sometimes when you are lost in a hard challenge, or when an artist or a craftsman becomes one with the brush or the tool. It happens sometimes while you’re playing sports, or listening to music or lost in a story, or to some people when they feel enveloped by God’s love. And it happens most when we connect with other people.”  I wholeheartedly agree with Brooks’ concept of a flourishing life.  I believe that individuals not only develop skills and character qualities from hands-on experiences, but also gain new perspectives and cultivate relationships.  Throughout my own college experience, I have flourished through opportunities to develop my professional skills and serve the community.

One of the first experiences I had was being part of the Governor’s Public Service Summer Internship program during the summer of 2014.  As an intern for the State of Indiana, I served as the Communications Intern for the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT).  My position had many different responsibilities, as I worked with INDOT’s Media Relations Specialist as well as the Customer Service Manager. 

In regard to media relations, I composed professional, government news releases to inform the public of pertinent road closure and project updates.  I also utilized social media to broadcast project updates and increase awareness about roadway safety. Both of these responsibilities improved my writing skills as well as my abilities to communicate professionally and precisely. Throughout the summer, I attended meetings to gather information about roadway projects which I could then relay to the community.  I also took part in a collaborative, creative effort to develop new avenues to communicate recently introduced roadway safety laws.  These opportunities allowed me to take part in organized business meetings for the first time and build the confidence to voice my ideas in such settings.

Working with the Customer Service Department, I increased my customer service, organization, and conflict resolution skills through receiving and resolving over one hundred customer inquiries as a customer service representative.  My critical thinking and analyzing abilities were also cultivated while assisting the Customer Service Manager in developing innovative solutions to enhance INDOT’s customer service process and inquiry reporting program.

My time as a Communications intern also helped guide my educational and vocational choices.  Although I gained many invaluable skills from my time with INDOT, I also learned what aspects of a future career I wanted to avoid.  I realized that I would far rather work at a non-profit than for the government, and I also discovered that I enjoy interpersonal communication more than mass media communication.  This led to my decision to minor in Events Management along with my major in Communication Studies.  The combination of those educational credentials will equip me for a career as an event planner and an interdepartmental communication specialist with a non-profit company.

During my time at IUPUI, I have also been able to be involved with two student-organized campus clubs.  The first club is The Communication Network.  This is a club that is composed primarily of Communication Studies majors, with the purpose of planning activities based in educational programming, networking, and community service.  The Communication Network has given me opportunities to explore and specialize my broad major in a way that will make me a more proficient individual after graduation.  Being a member of this club has given me opportunities to improve social media skills, become civically engaged, and cultivate connections with potential employers.

Campus Coalition Against Trafficking (CCAT) is another club that I am a part of, which focuses on raising awareness on campus and in the community about human trafficking.  Each member of the club is part of our inventive team that develops new ways to share our message with the community.  Through events and social media, our club is able to spread awareness about this important issue in society.  Being able to collaboratively plan events allows me to gain knowledge in planning awareness and fundraising events.   CCAT has also been a wonderful opportunity to join with like-minded students to fight a social justice issue we all deeply care about.  I have discovered that a single goal truly has great power to unite individuals to work as a team.  This realization will be one that I carry with me through future academic and career endeavors as I will often lead teams.

The last component of my college experience has been serving my community.  Because I especially have a heart to work with children, during the past semester I have served as a student mentor and club leader at George Washington Community High School’s afterschool program.  Because many of the children at this inner city school are living in poverty, I have been exposed to a culture entirely different from the one I was raised in.  My eyes have been opened not only to the effects of poverty on children, but also the need for positive influences in their lives.  In order to truly be a positive influence as a mentor, I realized that a key part was earning the students’ trust.  This undoubtedly has taught me patience as well as responsibility through learning to find the balance between enforcing rules while maintaining approachability.  As a club leader, I co-lead a club where girls can develop self-confidence in a safe environment through dancing, yoga, and self-reflection activities.  Being able to connect with the girls through dancing has then opened up many opportunities to have conversations with them about living a life of integrity and pursuing a college education.  I have learned that having a single connecting activity can truly break barriers and create camaraderie among a group of people.  This experience has given me a chance to be a role model to girls, improve my leadership abilities, and ultimately give back to my community.

The chances I have had to develop professionally and serve others have taught me invaluable skills as well as brought great joy to my life.  It is because of these opportunities that I have begun to flourish as an individual.  I look forward to many more prospects to shape and improve who I am in the future!