On Saturday November 8, 2008 I attended Wolves on the Prowl, which is a community service project held at Loyola University. Loyola University has been participating in this community service project for I believe the last 12 years. It is a service project in which many different organizations participate with Loyola University and Loyola provides students and faculty to help the different causes. Some of the different organizations include working with children of lower income families, picking up and cleaning parks, and visiting the elderly community. Loyola University gathers all the volunteers in front of the Monroe Library and distributes muffins and cold drinks while the volunteers fill out the appropriate paper work and receive their free t-shirt. After about a couple minutes waiting for everyone to arrive, the coordinator gathers everyone together and he gives a brief summary of the project and explains the basics of the day. The volunteers were to separate into different groups depending on which organization they wanted to contribute to, and then from there they would load the buses and be bused to the designated area. After all the work was done for the day the volunteers would be bused back to Loyola University. Wolves on the Prowl began at 8 am and finished around 12:30 pm.
I personally chose to work with the children from the school Good Shepherd for the lower income families. We were not bused anywhere because we were hosting the kids and providing them with a fun field day. The children arrived around 9:30 am and you could just see the excitement in their faces. Their teachers gathered the volunteers and the children together and gave a brief summary as to what the school was and how some of their faculty had attended Loyola University. The volunteers had previously separated into four different groups, each with a different color to distinguish themselves. The four teams were blue, green, red, and yellow; I was on the yellow team. The children were separated almost evenly and we got ready to start our first activity. The first game we played was walking to a cone, then around it, while holding a ball in a spoon and not letting it drop. Next, we played dizzy, where you run to the bat and spin around five times then run back before the next member of your team can advance. Third, we played tug-a-war. After each game, points were assigned to the teams depending on how quickly they finished. Needless to say, the yellow team won! Working with these kids was a wonderful experience and it made me realize how blessed I am and that it is important to give back to those less fortunate, because sometimes the smallest gestures make the biggest differences.
After further research I found a great organization called First Book Greater New Orleans, which combats the literacy crisis in New Orleans affecting the lower income families. Their mission is to provide new books to those children who are in need. One of the greatest contributors to literacy is the limited access to books by these families. First Book Greater New Orleans has distributed over 60 million free or low cost books to disadvantaged families and to other programs which serve them.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Executive Speaker on Personal Finances
On Thursday evening we had a guest speaker from Regions Bank on credit. He explained to us the different ways of forming credit and how easy it is to ruin your credit if you’re not careful. He lectured on how your credit score determines many things, such as interest rates, upfront fees, the kind of house you own, and the cars you drive. I think this lecture was very insightful. The guest speaker cleared up a lot of points that I was unclear about. For example, I had always thought it would hurt your credit to own many credit cards. However, the opposite is true, in reality if you have a couple credit cards with available balances and never use them, then that is how you build credit. All you have to do to maintain the credit card open is make a minimal purchase every now and then, then pay off the balance. As long as you pay your credit cards on time and do not spend over a third of your available balance, you maintain a good credit score. A credit score follows you for the rest of your life, if you ruin your credit it’s really hard to start over and get it high again. Therefore, the best solution is to keep your credit score high and constantly be checking it. There are websites like freecreditreport.com available to check your credit score and to prevent identity theft.
When we met with our mentors after the lecture, we discussed any questions we may have had. We also discussed what we learned and the things we already knew about credit. Many people in my group were surprised to learn that having many credit cards but not using them would actually better your credit score, rather than hurt it. I found a website that is designed to help college students manage their money; it’s called The Simple Dollar.
When we met with our mentors after the lecture, we discussed any questions we may have had. We also discussed what we learned and the things we already knew about credit. Many people in my group were surprised to learn that having many credit cards but not using them would actually better your credit score, rather than hurt it. I found a website that is designed to help college students manage their money; it’s called The Simple Dollar.
Monday, September 29, 2008
CareerBeam Values and Vision
My ideal future includes graduating from Loyola University with a BA in International Business and a minor in Spanish Language. The minor is Spanish is to help set me apart from others in this industry, and to help facilitate communication between foreign businesses. I plan on also continuing my education and receiving my MBA from Loyola University. I believe it is extremely important to have a master’s degree in today’s world, especially in such a competitive industry such as the business world. After graduating and completing my education, I hope to accept a great job offer with a fortune 500 company in either Miami or Los Angeles (my two favorite cities). The company I have been mostly interested in is Burger King because it was founded in Miami and I have grown up driving by its headquarters. I would love to be able to become a part of the Burger King family and work my way up the chain of command until one day reaching my dream of being the C.E.O. Working here would give me the opportunity to accomplish my goals and to also move back to my home town to be close to my family. After I feel like my life is on track, I would like to get married and start a family, while balancing my career.
The benefit to writing a vision statement, whether it is for a business or a personal statement, is to keep you on track of your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Vision statements can work as a check list that you refer back to time and time again to make sure the decisions and actions you are taking are getting you one step closer to your final goal. However, writing a vision statement can be quiet difficult and time consuming. You must sit and think hard of what it is you want to accomplish and how fast you want to attain those goals. After thinking of what you want, you then need to come up with some sort of strategy, realistic or fantasy. Obviously, you can never truly plan out your life because sometimes life throws curve balls your way and you need some leeway for unexpected changes. In my life vision statement my most important value, according to careerbeam, is to be “The Maximizer Set.” After reading the description of this value set, I realized it describes me very accurately. I am the type of person who is motivated by usefulness and practicality. I focus on realistic goals and achievements but am not scared to aim high and take risks. I am constantly measuring my success by my efficiency and effectiveness. I rely on myself to do things in a timely matter, and to get it done as soon as possible with the least interruptions.
The company that I found had similar values to mine is Cold Stone Creamery. Their values are; “Do the right thing”, “Be the best…Be #1”, “Bring out the best in our people”, “Profit by making people happy”, and “Win as a team.” Their mission statement is basically "We will make people happy..." Working for a company that prides itself on being the best and making people happy is a company I would definitely love to work for in the future. I would be working in a company that strives daily to exceed the day before in profits and in over all excellence. This is exactly what I try to do constantly. (It’s a lot harder than it sounds.) I have always believed Cold Stone Creamery has one of the best mission statements that I have found to date.
The benefit to writing a vision statement, whether it is for a business or a personal statement, is to keep you on track of your goals and how you want to accomplish them. Vision statements can work as a check list that you refer back to time and time again to make sure the decisions and actions you are taking are getting you one step closer to your final goal. However, writing a vision statement can be quiet difficult and time consuming. You must sit and think hard of what it is you want to accomplish and how fast you want to attain those goals. After thinking of what you want, you then need to come up with some sort of strategy, realistic or fantasy. Obviously, you can never truly plan out your life because sometimes life throws curve balls your way and you need some leeway for unexpected changes. In my life vision statement my most important value, according to careerbeam, is to be “The Maximizer Set.” After reading the description of this value set, I realized it describes me very accurately. I am the type of person who is motivated by usefulness and practicality. I focus on realistic goals and achievements but am not scared to aim high and take risks. I am constantly measuring my success by my efficiency and effectiveness. I rely on myself to do things in a timely matter, and to get it done as soon as possible with the least interruptions.
The company that I found had similar values to mine is Cold Stone Creamery. Their values are; “Do the right thing”, “Be the best…Be #1”, “Bring out the best in our people”, “Profit by making people happy”, and “Win as a team.” Their mission statement is basically "We will make people happy..." Working for a company that prides itself on being the best and making people happy is a company I would definitely love to work for in the future. I would be working in a company that strives daily to exceed the day before in profits and in over all excellence. This is exactly what I try to do constantly. (It’s a lot harder than it sounds.) I have always believed Cold Stone Creamery has one of the best mission statements that I have found to date.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Executive Mentoring Program
As a freshman in Loyola University, if you are enrolled in the College of Business then you are part of what is called the Executive Mentoring Program. This program helps us meet powerful business people in our New Orleans community who can guide us and show us a little bit about the business world outside the classroom. The mentors are assigned alphabetically and each mentor is assigned around 5 students to be in their group. The group meets with their mentor once a month; whether it be to listen to a lecture, go to dinner, or anything else they choose.
My mentor is Lee Vorisek, he graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Engineering and then received his MBA from Tulane University. He has held many high titled positions over his life, served in the military, and has a great deal of experience. In most of his positions he has dealt with Steal but at the end of the day he is a true business man. Lee wants us to consider him a "Dutch uncle" because he said although he was not part of our family, we could go to him to seek advice or to just confide in him. From the Executive Mentoring Program I expect to learn a lot about the real business world, not just what the classroom offers. Also, I expect to meet many influential business people in my community, who can teach me about their journey on becoming who they are today. I believe the Executive Mentoring Program is a great idea to give first year business students an inside look at their potential careers. This allows freshman to see if business is the right degree for them. Having the Executive Mentoring Program as a part of your resume really sets you apart from many other people who will be competing for the same positions. It gives you the upper hand and makes you more valuable as a person and employee. I'm glad I can be part of a school who gives their students this great opportunity, especially at the freshman level.
My mentor is Lee Vorisek, he graduated from Purdue University with a degree in Engineering and then received his MBA from Tulane University. He has held many high titled positions over his life, served in the military, and has a great deal of experience. In most of his positions he has dealt with Steal but at the end of the day he is a true business man. Lee wants us to consider him a "Dutch uncle" because he said although he was not part of our family, we could go to him to seek advice or to just confide in him. From the Executive Mentoring Program I expect to learn a lot about the real business world, not just what the classroom offers. Also, I expect to meet many influential business people in my community, who can teach me about their journey on becoming who they are today. I believe the Executive Mentoring Program is a great idea to give first year business students an inside look at their potential careers. This allows freshman to see if business is the right degree for them. Having the Executive Mentoring Program as a part of your resume really sets you apart from many other people who will be competing for the same positions. It gives you the upper hand and makes you more valuable as a person and employee. I'm glad I can be part of a school who gives their students this great opportunity, especially at the freshman level.
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