Proud to be a Blue Hen

During the past weeks of the NCAAW tournament, the University of Delaware Blue Hens have shown nothing but their Delaware pride and effort.  After placing in the first round, they showed the University of North Carolina who really wanted to advance.  With a victory, the Blue Hens and the support of Delaware, traveled to Connecticut to face Kentucky.

“Communication is key.”  A phrase that was continuously repeated by the ESPN reporters.  ”These Blue Hens need to communicate if they want to take the lead over Kentucky.”  Numerous rebounds were lost due to the lack of communication.

Despite their deficits, the Blue Hens trailed on.  Halftime showed a 41-27 Kentucky.  The Blue Hens still had a chance.

Shouting and screaming was the only thing heard from my living room.  One crazed Delaware basketball fan, an excited UD alum, and me, a proud Blue Hen cheered on.

The clock rang, and the Blue Hens lost with a close game at 69-62 Kentucky.

Maybe a lack of communication was factor in their lose?  Or maybe the NCAAW jitters? Whatever the reason, the University of Delaware Women’s Basketball played one exciting and fulfilling season.  A huge congrats to Miss Elena Delle Done and the rest of the UD seniors who have finished their careers as Blue Hens.  Hope to see Elena soon on the court, wearing a different jersey.

I am a proud Blue Hen today.

University of Delaware Womens Basketball!

What a tremendous effort by our very own Blue Hens! A huge congrats to the Fightin’ Blue Hens for making it to the Sweet Sixteen!

Junior Achievement of Delaware

Sometimes being in college, you let your classes take over your life.  You allow the success of the class to tell you who you are.  You feel like you are going no where in life because you got a low grade on an exam despite your endless hours of studying and preparing.  You let one capital letter define who you are.

“You learn more here than you ever will, sitting in a classroom or preparing for an exam.”

It’s true. My month spent at the Junior Achievement of Delaware (JA) has taught me so much about the real world than any textbook could teach.  Professors agree with this, parents agree with this, and now, I fully agree with this statement.  After a JA employee said the above quote the morning of my last day, it hit me–I would carry all the skills and lessons I learned at JA with me to every future internship, leadership opportunity, class, and job.  

Junior Achievement of Delaware reaches over 18,000 students in Delaware, Cecil County MD, and Salem County NJ, representing over 300,000 instructional contact hours. Over 1200 local volunteers from communities, corporations, and universities assist JA programs. Over 9000 students have become “adults for a day,” at JA of Delaware’s experiential learning laboratory in the last year participating in educational experiences such as: a fully interactive simulated economy, JA BizTown® where elementary school students learn entrepreneurial skills while they actually run businesses, manage their money, become philanthropists and pay their taxes; and in JA Finance Park®, middle and high school students become heads of households making personal financial decisions in a realistic onsite virtual community setting.  It is a unique and highly recognized non-profit organization.

I wrote my first press release, contacted media outlets, updated media lists, and worked on special event planning and promotion.  All the tasks PR professionals and professors said we would encounter.  Besides adding these skills and accomplishments to my resume, I feel confident and eager to embark on my next internship and future endeavors. 

“Huddle time!” was shouted everyday at approximately 11 am.  It was time for all JA employees to gather in the president’s office to discuss the previous day’s accomplishments.  You heard clapping and yelling as students worked together in JA Biztown and JA Finance Park, running a stimulated town and pretending to be an adult with a real life job.  The sounds of the phones ringing, potential donors walking around the facility on tours, and conversations between employees were everyday occurrences.  Experiencing the students as they calculated rent, mortgages, bills, taxes, and even shopping expenses truly displayed the impact of Junior Achievement of Delaware.  The mission statement is demonstrated everyday, to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy.

One cannot fully express in a resume, blog post, or any written sample of how much  I learned just within a month.  I am confident in that internships are beyond valuable and they are knowledge you cannot find in the classroom.

 

 

 

The Anticipated Intern

Internships.

Possibly one of the most important items on one’s resume.

By the end of January, I can stand tall and say, “I have had an internship.”  The University of Delaware’s Winter Session offers an optional 5 week class session.  This is the perfect opportunity to take a class or embark on an internship.  For me, I am going to complete both.  January will consist of taking an introduction to marketing class and creating social media platforms for the Junior Achievement of Delaware.  Not only will my primary role be a student, but also a, “Communications Intern.”

The numerous tasks and projects awaiting me at JA will give the experience I need in order to advance my professional career, especially in the world of communications and public relations.  Besides future portfolio examples and more PR knowledge, I hope to network with the JA community and their donors as well.  As Mr. Eppes, the president of JA, said after offering me the position, “You could really make a name for yourself here, Natalie,” I told him, “I hope to do exactly that.”

Kids, they say the darndest things.

I am no child psychologist, but working with the same group of 3-5 year olds for two summers in a row, I know a LOT about kids.

Thier imaginations are incredible.  They need to prove themselves.  They want independence.  All the usual cliches about pre-schoolers.  But the way they communicate is astonishing.  They can’t text, tweet, post or make comments on people’s timelines.  They tell you how it is; plain and simple.

If someone isn’t sharing, they tell the other kid right to their face.  If a girl doesn’t like another girl, she will say it right to her face.  They invite their friends they like to their birthday parties at lunch, while uninviting others.  Their communication is raw.  There’s no sarcasm, insults, or cynicism.  Kids get their point across right from the start.  They sell themselves in the matter of seconds when they introduce themselves.  You’ll find them interacting with anyone.  There’s no judging or profiling.  Everyone is a kid; a kid that wants to have fun at camp.

What is also apparent with children at this age is their leadership.  They will do anything to show that.  Counselors, like myself, will watch a group of 30 kids and in the matter of seconds, you can pick out the leader and the followers.  It amazes me how the leader communicates with the followers because it is not through bossing around or yelling out orders.  They just have a way of communication that speaks to the other kids and lets them know that is what they should listen to.

This is what interests me.  How people communicate.  Kids around the ages of 3-5, have their own specific way of doing so and I am a perfect witness to it.

 

The “all about me” first iconic post.

I just began my blog because I do enjoy writing.  Writing has always been an unspoken interest for me.  I have been an artist- I have been drawing and painting all my life, and was pretty good at it.  Unfortunately I have stopped with my artistic ways but decided I could get in touch with those skills with writing or blogging.

I am a sophomore at the University of Delaware,  studying Communications with an Advertising minor, and currently home for the summer.

“So how was your freshmen year?”  “Tell me what you have doing all year.”  Questions asked by the relatives and neighbors you have not seen in 9 months.

To answer I say something like this…

I joined a pre-professional organization called the Public Relations Student Society of America which is the chapter at University of Delaware.  This organization basically serves an outlet of what you can do with a Communications degree, public relations.  I have toured PR agencies, networked with local PR professional and learned important skills involving social media.

I also am a writer for an online magazine called Her Campus that launched at the University of Delaware this past year.  I have written several posts about UD related events.

I am also a Lead Council member who works with local Delaware high schools, encouraging service.  We work and volunteer with the Jefferson Awards team within the high schools.

So after my 5 minute broad resume-type answer, I have summed up what I became involved with over my freshmen year.  Besides lengthening my resume, I enjoyed every second of my freshmen year and making new friends and classmates.