Katelyn Talbott

              Being on such a diverse campus it was clear to me that I had to get involved in many different outlets to gain as many experiences as I possibly could. By becoming a student-athlete tutor for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, I was able to become a vehicle for positive change. Being a tutor taught me that there are many different ways to go about leading change and to never be afraid to change your methods if something is not working. I had to get creative when explaining material that a student-athlete was having a hard time understanding. I have found that if an example can be made correlating the concept to the sport that the student-athlete plays they are able to grasp the concept quicker and have a deeper understanding of it. In addition to finding creative ways to explain the material, I was often faced with the challenge of modeling it either with a drawing, a depiction or a comparison. With these challenges, I became adapt to explaining the same topic different ways to different student-athletes.

                Applying the skills of leading change to the future will come in the form of verbal communication, physical actions, and being a role model. For example, if I am advocating for more active physical education classes, then I better not be teaching a physical education class that consists of the children sitting on the bleachers texting, reading or eating. If I want to be a vehicle for positive change then I must set the example with a physical education class where everyone is playing basketball, jumping rope, or running around. A real life example about being a role model came during a tutor session with a student-athlete. He asked how to study for his first collegiate exam. After giving the tips and suggestions, he asked about my academic standings. It became clear to him that I know how to study for exams and take notes during class because of my “impressive track record” as he called it. If I had a C- average, I do not think he would have trusted me because the records did not show it.

              An area in leading positive change that I will work to improve is making sure I am supporting a worthy cause. If I am pushing for something that is  not true or is harmful I should have done the research to be aware of these issues prior to backing the topic. 

Reflection

                Effective and efficient programs are a must when working with children, adults, peers, and anyone who would attend your event. This is a major component of the Recreation, Sport, and Tourism degree. In addition to being the agency contact for the STAR Party, I was also put in charge of an Arts and Crafts area at the event. While putting on the event it was my hope to strengthen my skills of budgeting, advertising, and people management. By being the agency contact it was my responsibility to organize the volunteers as well as the sponsor tables and entertainment. From this duty, I learned that in order to have an effective program the marketing materials need to catch the attention in a sea of other flyers. Also, budgeting is a key part of an effective event because if you are projected to make $500 and end up losing $1,000 the event may have been poorly planned or not a good fit for the demographics. An important lesson learned from being in charge of the Arts and Crafts table was that it is a constant battle to get people interested in your activities even if they are already at the event.

                 Planning effective and efficient projects and programs are a major aspect to my future career goals of becoming a youth sporting tournament coordinator. While focusing on creating these programs I have learned the importance of repetition and listening to the crowd. It is in your best interest to constantly repeat the basic steps of a program plan. Communication, sponsorship, advertising, budgeting, planning, and many more steps can be fine-tuned with repetition. But it is just as important to take a step back after each event and evaluate what went well, what went not so well, and what can be improved upon for next time, or will there be a next time?

                The skill I will constantly be working to get right is creating and executing a project or program that successfully attains its purpose. I want to be able to set a goal to host a charity event for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and be able to raise a lot of money. If I were to create an event that is focused on giving back to the community and it ends up losing money, then the event was not effective for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It would be my hope to become so comfortable with program planning that I would not have to ever plan such a risky endeavor. 

              In this day in age, it seems technology is everything. From alerting people of upcoming events to giving away a pair of season tickets to the Green Bay Packers, if it can be done on the internet or with technology, companies are trying to utilize it. It was my goal to familiarize myself with as many different media outlets as possible during my internship this past summer at Heritage Harbor Ottawa, A Marina Resort Community. Upon asking for more responsibility in the area of social media and web based marketing, it became a daily task to update Facebook and  Twitter, post any new material to the company’s blog, and search for press releases about the company to post on these previously mentioned social media outlets. By doing these tasks daily, I became familiar with how various social media outlets were used to market an organization or a brand. From this experience, I have taken away a new appreciation for social media marketers because there are billions of competitors competing for the same two eyeballs at one time.

                With new technology becoming outdated after a period as short as three months, I have learned to constantly be on top of trending social media sites, emerging new technologies, all while balancing the usual print media, electronic newsletters, and e-mail blasts to current and prospective clients. It can be observed that a majority of internet users are younger, thus most internet advertising is directed towards them. However, more and more aging adults are becoming familiar with the internet and its advances. I feel I have learned a good position to handle the best of both worlds. I was responsible for monthly newsletters going out to over 10,000 addresses as well as creating marketing material to send via the post office and e-mail. Most importantly what I learned at Heritage Harbor Ottawa can be applied in any setting, any organization, from now until the next big invention is released.

                Although my internship has come to an end, I want to expand my knowledge of internet and social media marketing to Pinterest and Foursquare and wherever the next big app will lead me.

              Having a united community does not happen overnight. It is a process whereby a group of people are connected through common values to achieve larger goals beyond individualism. It was my goal to develop ways in which I could connect with different people and make them believe in one, common goal. By attending Ignite, I learned about many different cultures. Afterwards, I actually went home and found a few new facts about different cultures and what is acceptable when interacting with these people. For example, in some countries it is bad business etiquette to cut to the chase about a business deal. First, one must get to know the businessmen. It is seen as rude and unprofessional if you walk into a meeting, hand out business cards, and start the negotiation.

                On a smaller scale, knowing this is a huge benefit for me as a member of the Memorial Stadium Premium Seating Team. I have gotten to know many of the patrons and what their habits are before, during, and after the games. For some people, they want to get to their seat, get something to eat, and only after that will they will mill around and catch up with their friends and rivals alike. Others, it is all about the game as it can impact the rest of their week depending on the outcome of the game. Another area where I have applied this cultural knowledge is as a volunteer Marketing Assistant. Specifically, working the baseball games I have realized that no matter where someone comes from, we are connected. They have come to experience baseball, and I am there to make that experience the most positive, unforgettable baseball experience. By providing such excellent service, it is our goal that they will want to return for the rest of the season.

                An area where I wish to further develop my community building skills is building corporate partnerships. I see this as coalition building in the sense that both organizations are working together but have different expectations from the relationship. Building more on corporate partnerships could give me a huge advantage when looking for my next career opportunity.