Category: E & I

Turn in 

• A list with short descriptions of different networks you are plugged into regularly. 
• • Instagram 
  • Facebook
  • Snapchat
  • Youtube
  • Google news

Provide written  answers to the following: 

• How do these support your efforts as a changemaker through entrepreneurship and innovation?   
• • I use Instagram as a multipurpose network site. Mainly, it helps me to discover others who share my interests. Such as local artists who inspire me to try new art styles and grow my creativity and  I also follow many people who develop innovative/sustainable products. I use Instagram to spread my art. I post videos of myself painting, collaging, selling jewellery, and making animation. Finally, I use it to connect with friends and family. I should also mention that I sell my art and jewelry via Instagram. 
  • I use Facebook to discover events in Bellingham. This honestly happened recently. I didn’t like Facebook or understand how it could be beneficial until one day I found the Makeshift which posts their events here. I then share these events and I am able to find friends who want to go with me which is very useful. 
  • Snapchat is mainly used as a communication tool with friends. However, I gain followers on my instagram when I promote myself on my Snapchat story. This is a really helpful tool. 
  • Youtube is something I use to educate myself. I do not post on this network. I instead use it to help myself gain knowledge on subjects for class or things I think are personally interesting. 
  • I use Google news a few times a week to stay up to date on local and world wide events. I think this is important for small talk with others. I also use it to create empathy for the world around me. 
• How might these become even more beneficial?   
• • I could reach out to more people who ‘create’ on Instagram. I often follow really amazing artists but I have lacked the action of reaching out to these people. I think it would be a good idea if I took time to find artists I would like to collaborate with. 
  • If I ever wanted to share my art at an event Facebook would be a great source to advertise for this. However, I would need to work on my following because currently I am only connected to family/friends. 
  • Overall, the things I would need to do to make these networks more beneficial would be better communication of my purpose, higher following, and starting to collaborate with people who can inspire and work with me. 
• Where do you believe you have work to do related to building Nourishing Networks? 
• • I should work to establish my LinkedIn network. So far, I have not put very much time or energy into this. Possibly due to my lack of understanding for its use to me ( but I know it must be important because many people have told me ). If I read the emails that LinkedIn sent me then I would probably be able to create a much more established network for myself.  
  • I also need to establish what my “30 second pitch” would be when trying to explain my interests. Currently I think I am very all over the place and fail to address my interests in an organized manner. Which does not explain what I have to offer very well and that is something I need to fix. But first I need to understand what I want others to know first, second, and third. 
• What have you done to successfully build Nourishing Networks? 
• • I have spent a lot of time putting my creations for art out into the online networks. While I was selling my jewelry I had a lot of solid customer relationships established. 
  • I’ve worked very hard to find specific mentors to follow and I often reach out to them for guidance. I come to these mentors prepared. 
  • I am able to finetune my message for who my audience is. To me this means creating connections with whom I am speaking to. Along with this I am able to explain what they did that inspired me or that I appreciated. Saying thank you! That is something I work hard to do and it is something that is now natural to me. 
• Take 2 people inside IDEA that you don’t know well out for coffee (or whatever), whom you believe could be part of your Nourishing Network. 

Turn in 

• A description of who you took out, how this went, and what you learned (about the person, process etc.) 
• • I met with Amy Kellogg. On Friday the 21st, she had a dessert party at her apartment down the road from Western. She was very kind to let me come over and she made so many desserts! The evening went well. Amy and I worked together to get the heavy cream to become whipped cream. It was a fun task. That’s how I learned that Amy works at a chocolate shop downtown called Chocolate Necessities. So, she spent her whole day around sweets, only to come home and have a dessert party! She and I talked a lot about food since it seemed to be something we both have a passion for. I mentioned how I used to have a small cupcake shop called Zosia’s Cupcakes which led us to a conversation about how she has never tried selling her delicious desserts (however she wants to start selling them). Then, we chatted about how to make the best pizza. I brought up how my mom makes the best gluten free crust. Amy makes crust too but she does not measure anything! She is really good at making food. Later, I learned about her trip to Europe. She tried cooking then but the girls she was staying with did not care for her food and tended to be really mean to her. I learned more throughout the evening but those were the highlights. 
  • I met with Tori Corkum. She also attended Amy’s dessert party on Friday the 21st. She and I got to know one another over the cookies that Amy made because Tori brought milk. Our conversations were mostly about family. I learned that she is in a very long and committed relationship with a boy named Kurtis. He lives about three hours from here but he tries to come visit her once every month. Tori was planning to go to Italy for spring break this year with her family but due to the CoronaVirus her dad was forced to cancel the trip. They were afraid that they wouldn’t be let back into America. Tori has a lot on her plate. She is taking 18 credits this quarter. Plus she is starting her own photography business online. Her website looks great! It was really great getting to know her outside of class. We are on the VP2 project together but we tend to only talk about the project. This was very beneficial to our group dynamic. 
• Go to one event in our community that is meant for networking.  Prepare well, go and intentionally build your Nourishing Network.   

Turn in 

• A description of you met and how this went and what you learned (about the people, the process etc.) 
  • I went to the scholarship fair that was on Western’s campus on Tuesday the 25th. I met with a woman who runs the social and behavioral science scholarships. We went over what scholarships are available this year and for next year, how much money each scholarship covers, if I qualify for all or any of the scholarships (3 in total). 
  • I met a female artist whose music I have seen live around Bellingham. She is very talented and was very happy that I recognized her and her music. We did not exchange contact information but I know that Seraphima has hosted a house show with her as a performer. So, I plan to ask her for her contact information. I really want to know where she will be playing in the future! 
• Take 2 people outside IDEA that you don’t know well out for coffee (or whatever), whom you believe could be part of your Nourishing Network.   
• A description of who you took out, how this went, and what you learned (about the person, process etc.) 
  • I met with Dr. McNeel Jantzen. She recently became a professor in the linguistics department, before that she was in the psychology department. She is a cognitive neuroscientist with a major focus on language. I have taken two of her classes at WWU and she has a very interesting cognition lab on campus. I wanted to meet with her because I am majoring in psychology and I plan to minor in some sort of language studies in my future education. We discussed what career paths I could take such as doing more research in her lab which can lead to acceptance into labs in the future. We went over how to get funding and how it can be very challenging until you find someone interested. Which is why she came to WWU; Western funds her research and gives her the ability to do really cool things. Another career idea was to work with people from all around the country because I mentioned I like the idea of studying human happiness around the world. She made it clear that it is very important to gather reliable relationships if I were to further that career path. Finally, I learned a little about her history in psychology. The story I thought was the most interesting was that she worked with the government doing research in submarines. Of course she told me nothing more due to it being classified. That factor made the story much more intriguing. 
  • I met with a woman named Kacey and she runs the Bellingham Meal Program. My leadership class provided donations for this month’s meal and 02/29/20 was the day of the meal this month. I met her and was very interested in how she spreads awareness about the monthly meal. It’s really only via word of mouth and the Bellingham volunteer page. I really wanted to know if she needed anyone to run her marketing sector because it didn’t seem like they had much support in that area. I was correct. She loved the idea of me helping out because of all the money we raised and all the donated supplies we got in under a month. 

Challenge Number One: For one week, record and briefly describe the reasonably significant decisions you make. What we are looking for are ones that raise flags for you that someone else may be making the decision for you. 

Flags: 

My choice = Blue & Others choice = Red & Unsure whos choice = Purple 

• Going to class 
  • I do this to accomplish my goals in life and to create a positive future for myself. 

• • How did this go for you? 
    • This always goes well. I despise not going to class. I will always miss important information or feel guilty that I didn’t attend the important lecture. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • That in order to keep myself mentally happy I must go to class. It ensures that my positivity will stay up and my knowledge will continue to grow. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I have the opportunity to talk to the teacher if Im confused, I can talk to my peers, and I can take thoughtful notes that aren’t from the textbook. 
• Going to work 
  • I do this in order to provide for my future when I will need to pay for rent and my parents can no longer afford to help me. 

• • How did this go for you? 
    • It goes okay. I usually like the start of my shifts but tend to be in a terrible mood at the end of my shifts. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • I’ve been learning that I may get in bad moods due to the lack of customers coming in. It feels like a waste of energy and often makes me upset. 
  • What are the implications for you? 
    • Generally, a bad mood, a fair amount of tips, money in my bank account, and the ability to shop when I want to.
• Going to get food at late night 
  • Sometimes I’m not even hungry but I still go. I think I go in order to connect with my peers

• • How did this go for you? 
    • Good. I always have fun being around my friends and eating food. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • I learn lots of social drama which is always fun to learn about. I also learn that I don’t really put up with “fake news”; I don’t like when people sh*t talk other people. I’ve also come to notice that I don’t really fit in with most college students, or maybe they don’t fit in with me. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I get to eat, converse, laugh, and make friendships. 
• Making my friends jewelry 
  • I was okay making it for one but it piles on when multiple people want something from you. Yet I still make them

• • How did this go for you? 
    • It feels stressful. I’ve made all these promises to make my good friends jewelry and it takes a lot more time than I have. They want them ASAP but with my prior responsibilities it is hard to make them that fast. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • That I need to be more careful with whom I offer to make free jewelry. First, it’s expensive to make. Second, it’s time consuming. Thirdly, I don’t really like feeling the need to make then rather than making them for fun. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I lose my personal time because I have to make these bracelets for my friends.
• Seeing old friends that may not be healthy for me to talk to anymore
  • Old friends bring nostalgia and love. I can’t help but say yes when they want to see me, even though I most likely do not care to see them. 

• • How did this go for you? 
    • Generally, I leave kinda angry. I don’t know why these people ask me to hangout and I certainly do not understand why I say yes to seeing them. I usually don’t like alot of what they say, they often are more close minded than me, and I tend to get angry at them in the end. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • That I cannot voice my opinion to these specific people because they know me from when I did not state my feelings. These are people who label others and only know how to discuss the actions of people they don’t like. I find those types of conversations useless. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • It’s a waste of my time and my energy. I give my brain capacity to them, my gas because I have to be the driver, and my money usually goes to buying them food. 
• Sitting in my room to do my homework while others are hanging out 
  • I need to get my shit done, and I like knowing that I am learning and I am motivated 
  • I also do my work for my family. I want to be as good as my dad and as passionate as my mother and father; in order to do that I need to stay on task

• • How did this go for you? 
    • Good! I enjoy learning and getting my work done. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • I learn a lot! In regards to myself, I learn that I am determined and consistent. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I get better grades than my friends. I also have the power of a knowledgeable conversation due to the fact that I take time to fully encode information into my mind. 
• Going to be early so that I won’t be tired for my responsibilities tomorrow
  • I do this because honestly, sleeping is the best thing ever 
  • I also do this so that my body will be happy in the morning and I will feel motivated 

• • How did this go for you? 
    • This can go well. Some nights I have a hard time sleeping so it can be challenging. Other days I get too much sleep and end up more tired. But usually it works out for the best. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • That I don’t like waking up early unless i’ve slept for a full eight hours. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I wake up in a good mood, I feel hungry so I can eat breakfast, usually I get more things done in my day which feels very good.
• My outfits are a little wacky sometimes but I wear them anyways
  • Sometimes I do this to make others know its okay to stand out (like for my roommate). I also do this to remind myself that I’m awesome and unique; I suppose it makes me feel bold.  

• • How did this go for you? 
    • Honestly, really good! I really enjoy people staring at me and I love to consider what they may be thinking. I do not assume people envy me, in fact, I usually assume the opposite. I just love guessing other thoughts on me standing out. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • I learn that I may be a little full of myself but I do it with the interest of boosting others up so to me its not making the statement that I am full of myself. Simply that I don’t care to be the weirdo. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • People stare at me. Some people comment on the outfit. Generally that’s all that happens. 
• Posting on social media 
  • I’m not sure who I do this for. Sometimes I post because my friends and I look cute, sometimes it’s for likes and attention, sometimes its because im proud of something I made (my art videos)

• • How did this go for you? 
    • It sometimes goes well but it also sometimes does not go very well. If I get lots of likes then it feels good but the posts I get likes on aren’t the ones im proud of. The ones i’m proud of do not get many likes. 
  • What did you learn? 
    • I learn what is popular on social media. I also learn a lot about how communication works online. 
  • What are the implications to you? 
    • I get worried about how I look and I worry about no one knowing me since other people get more likes. But I also get to share my art and laugh at myself because I make funny posts too. 

Where are you in the 5 idea grit decisions listed above?

1. I decide to make my own choices in life. I think I do this everyday and it shows in my examples above. For example, my choice to study instead of hanging out with my friends. That is a personal choice. I also decide what I want to be when I grow up -.which is why I study. 
2. I decide I will make a difference. I think I do try to do this. I want to help people and impact others like my loved ones. But for my big goals of helping people in the future, I first must be selfish. I say that because I cannot help anyone until I am fully educated. 
3. I decide I will be a changemaker. I am working on doing this. Right now I am developing the skills in order to be successful. I struggle a lot with being a social changemaker; as in, I have lots of ideas but have yet to find the right people to bring the ideas to reality.
4. I decide to put in the effort. YES! I always put in effort. I see no reason to do anything without my full effort (unless im sick, then I don’t use as much effort).
5. I decide to act. This is another one I’m in the process of. I’m learning how to do it and what will make my actions successful. 

 

What is helping or hindering you with making these decisions?

Things that are helping: people in my life who are there to build me up and provide constructive criticism, my own persistence and ability to know when to continue or abandon ship, attending western, and skills I learned in highschool such as time management. 

Things that are hindering: people who are only negative and provide no feedback, the need to fit in with college students by hanging out and doing nothing, and when I have to go to work and cannot pursue my passions. 

Reflect on our minor and how it fits with your life. 

I plan to use this minor in order to start my own psychological startup. I’m not fully sure what the startup will provide but I know I want to develop a type of therapy that will help people in a new way that has not been used yet. I also have a dream of understanding and sharing topics regarding positivity in humans around the world and then applying that to my startup.

Exploring For Passion: 

Activity #1: I am interested in psychology (as it is my current major and has been my main topic of interest for many years now). Therefore I decided to volunteer in a WWU psychology study that was measuring a person’s ability to do basic activities with small to large distractions occurring. I chose to do this because I wanted to explore the idea of being a research psychologist and what that might entail. I learned that I want to be involved in research psychology. 

Activity #2: I consider myself an artist but not of all trades. I am rather good at painting and drawing but I’ve always struggled when it came to sculpting/ ceramics. I am also the type of artist who struggles to complete art in front of others. So, I decided to put myself into both a creative and uncomfortable situation; I went to an art marathon that was based around ceramics. I did this to see if I would even like ceramics and to see if I would view doing art in public in a positive way. The result was yes! I did in fact enjoy being in a big group of people of many skill levels and many different social levels and I also loved to be there doing ceramics!

Activity #3: I have always fully enjoyed concerts due to two things: (a) the style and (b) the atmosphere. This is something I’ve known since I was a child. However, I am not a fan of all music therefore when I pick a concert it will be for the style of music I enjoy. My boyfriend’s music is not a style I particularly enjoy and those who listen to his music are not generally the types of people I like. This created a challenge for me because I knew going to one of his concerts could be something of interest to me or it could be awful. I decided to push this boundary and attend his last event. It was awesome! I’m glad I got to go and learn that the environment they create is rather enjoyable and the music connects with the people in a way that develops a fantastic feeling.