Create-activity

This workshop was not only fun but helped me relax from the constant pressures and deadlines from school. That's it! When the pressure to get things done was eliminated and we were able to 'play' we could really focus on completing a task without any restrictions. I feel that I am a very creative person. When I was younger, I developed a math equation to solve geometric sequences a little faster with a trick that I learned (I have now forgotten how to solve it!) I have always been the type of child who took apart old computers, fax machines, go-carts, and other various terminated technological crafts what some would think of as junk.

Considering that we live in a world of constantly  trying to solve problems more efficiently, it is obvious that "creativity comes into play". I learned/realized at the workshop that children these days have many more restrictions on their ability to play. Either an already developed video game is present and they just have to beat it or they are using the internet to solve a problem. This could potentially create a dilemma as the data suggests from the workshop lecture but I disagree. My main argument is that although we have entered an age of where kids are getting older younger due to many of the technological advances that they were born with, it will be beneficial to have these constraints placed on their 'play' so-to-say. With constraints such as increased parental guidance, less outdoor play, children who ARE creative (which I believe everyone is) will work with/or around these constraints to still be successful. The one aspect I do believe that is affecting us currently is standardized testing. I believe that this is contradicting the way the brain should develop and work. With this current trend of studying UNIFORMLY, I think students will learn to start thinking the same....I have already seen this ensemble happen.

With this workshop, I have learned to relax a little bit and ease the pedal on the gas regarding test taking. I am constantly studying for the grade and not as much on the learning aspect, which is unfortunate but true. With the challenge, we are continuing to take initiative and will propose some ideas that The Mid-Ohio Foodbank can use for the future to gain more monetary/company support in the Columbus area.

Initiative Panel

It was a tremendous experience being able to see young successful alumni form Ohio State share similar stories and experiences as many of us are currently facing in our lives. I thought Mr. Wray did a great job explaining the importance and effectiveness of professionalism in the workplace as well as the significance of getting ahead by remaining humble.

The takeaway that I learned from the event is to try and find happiness in what you do. You do not have to be a Finance major, like myself, and necessarily go into a field of finance. I know Matt was saying how vital it was to set goals in order to reach his dreams with Bessa and how important it is to know your college major is only a set of tools. You can learn what you love to do while on the job.

I actually interviewed my old roommate about what he thought of taking initiative. He is the current President of the Kappa Sigma fraternity and his idea of taking initiative was being on top of his work as well as going above and beyond to become noticed. He told me when Kappa Sigma had Gordon Gee come to the house and talk about Greek life, my roommate actually wrote a hand written letter to Mr. Gee and went to his office to thank him for his time. This is a perfect example of taking initiative in that he went above and beyond the casual email and made a point/decision to act in a professional manner.

Overall, staying humble and hungry to find what I love were some of the few key points that I will never forget from this Panel.

Iron Chef Challenge

By far the coolest thing we have been able to do in this program! I brought my Dad along as my guest and we both had a great time with this challenge. In particular, I wanted my Dad to get a better understanding of the activities that we were doing in this program. I think that he was mostly impressed with such bright students being able to wake up early on a Saturday haha.

Luckily for us two, we were paired with Alexia, Kali, Jenny, and Paul. It just so happened to work in my Dad and I's favor that both Jenny and Paul have previous Chef experiences so we delegated the Vietnamese recipe ideas to them. The key attribute to our success was not only having prior knowledge of how to cool from those two, but the way we communicated as a team given a time constraint. My Dad and I focused on getting the supplies and chopping the vegetables while Jenny and Paul planned out the recipe. Alexia and Kali created the idea for the appetizer and solely focused on that aspect. With division of labor and delegation, we were able to have an efficient process and created a delicious dish to serve to our judges.

The most interesting aspects was watching the judges faces while they ate each one of our dishes. It was neat to see how descriptive they were when describing the tastes and recommendations that they could detect. I remember the one chef knew when the secret ingredient was used in our dish and I could not imagine how she was able to pick that out of all the other spices and flavorings.

As I already mentioned, best event I have been apart of while in BLF. I am looking forward to similar challenges. I know my Dad had a great experience while cooking and meeting some of the fellows. In his words "The future looks bright".

Critical Thinking

 "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."-Aristotle 

This quote in particular highlights my belief on the importance of critical thinking in our everyday lives. From political debate resulting a controversial conflict or being able to effectively communicate how to solve a complex calculus problem to your friend. 

Although I was unable to attend the workshop at the Columbus Art Museum, I have had experiences at the Wexner Center with a similar ODIP model in place. One aspect that I have learned is not only do we as individuals think differently when interpreting a piece of artwork, but we SEE differently as well. What I am saying is one artwork or object could look a certain way to me but to another person, the art piece is taking a different form so-to-say. In order to see the other side, we must be willing to share our initial thoughts and thinking process then share the ideas to other observers to gain multiple perspectives. That is the beauty of critical thinking. Not only can it be self-taught in that once you do go through the ODIP process you develop new perspectives; you also learn self-disciple in that you are willing to view and understand your peers ideas as well. 

Applying this ODIP process to me room:

Observe:

White walls
OSU Flag
Tom Brady poster and Jersey 
Favorite Painting from my best friend in China 
Information: It is an off campus house, second floor wing of the house facing east

Describe:

I am looking at the corner of a bedroom. There are pillows below the picture where my bed its. The walls are white with a flag on the left and a Tom Brady poster and jersey on the front wall. To the right of the Tom Brady jersey is an abstract painting of a boy which my friend gave me. 

Interpret:

The white washed walls are possibly there to make the house appeal to a broader market of people. The general color scheme is inviting but also is neutral enough to be accepted by most. The artwork belongs to me to help decorate and 'furnish the room per se'. 

Prove:

This is an off campus house so it has to appeal to the people living there as well as the many students that will be living here afterwards. With the light colors and darker carpet, it makes the house look newer and attractive to potential buyers down the road. Dark carpet could be used to cover up re occurring stains or residue. 

G 360 Review

Very interesting G 360 review session. I enjoyed getting feedback from my fellows and it really will help me in the future. One aspect that surprised me was when I was referred to as the 'Alpha Male'. Candice, my lovely friend, characterized me and said that I come off with this type of persona. I have never been known as the Alpha Male but I was good awakening for me.

Regarding actually giving the feedback, it was so important to really be open and tell the truth with each other. I really dislike when people say 'Oh, you did great' or 'there is nothing you need to change'. Being honest and giving someone valuable feedback (that is not hurtful) is so beneficial for us all. I know with our group we had a great collective discussion with each other and did not hold any feelings back.

Yes, this is hard. But this is inevitable and crucial in the real world. I really took the direct messages to heart to those of you who actually gave me written feedback and I enjoyed the comments my peers made about me.

Great exercise and even better way skill to have is just being able to learn how to communicate and be receptive to feedback appropriately. Enjoy the weekend and somehow stay warm.