Adaptability

       I’m fairly certain that most kids learned to ride a bike the same way. Your parents strapped you with a helmet, found a hill, told you they wouldn’t let go, and then immediately did so anyways. As terrifying as it seemed when I was young, that first solo ride was a necessary step in learning and eventually being comfortable riding a bike. The same principle applies now as it did back then, discomfort can create great learning experiences. Although trying new things can be scary, knowing that you are capable of facing these things can be a crucial part of having the confidence to succeed in any role. Occurrences that have made me uncomfortable were the most beneficial experiences I have had, allowing me to grow, and in a sense, preparing me to be unprepared. The more you experience situations outside of your comfort zone, the easier they are to adapt to the next time they arise.I have learned from many experiences both inside and outside of the classroom that contribute to my graduation with leadership distinction pathway of professional and civic engagement that an essential part of doing anything is the ability to not shy away from the unknown or scary parts of life but take them head on

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       During a class in public speaking, SPCH 240, we had to complete impromptu speeches which we knew we would have but did not know what they would be about. The theory behind these speeches is that anticipating situations and delivering information with effective speech unexpectedly will develop stronger presentation skills. As these speeches were given with little to no preparation, it was reassuring to know after I had finished that I was capable of delivering a speech that I was not expecting. The experience that I had with these impromptu speeches was something that later benefited me in my role as peer leader for University 101. I received a call from my co-instructor the third week of the fall semester about an hour before our University 101 class was to be held. He was having an emergency and was going to be absent from a class we had planned on teaching as a team, meaning I would be flying solo teaching a class of 19 freshmen. Although I knew exactly what I was supposed to be doing in terms of a lesson plan, the idea of being alone during this class was daunting. As a result of the spontaneous speeches that I had practiced in a prior class, I felt prepared to teach class by myself effectively even if I was slightly nervous. Artifact 1 is the PowerPoint presentation that I used to teach this class. I was able to quickly put this together, and since it was on the topic of studying abroad, I was able to include personal experiences as well as opportunities for them to go abroad. The class went much better than expected and to my surprise, students were engaged. I felt comfortable despite my nerves. So how does this play into my future? Well say for instance, your computer breaks the night before a presentation is due at work. This isn’t something that you can plan for per say, but you have to be able to adjust your strategy if need be. Keeping a level head in unforeseen situations is a skill that takes time to master. I hope I will continue to be faced with times that challenge me so that I can prepare for what is to come. 

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       Another experience that I had that forced me to stray from my comfort zone was during JOUR 499: Photography Journalism, a Maymester class in the Galapagos islands. Part of the requirement for this class was completed with a video camera underwater and at one point involved swimming into lava tunnels: also known as breeding grounds for nursing mother sharks. This was something that I never in a million years saw myself doing. My initial jump into the water, knowing there were sharks around, was incredibly hard, but some of the video footage that we captured was breathtaking. Artifact 2 is a journal reflection of this class and presents my thinking behind stepping outside of my comfort zone. One of the concepts we were taught in this class was to “be a chameleon,” meaning that photographers are many times exposed to situations where they have to adapt. In order to get good content, sometimes it is important that we adjust the norm of what we are used to and immerse ourselves in new situations.

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       The idea of adapting is something that I used within the workplace at Nordstrom Rack. Throughout my time working there, I was approached to take on a new position as a result of a staff shortage in the receiving department of the store. Adjusting to a completely different part of the store was something that I originally did not want to take on due to the fact that I was comfortable in the position that I was in, and I did not want to stray from that. Eventually one of my supervisors convinced me to add on an extra role and assist with processing incoming shipment to our store in addition to my other role at the time working on the sales floor. Although I was hesitant about this switch at first, I quickly realized that I was much better at my initial job on the sales floor because of it. In a short time, I learned more about the inventory system that we used within our store, I familiarized myself with merchandise, and I performed better in both roles because of my ability to adapt. To showcase what I learned during this time in my internship, I marked up a product description from the Nordstrom Rack website in Adobe Indesign explaining all of the parts of the product that were important to receiving shipment, this is Artifact 3. This situation allowed me to realize that doing something that seemed unappealing at first not only allowed me to advance my skills, but also allowed me to create a better understanding of what my capabilities are. 

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       The increased exposure to unpreparedness that college courses, peer leadership, and internships have given me will help me in the future, knowing that I am much more prepared than I think I may be to face tough situations. Throughout all of these experiences, I have benefited greatly from the times in which I found myself to be the most uncomfortable and because of that, I was able to better prepare myself for similar situations to come. As cliché as it may sound: how can we grow if we never step outside of our comfort zone?