Planning Ahead-#22
February 23, 2021
Last week was a very chaotic, unfortunate week due to severe weather. I didn’t have power for about 4 days of the week and there were a lot of problems. Thus, I didn’t get any research done towards my final product. However, this week mostly everything is back to normal. My mentor and I decided when to schedule our visit for the week. I also have to do 2 assessments this week, which means researching into 2 different articles. For one I plan on searching specifically into BP, if I don’t research another article I can do a primary assessment based on what I learn on my mentor visit as I will most likely have questions. I want to get an overall idea of what BP’s last year looked like for them as I did for Exxon and where they are planning to head for the future. I plan to go on their official website and gather information. With general information about both of the companies first, I can dive deeper into more specifics for my comparative analysis. Then later, as Mr. Manhas suggested I can read more into third-party viewpoints on the companies. All in all, this week is somewhat of a catch-up week in both assignments and research towards my final product.
Research into Exxon-#21
February 15, 2021
Last week I decided to do specific research into each company at a time to have a better understanding. I had a mentor visit scheduled for Friday, before my visit I had looked into Exxon’s website and their report results. However, reading this article I had various questions that were arising as I was unfamiliar with the information and certain terminology. Thus, during this mentor visit, we focused specifically on a section of this report and the questions I had about it. We talked about different terminology such as downstream, upstream, developments, and more all in relation to oil and Exxon. Lastly, we discussed plans for the upcoming week and when we should meet. We decided that I should read more third party articles and look at reports of Exxon’s results. This would give me more information from a different perspective. He gave me reconmendatintions of sources like The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. Then after I can also begin focusing on BP as well and gaining more information about them. all the information I learn, I make note in a google docs I created to keep track of my research. I look forward to our visits each week as I learn a lot of new information.
BP's Renewable Path-#20
February 8, 2021
During last week, I was beginning research on the energy companies, Exxon and BP. My mentor sent me different article that I could look into to help me. I used one of them for my research assessment for last week. It was an article from The Wall Street Journal focused on BP and their change to using green/ renewable energy and involvement with investors. Reading it was a little difficult fro me because I didn't have much background knowledge. This occurred with other articles I read as well, where I was unfamiliar with certain phrases and terminology. I had my mentor visit on Thursday and I was able to ask Mr. Manhas questions that I had regarding the articles. The main thing I realised was that I needed to take a step back and learn more about the basics of Exxon and BP before diving straight into other information. For this upcoming week, I'm gonna look into their websites and see what information I can find there. I will probably end up using that information I learn for my assessment for the week. So far, I'm learning a lot of new things and I look forward to learning even more. This semester of ISM has been a really exciting one, especially with the mentorship.
New and Exciting-#19
February 1, 2021
So far in this new semester of ISM, I can already see myself improving in different ways. For one and the main one is my time management. Completing my original work speech ahead of time last week, I was able to make it much better than my speech last semester. The other main thing for ISM last week was that I had another mentor visit. This visit was more informational than my previous one as we got more into specifics about my final product proposal. As my first step for my proposal was to find two companies to do research into and decide to use for my paper, Mr. Manhas helped me to decide which to use. He gave me the idea that I could use 2 energy companies for my comparison. This would be relevant to current time as well because climate change and the converting to renewable energy is a major topic right now. Thus, businesses in the oil and gas industry are very much affected and so is how they go about their strategies and future investments. I thought his idea was very interesting and so my next step is to research into some of the companies he gave me. Then in our next visit we can talk more about it and I could ask questions that arise from the research I do. I'm really looking forward for the visits we have to come and the new information I will learn.
Good News-#17
January 18, 2021
Last week I got some exciting news as I finally had a finalized mentor. When I had first asked Mr. Reg Manhas to be my mentor he said that he wasn't sure he would be the best fit due to some complications. However, after talking to Coach Goff I realized that I needed to specify some clarifications and maybe then he would reconsider being my mentor. So, I sent him an email responding, clarifying how the hours were flexible and it was only until early May, hoping he would agree to be my mentor. He responded last Friday, January 15, and said he would be more than happy to be my mentor. I was very much happy to hear this because for one I finally had a mentor and looked forward to learning different things and the stress was off my shoulders. Our first mentor visit will most likely be sometime later this week. With having that done, my goals for this week are around my final product. As this Friday our first draft for our final product is due, I need to come up with some clear ideas. I look forward to starting mentor visits and continuing along this ISM journey.
Think,think,think-#16
January 11, 2021
Last week was more of a relaxing week in ISM as we didn't for one have a research assessment due or any other assignments. It was a week to get things together and plan ahead. I am still waiting to get an email back from the professional I asked to be my potential mentor. My hope is that I get yes, however, if he is not able to I do have someone else I can ask as well. The stress of getting a mentor is slowly starting to go down and I'm just hoping everything goes well. Once I have a finalized mentor, I can completely focus on coming up with a final product. This week I can start doing some more research and coming up with some ideas for my final product. I have a research assessment due this week, so I can focus that on coming up with ideas for my final product. I also have another speech presentation coming up and plan to get a start on this weekend, so it doesn't cause me any stress last minute. I look forward to hearing back from my potential mentor and coming up with ideas for my final product.
New Year-#15
January 5, 2021
Now that break is over and the new year has begun, so has new things in ISM. Over Christmas Break my main objective and goal was to have 2 interviews and hopefully decide and get a mentor. Last week, I conducted my 2 interviews. One with a professional located in Ohio and one with a professional located nearby. Both interviews went really well and I learned a lot from both professionals. It's always interesting to hear about past jobs and traveling experiences. However, next came the more difficult aspect which was deciding on who to ask to be my mentor. I weighed the different pros and cons which the only con I really came across was that one professional was not local. Although because of covid mentor visits would most likely be virtual, still having my mentor be in a different time zone and state could prove to have its difficulties. Thus, after a little while yesterday I decided to ask the local professional, Mr. Reg Manhas if he would consider being my mentor. With the help of Coach Goff, I came to the conclusion that the Ohio Profesional could maybe be a consultant for me. I'm excited to hear back from the Mr. Manhas and hope I can have a mentor by the end of this week.
Weight off My Shoulders-#14
December 14, 2020
Last week for ISM was crunch time. With the original work being due Friday, every class was just overall time for us to finish it off. Thankfully, I hadn't left too much for me to do that week, but it was still very stressful. Last week, I also received a contact for me to schedule an interview with. I'm very much looking forward to this interview because I can really see this as a potential mentor. Back to original work, I came across some technical difficulties, but those ended up being easily resolved. By Thursday, I had mostly completed my original work and was planning to just make sure everything was in place Friday. Then on Friday I also did my setup and competition for my original work which didn't end up taking that long. Finishing the original work was seriously a weight off my shoulders and felt really good. Now my focus over break is really mainly to just find a mentor. My goal is sometime during winter break to have a confirmed mentor, but if that isn't possible at least before school starts again to have one. I look forward to second semester and working with a mentor learning new information.
Pushing Forward-#13
December 7, 2020
The original work due date is approaching very quickly. Last week, I spent most of my time working on my original work. Since we didn't have any research assessment due that week, my goal was to just continue working on my original work. I made a fair amount of progress and plan to finish it up by this week. Along with just working on my original work, last week, Coach Goff gave me a contact of a former ISM student. He had also studied International Business when he was in ISM. I contacted him last week to schedule an interview and we decided on Monday, December 7th. My interview with him was very interesting and provided me with some good information. For one, his focus in International Business when he was in ISM is the same as what my focus is now. He offered some good advice to me and offered me some contacts as well. My goals for this week are to finish my original work and to make sure to log the hours that I worked on it. I also will need to do the original work assessment as well by the end of this week. After having the original work off my shoulders, I can plan to focus on finding a mentor as my main priority.
A Little Break-#12
November 30, 2020
I think last week was something I really needed as well as many other students. Thanksgiving Break. Obviously, this was a time I wanted to de-stress and just relax which I most certainly did, but I also set some goals for myself, I wanted to make sure over break I was able to get more information for potential mentors and original work research. I was out of town for a couple of days; however, all the other days I was home I tried to dedicate at least 30 minutes to my original work. For one I did some more overall research on certain topics I needed more information on, this was some questions and unfinished research I had from different research assessments. I also went more into deciding what specifics aspects I was going to put into my business plan. This went along with the research as I needed to put key parts I had enough sources and research to back up with. I dove more into really getting the main planning part done so having the final product would not be as much of a hassle for me. My hopes and goals are to get emails back from people I contacted and continue progressing through my original work.
Nerves-#11
November 16, 2020
Last week was the week of my first research presentation. For some reason even though I wasn't actually presenting in class, I still felt nervous playing my video. When making the video on loom video, I was thinking about how different things would be if I was in school or if Corona wasn't so prevalent. It made me realize what a different experience I was having and thankful I could still have experience. My research presentation I think has many things I can improve for my next presentation I give. For one I think I should expand more on information and talk a little slower. I tend to always talk fast when I'm presenting things and I need to slow down a little for others to better understand me and the information I'm presenting. Watching other interviews was also very insightful and interesting to see what my peers have been researching. My goals for this week are to have another interview and at least have some more scheduled as well. I'm really hoping that one of these people can be my mentor and that stress will be lifted off of my shoulders. Overall, I hope this week is a good end before Thanksgiving break.
Inspiration-#10
November 9, 2020
This week in ISM was more of a relaxed week in terms of what we were doing in class. For one I got to see the ISM 2 students research speech presentations. This gave m some good inspiration for my speech presentation. Their slides were really organized and everything transitioned very well. I very much loved the introductions both of them used and made me realize how really important your introduction to your speech presentation is. The way that both of them tied their introduction to their conclusion was also noteworthy. In terms of my original work, so far everything has been going well. I've been getting good research to help towards my original work from different websites. I've learned about different policies from other countries, trade, import and exports, and more. My goals for this week and the following are to keep getting good research for my original work and not forgetting to log it. I also want to contact more professionals to find a mentor that I can have for the next semester and my hope is I can find one by the end of the month.
Figuring things Out-#9
November 2, 2020
I'm starting to get a little anxious about things overall because I feel a little unprepared. My interviews have gone well, but none of my interviews are people can have as a mentor. This is causing me a little stress because I feel like I should get one soon, but I can't seem to find the right person. The mentor I need is more of the corporate side of International Business, someone who knows about the laws and how to help a company go global. I'm having a hard time finding someone, which is making me a bit nervous. However, I do have some more contacts that I need to get in touch with and I know I can hopefully find more people. I also need to remember I do have a good amount of time to keep looking and not get so stressed. The last interview I had this previous week went well as I was again able to learn a new perspective on things. What is more refreshing and interesting about these research interviews is that I always learn something new. This new information excites me and gets me excited for my future as well. Even with all my angst, I m excited for what is to come.
Back on Track-#8
October 26, 2020
I think this past week was finally a week where I didn't procrastinate my work to the last day. I actually completed one of my assessments before Friday and the other one a little before as well. I didn't have any interviews last week because of some rescheduling issues. I do have an interview this Wednesday with Stacy Graham who I have already talked to at the Business Symposium. She was very sweet when I interviewed with her before and I really look forward to talking with her again. I'll also not be as nervous about this interview as I already have a familiarity with it. I also need to contact one more person and then finalize another interview for hopefully this week. So far my past 2 research assessments have been targeted towards my original work. I am going to continue to do the same for this week and the weeks following. My last article for this week was very insightful, not only did it have new information, it provided useful in giving other sources for me to look into. My hope is that with more research and information from interviews, I'm able to start really working on my original work, at least begin drafting something for it.
A New Perspective-#7
October 19, 2020
I never thought that one thirty-minute interview with a stranger could change my perspective on certain things, but I was definitely wrong. This past week I had two great interviews and one really got me thinking. My interview with Jim Falk, President of the World Affairs Council, whose contact I received from my zoom call with Max Webb (ISM Alumni) was very intriguing. For one I received a contact that will hopefully help me to gain more research and it was very interesting hearing Mr.Falk's opinion and views on some of my questions. His perspective on college and majors really changed the way I had viewed what I was planning to do in my future. After conducting those 2 interviews, my nerves are lessened for later interviews. I plan to schedule two more research interviews for this week. My goal and hope is that with more interviews, I can find and hopefully decide on a mentor. I'm anxious to interview with more professionals and gain more knowledge. So far and for my future interviews, they have been on zoom. It would be much nicer to meet face to face, however with the circumstances zoom is the best most convenient option. Continuing on this journey, my feelings are filled with nerves, anticipation, and excitement. Overall, I can't wait to gain more knowledge.
Zoom, Zoom, Zoom-#6
October 12 2020
This past week has been a very insightful week and an important one. For one, I emailed many people for interviews and sadly didn't get that many responses yet. However, I was able to schedule two interviews that are going to be over zoom. I look forward to learning more information that could potentially help towards my original work. My first interview is on October 12th which I am very much looking forward to as well as another interview on Thursday, October 15th. Another professional has gotten back to me, but we still have to schedule a timing and with those complete, I will have done three research interviews. I still hope to conduct more research interviews, so that I can learn and gain more information. The Business Symposium over zoom was also this week and was actually a lot better than I had originally anticipated for it to be. I was lucky enough to talk to one professional whose job was related to my topic of interest and I ended up connecting with them. Also, from all three professionals, I talked to I was able to get good advice for my future interviews. This upcoming week is going to be a bit of a stressful one, but I am looking forward to my two and maybe three interviews and the potential of finding a mentor.
And so it Really Begins-#5
October 5, 2020
The main assignments in ISM are the original work and final product. My whole 1st semester will go to working on my original work and my second semester to my final product. At the beginning of last week, I really had no idea as to what I would do my original work on. However, with more thinking, I decided to design a business plan for the keep aspects of taking a business internationally. I look forward to continuing with this original work and do more research. My hope is that I will learn a lot more information and be able to have a mentor that can also help me. Talking about mentors, by the end of this week, my goal is to have 3 scheduled interviews for potential mentors. The Business Symposium is also this week, which I am a little nervous for. I look forward to receiving feedback on my resume and just tips in general on how to respond to certain questions and act in a Professional environment. However, I am worried that I may not be prepared enough for a question one of the adults asks me. With all that being said, excitement and stress is all towards my main goal of learning new things about myself and my future.
Moving Forward-#4
September 28, 2020
This week has been especially insightful for me compared to others. The main thing for me for this week was finally getting to talk over zoom with a contact Coach Goff gave me of a former student. Before my meeting with him, I was a little anxious that I wasn't going to know what right questions to ask or get any help, but it was in fact the complete opposite. Speaking with him, helped to bring a lot more clarity into my perspective for my topic. For one, he gave me a connection that hopefully after I contact, can lead to an interview. Learning about his original work and the final product was really interesting and helped me to think through a different lense then I was before. He shared his experiences throughout ISM and college which was really fascinating. All the places he travelled to and things he worked on, gave me a lot of hope for my future. Listening to someone talk about all these experiences they've had that I hope to have as well was really eye-opening and amazing. I also now know I have a connection that can help me in the future and someone I can talk to for help or honest feedback as I continue through ISM which was really refreshing.
The Nerves-#3
September 21, 2020
It's been another whole other week of ISM, however not too much has changed yet. My research assessment for the week has led me to really grasp an interest in negotiations and International relations. I've become much more curious about this topic and decided I want to try to find more articles for my next one to relate to more about the specifics of negotiations. Reading the articles, I've been trying to think of original work ideas, but this has been a little challenging. I'm hoping this upcoming week I'm able to get some good propositions that I could actually end up using. This has been causing me a little stress and nerves in thinking of a proposal as currently, my brain is empty. However, Coach Goff giving me contact information on a former ISM student that studied International Business has calmed my nerves a little. I'm hoping to get into contact with him soon and set up a zoom call so that I can ask him questions and maybe generate some ideas with him as well in regards to my original work. I think this will also give me some clarity in general about how my ISM journey is going to look and what else I can expect in the near future. As always I'm curious and excited to see what these next weeks bring me.
Looking Ahead-#2
September 21, 2020
Another week has passed on my ISM journey for this year. I completed another Research Assessment where I got to learn more about International Business Law. This really sparked my interest in International Business more, especially as I got to read on the more specific parts of it. It made me wonder things such as what are the more specifics jobs within International Business? I had always just looked through a very broad lens and never at the intricacies. I also sent requests to connect with professionals in the International Business field on Linkedin which is exciting as it means I'm moving along in the process of starting interviews and then getting a mentor. For the upcoming weeks, I need to do some more research on the problems or difficulties of International Business to begin thinking for an original work. I'm hoping that my research assessment for this week will really guide me. It has been a little difficult to find good articles to use online that really relate to what I want to learn more about. Overall I do have a bit of nerves for the upcoming weeks as I hope to connect with possible future mentors and conduct interviews. However, my anticipation and excitement are more present than my nerves really are.
The Start of Something New-#1
September 7, 2020
Junior year has finally begun and so has my ISM journey. My feeling are mixed with excitement, anticipation, along with some nervousness. When the time to choose my topic came deciding between Marketing and International Business was a bit of a tough choice for me. They were both something I was interested in and wanted to learn more about. Doing some more research and finding out what may be the best fit for me, I decided I wanted to learn more about International Business. Our first research assessment this week helped me gain insight into the fact that I made the right decision. Reading my first article, my brain was full of so many questions and thoughts. I came to the realization that I have yet much to learn about International Business. There were many words I had not known and some things I have also yet to understand. However, this didn't bring me down, but made me feel more motivated in the idea of learning and experiencing new things. I'm eager to continue to do more research and read more articles. Then soon began connecting with mentors, having interviews, and then finally truly beginning my ISM journey. I simply cannot wait to get a hands-on experience and acquire a knowledge of more things in the International Business field.