Week 2: Perfectly Polished

Last Friday, the Honors Mentorship students took a trip to Gainesville for a "Perfectly Polished" meeting, held by ms. Lassiter, to help prepare us in being professional in the business world. One thing she stressed on that was important was handshakes. Before going to this seminar, I always thought that right when you meet someone, you reach your hand out and give them a firm handshake, but she went way beyond my knowledge. I learned that you introduce yourself before shaking hands, and to also make eye contact with the person while doing it. She also mentioned that giving too firm of a handshake could be a bad thing, and taught the students how to give proper ones. Another thing she coached us on was proper introductions. Ms. Lassiter explained how using the persons name around three times in one introduction shows that you think that person is important to you. She gave us great tips on what to say, and when to say it. Not only did she teach us how to introduce ourselves, she taught on how to introduce others. She showed us to always mention the more important person first. Before I went to the meeting, I never would have even thought of that.. One other thing she shared was about what to do with your hands while speaking with someone. Having your hands down by your side shows you are confident, not hiding anything, and is completely open to hearing what the other is saying. Until this seminar, I never realized that what you did with your hands actually showed things about you. "Perfectly Polished" trained me to be professional in so many ways, and I can't wait to use my new knowledge from it in my every day life.

Week 2: Dare to Dream

This year, I will be studying  what it's like to be a teacher in Early Childhood Education by going to Spout Springs Elementary School. By participating in the Honors Mentorship Program, I will gain knowledge and experience about the career I am pursuing, To ensure I get the most from my experience, I will be as involved as I can to teach and help the children in the classroom. I have also been getting to the school at 7:25 rather than 8:25 to have more time to learn and grow each day. By being involved with this amazing opportunity, I will be preparing myself for what it will be like in the real world as a teacher. It will show me both the negative and positive aspects of the career, and will prepare me on how to handle situations down the road more effectively. When I go to seek a job in this career, it will benefit me because it will give me knowledge and a better understanding of the field.

Mission Statement

My mission in life is to make a positive impact on at least one person a day. I will be encouraging and compassionate towards everyone around me. I will be the best friend I can be to any and all of my friends. I will show respect and appreciation to my parents, teachers, mentors, managers, and any other elder. I will be a diligent, responsible, and a very hard worker with everything I do. I will stand tall and be confident in accomplishing all of my goals to work towards success in my future. I will do anything I can to strive to be the best I can be.

Week one: Getting to know your mentor

After reading about getting to know my mentor and listening to the podcast about first impressions, I learned a lot about how important it is to make a powerful first impression. As both documents mentioned, there are four "P's" that are essential to make a good impression: being POSITIVE, dressing PROFESSIONALLY, being PUNCTUAL, and to come PREPARED. The first ten seconds you have with your mentor will establish what they think of you. If you show up and don't have a smile on your face, you're slouching, and not eager to talk to them, they will automatically assume that you don't want to be there. That's why it is so important to show you have a positive attitude by showing superior body language, to greet them warmly with a firm handshake while looking them in the eye, and to have good conversation starters in mind. Eye contact, your posture, and your attitude are some of the main keys to a good impression. The second way to make an exceptional impression is to dress professionally. Make sure that you speak louder than your accessories and that your outfit and hair present you in a way that will make you look qualified for the internship. If you wear too much make up or jewelry, your mentor will be focusing on your outfit rather than your personality. Another way to look polished when meeting your mentor is to be punctual. If you show up ten minutes late, or even a minute late, they will probably assume that you don't care. It will come off that you are more worried about yourself than the internship, which is not a good way to start off. Make sure to get there on time, or even ten minutes early to show that you are excited and ready to start. The final tip is to come prepared. Before meeting your mentor, make sure to research the career you will be working with. Come up with conversation starters to have with your mentor, as well as answers to questions they may have for you. One of the worst things you could do is show up somewhere without having any prior knowledge about it. Before you leave your house, make sure you have everything you need to prevent having to get something or to even borrow something from the mentor. Other things mentioned in the documents that I thought were important was to "talk 20%, listen 80%". You will be going to your internship to learn and follow in your mentors footsteps. If you are the one talking and interrupting, you will not be learning very much. Make sure that you do take initiative and start conversations with your mentor, but to control it and listen when you need to. One more thing that I believed was crucial to making a good impression is to attach yourself to the right people. If you are hanging around the people at the job that gossip and start problems, you will come across as immature and irresponsible. If some type of drama were to arise after you were associating yourself with those kinds of people, you may be "guilty by association" and people may assume you started the problems. That's why it's best to connect with people who will represent your maturity and who you are. Your first impression will determine what your mentor will think of you, which is why it is so important to make the best impression you can.