Hello,

It’s me. I remember how I use to be when I first became a part of Building Business Leaders. I feel that I am a unique leader because of the different qualities that I offer. I am a front runner that integrates all of the other learning styles. I am reliable, hard-working, and efficient. I now know that if their is anything I am having trouble with I have a group of people from BBL that I can go to. Everyone there and Tayah is their to help whenever we need it. Their is also tutors and advisors that I can go to if I need help with a class or with other stuff. I also have my siblings that look up to me and my parents that I can not let down, and that will always motivate me to keep going and keep fighting. I’m going to apply to internships and join the American Marketing Association so that I can make my goals a bit more clear about what I want to do with my degree after I graduate. I know that to accomplish all this and all my plans I’m going to need to use teamwork and rely on others to help through the process. Other people may need my help and I will help them out too. I’m gonna continue to push myself to my limits, and continue to take 16 credits each term. I will get advice each term on what classes to take, and will take the classes that I need and some that interest me. The future is full of possibilities.

Goodbye,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past class we learned a little bit more about each other. Our class was split up into two and each group was sent to a room. Five people in each room presented their Prezi’s where we were able to learn a little bit more about everyone. I was not one of the five people that had to present so I still have to present. I was able to see a little about what is expected and now I feel less nervous. I am definitely ready to present now.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This last class we looked at some examples of Prezi Presentations given by past BBL Leaders in the past couple of years. They really helped us all get a glimpse of what is expected of us, and get a visual of how to make ours look. Tayah talked about what we should cover in our presentations, what are slides should be about, and the general idea of what we should say for each slide. She told us to talk about our brand, our goals (short term, midterm, long term), our motivation, and how we are going to get to where we want to get. I felt a lot more prepared after this class, and it really helped me figure out how to make my Prezi Presentation. I will make sure to include everything we talked about and to do my very best on this presentation.

Until Next Time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past class we got to practice our elevator pitches with our mentors and a few leaders of a variety of clubs on campus. It was sorta like speed dating, in which we’d give our pitch to someone and after we were done they would give us feedback and ask us questions and we could ask questions too. We would do that for approximately 2-3 minutes and then move to our left to talk to some one else. We repeated this exercise for the whole class. This was an important activity because it really helped us know what we were doing right and what we needed to work on. Everyone there really wanted to help us and it was a good experience. After this class I now have a better idea about my elevator pitch and feel more confident. I will continue to practice and to better it for the future.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past class, we were fortunate enough to have a guest speaker who happens to be an expert on LinkedIn profiles and resumes. She taught us about how to write about experiences using the WHO method. The W in WHO stands for “What did you do?” in which you list the tasks done. The H stands for “How did you do the work?” and this can be skills, methods, strategies, and attitudes used. The O stands for “Outcome of the work?” and this can be the results, impact, contributions, scope, or intentions. You can use the WHO method to make these powerful and very well written statements that are straight to the point and will make employers more inclined to hire you. She also told us to always keep our profiles up to date and to make our profile picture very good and professional because that is the first impression people see of us. Networking is key and will help you connect to other people on LinkedIn as well. After all this, I will continue practicing writing statements of what I have done using the WHO method and always keep my LinkedIn profile up to date.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past class we learned about circle of relationships and experiences. We had a guest speaker named David Tam who told us stories that corresponded which each section of the circle and gave us some good advice. The circle like David told us is kind of like dating. First is the short-term relationship, which are informational interviews, were the goal is gather new information. Thats like the first time you meet someone and start asking them questions to get to know them a little bit better. After that is the short-term experience, which is the job shadow experience. The goal here is brief insight to an organizations structure and culture. This is like the first date. Then follows the long-term experience which is the internship. This is like when things start to get a bit serious in the situation. The goal here is to gain insight to the “grind” of a position and/or rate. This is important because it gives you a good idea of whether this is the type of job you want to be working and if it is something you love. The final part is the long-term relationship, which is when you have a mentor(s). The goal here is to establish rapport and familiarity for long-term guidance. Those four pieces make up the circle that we learned about in class. I’m going to put this into action and try to build my relationships this way from now on so in the end I can have mentors that help me throughout my career after college and right now while I am in college. Networking as we have been learning is key and it is something that I will continue working on each day.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past Friday, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to go to the Diversity Career Symposium with my fellow peers at the Salem Convention Center. It all started off with a speech given by Lily Castaneda who works for Wells Fargo in which she gave us the following tips:

1. Be proud of your heritage.
2. Know that employers want diversity.
3. Know what your role at work is and don’t be afraid to ask for help.
4. YOU will get yourself where YOU want to be
5. Get involved in your community and represent your employer positively.
6. Keep your mind and ears open .
7. Do not take yourself for granted and sell yourself short.
8. Work hard. At the end of a long day, work harder.
9. Develop yourself, take training programs.
10. Challenge yourself.

Her points were all great and ones that I will always try and keep in mind. I really enjoyed her speech and story, and after that I knew that it was going to be a good day full of motivation and lots of advice. I was right because after that Jaymin Patel gave a keynote full of great advice. I was able to learn a lot from him and took lots of notes:

Why is networking important?

1. It’s the difference between just landing a job and landing a dream job.
2. Synergistic effects in recruiting.
3. It is your reputation.

Networking is building personal relationships with influential individuals to positively impact career development.

How to do it: Relationship Hierarchy Awareness, Consideration, Acknowledgement, Support

How to start: Articulating your story. Elevator pitch only when they ask you to tell them about yourself.

1. Who: You are
2. What: You’ve done
3. Where: You’re going
4. Why: You deserve it (Experience, education, passion)

The Deal Breaker: Following Up

• Use proper timing/etiquette
• Never copy/paste emails.. recruiters talk
• Make a clear and specific request
• Use succinct, yet warm communication
• Outline specific points that were discussed

The most important rule of networking: Be Authentic

After this amazing keynote given by Jaymin Patel we were able to choose a workshop to attend and I picked the one call “Knowing Your Strengths & Making the Most of them”. It ended up being an amazing workshop in which I learned a lot and which was lead by Ebony Lawrence and Fnan Berhe who work for Kaiser Permanente. I learned these things from it:

How to see if that company fits your values:

• Understand the core values of the company
• Do your research on the organization
• Informational Interviews
• Internships
• Read the mission statement
• Talk to employees in entry level positions and manager positions
• Research if they have an inclusive environment (women, minorities, etc.)

Leadership is not one is fits all. What makes a good leader?

• Being ethical is extremely important
• You’re a reflection of yourself
• Someone who is honest
• Good Communication Skills
  • Be able to clearly articulate your vision and solutions
  • Listen (silence is beautiful)
• Positive Attitude
• Understand your strengths and weaknesses
• Be the innovator or the first time follower
• Know your first job may be boring, repetitive or uninteresting (filing papers, etc.)
• Search for stretch projects
• Other people will see your potential before you do
• Utilize your creative eye

Drive the bond:

• Ask co-workers out for lunch
• Stay away from cliques
• Build trustful relationships
• Learn your manager
• Manage all your relationships
• Look for opportunities for mentorship
• Informal mentors
• Formal mentors
• Ask for insight, guidance, and support
• ALWAYS continue to navigate your career
• Create a strong professional network

After this workshop we headed over to have lunch. I sat at a random table with my friend Andrew and to our surprise Ebony, Fnan, and Latasha who also works at Kaiser Permanente sat at our table. It was really cool because we were able to talk to them about internship opportunities and they got to get to know us little bit better. We learned that their is over 60 internship opportunities at Kaiser Permanente that start paying between $18 and $24 for undergraduates like us. We talked and they told us to stop by their table during the networking reception. After that I went to the “PR, Communications, and Marketing”, and the “Sports Management & Outdoor” industry panels and learned a little more about those things. Later I went to the “University Leadership Panel” and then ended the day by going to networking reception. First table I went to was to the Kaiser Permanente one and I talked to them for a little bit and gave them all my information. They told me when to sign up for the internships and what they expected on their applications. Latasha and Ebony are the ones who look at the applicants and choose who to give internships to so I was able to get a lot of valuable information. I will now be applying for an internship their in March. I went and talked to other employers but most of them only have internships for graduating seniors. Throughout DCS I was able to gain a lot of experience with talking to professionals, and learned a lot of valuable advice that I will try to put into action from now on. Overall it was a great experience and I cannot wait to go again next year. A few quotes that stuck with me throughout:

• “Be humble but don’t be afraid to too your own horn”
• “Comfort zones are where dreams go to die”
• “If your name isn’t associated with the word  rockstar, then you’re doing networking wrong”

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. This past class was very intriguing and motivating. We had a guest speaker who is going to graduate this year and his speech was very inspirational. He talked about his journey and about when he first joined Building Business Leaders. Today he is very successful and has found a career that he enjoys and loves. He told us about how at first he wanted to do something related to finance, but he went to something that Tayah told him too and he fell in love with accounting and working in the small business setting.

I felt like we could relate to him a lot as students because he was in our position just a couple of years ago and going through everything we are now. He was a freshman and even failed Math 241, a class I am currently taking.  It was a very motivating speech and inspired me to continue fighting and taking every opportunity that I am given to further my chances at getting a great job in the future. The elevator pitch he showed was amazing and I now want to work on one to have because it will come in handy in the future. I am now even more excited for the future and what is in store for me and motivated to continue fighting for my dreams and never giving up.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me, again. In class on Friday, we learned about “power” words and why they are important to have. These are words that you use to describe yourself and typically used in job interviews to tell the employer what you bring to the table and why they should hire you. There is many words that you can choose from and one of the words a lot of people liked that Alberto used as an example was relentless. It takes practice to get used to talking about yourself and explaining your power words.

One of my words is dedication, because in everything I do I give it my all. I always give 110% when doing something, and even if it gets hard I do not give up. I am dedicated in everything I do, and devote my full attention to stuff.

Another word of mine is great listener, because I am patient and don’t mind taking orders or being told what to do. Sometimes it is needed for us to sit back and listen, instead of just talking yourself all the time and not listening to others. I will always take any advice given to me and never talk back to anyone. I’m good at listening and solving problems by listening.

My last word is endurance because I will always give my all to stuff I do 100% of the time and never complain about being tired or needing a break. I may be tired or worn out but I will continue to do what I’m doing until my job is complete and done the right way. I will fight through any obstacle thrown my way and continue fighting until the end.

These three words tell others a little bit about the person that I am and I feel like they really say who I am and make my brand stronger. They are very good words for my personal brand that I can tell others about when applying for jobs, internships, ect.

Until next time,

Oscar

Hello,

It’s me. Again. What am I doing at the University of Oregon is a question that a bunch of us ask ourselves during our time here. The simple answer is “to get an education”, but the reason I am here is far more complex than that. I am here to grow as a person and figure out what I want to do with my life. I am here to earn a degree and to learn what is needed to succeed in the next stage of my life. I am here to inspire others and show them that going to college is something that they can do too. I am here to better prepare myself for real world and to gain valuable experience that will help me in the long run.

Short Term Goal: I am hoping to Graduate for the University of Oregon with a degree in Business Administration (have not decided if I am going to try and get a Master’s yet, or just get a Bachelor’s), and as of now I am not planning on concentrating in anything. I am debating whether to minor or double major in Spanish, so we will see where that will go. As of right now those are my short term goals, and hopefully things go as planned.

Mid Term Goal: The kind of entry level job I want to get when I get out of college is something like a Sales Manager, or any kind of Analyst like a Management Analyst or Financial Analysts. A marketing or advertising assistant would be something that would interest me too.

Long Term Goal: If I knew I could not fail and money would not be an issue in the future, I would want to start a college fund for future college students. I want to be able to positively impact and change the life of someone and by paying for their college education. I want to give students that can not afford college the opportunity to fulfill their dreams and go to college. I want to give them the opportunities that I am fortunate enough to have and to study whatever their heart desires.

Until next time,

Oscar