Making Connections

 

Old Dominion University’s LeADERS program connects students to courses and real world experiences in the areas of: Leadership, Academic Internship, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, Research, or Service Learning. This LeADERS ePortfolio shares how my experiences in the areas of Leadership, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, and Research have supported my personal and professional development. These areas were fulfilled by these courses: Industrial/Organizational Psychology, Women, Sex Discrimination, and the Law, Human Factors, and Research Methods in Psychology (respectively). 

 

 

Reflecting Back

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• Why did you join LeADERS?

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I joined the ODU LeADERS program just before graduation. I had unknowingly completed two LeADERS courses and was enrolled in another one in my final semester when I became aware of the LeADERS program. I later applied to have my coursework in Women, Sex Discrimination and the Law count towards the LeADERS program as well. The idea of being able to craft an ePortfolio for future employment opportunities while also receiving recognition for my work in the areas of Leadership, Diversity, Entrepreneurship, and Research was appealing. 

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• What significant challenges did you encounter throughout your LeADERS courses and related experiences? How did you overcome these challenges?

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The challenges I faced during my LeADER courses were similar to the challenges I faced in all of my courses. Being a mother comes with many joys but also presents certain obstacles that the typical college student will not face. These challenges are often related to time and stress management. Dedication, organization, and perseverance were the only way to overcome these challenges. 

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• What significant successes did you have during your LeADERS courses and related experiences? What contributed to your successes?

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In part, I measured my success by the grade I received in my LeADERS courses, as well as all my courses. To see a list of courses I've taken in addition to my LeADERS courses as well as the grades I received for each class, click here. In addition to the ultimate grade received, I also consider what I was able to learn in each class to be a success of mine. In the area representing Leadership, I took Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I consider it a success of mine to have completed this course in 6 weeks over the summer. The condensed coursework was strenuous but enlightening. During this course I learned about various fields and factors related to human resources, a field I am interested in pursuing. In the area representing Diversity, I took Women, Sex Discrimination and the Law. This course was also a 6 week summer course and was immensely difficult. Over the course of this 6 weeks, I wrote more than 100 pages of original work and learned about the various rights women have gained over the course of American history. In the area representing Entrepreneurship, I am currently taking Human Factors. Human Factors has given me insight into how products, webpages, and infrastructure are designed to work with human capabilities. I consider one of the successes I have achieved in this class to be my ability to recognize both bad and good designs in all aspects of life. In the area representing Research, I took Research Methods in Psychology, a required course for psychology majors. The major assignment in this course is something I consider to be a major success of not only this class but my entire university experience. The assignment consisted of a mock research experiment in a group setting.  This group project was so successful, the professor asked for our permission to use our work as an example for future classes. To see this assignment in full click here.

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• How do you see all of your specific LeADERS experiences connecting to one another?

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Aside from the fact that my LeADERS courses are all psychology courses, I believe they are all related and applicable to my future career goals. Human Factors and I/O Psychology are intrinsically related to each other. In fact, I decided to take Human Factors in my final semester because of the work I completed in I/O Psychology. I/O Psychology is basically the psychology of finding the correct person to fit a job or task whereas Human Factors is about designing a job or product to fit a person. They are essentially two sides of the same coin. I was already interested in administrative and human resources related careers and the work I learned in these psychology courses have increased my knowledge for these future careers. Women, Sex Discrimination and the Law is also related to human resources and the various laws and cases related to sex discrimination in the workplace. Research Methods in Psychology has also helped me in all three of these classes. My main takeaway from Research Methods is how to perform research and write academically acceptable work. What I learned in all of these courses has no doubt made me a more well-rounded, knowledgeable applicant in my future job search. 

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Looking Forward

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My main professional goal is to somehow make a difference. With police brutality and corruption, government gridlock, and overall inefficient systems rampant in today's society, it is a goal of mine to try to be a part of the solution instead of sitting back and watch the problems we face get worse. While that's a vague goal, I plan to accomplish this my pursuing a career in government, law enforcement, or human resources. I want to use the skills I have acquired through my educational pursuits such as my research experience, my writing skills, and the specific training I have encountered in classes like I/O Psychology to gain access to these fields and to one day make a difference. After establishing myself within my chosen field, I would also like to pursue further advanced education such as a Masters degree or PhD in psychology, criminology, or public administration. The courses I have taken during my university career and especially the courses I took as part of the LeADERS program have helped me immensely with stepping towards completing my goals. The skills I have learned in these courses include structured teamwork, decision-making, problem-solving, verbal communication, organization, analyzing quantitative data, and proficient academic and professional writing skills. 

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