Students that were in my shoes and their inspiring stories motivated me to write this post
by Rodrigo Johnson
Introduction
A couple of weeks ago, my professor Wendy Greenwood invited two great professionals who are examples of growth: Lauren Galeana and Elle Marie Dhanani (I would refer to Lauren and Elle from now on) to our Marketing Seminar class. These women studied what I am studying, in the same place I am, they were in my shoes, and now they come to share their stories of how they both flourished through their own adversities, so I want to share their success stories and what I learn from them.
What I learned from Lauren’s Story
Her story and lecture taught me that I need to make sure to stand out. I need to make sure that people will remember who I am when I meet someone or when I send applications. She mentioned that she has a punch line that she uses every time she sends documentation to someone new, although, she didn’t share her secret punchline (I don’t blame her, I wouldn’t either) she gave me an idea and something I can work with in the internships I am looking for at the moment.
She also taught me that I need to focus on my bio on LinkedIn, where I need to say just in a couple of sentences, what I do, for who, and how, and also include a call for action. This is valuable information, that can make the difference between getting called for an interview and not.
What I learned from Elle’s Story
What resonated the most for me was this personal philosophy of hers that makes her thrive in life: Be authentic. Simple, right? Well, the way I see this is that this statement is deep. We all try to fit in our lives all the time, and the sense of belonging makes us feel safe, but being authentic is not an antonym of belonging as sometimes we might feel. By being authentic, we are using our uniqueness to strive, this is especially important in our field since we need to stand out as Lauren said.
Another important thing I learned is that especially when we first finish the program we tend to sell ourselves short, something that should not happen because it doesn’t matter if you are not the most experienced person on the field, you are in the place you are because you have earned it and worked hard to be there. Selling yourself short allows you to feel comfortable with being mediocre, but if you put yourself out there is because you are gonna keep working hard and keep pushing yourself.
What I learned about Networking
I learned from Elle that you should never say no to an opportunity (unless there is a legitimately good reason for it), this is because you never know when the next opportunity’s going to come, and you never know if that opportunity you are rejecting can make a big difference in your life like it did in Elle’s life.
I learned from Lauren that you should always try to network with people in a 1:1 situation, sometimes is not possible, but if we have the chance we should always try to make an impression. She mentioned that you should never burn bridges since in her experience people that never even occurred to her have become people that have helped her a lot in her career.
Setting myself for success during my work experience term
It is okay to make mistakes and ask questions, especially when I am there to learn. I will make mistakes, lots of them but the important thing is to learn from them and improve every single time.
Also, I need to make my actions speak louder than my words
And the most valuable lesson Elle taught me is: “live the story you want to tell” which overlaps with her philosophy which resonates with mine.
Actions I need to start/stop doing in my internship
It is essential for my career to work in my elevator pitch, something I’ve been struggling with but Lauren emphasized its importance and how it is not only useful but necessary.
I need to stop selling myself short, I need to strive for the best I can at the moment. I also should not confuse it with pride, I just need to know that it has taken a lot of effort and work to get where I know and I need to know my value
Conclusion
My favorite quality about these two great individuals is their inner strength, how they fought through their lives, and how they can be unstoppable if they want to be. Something I hope to learn sooner than later. I finish with this quote from Rae Smith that summarizes my sentiment about this paper: “Adversity shakes the foundation of our character to see if what we believe and value is really worth standing for”.
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