My Crazy Beautiful Life

It is nearly impossible to write a synopsis of my life to this point, and do it justice. To start, I have probably one of the most loud, intricate, and involved families that there is to have. Growing up in a family where 'extended' is not an option- everyone is considered immediate family- makes almost every get together seem like a party. I have 13 first cousins- most of which are girls, and four of which have already had their own children. Four of us are in college and the other 3 are in high school, meaning there is always something to talk about.
I guess I should start with the foundation of our family- my great-grandmother, or affectionately referred to as Nana. She is 101 years old and still kickin'. Though my great-grandfather passed away before I could get to know him (from cancer, speculated to have happened because he was a coal miner all his life), he seemed to be the perfect match for my Nana. He was a sweet, hard-working Italian man that came from nothing, and she is a sweet, disciplined Polish woman that came from a poor farming family of 17. Needless to say, the Italian-Polish combo bred a very loud-mouthed, talented cooking family of their own. My Nana takes time every year, even now at 101, to bake Polish sweet rolls with us at Christmas time, and Italian wedding cookies with us during Easter. I have learned most of my life lessons with my Nana in the kitchen, and things that she taught the generations before me have also shaped me into the person I am today.
The most important part to me about having a close-knit family is the support that comes with that. When I was 7 years old and needed a massive hip reconstruction, I had family by my side every single day, from the time I got my first X-Ray to the near 6 months later when I was still on crutches. I've always had family surrounding and supporting me from softball games, to breakups, to high school graduation, to college, and so much more. I cannot think of a single thing in my life that I have had to go through alone. And I know that I am so extremely lucky to be able to say that, because not everybody has that.
My family prides itself in being rich in tradition and very family oriented. I've learned to work hard for the things I want, and to cherish every moment that I have with the ones that I love because it can be taken away in any given, cruel instant. To this point in my life, I have done just that. I call my grandparents nearly once a week (if not more) just to catch up and see how they are doing, and I spend time with my sister and cousins every single chance I get. Which usually results in some kind of chaos that we get in trouble for, but hey- what are kids for?
I could go on and on with words of love and affection about my family, but I won't. Mostly because my cousins are here with the new babies (they live in South Carolina) and we're about to sit down to a delicious family dinner, which I can smell all the way up here in my room. But know that I love my family with everything I have, and they solely are responsible for shaping me into the leader, and person that I am today.

Leadership Feedback

For this post, I decided to ask a member of my sorority to give me feedback on my leadership style, given that I serve on our Executive Council. I feel that it is often hard to get honest and open feedback
from peers because they don't want to hurt people's feelings. So naturally, I went to one of my close friends whom I know is always honest and open with me.

First, she pointed out the good aspects of my leadership style. She explained that I am good at being organized with the information I am given and expected to relay to others. I can successful influence others to work together to complete certain projects/goals. I am well-spoken and can effectively put my thoughts into words during presentations (chapter). Additionally, she told me that she thinks I am very good at collaborating with others, which helps to keep the organization, and its council, cohesive. She said that I am determined in completing things, which is good because many times results cannot be seen immediately, and perseverance is necessary.

Second, she pointed out somethings she thinks I could improve on. She said that I need to be more flexible when it comes to adjusting plans that don't work. Typically when things don't work out the way that I have planned, I get really frustrated and have a hard time adjusting the idea to make it work.
Additionally, she said I need to work on hearing people out before I make plans. I tend to move at lightening speed when it comes to completing tasks, so I have a tendency to make a plan and tell others how it needs to be executed, rather than consulting others during the planning process. Doing so will largely increase brain power going into a problem, and the results may be things that I never could have thought of on my own!
Also, she reminded me not to be so much of a perfectionist all the time because all that does is add stress to the situation. Nothing will ever turn out perfectly as it is planned, so she reminded me to go with the flow when I have to, and remember to adjust the plans as is necessary.

All in all, she was complementary on my current leadership styles, but also gave me some great pointers on things that I can improve on- things that only she can see from an outsider's perspective. This exercise was a great way to self-reflect, and get an opinion on how to improve my leadership to help better my organization!

My Vision- Preventative Medicine For All

"Preventative Medicine Reduces Morbidity Rates- WORLDWIDE!"

[World populations engage in alternative approaches to wellness; several facets of health addressed]

As a Public Health major, it is only natural that I am passionate about the health and well-being of society. However, I feel like this passion and major of mine are so much deeper than just that. Taking the health of the public into consideration when choosing a career has helped me to realize how multi-faceted health, and sickness for that matter, actually are. I believe that there are a lot of things that can help improve the overall well-being of the world's population, that simply are not made a priority in today's society.

My vision for the world is to promote and encourage "preventative medicine," or approaches in medicine, alternative medicine, etc. to help prevent disease, sickness, and overall morbidity of the population. Some of these approaches can include more importance/reliance on physical check ups. Seeing a general practitioner at least three times a year for a physical can help doctors catch diseases in the early stages (i.e. heart disease or cancer), and can boost the patient's chances of a full recovery. This example will hopefully encourage people to take on the mentality that health screenings are as important, if not more, than seeking medical attention when illness arises. When the population adjusts to this kind of mentality, and takes on a more proactive approach to wellness rather than a retroactive, I believe that this will dramatically decrease morbidity rates world-wide.

I would also like to push the importance of alternative wellness approaches, such as yoga, meditation, religious ceremonies, exercise, etc. Health is multi-faceted- meaning that there is more than one type of health in a person that must be considered, including; mental, physical, spiritual, and emotional health, as examples. Approaches like these can, and do, help people improve people's well-being. Strategies, such as yoga, have proven to dramatically decrease one's stress levels. As is commonly known, stress chemicals in the body, including cortisol, can lead to weight gain (among many other things) which is a major factor to the development of heart disease, as one example. I believe that these alternative approaches to wellness will improve the overall health of the population because it will increase people's positive mentality, happiness confidence, etc. which are major factors to positive mental, physical, and emotional health.

In short, I would like to educate people about the facets of health, as well as encourage them to view health proactively so as to prevent illness before it happens. This can be achieved by spreading awareness of diseases and educating people about health risks. I think that once the population adopts these ideas and a health-conscious mindset, that morbidity rates will be reduced world-wide...and that would be a wonderful accomplishment for me to see in my career.

Group Dynamic Post

Group Dynamics Blog Post

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids is the story of two best friends, Annie and Lillian, one of whom is finally getting married. As Lillian’s life goes in the direction she always wanted, Annie is left behind, single and working at a less than desirable job. As Lillian’s maid of honor, it’s Annie’s job to be in charge of the bridal party and make sure that everything goes according to plan. The group of bridesmaids are a wacky crew of women with odd senses of humor and overall good intentions.

           First, we’re going to apply Tuckman’s Model to the movie Bridesmaids. In the forming stage, Lillian brings all of the women together as bridesmaids with the same purpose: to ensure that the bachelorette party, the bridal shower, and the wedding run smoothly. Next, in the storming stage, the girls struggle with finding a balance as a group. They don’t deal with conflict directly and everything gets done in a roundabout fashion. Annie and Helen compete head to head with one another to become the maid of honor. Helen has trouble accepting the fact that Annie is the maid of honor and frequently undermines her plans and opinions. While Annie and Helen are left behind in the storming stage, Megan flourishes in the norming stage. She tries to make everyone happy and pumped up. When Annie feels left out, Megan reaches out to her and knocks some sense into her with positivity and kind words. Also in the norming stage, Lillian tells Annie not to bother coming to the wedding anymore due to her outlandish behavior. Lillian is being fair and asks Annie not to participate since she’s acting crazy.

Megan carries the norming stage over to the performing stage by cheering Annie up and by bringing her back into the bridesmaids group. She really reestablishes the purpose and the norms. Also, Annie and Helen learn to work together to find Lillian (who becomes a runaway bride). Then Annie convinces Lillian to go through with the wedding, renewing their relationship and rebuilding her commitment as her best friend and maid of honor. The adjourning stage is the final one and that occurs after the wedding is over. It’s established the Lillian will stay connected to everyone, but the resolution occurs when Annie and Helen agree to hang out.

 

As for the various roles held by each of the women, we’ll start with Lillian. Lillian is the bride, but in this case, she’s the Mediator. She selected all of the women to be her bridesmaids, so she’s constantly trying to ensure that the group is cohesive. She’s the reason that they’re all together. Annie is the Summarizer. As the maid of honor, her duties are to lead the group and make sure the plan is set. She organizes the plans; for example, she decides on a bridal shower theme and a location for the bachelorette party. Annie makes sure that everyone is on the same page and makes sure everyone’s voice is heard. Helen is the Clarifier. As Annie’s foil, she builds on everyone else’s ideas and creates her own plan to make it better. In one scene, she convinces everyone to go to Vegas instead of an old lake house. She’s able to switch the entire plan convincingly. Megan is the Encourager. She always brings people together and pumps them up for whatever the plan is. She positively empowers the other women. Rita and Becca are both Followers in the group. They literally agree with all of the other plans made by Annie and Helen. Also, Becca is an Opinion Seeker. She naively asks Rita for advice on life and relationships. Coinciding with Becca’s role, Rita is the Opinion Giver, helping Becca with her misguided advice.

Ethical Decision Making- [Sarah Rust, Megan Kasarda, & Erin Stinard]

Our situation;

"The treasurer of BuckeyeThon was totaling the accounts after an afternoon of "canning" and realized that the group had reached $5,000 past their $3,000 goal. The treasurer decided to siphon the coins from the collection to use for her own personal use because her parents, whom she had depended on, had passed away and she was left with nothing. Her only source of income is a 3 hour a week bathroom-cleaning job at The Waffle House. She knew she would be the only one totaling the money, and that the coins were often miscounted. She told herself that she would "raise back" the funds that she took before the Dance Marathon, where total funds would be calculated. Is her decision to take the funds and repay them back later, an ethical one?"


Our reaction;

No, her decision was not ethical. It was a short-term fix to a long-term problem, and it she attempted to fix a personal situation with property (in this case, the funds) that was not hers to take. She took an individual over community based stance because she focused on her own personal needs instead of looking at the bigger picture and acting towards the good of the community (BuckeyeThon, in this case). Additionally, she failed to act truthfully or loyally. She was trusted to count the money truthfully, as the treasurer of BuckeyeThon- a job to which she was entrusted with. Also, she put herself above the needs of the organization, showing that she failed to honor her commitment. Although her situation is extremely unfortunately and others may say that her decision is excusable (since she will pay it back), however, she breached the trust of the organization when she intentionally failed to do her job. This made her decision unethical, in our opinion.

MBTI and True Colors Reflection

After taking the Myers Briggs Test, I tested to be an ENFJ. The description included;

"Warm, empathetic, responsive and responsible. Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. Finds potential in everyone, wants to help others fulfill their potential. May act as a catalyst for individual and group growth. Loyal, responsive to praise and criticism. Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership."

I identify with all of these things in the description. As a leader, and as a person, I always try to find the good in people, and I sincerely want others to succeed and be happy. Usually, I am also the person in a group that cannot sit at a stand-still. I need to jump start productivity and get the group moving towards it's goal. I am very outgoing and can reach out to nearly anybody, and usually can find some common ground with others to work on. I am a very emotional person and this is reflected in my passions, goals, and attitudes towards things. I'm not always sure whether this is a good or bad thing- but you can always be sure that if I'm committed to something, my heart is in it 100%.

Additionally, the true colors test proved me to be an Orange first, then Blue, then tied for Green and Gold. Orange's description included;

"Zest for life. Desire to test limits. Hunger for Variety. Excitement and light-heartedness. Spirit of Adventure. Entertaining others. Spontaneous Relationships. Impetuous nature. Crisis management skills. Charm and wit. Positive outlook."

Among the many keys to personal success addressed in this description, I find "excitement, positive outlook, and entertaining others" to be my biggest qualities. My view on leadership, and life in general, is that people should always enjoy what they are doing. I personally always try to stay excited and passionate about the cause that I am working towards. Likewise, I have a really hard time focusing on the negative. Although defeats and challenges need to be address, I do not feel that they need to be dwelled upon. I like to take things at face value, then move on. At the end of the day, stress and disappointment are always going to try and get in the way of goals. But my mentality is that if you choose to treat the stresses, etc. as challenges, it just turns the project into a fun goal again. I believe positivity is key to anything in life...if you're not having fun, or something doesn't make you happy, why bother with it!?

My Mission Statement

Homework Questions 1-2

Personal Mission Statement

1.                  My personality has been shaped by many different factors in my lifetime. The greatest of these would most likely be my gender, family life, opportunities/experiences, ethnicity and geographic location. Being a white female from rural/suburban Ohio, growing up I had a very limited view on what diversity was. I was only ever exposed to people that were just like me, considering I am from a very small town in Northeast Ohio. That being said, I had a very clear idea of what it meant to be a part of a community, which, unfortunately, many other people do not. Community, staying true to its definition, is a group of people having shared location, experiences, interests, etc. or more specifically, a unified body of people. Chesterland, Ohio is just that- a community. Nearly everybody knew their neighbors and knew what was going on in the local schools. Everybody took pride in the high school football team, and read the local newspaper (Geauga Sun). Needless to say, most of us kids growing up were genuinely good kids. There wasn’t much trouble to get into, and everyone knew that if they did do something bad, it was only a matter of time until word got around and back to their parents somehow. Additionally, Chesterland is a fairly well off area, so the school district had enough money to provide unique opportunities to their students. I participated in lots of sports and lots of leadership camps because my school was able to provide those opportunities to me. Luckily, my family was also able to afford to send me to college, which is an opportunity that many other people also do not get.
            My family life and ethnicity have also intensely shaped my personality and learning preferences. I come from a real close-knit, Italian, Polish, and Irish family. So to say that we are loud and rich in tradition is a severe understatement. When I was younger I was almost always the quiet, soft-spoken, sweet one of my 9 other female cousins, but as we all got older, we realized that quiet was never going to work in this family. So being loud, outspoken and humorous, became a family trait that now all of us possess. Not to say that we don’t have our subtle differences, but our personalities are all most nearly the same; which makes us close-knit and able to relate to one another so well. It also makes family get togethers pretty fun.

2.                  My own personal mission statement would be difficult to write if I didn’t have a clear sense of who I am as a person, which is constantly changing because my life experiences alter aspects of that. But here is what I’ve got so far;

My purpose is to contribute to the world what I can with the talents that I have, both given and learned. I want to help others in any way that I can, be it in a career, daily encounters, or otherwise. I vow to stay true to my values and myself; those values being that of honesty, kindness, and traditions. Quoting a line from the mission statement of my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta, I aim “to honor my home, my country, and my religious faith…to hold truth inviolable, sincerity essential, and kindness invaluable.”