Living an Impact-Focused Life

What’s your Why?

I believe I was put on this earth to:

To reach a level of security that is beyond what my family has achieved; with this privilege, I want to cement a new standard within our line and work to be able to impact others. Traditionally, the work my family has been involved with has been in service of others; I intend to change this through ownership and integrating sustainable practices to serve others.

 

 

My purpose is to:

Build bridges and do what I can with what I have until I have more.

 

 

I believe (my core values):

I believe in keeping family close, loyalty, and working honestly. I also believe that adaptability and keeping an open mind are some of the best ways of removing limits for one’s self. In any case, risks that can be taken should be taken because even in loss, we can learn lessons that reinforce our own humility and lead us to higher personal echelons.

 

 

The one thing I must do before I die is:

I must move out of Bethlehem, PA; I loved growing up here, but I am ready to represent it as I experience and grow in a new environment!

 

 

My advocates and supporters all believe I:

I am unique in my upbringing and because of my personability and patience, I should be the one to lead a different path to professional and personal success.

 

 

The evil I want to eradicate in this world is:

I would like to reduce wasteful consumerism.

 

 

I want to work in order to:

Live a life where the time I share with people is as meaningful as the impact I have created in the work that I do.

 

 

Walk the Talk – Your How

If you are truly committed to your Why, you show it in your everyday behavior. It is all air until you do it. Working from your Why, How do you prove that you are true to your Why in all you do?

 

I always:

I am always self-reflecting on how I could help others better and how things connect. I like to write on notecards to remind myself of quotes, lessons, and ideas I’ve had throughout the day as well as to organize different aspects of my life. It has helped to reinforce the immediate feeling I get from these things and further reflect on their relevance.

 

I never

I never do anything I do not want to do. I am more than willing to get uncomfortable considering my curiosity which I believe has always helped with experiencing new cultures.

 

My work style is:

I like work at my own pace; I maintain a routine throughout the week that can accommodate for other responsibilities in my life and try to leave time free at the end of the week to make up for any lost from them.

 

I try to treat people:

I try to enter conversations with people with zero expectations; I believe the best way to get authentic responses from people is by being able to identify and be open to the surprises and ideas there are out there. I like to be respectful and use humor when appropriate, however am willing to be assertive to fulfill interests beyond my own.

 

I approach problems by:

Identifying the problem and how it affects me and other parties / situations. If I can impact the problem through my own action or other mediums, I assess the consequences and outcomes before I choose the solution. If my problem is not solved afterwards, I may exhaust the other options before rethinking the problem at hand and refining focus.

 

Victories are time to:

To reflect on the lessons that helped lead to victory; everyone always wants to talk about their wins, but no one ever wants to talk about their losses.

 

If another attacks my point of view I:

Allow them to do so respectfully; their baggage is none of my business and it is their right to inform me of how they feel about my ideas. Rather than ignore, I seek to listen to them and would rather wait for their emotions to settle to create discourse instead of attacking back.

 

If I fundamentally do not agree with what an organization or person is doing, I will:

Try to make it known that I have an opposite opinion, but I seek to be neutral; whether that is by submitting a complaint, directly addressing the person or party responsible. Sometimes I feel that drawing lines can divide too quickly and rather than cut that person/party off, I would rather hear what they have to say and let them decide. I am p however, intend to work without bias for the sake of the goal / task at hand.

 

 

 

Your Credibility – Your Whats

You have just spent some considerable time at Lehigh, and specifically in the Global Social Impact Fellowship, on many whats. Your whats include lab research, formal presentations, writing research papers, engaging with people in other cultural contexts, building prototypes, designing and building systems, raising funds, hiring employees, etc. The whats you have collected along the way are critical to your credibility when you are entering the workforce or applying to the best graduate and professional schools. They signify a credible currency to which organizations can assign value. Create a list of your Whats that are truly reflective of your Why & How.  You did these things because you believe (Why) and you acquired them in the following (How) manner. These are examples you can use in interviews.

What Have I Done	List of Experiences, Accomplishments, and Lessons Learned
Degrees, Minors, Certificates, Fellowships	Global Citizenship Initiative, Global Social Impact Fellowship, Mountaintop Summer Certificate
Research Experiences	Using Social Media to attract First Generation College Students Transcribing videos of Spanish-speaking mothers and their children Using Locally Sourced Crops to Create Food Products to impact Childhood Stunting in Sierra Leone
Inventions and Innovations	Moringa-Fortified Bouillon Cubes
(Social) Entrepreneurial Ventures	Newtrition
Publications (Formal and Informal)	None yet!
Formal Presentations (at Lehigh and Beyond)	GELH Mountaintop Summer
Awards and External Recognition	Grant for Experiential Learning in Health

 

Articulating and learning from GSIF-related Experiences. For each of these prompts, we want you to identify one and only one specific and compelling event/incident/experience/moment and identify exactly how you grew personally and professionally through that moment.

Teamwork Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Lehigh Expo was a challenge since it involved two mediums of presentation, however I became more confident in my abilities to present research in alternative media forms.
Conflict Resolution Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Meeting with Dr. Roberts has helped solve the issue of sourcing Moringa, which was a problem that was raised last semester. Through meeting with Dr. Roberts, I’ve practiced using some business acumen as she has exposed me to the supply chain aspect of the work we are doing.
Leadership Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Meeting with Dr. Gueye was my first time meeting a professional who was experienced in Bouillon production; though there were some communication problems during our call, I learned a lot about how I should articulate and convey the ideas and concerns I have relative to my work and the venture as a whole.
Dealing with Chaos, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty (and Lessons Learned)	Researching how to speed the production of bouillon has been slightly frustrating since it is a matter of financial and resource constraint; being open to DIY solutions and aware of resources such as Lehigh’s work shop have helped overcome this issue.
Personally Challenging Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Getting out of creative walls; the best thing I have found is to discuss my research and issue with others for some inspiration and perspective. Within this team setting, it has helped a lot.
Cross-cultural Experience (and Lessons Learned)	Meeting with Dr. Gueye came with the challenge of understanding English with a thick French accent; coupled with connection problems, I learned how preparing with certain questions or sending them in advance could have helped with getting the information I needed in a more secure, clear manner.
An experience that helped you connect your GSIF work to your discipline / major.	Conducting taste testing trials and analyzing the nutritional content of ingredients
A moment that boosted your sense of agency and self-efficacy – you felt like you can speak for yourself, get stuff done, take on the world and make it better.	Meeting with Kiki Chan to discuss designing a DIY extruder.
A moment where you felt like you truly have a strong sense of purpose and belonging in this dynamic, globalized interdependent world.	Mountaintop Final Presentation