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Personal Statement - BIS 301
"The Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Degree and Me."
Steve Nash is one of the greatest basketball
players to ever live. He has won the most valuable player award the last two
years in a row. He is known for his amazing passes and his ability to dribble
the ball through opponents while maintaining incredible ball control and balance. He
is also known for making his teammates better, most players have career years when playing along side him. Many have asked the question: What makes this man so far superior than others in these areas? Those that are familiar with Steve’s background know that he is from Canada
and is a tremendous soccer player. Knowing this about him makes it easier to
understand what makes him different as a basketball player. The same way that
Steve Nash is interdisciplinary in sports, I am interdisciplinary in my education.
Webster defines interdisciplinary as: involving
two or more academic, scientific, or artistic disciplines. (www.m-w.com) Interdisciplinary is more than having knowledge and experience in two areas, and
using knowledge from each area to solve a problem, it is a blending of the two disciplines and forming a new discipline. The benefit to interdisciplinarian thinking is its ability to shed new light to an
area in question. Interdisciplinarians are creative thinkers and tend to be realistic
and unbiased, they have a strong ability to look at the whole picture and are becoming more and more valuable in today’s
complex and changing world.
My degree in interdisciplinary studies and concentration
area’s in biology and business will be of great benefit to me in my career and to those I work with. Biology has taught me to be intricate and careful, especially in lab experiments, I have learned that a
minor mistake can lead to large mistakes in the outcome of an experiment. Biology
has also taught me to appreciate the complexities of life and has allowed me to understand how many microscopic things come
together to form the visible things we are all familiar with. I have learned
that all things in this world have laws in which they must abide and follow, even the smallest single unit in this universe,
the atom lives by laws. It has been my experience that the longer I live the
more my education seems to benefit me, and my studies in biology have taught me things that I have yet to realize.
Business has always intrigued me and it has always
seemed to make sense to me. Studying business has helped me to understand
life on a larger scale than biology. How human beings get along with each other
and survive is essentially what business is. A usually commercial or mercantile
activity engaged in as a means of livelihood, is one way Webster describes business. (www.m-w.com) I have taken courses in real estate, economics,
management, finance and accounting which have all contributed to my overall understanding of business. It has taught me essential principles used in business and how to survive in today’s economy. As a future small business owner I will have the essential tools needed to be successful. I have learned the tough and competitive nature of business. I know that as a small business owner I will find the principles of business of great worth to me and my
future.
As a bachelor of interdisciplinary studies we
learn how to integrate the knowledge we have gained from our areas of concentration, and use them to approach problems in
creative, dynamic and innovative ways. We as interdisciplinarians are not limited
by one discipline and its biased laws, rather we are liberated, and encouraged to think in new and exciting ways. My education in biology and business is given power when integrated with my interdisciplinary courses,
I have unique abilities and understanding in problem solving and am better able to survive in today’s changing environment.
My interdisciplinary background will prove to
be useful in my near future as a dental school applicant. Dental schools seek
students that are versed in more than one area. My top choice for dental school
is the University of the Pacific, on their website it states that preference is given to those that have pre-dental courses
in many different areas of study. The website also states that business classes
are recommended as undergraduate courses. (www.dental.pacific.edu) My strong biology education coupled with
a good business sense and background will help me become accepted to dental school and also help me be a proficient dentist
in the future.
Works Cited:
www.m-w.com
www.dental.pacific.edu
BIS 401 - Final Written Assignment
"Small Things Make All the Difference"
As I approached my internship on that first day I was indeed overwhelmed. This was expected; however, I was extremely taken back by the monstrous size of the
neighborhood and the realization that I was on my own to make a difference there. Because
I am a perfectionist by nature, stress signals immediately raced through my bloodstream.
I turned in all directions and marveled at the hours of work in front of me.
Suddenly my mind was crowded with excitement from ideas and projects that I, alone, was going to accomplish in the
next few months that would make me the hero of Woodruff Place. Fast forward
a few months to the end of November. I am gladly admitting that my projects were
not completed and I am not looked upon as a hero. One might ask, why gladly? Well, I walked away from my internship last week with a touching lesson that I will
carry with me throughout my lifetime. While perfection in Woodruff
Place was not achieved, I learned that hard work, dedication, willingness and heart-felt service
is all that is needed to make a difference in a community and individual lives.
As the fall leaves began to drift from the trees in mid October I was bound
and determined to rake up every lingering leaf marking the streets in Woodruff Place. For a few straight weeks that is what I spent my time working on. I began to get discouraged though; I would spend 2 or 3 hours at time raking and when I left the street
looked practically the same. I felt as if my work there was in vain. However, one day as I was finishing up a section of the street, a resident yelled out to me, “Hey,
I don’t know who you are but thanks for raking those in the gutter, now I don’t have to!” I laughed to myself and waved back. Later that night, I thought
about what that man had said. The last few days as I was raking leaves I was
in a bad mood because of the situation. However, I realized that the man was
serious; my small deed was quite a big deal to him. I was proud that my projects
for my internship were being recognized and were actually making a difference in others lives.
This lesson is what the rest of my insights were built upon. I decided
that I no longer needed to be focused on being perfect. I need to try my hardest
and give my all to every thing I do and things will work out for my good.
Just a couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to again be of assistance
to the activities director. There was a large event at town hall and I was a
part of the set up that was involved. While I was there a few of the members
of the committee commented to me how they thought it was neat that I took so much pride in their community even though I wasn’t
a resident there. Again, this was a remarkable moment in my internship. It dawned on me once more that small things can be great in the eyes of others. To me, I was just accumulating my internship hours and my service was not that big
of a deal. However, it made me realize that serving others is a very important
role in society. Being selfish will not get me anywhere in life and being happy
to help will pay off.
Lastly, through my internship in Woodruff Historical District I have learned
how building relationships with others and networking can be a valuable tool. While
participating in some of the events I was able to meet various people from all walks of life.
The people in Woodruff Place are so proud of their community and
for the most part are highly educated and knowledgeable people. Just through
short, simple conversations I was able to have a glimpse of what the real world is like following graduation. I was surprised to see how most of them had not lived perfect lives; however, they were happy. This motivated me to follow my heart. One lady gave me a piece
of advice that I have really taken to heart. She basically said that in order
to live a full life, all one needs to do is “do what you love”. Again,
I pondered this statement and it encouraged me even more to pursue my career in dentistry.
Hopefully by having a passion for my career, I will be able to make a difference in others lives.
Lately, thanks to my BIS 402 course, I have been contemplating who I really
am as a person and what my role in life will be. This internship, as well as
my guidebook from 402 “Awakening the Hero’s Within”, have played a huge role in my life this semester. For the first time in my university education, I have been able to apply my coursework
to my own individual life. The Interdisciplinary Degree at first seemed strange
to me and I have had to explain what it is to everyone interested in what I am studying; however, I have found that the overall
objective of the degree can be applied in my life. I discovered that in order
to create something remarkable, several factors need to be combined. Although
I will never become perfect, which was my goal for so long, or become exactly who I dream of, I can become a valuable student,
employee and member of society. I discovered that I need to combine my positive
traits that I already have as well as work on becoming a better person each day. I
am also taking my lessons learned in Woodruff Place and applying them
to my life as well. My levels of stress have decreased dramatically as I have
come to the realization of what it takes to stand out and succeed.
I am thrilled that after two years of studying at Arizona
State I have been able to comprehend for the first time what my degree is really
about. I have not just learned how Business and Biology can work together but
I have learned how to become well-rounded. I am excited for this new found knowledge
and look forward to applying it in every aspect of my life. I find it interesting
how complex, yet simple life can be. However, now that I understand perfection
isn’t necessary in life and know what it takes to succeed, I am ready to take on the world. I am ready to finish out my senior year, prepare to present my self for future employers and become an
ideal member of society.
BIS 401 - Written Assignment #2
Developing, Analyzing and Expanding my Career Theory
My internship is different than most of my fellow students’ workplace’s. However, I feel privileged to be a part of Woodruff Place Civic League because of
the wonderful people I have met. Because Woodruff Place is strictly a volunteer organization, many of the members
also have outside careers in which they take part in. Therefore, I choose to
interview Woodruff’s activities chairman, Tessie Jones, on her career as a teacher.
Tessie is a very outgoing and creative individual who I look up to in several ways.
I feel that her role as activities chair-person fits her well because of her experiences in the education industry. I choose to interview Tessie in the comforts of her home on a quite Sunday afternoon. The interview was very laid back and most of my questions and inquiries were answered
throughout our conversation; I did not have to refer to my list of questions very often as the conversation flowed so smoothly.
Do you think it is possible to wake up one morning, decide to become a CFO of a Fortune 500 company, and then go out
and achieve that dream? According to Donald Super and his “Life-Span Theory”
that dream would not become a reality without the proper planning and work. In
the “Life-Span Theory”, one is informed that to achieve a career goal, they must pass through five stages of discipline
and learning. First, one needs to have an idea of ‘what they want to be
when they grow up’. This is followed by setting goals, training for these
goals and finally being awarded the planned position. This is not the end however;
after the position is achieved, one must continually work hard at climbing the workplace ladder (Nelson 2001). Each of these stages is matched with a verb briefly describing the actions taking place. I found it interesting that choosing a career takes growing, exploring, establishing, maintaining, and
many times, against our will, a feeling of declining pleasure in our chosen field (Nelson 2001). Who would have thought that achieving a career would be so tiresome?
Lastly, Super explains the various work patterns that people experience throughout a lifetime. Many will immediately enter the workplace with no formal training or education while others carefully explore
their possibilities and then chose a stable career. It saddened and scared me
that others spend their entire life trying various jobs that may work out for a time but, some will never establish an actual
career (Nelson 2001).
For the most part Tessie’s career path fit perfectly into Super’s five stages of development. As I previously mentioned, Tessie was a school teacher and taught at middle and high schools in Indiana
for 25 years. However, there was one major point that I noticed from my interview;
every stage was about 2-3 years behind the average time frame that Super described.
Tessie said that when she was in high school, everyone (including teachers) told her that she would “never make
it to college”. Growing up and hearing these negative phrases really set
her back. She said that after graduating from high school she felt somewhat lost. However, a few short years later she found herself discovering Super’s development
pattern and she was back on track to creating a career for herself. During ages
21-24 she worked in retail and slowly but surely paid her way through college. By
her late 20’s she could be found in the Home Economics classroom of the local middle school. Throughout her 30’s and 40’s she continued to teach and was actually elected to help set the
yearly goals for the schools in which she taught. She said, “I felt privileged
that they would choose me, just an ordinary economics teacher, to help set goals for hundred’s of students.” I could see from her expression and pride in her voice that she truly felt this was
a great accomplishment in her career. So as one can see, any motivated person
can follow this career development theory and achieve success no matter the speed at which it is done. One last point I wanted to share is that Tessie seemed to follow the conventional career pattern. She informed me that before going to college “… I worked in retail and
restaurant businesses and finally decided on education”. Once graduating
with her Education Degree, she remained in this field for the rest of her working years.
I enjoyed reading about the “Sociological Theories” because
recently I was able to see firsthand how true this theory seems to be. I grew
up in California and Arizona where
the majority of people live a middle to upper middle class lifestyle. If someone
wants to go to college and further their education it is possible. Recently I
moved across the country to Indiana. My
eyes were opened as I saw the poverty and abandonment that most of our country experiences.
The youth here do not have close to as many opportunities as the kids I grew up with.
This theory explains how outside influences such as race, gender, social status, money and other ‘uncontrollable’
factors play part in determining the career one will have. It is suggested in
this theory that perhaps people end up where they do by chance and that really they have no choice (Nelson 2001). So even if one still dream’s of being that huge CFO and try their very hardest at achieving it, that
opportunity might never cross their path.
Tessie’s life and career is definitely the ‘exception to the
rule’. While I do agree with several of the points of the “Sociological
Theory”, Tessie showed me that although it is difficult, there are always ways to break free from the social conditions
tying one down. She shared with me more of her background and how she proved
that she could reach her goal. Again, she was told that she wouldn’t “make
it”. She grew up in a poverty-stricken area and neither of her parents
had attended college. They were part of the working class and her father had
not even finished high school. She also struggled with the fact that she was
a woman. Eventually she decided to attend an all girl’s school so that
she would have leadership opportunities that she wouldn’t have been given had she remained in public schools. Also, growing up they did not offer career guidance in high school so once the kids graduated they were
on their own in determining the next step in life. Tessie seemed very proud that
she did not allow these outside factors to get in the way of her determination. She
worked hard to teach students and show them that just because they might be poor, female, African American or ADD they still
have a fighting chance at becoming a CFO or anything they dream of.
After much contemplating and pondering I have discovered my own
theory on career development. To
achieve one’s desired career or profession
one must follow the Mind and Matter Pattern. This theory is based on personal experience, experiences of close family members and friends as well as
motivation and an example from my friend and colleague, Tessie. First, one must
‘Find the Burning Within’. This can come at any stage in life; It
ma be a five year old who desires to be like a fireman, a high school senior who is determined to become a world renowned
doctor or an adult who is burnt out from their current profession and wishes to return to school and become anything new and
exciting. This internal fire that is burning is then fueled by careful ‘Planning,
Preparation and Goal Setting’. The next step is to figure out how to ‘Leap
and Overcome’ any ‘uncontrollable’ circumstances that may lie in the way.
My dear friend Tessie showed me that if one puts their mind over the matters in front of them, it is possible to defy
the odds and break the gender, age, race or any other barrier. After a map and outline is drawn out and determination to succeed
is put in place, it is time to ‘Follow Through’. Normally this step
is to acquire the proper training or education. However, it may be skipped as
sometimes people may, through luck etc, be able to immediately enter their desired workforce.
After one is mentally, physically, and educationally ready for their position, they can then comfortably enter and
‘Establish Themselves’ in their profession. For many, including my
father and Tessie, this may be the end of their career pattern. There are those
who simply wish to make a comfortable living and live securely and stably until they pass.
However, for those that get bored, lose their jobs or desire to increase in stature in their company, the entire process
in begun again. In this theory you don’t necessarily have to just put your
mind over the matter you have to actually combine your ‘Mind and Matter’ and at that point success and dreams
are reached.
Works Cited
1. Jones, Tessie L. Personal interview. 21 Oct. 2007.
2. Nelson, Kelly. "Theories of Career Development."
BIS Program/Arizona State
University (2001).
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