Dear Teamsters Local 763,
I want to start by thanking your staff for their guidance and supervision this winter that allowed me to have an incredible internship experience with your organization. Your leadership throughout this experience assisted me in furthering my development as a public servant and truly finding an area of work that I am passionate in. This internship assisted me in furthering the development of my communication and writing skills, and allowed me to grow as an individual. The entire internship was extremely rewarding and I can't thank you enough for allowing me to become part of your team temporarily.
I am passionate about the union, and the representation of workers. As a whole, having an organization of workers that are dedicated to protecting members interests, improving wages, hours and working conditions, is something that is very uplifting and that I can only hope to do in my future. Having a career serving others is a career I want to be involved in. I admire your organization and your staffs hard work and dedication towards serving the Seattle community, and those among other states as well.
I appreciate your patience when it came to areas I did not fully understand, and the time you took out of your day to answer my questions. Thank you to the entire staff for taking time to share their expertise and knowledge on the field. It was through these times that I felt I was able to learn and grow the most in developing my skills over the course of the internship.
Thank you so much,
Renee Sullivan
Friday, April 17, 2015
Internship Recap
Hey Fellow Bloggers & Readers -
My internship with the Teamsters was one of the greatest experiences I've had! I can't express how thankful I am for having met such positive and vibrant people through the whole experience who made it all the more enjoyable! During my internship, I felt like I was able to accomplish many of the goals I had set for myself. One of my main goals was to balance and prioritize work on a daily basis. At times, this was hard to be honest. I did have a lot of school work and general work going on so some days were a bit more stressful than others. I truly believe that having a internship helped me learn how to keep my life organized and manage things more closely for a timely schedule.
Another goal of mine was to effectively analyze data to prepare for collective bargaining. I feel like this was my biggest struggle for my entire time at my internship, particularly because I am not good at math and do not feel confident in my math skills. This aspect of the internship really taught me to not second guess myself because I do have better skills that I see myself with math. My other goal throughout the internship process was to assist in the representation process for members concerning grievances or potential grievances. This included areas that were specific to layoff/reduction in hours, warning notices, suspensions, terminations, etc.
Overall, I did meet my initial goals. The internship truly allowed me an experience that was unforgettable, but also allowed me to see if I see myself in an area that I want to work in. I have also really enjoyed this blog experience because I have never been able to keep a blog consistent so I really enjoyed having to do it for this class!
Renee
My internship with the Teamsters was one of the greatest experiences I've had! I can't express how thankful I am for having met such positive and vibrant people through the whole experience who made it all the more enjoyable! During my internship, I felt like I was able to accomplish many of the goals I had set for myself. One of my main goals was to balance and prioritize work on a daily basis. At times, this was hard to be honest. I did have a lot of school work and general work going on so some days were a bit more stressful than others. I truly believe that having a internship helped me learn how to keep my life organized and manage things more closely for a timely schedule.
Another goal of mine was to effectively analyze data to prepare for collective bargaining. I feel like this was my biggest struggle for my entire time at my internship, particularly because I am not good at math and do not feel confident in my math skills. This aspect of the internship really taught me to not second guess myself because I do have better skills that I see myself with math. My other goal throughout the internship process was to assist in the representation process for members concerning grievances or potential grievances. This included areas that were specific to layoff/reduction in hours, warning notices, suspensions, terminations, etc.
Overall, I did meet my initial goals. The internship truly allowed me an experience that was unforgettable, but also allowed me to see if I see myself in an area that I want to work in. I have also really enjoyed this blog experience because I have never been able to keep a blog consistent so I really enjoyed having to do it for this class!
Renee
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Career Services Write Up
Hey There Fellow Bloggers & Readers -
I went to a career service event at the Downtown Phoenix campus titled "Identifying and Building Professional Relationships". I think this event was very beneficial because it is important to create strong and healthy relationships within the workplace. This not only makes work a more enjoyable place to be, but employees are also able to be more innovative and creative.
One thing I found important that I took from this event was that it is important to manage gossiping in a career setting. This has the ability to easily create tension and conflict within the workplace. It also has the ability to create mistrust between two employees. Occasionally, we all have to work with someone we don't like, but its important to try to maintain a professional relationship. Attempting to make a relationship stronger with someone you dislike, will only make the work environment a better place and ease your feelings and attitude.
Overall, I've really enjoyed going to a couple career service events this year. I definitely have found them to be very helpful, although sometimes seeming repetitive to information one most likely already knows. But I never thinks it is a bad idea just to refresh your mind on some general information!
Renee
(Blog 20 Career Services Write Up)
I went to a career service event at the Downtown Phoenix campus titled "Identifying and Building Professional Relationships". I think this event was very beneficial because it is important to create strong and healthy relationships within the workplace. This not only makes work a more enjoyable place to be, but employees are also able to be more innovative and creative.
One thing I found important that I took from this event was that it is important to manage gossiping in a career setting. This has the ability to easily create tension and conflict within the workplace. It also has the ability to create mistrust between two employees. Occasionally, we all have to work with someone we don't like, but its important to try to maintain a professional relationship. Attempting to make a relationship stronger with someone you dislike, will only make the work environment a better place and ease your feelings and attitude.
Overall, I've really enjoyed going to a couple career service events this year. I definitely have found them to be very helpful, although sometimes seeming repetitive to information one most likely already knows. But I never thinks it is a bad idea just to refresh your mind on some general information!
Renee
(Blog 20 Career Services Write Up)
Saturday, April 11, 2015
ONE MONTH till Graduation!
Hey Fellow Bloggers & Readers, and probably a couple of Seniors -
ONE MONTH FROM TODAY IS GRADUATION! Can you believe it?!? Holy cow!! I know I can't! I have been waiting forever to say this and I truly cannot believe that the final stretch is here! I can see the end...
...the end though...boy does this require a lot of work, effort, and coffee! I swear for this last month I have the most essays, projects and homework assignments I've ever had due! And it does feel like they are all due at once! I've been working so hard that I'm on track to receive a 4.0 and if not very close to it!! Now I'm not one of those straight A, 4.0 students! I've never even been on the deans list (I have been .02 away if that counts for anything) Even in High School I never had straight A's....I always had that one class I struggled with every semester! I've been trying my hardest to get a 4.0 so I can just say I did it and accomplished it! I think I would be the happiest person alive if I could receive straight A's for the first time in my life, and especially doing it my last semester!
It's important to follow your goals throughout life and I'm really trying to stick with mine this time!! Especially since its so close! I know my parents would be crazy proud of me, and thats what keeps me trying to accomplish this specific goal! This coming Wednesday I am going to have 3 weeks off work because the family I nanny for is going to Japan. I am using all the time I have off from work to dedicate to my school work!
Here is my cap that I decorated! :)
Renee
(Blog 19 Free Write)
ONE MONTH FROM TODAY IS GRADUATION! Can you believe it?!? Holy cow!! I know I can't! I have been waiting forever to say this and I truly cannot believe that the final stretch is here! I can see the end...
...the end though...boy does this require a lot of work, effort, and coffee! I swear for this last month I have the most essays, projects and homework assignments I've ever had due! And it does feel like they are all due at once! I've been working so hard that I'm on track to receive a 4.0 and if not very close to it!! Now I'm not one of those straight A, 4.0 students! I've never even been on the deans list (I have been .02 away if that counts for anything) Even in High School I never had straight A's....I always had that one class I struggled with every semester! I've been trying my hardest to get a 4.0 so I can just say I did it and accomplished it! I think I would be the happiest person alive if I could receive straight A's for the first time in my life, and especially doing it my last semester!
It's important to follow your goals throughout life and I'm really trying to stick with mine this time!! Especially since its so close! I know my parents would be crazy proud of me, and thats what keeps me trying to accomplish this specific goal! This coming Wednesday I am going to have 3 weeks off work because the family I nanny for is going to Japan. I am using all the time I have off from work to dedicate to my school work!
Here is my cap that I decorated! :)
Renee
(Blog 19 Free Write)
Difficulty of Finding Jobs Out of State
Hey fellow Bloggers and Readers -
If any of you are out-of-state students, like I am...you might have come to the realization that it is actually really hard to apply for careers in a completely different state than the one you're living in at the moment! It wasn't until recently that I experienced the hardship of this, but I wanted to share a recommendation that I think I have found to be pretty helpful!
I plan to move back to Washington hopefully by the end of May and have been looking into areas of work that I want to really focus on. I've come to the conclusion that I'm really interested in working for "Human Resources Department". After narrowing down which department of a company I was most interested in, the hunt for a career became a little bit easier because I had a little bit more specifics and the job hunt wasn't so broad.
What I found to be extremely helpful was that I googled "companies based in Washington state" rather than "jobs in Seattle" or something along those lines. When I googled "companies based in Washington State" I got a wide range of options. Starbucks, Amazon, Alaska Airlines, Zulily, Expedia, Nordstrom, A Place for Mom, and many others. Most of us have heard of at least a few, if not all of these companies. It wasn't until I goggled this that I realized just how many LARGE companies were based out of the state that I was moving back to. I then went to the each of the websites I was interested in and looked at job positions through the company specifically. For me, it was easier to look up what large companies were based in the area that I would be interested in working for, and go from there.
If you plan on moving to a different state, I suggest googling "companies based in [whatever state]"...it was really helpful and allowed me to find a ton of other companies that I've without d ruby heard of, but did not even know their headquarters were based where I was moving to!
Renee
(Blog 18 Free Write)
If any of you are out-of-state students, like I am...you might have come to the realization that it is actually really hard to apply for careers in a completely different state than the one you're living in at the moment! It wasn't until recently that I experienced the hardship of this, but I wanted to share a recommendation that I think I have found to be pretty helpful!
I plan to move back to Washington hopefully by the end of May and have been looking into areas of work that I want to really focus on. I've come to the conclusion that I'm really interested in working for "Human Resources Department". After narrowing down which department of a company I was most interested in, the hunt for a career became a little bit easier because I had a little bit more specifics and the job hunt wasn't so broad.
What I found to be extremely helpful was that I googled "companies based in Washington state" rather than "jobs in Seattle" or something along those lines. When I googled "companies based in Washington State" I got a wide range of options. Starbucks, Amazon, Alaska Airlines, Zulily, Expedia, Nordstrom, A Place for Mom, and many others. Most of us have heard of at least a few, if not all of these companies. It wasn't until I goggled this that I realized just how many LARGE companies were based out of the state that I was moving back to. I then went to the each of the websites I was interested in and looked at job positions through the company specifically. For me, it was easier to look up what large companies were based in the area that I would be interested in working for, and go from there.
If you plan on moving to a different state, I suggest googling "companies based in [whatever state]"...it was really helpful and allowed me to find a ton of other companies that I've without d ruby heard of, but did not even know their headquarters were based where I was moving to!
Renee
(Blog 18 Free Write)
Strengths of my Organization
Good Evening Fellow Bloggers & Readers -
I feel that within my organization for my internship there are many strength! One of the strengths I think I noticed the most was how important good communication within the workplace is. Without good communication, you are not able to effectively communicate ideas or plans to an individual or group setting. Another strength I noticed within my organization was how effectively people worked together. Much of being a public servant is involved working with others, often in groups. Team work makes an organization more effective because you can come together as a single unit and realize you are collectively working towards the same goal.
Honestly, If I was in charge of a similar organization, I wouldn't do anything differently. I would actually strive to be an organization just like them. The Teamsters were a strength-based organization and created employees who not only worked together effectively, but were emotionally engaged in their work. Their productivity level was very strong as a whole and all the employees had positive attitudes on a daily basis.
Renee
(Blog 17 Strengths)
I feel that within my organization for my internship there are many strength! One of the strengths I think I noticed the most was how important good communication within the workplace is. Without good communication, you are not able to effectively communicate ideas or plans to an individual or group setting. Another strength I noticed within my organization was how effectively people worked together. Much of being a public servant is involved working with others, often in groups. Team work makes an organization more effective because you can come together as a single unit and realize you are collectively working towards the same goal.
Honestly, If I was in charge of a similar organization, I wouldn't do anything differently. I would actually strive to be an organization just like them. The Teamsters were a strength-based organization and created employees who not only worked together effectively, but were emotionally engaged in their work. Their productivity level was very strong as a whole and all the employees had positive attitudes on a daily basis.
Renee
(Blog 17 Strengths)
Monday, March 23, 2015
Due Dates!
Hey Bloggers & Readers -
Since I struggled thinking of what I would write about for next free write blog post, I decided to write about due dates after I looked at many other students blog and came to the realization that a lot of people are a bit behind. Now obviously this isn't intended to rag on anyone or judge, because we all know life happens and emergencies and things come up that, frankly, just take up a lot of our time. And lets be real...a lot of us may have some of that senioritis going around!
The only reason I wanted to write about due dates is because when I went to comment on many other students blog posts for "group 5" for my own grade, it was apparent that on many blogs there was just nothing for me to really comment on! I was a little surprised by this just because many people only had a couple blogs on their page.
I feel like at this point in our academic it is really important to stay focused no matter how tired of school work or work in general we are. We all have busy lives, but we've made it this far and can't afford to let it slip from our fingers!! Staying on top of things will only allow you to feel better and less stressed in the long scheme of things.
49 days till graduation guys...we got this! Good luck with the rest of the semester and lets all finish strong!
Renee
(Blog 16 Free Write)
Since I struggled thinking of what I would write about for next free write blog post, I decided to write about due dates after I looked at many other students blog and came to the realization that a lot of people are a bit behind. Now obviously this isn't intended to rag on anyone or judge, because we all know life happens and emergencies and things come up that, frankly, just take up a lot of our time. And lets be real...a lot of us may have some of that senioritis going around!
The only reason I wanted to write about due dates is because when I went to comment on many other students blog posts for "group 5" for my own grade, it was apparent that on many blogs there was just nothing for me to really comment on! I was a little surprised by this just because many people only had a couple blogs on their page.
I feel like at this point in our academic it is really important to stay focused no matter how tired of school work or work in general we are. We all have busy lives, but we've made it this far and can't afford to let it slip from our fingers!! Staying on top of things will only allow you to feel better and less stressed in the long scheme of things.
49 days till graduation guys...we got this! Good luck with the rest of the semester and lets all finish strong!
Renee
(Blog 16 Free Write)
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