Vice President Scharman

1. I think that the lessons I learned can be applied in a variety of ways. One thing that she discussed that stuck out to me was to put your family first and then line up your priorities after that. I have heard many stories of people who have not put their family first and then they end their lives with a great career but family relationships that are lacking. I don't want that to happen. I think that it really is important to make time for family, because in the end it is relationships that we will take with us. I also really loved that she talked about the Family Proclamation. When Vice President Scharman reminded us that each word was worked on, it really was a witness to how important the family is to the leaders of the Church, and by extension, the Savior.

2. Obviously working in BYUSA is not comparable to a marriage, but I think I have learned lessons that will transfer to that phase of my life. We are all very different people, but we have made it work. One thing that has been key is that we have always just been ourselves. You can't pretend to be someone you aren't. I have also learned that if you have a problem, you just need to say it. You have to be tactful, but it is silly to ignore the problem. Leading out in my home means that I need to take an active role in communication. I also think being unified with my husband will be extremely important. The Lord has taught, "if ye are not one ye are not mine." No one can be successful without being unified. Unity doesn't come immediately though, and I think that one thing that really contributes is trust. If everyone in a group (or in this case, my future family) can trust one another, they can be much more effective and successful.

Dean Heperi

1. One way I have tried to show my love to those I work with is by listening. Sometimes I have found that stewardship time is best spent talking about the things that are going on in their lives instead of BYUSA things. Another way I have tried to show my love is by spending time with my program directors outside of the office. Relationships are built through spending time together. A third way I try to show my love is by expressing appreciation. When we express appreciation as it is due, we can work together better.

2. I had a program director at the end of summer term who had too much on his plate. He was a SAC rep, pre-med, starting his own business, and taking 17 credits. I was struggling to tell him that it wasn't really working out, but it needed to happen. I prayed a lot before the conversation happened, and it went really well. I made sure to emphasize the good points of what he was doing and then move the conversation to what needed to change. He was receptive to what I told him and we were able to fix what needed to be fixed.

Mythbusters: Career Edition

1. When I first came to BYU I was convinced that I wanted to major in Political Science. Then I was convinced that I wanted to do biology, and then special ed, and the list goes on and on. It got to the point that Brandon would ask me, "So what's your major this week?" He was joking, but it was quite true! I was so excited when I got to college that I just couldn't settle on one particular major. Some of the classes I have taken persuaded me one way or another. When I thought that I wanted to do biology I took PDBIO 120, and that class was way too hard for me! That major exposed me to a career path that I learned I did not want to follow. My first semester I took a Career Exploration class, and that was really useful to me. Through taking the different personality tests my eyes were opened to different possibilities. Another favorite class was Intro to International Relations. I was convinced that I wanted to be a diplomat. In the end though, I went with English, which is one of my first loves. :)

2. I giggled a little bit when I heard the myth, "When I find my calling, work will be bliss." That is just not true. Life is hard, even if you are doing something that you love. You can control your surroundings (for the most part) but you cannot control those around you. I think that when you find something you love you will be happy, but life will not be perfect. I think that we can find joy in the hard troubles though. I know that when I accomplish something really difficult, I feel a sense of joy that I can't get from anything else. We can find happiness in hard work.

President Samuelson

1. I think that it was very appropriate that he told us not to wait to serve until we are less busy, I'm not so sure that will happen any time soon! I was talking to my mom and she told me that while my life right now is very busy and full, it will only become more so when I get married and start my family. Over the weekend I watched with amazement while she filled many responsibilities and roles. I think that in order to serve we need to pray for those opportunities. Being able to work on Redefine Service this year (even though it has been off to four slow starts :) ) has taught me that we all have time to serve, even if it is in small ways. I think that one of the best ways to prepare is to serve right now. If we are in the habit now, then we will be more likely to do so in the long run.

2. I liked the story he shared referring to the lawn mowing. I have felt the same way that he described and have been guilty of doing something myself that I probably should have delegated. Lately I have been trying harder to delegate and my life has become a lot easier since I did that. :) Whenever I think about delegating in leadership I think of when Joseph Smith said, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."Once I was sure that my PDs had all the knowledge they needed they were good to go and I became more of a resource. I think that this will carry to future responsibilities. As long as I give them all the training they need, it will all work out.

Career Fair

On January 25th I had the opportunity to go to the Career Fair. It seemed that most of the job possibilities there were focused on business-oriented majors, so I walked in expecting that I wouldn't really be able to do much. Thankfully, I was wrong. I talked to HELP International and a few other programs that focus on teaching. Since I am going into education, these were interesting prospects to me.

Although I'm not looking for a job at this moment because graduation is still a few years away, this was still a great experience. I am so glad that we were required to update our resumes, because I think that creating a solid resume is a huge selling point. Often that can be the first thing that a potential employer will see, and it needs to be a good first impression. Making a good first impression is another skill that I got to practice at the career fair. I watched the way that different people approached the booth, the way that they addressed the presenter, and also how they presented themselves.

I realized that there are a few aspects of the career fair that I wasn't 100% prepared for. One thing that I think is crucial is your "elevator pitch." This is an important principle whether you are giving your pitch about yourselves or not. I have developed my own pitch when I present each of my programs and also BYUSA as a whole. People don't want to listen to a long speech, and so it is important to be able to present the key points quickly.