As the semester comes to a close, our team is getting closer and closer to finishing our work with Caras con Causa, preparing to pass the torch to the next cohort of students. This spring has gone by in a flash (and with it, the rest of my college career), and I am eager to see what the future holds for the LabCom project (and, truthfully, myself as well). I anticipate that the future will consist of a number of different interviews for me, in which I will proudly recount my experience in the Global Service Learning course here at Pitt and all of the invaluable skills I have gained throughout the program. In the interest of interview preparation, I thought I would list some of these skills and highlights at the beginning of my reflection.
Communication
I feel that this program has had the biggest impact on my communication skills in a variety of ways. I believe I mentioned in my first blog post that I am a pretty shy individual, and it can take a lot for me to feel comfortable with meeting new people and socializing often. I have to admit, I was a bit worried about how I would handle not having as much alone time as I’m used to, as I have gotten very used to living alone during this past school year. Though it was definitely an adjustment for me, I found that being very communicative about my feelings and sharing with others helped me a lot to overcome this. Communication was absolutely key on this trip, especially when trying to coordinate things like activities or meeting times between our group. The same goes for discussions surrounding our project back in Pittsburgh; communicating about our expectations, individual schedules, and strengths has helped us work on our project incredibly smoothly. Not only was I able to communicate effectively with my team, but I also strengthened my professional communication skills, both in Spanish and English. I found that our meetings with Michael and Juan gave me a great insight on how client meetings should go, and the fact that those conversations went so well definitely stuck with me. I also had the opportunity to interview other members of the team at CARAS (Yorelyz and Julio) regarding another project that I am working on about the mangroves in Puerto Rico. One of these interviews was done in Spanish, which I was nervous about at first, but it ended up being one of my favorite memories from the trip. I learned so much about the mangroves and really strengthened both my listening and speaking skills during that discussion. Overall, I had so many different conversations that made an impact on both my professional and personal communication, which come together to compliment each other perfectly. I’m really grateful that I had the opportunity to talk to so many people and put myself out of my comfort zone in this way; it really always pays off!
Collaboration
Building off of communication, I think that this experience really strengthened my skills in collaboration and teamwork as well. Like I mentioned briefly in the last paragraph, our group was not just collaborating to complete our assignment during this experience. Throughout the trip, we were working together to get to dinner on time, decide on last-minute plans, and help each other out when we needed an extra boost. The entire time that we were in Puerto Rico, we had to work together as a team and not just go through the experience as individuals. As a very introverted person, this was definitely intimidating at first, but I think we did a really great job at it as a group. We really had to rely on one another while we were on the island, and I think this element of camaraderie has certainly helped us better collaborate in completing the remainder of our project.
Adaptability
The last resume skill I wanted to touch on was adaptability. Although we did stick closely to our itinerary in a lot of ways, we definitely had some curveballs thrown at us in terms of our schedule throughout the trip. We would always have an idea of what we would be doing the afternoon before (which helped a lot in terms of picking out an outfit to wear), but there were certainly times that we needed to be a bit more flexible and open to doing something different. One thing that sticks out to me was one of our first service projects, which was stripping and repainting a metal fence in the very very hot sun. I think that we knew going into it that we were doing a service activity, but I, for one, did not expect to get covered in paint chips and slightly sunburned in the process. I remember feeling slightly frustrated at first (mostly overstimulated from the sweat and paint chips and sunscreen), but as time went on, I realized that the work that we were doing would take up a short amount of our time, but it would mean a lot to the woman who lived there. In talking to her, I found that she seemed so eager to get the project done and almost frustrated that she wasn’t able to do it on her own. In times where plans changed, I reminded myself of all of the amazing conversations and experiences I might get out of it that I wouldn’t have before. I was very proud of my ability to always see the bright side on our trip, and I think my mindset allowed me to quickly adapt to wherever our trip was taking us next.
If I were to talk about this trip in an interview, which I likely will very soon, I would talk about the way that it has expanded my knowledge about the non-profit sector, Puerto Rico, myself, my identity, and the world in general. I cannot express enough how much perspective on the world around me I believe this experience has given me. I would talk about how I discovered that I have a passion and love for ecology and sustainability that I hadn’t quite uncovered yet, and how the collectiveness of Caras con Causa’s initiatives has inspired me to work on a team like theirs. I would talk about how this trip made me realize that my identity is my own and no one else’s, and how that has given me the strength to walk into every room with purpose and confidence in myself. In terms of hard skills, my work on my deliverable has greatly improved my writing and research skills, along with showing me a new perspective on how the pandemic affected the entire globe. As a 2020 high school graduate, this information was extremely eye-opening to me. Finally, this experience helped me explore the world of consulting and client-focused work, giving me essential skills on how to build and maintain healthy client relationships. The skills and knowledge I have gained throughout the past 14 weeks have hit just about every category for me, and I’ve seen immense growth in myself professionally, academically, and personally.
After re-reading my first blog post, written way before I would finally get to travel to the place where my grandma was born, I am proud to say that my feelings have stayed the same, and most of my expectations have become reality. One thing that stood out to me in my previous post was my emphasis on how excited I was that the work we would be doing could actually make an impact. Although the program has not started yet, I have 100% confidence that when it kicks off, it will be a success, bringing new opportunities for Caras that will ultimately benefit kids like the ones we met during spring break. I think this ties into our discussions at the beginning of the class in regards to the difference between service learning and volunteer work. I think that the sheer amount of time and effort put into preparing for this trip made it a much more beneficial experience for both parties than a one-off volunteer experience might have. Knowing that this project will be continued and in good hands for the future makes me all the more confident that we can truly make a difference. It was clear that Pitt and CARAS already had a great relationship before our group, which gives me even more trust and excitement to see where this project goes in the next few years.
My Advice
To the Fall 2024 team that will be working with CARAS:
- Preparation before departure is SO IMPORTANT. Open your mind to learning new things about the culture to be a more respectful and aware visitor.
- Caras con Causa has been waiting a long time to get this program rolling and has definitely experienced some obstacles along the way. Make big moves next year, get the ball rolling!
- When you are on the island, talk to as many people as you can. It will probably be good to learn some Spanish if you don’t know it already, but either way, you can have some amazing conversations that will stick with you.
I would like to express again how grateful I am for this program and all of the amazing things it has given me. When I say I can’t put into words what this experience has meant to me, I mean it. And thank you to Pitt Business for a wonderful four years of college! See you on the flip side…
¡Yo soy Boricua, pa’que tú lo sepas!