This final reflection marks an end to the Trinidad journey! Bittersweet, I have reflected back at the efforts and experiences that came from our project and realized the invaluable academic, professional, and individual skills that I have been able to gain. It is incredible to me how much we were able to learn and accomplish in only one semester. Coming from a multicultural background, I have lived and learned the likes of cultural diversity. But, before starting this program, I knew very little about Trinidad and Tobago, as I have never been exposed to their culture or ever met anyone from there. This is partly what intrigued me to choose Trinidad in the first place as it was adventuring into the unknown. With that, I embraced the new experiences, environments, and cultures around me with minimal expectations. What I have been able to learn from this course far surpassed my initial presumptions. Mainly because I did not realize a lot of the teaching and skills that we would analyze and put into practice would have such a long term impact on me as a growing professional and student.
Reflecting on my skills from the start to the end of the semester, I feel that my collaboration, communication, and adaptability skills have significantly grown. Although as a business student I have done several group projects in the past, learning about group collaboration through our readings and discussions within consulting taught me great insight about working with others in an efficient and effective way. Reflecting off the reading “Building an Ethical Partnership”, some of the key takeaways included being proactive in order to build trust and ethically manage different challenges. Also, learning how to co-create individually by practicing transparent communication and shared leadership, by acknowledging a group where all team members come from different backgrounds, skills, and ethical perspectives. During our time at the Fondes Amandes Reforestation Organization, we were taught that everyone can be resourceful in any situation. As our team continues to work on our deliverables, we have aided through one another developing our own values and resources that we can provide to better serve the project equally. Another article that resonated with me was “Developing Intercultural Competence by Participating in Intensive Service Learning”, where we expanded on the importance of adaptation in communication.
Trinidad values authenticity and getting to know someone well before engaging into a professional relationship. Oftentimes, it is seen as an important foundation towards building a meaningful collaboration. The cultural norm challenged me too slow down, be more present in conversations, and adjust my usual communication habits to build trust first. Practicing this adaptability, I believe this will be especially valuable as a professional in the future as it has strengthened my communication skills to be able to adapt with other kinds of cultures engagements and international environments. I now feel more confident and comfortable to connect with others of different backgrounds, which will hopefully broaden more networks and connections to grow in my future endeavors.
At the start of our project, my mindset on our deliverables were merely focused on the technical and strategic aspects. Researching online booking systems and different softwares that would work within our client’s constraints and accessibility. In my last two blogs I mentioned that the expected challenge for me individually would be to adapt to their communication and for the project, would be to generate increased bookings. Post trip, I realized the deeper value of our work and collaboration with NatureSeekers. Throughout the week’s in-country experience and service learning, I was able to change my perspectives on the project, shifting to the importance of working towards co-creating solutions together with the clients to expand a valuable mission and making a positive impact for Trinidad’s community. I did not anticipate the profoundness of Nature Seeker’s effects on its community through witnessing their passion for community enrichment with education, employment, volunteering, and nature conservations. Along with the foundational relationships that are built to support one another in reciprocity. This was a huge turning point for me, as it fueled my motivation to provide strong deliverables for NatureSeekers after having the opportunity to live within their environment and work within their organization.
These skill also reflects the relationships between Pitt and NatureSeekers in Trinidad as relationships were especially important in the content of this project for us. Having those existing partnerships provided a strong foundation, aligning with an already established familiarity and trust. For our group continuing collaboration, helped to strengthen that connection of commitment and reliability. Most importantly, while we work towards implementing technology advancements for NatureSeekers, they are in return providing long lasting skills and experiences to us Pitt students.
The best way I would explain this service learning project during an interview would be by highlighting the professional skills utilized and efforts of achievements. I would start with introducing the project as an international consulting project with a nonprofit organization in Trinidad and Tobago, where my team consulted with finding and implementing a digital booking system to help expand their eco-tourism offerings and mission. Emphasizing that beyond the technical work, I navigated cross cultural communication, built ethical partnerships, and practiced adaptability in a dynamic, real world setting.
For the future students that will be embarking on this project in Trinidad, I hope that you embrace all parts of your efforts and experiences as much as possible, and as much as our group did. Although it can get overwhelming at times to manage both being present and efficient in the course while maintaining other classes at the same time, take the time to enjoy the works of the project and in country traveling as the semester will fly by before you realize. One of the most rewarding parts of this experience was getting to know all the team members of NatureSeekers, not just as professionals but as individuals. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, have conversations beyond the project, and share laughter! There will be downtime during the day and while being out on the beach where opportunities to engage with NatureSeekers and your team will be open and valuable. Because of this, our group was able to learn more about one another at the same time, and it made working on the project even more memorable. Working with a community like NatureSeekers is so much more than just completing deliverables, but contributing to something impactful and learning more and more along the way. Lastly, stay open minded and adaptable in the environment, as things may change, but it is all part of the process.
Currently, we are preparing for our final presentation, pulling together all the exertions learned and utilized from the entire semester and in travel experience. As the semester is almost coming to an end, I want to express my deepest gratitude to my team and everyone who made this experience more meaningful than ever imagined. Thank you to Bryan and Phil for your guidances and teachings in this course in support of our growth and future. As well as the Global Service Learning for creating such a unique opportunity to learn beyond the classroom and make a real impact. Lastly, thank you to NatureSeekers for welcoming us in kindness in contribution to your important mission. It would be impossible for me to convey in this blog alone how much I was able to take away and grasp from this project, but I will carry the skills, relationships, and memories from this experience wherever I go.
