Taking this GSL course has taught me one of the biggest lessons I have learned: be curious. This is a powerful tool to have because it can provide you with so much knowledge, while also helping build relationships with people. From one of our class readings titled “What Should be Learned from Service Learning” by Michael Delli Carpini and Scott Keeter, I greatly enjoyed a quote that I have thought about often throughout the past few months, and seems to apply to my life more and more each day: “Being informed increases the likelihood that a citizen will have opinions about the issues of the day and that those opinions will be stable over time and consistent with each other. It produces opinions that are arguably more closely connected to one’s values, beliefs, and objective conditions.” I have always been one to enjoy books and documentaries about people and places, but being physically present seems to make these values and beliefs so much stronger. Being curious is truly a way to discover important aspects of yourself, while also being more educated about the world around you.
Another lesson I have learned is the importance of teamwork. This is the most time I’ve spent on a group project, and feels the most similar to teams that I will likely be on throughout my career. It is crucial that everyone puts in effort and that all the responsibility does not lay in one person’s hands. Furthermore, in a situation like this, there is no hierarchy, so rules should be established about members’ roles and what should be present with each member. “Principles of Effect Project Team Management” by Tricia Goss discusses some of the characteristics of what makes a successful project: having team players and self-starters, being influential and motivational, having skills and experience, being dependable, having communication skills, being committed, thinking creatively, and being supportive.
Looking back on my first two blogs, I realized how much I have learned. My excitement was palpable, and I am happy to say that my experience was just as good as I had hoped, if not better. One thing that I was hoping to do while in-country but did not, due to time constraints, was having a discussion with Nature Seekers about the previous projects that Pitt completed and to check if they were implemented or if they no longer use them and for what reason. Having two days cut from the itinerary made it difficult to do everything we originally planned, but we were lucky enough to have some great people work to help us fit almost everything onto the new itinerary!
Some of the transferable skills that have been developed this semester from this program include adaptability and flexibility. When we were in Trinidad, we were told that we were going to be giving a presentation in two hours that we did not know about. My group worked extremely hard during that time to put together a 1.5 hour long presentation, which ended up being a success. We were able to get feedback from those who were listening and improve it for one of our final deliverables. I quickly adapted to this situation by focusing on what needed to be done and how we were going to present. This experience also made me realize that I can succeed in high-pressure situations, speak to a large group of people for an extended period of time, and work closely with a group of people to try and provide the best results possible – simply by focusing on the task at hand. These skills are important for my professional life because they apply to any industry, organization, or position, which is perfect while I am trying to figure out the first full-time job in my career. I am confident that this experience will stick with me for a long time, reminding me what I am capable of in a professional environment.
This project has proven how valuable relationships really are in a professional/academic setting. In the beginning of the course, we were informed on the projects that were done with Nature Seekers in years past and what is expected for us to maintain the relationship. Pitt’s existing relationship with them helped tremendously with getting our project started. For example, part of our deliverable is to deliver training on grant writing, which none of us have ever done before. A student from the 2024 Trinidad group had previously studied grant writing and had a book on it that he gave to us. He also gave us advice specific to Trinidad and how to succeed in this program, which was a great help in both the project and the traveling aspect of the course.
Continuing with our project will hopefully strengthen Pitt’s relationship with Nature Seekers, because I truly feel as though we soaked up everything we could while we were in-country by asking questions, building relationships, and getting to know both individuals and Matura as a whole. I believe that our positive attitudes and genuine eagerness to learn did not go unnoticed, which are two big aspects from our group that I hope will carry on with the next.
I would explain this project in an interview by discussing the scope of work, and how it was something that was relatively new to me. I had taken a course in Project Management, but this was the first time I would be delivering training to someone else, so I really had to think outside the box and frame things in ways that are easy to understand, especially for those with limited experience with project management. I would mention the transferable skills, as explained previously, that I had gained and/or strengthened throughout this experience and relate it to the position for which I am applying. This course has been so expansive and has given me so many different situations that are applicable to questions I may get in an interview, such as “tell me about a time when…” Not only am I giving them an answer to their question, I am doing it in a way that shows my passion towards the things that I care about and how much effort I put into my work.
One of the most important pieces of advice I can give is to have the majority of your deliverables, or at least a base of all of them, before you get in-country. It is so much easier to communicate face-to-face and get a stronger understanding of what our clients are looking for after meeting everyone and actually seeing the organization in person. So by having most of your work done halfway through the program, you can spend this time tweaking what you have and also just enjoying your time in-country and getting to know Nature Seekers without being super stressed about doing work over spring break. This also helps prepare you for any unknowns that may arise, so you at least have a baseline of what to talk about with the clients.
Another piece of advice I have is related to the travel aspect of the trip. Don’t check your bags! You will only be in Trinidad for about a week and there are no direct flights from Pittsburgh, so the risk of losing it is not really worth the benefit of having ample clothes to wear. Four of us did not have luggage for over four days, so by the time we got it, I realized that most of what I packed really was not necessary. This was a big learning experience for me. However, I don’t foresee any of the future groups having the bad luck that we had that week!
That takes me to my last piece of advice: smile at the good, and laugh at the bad. While we had some misfortunes on our trip, our mindset at the end of the day was still “hey at least we’re in Trinidad!” Of course that does not take into account the two days we were stranded in Houston, but that itself was laughable. This whole experience is great for bonding, but nothing bonds you more than the bad. It’s easy to get overwhelmed having such a packed schedule in a new country, but it goes by so fast, so it’s important to try to take it all in and appreciate your surroundings. The beauty of Trinidad was unbelievable. I’ve been back for over a month now, and I still look at the pictures I took of nature all the time!
This has been my favorite class at Pitt, and I am so happy I got to finish my college career with this experience. We had a wonderful team, program manager, professor, client, and partner to help make this course unforgettable. I am sad to almost be finished with this program, but eager to hand over our deliverables to Nature Seekers. Thank you for taking the time to read my last Pitt blog!