Analyst- Point B
Coming soon!
Consultant- Hitachi Consulting
This position has been a wild ride. I'm working in an area of business, ad research, that I didn't know existed before I started at Hitachi, let alone that people get masters degrees in it. Each week is different with some crazy busy and others more relaxed, trying to get everything done that I am not able to during the busy weeks. Since starting in April 2017 I've:
- made slides for the CMO, CEO, and other c-suite members of a Fortune 50 tech company
- managed a $10 million budget
- worked with some of the funniest, most dedicated, and inspiring people I've ever worked with
- learned a lot more about ads, particularly tech ads, surveys, and market research than I ever thought I'd know
Customer Experience Intern- Group Health
Over this summer was the first time that I really felt like an intern; I was the youngest, knew the least, and I lacked experience and specialized knowledge. It was humbling and inspiring to see how much there is to learn. I was a part of an incredible team that provided me with the opportunities to become involved in Agile dev projects, data analysis and visualization, research, social media, annual reporting, and so much more.
- We valued laughing and sharing stories as much as getting work done.
- As an intern I was able to ask basic questions, as well as ones that needed to be asked but no one was asking.
- I loved being able to spend my day looking up company's Twitter and Facebook accounts to see if we could use them as a template and a guide for our projects.
- After working abroad, with a tiny non-profit, and in a research/lab setting, it was exciting and a welcome change of pace to work in South Lake Union, surrounded by Amazon buildings and employees. Beyond my actual work, sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week in an office building was its own learning experience where I discovered the value of lunchtime walks.
Student Assistant- UW CFAR
While this job and this school year were probably the most challenging that I had at UW, I really enjoyed myself and this job. It was a constant give and take working 19 hours a week, spending 5 hours commuting, and trying to study and get my homework done. But it all turned out just fine and having less overall time in the week made me much more conscious of how I spend my time. Some little things that I noticed or learned are:
- The people I worked with were very well educated and accomplished research scientists, but walking down the street you wouldn't be able to tell them from anyone else. They were kind, nice people that have inspired me to always be as interested in and dedicated to my work as they are.
- While the projects that I worked on were not all that complicated, I learned a lot about the internal workings of the university, various scientific grants, Institutional Review Boards, and the amount of behind the scenes work that it takes for a research project to be successful.
- I worked with people who have been all over the world or are from various locations here, there, and everywhere. I loved the diversity, being able to hear their stories, and it makes me excited that one day I will be in the position where they are.
Project Supervisor- AMIGOS (link to slideshow)
The link above goes to a slideshow with pictures and comments, but I have a condensed version of my summer working as a Project Supervisor for AMIGOS here.
- This was the summer of uncertainty from communicating in a familiar language but a new (read strong) accent, and finding my way around when I didn't know where I was supposed to be going, to wondering what might happen next.
- I succeeded in supporting my volunteers to take charge of their summer and cooking dinner for 25 people when everyone else had something more important to do, but for each success there were many failures like having a community member translate my Spanish into Dominican Spanish, not asking for help when I needed it, and countless awkward conversations.
- I became brutally aware of injustices in the world. Some of the people I met, had they been born in the U.S., would be successful leaders in politics, business, and education but because of where they were born, their gender, income, or color of their skin, their lives are drastically different.
- I learned and took to heart the mantra that if I had been at home, my summer would not have always been perfect, happy, and fun and there's no reason why I should've expected being in the Dominican Republic to be that way. No matter where I am, I will always have moments of frustration and sadness, as well as happiness and joy.
Grant Analyst- One Day's Wages (ODW)
This was my first real, professional job, and one that I will always hold dear.
- We had a great time. In a small office space, we knew each other well and were always cracking jokes with each other.
- I loved what I was doing. It was the perfect combination of analysis, looking up evidence, building my knowledge of what projects were a good fit for ODW, and better understanding the impact of similar programs in the past.
- If there weren't any projects that needed to be worked on, or I needed a break from those, I would end up with over 30 tabs open on my computer looking for small, community based NGOs that could be a possible fit for ODW.
- I learned that I thrive in an environment where my work has an impact.
- I felt valued and that my contributions were important. Philip, my supervisor respected my opinion. With projects, he set me on the right track and then let me go to see what I could do. I could see the product of my efforts when our Board of Directors approved a new project and we were able to send our grant to our new partner that I had found.
University Book Store
I worked during the rush to buy textbooks at the beginning of the quarter, during the holidays, and during author readings and signings. There were so many little things I loved and learned while working at the bookstore:
- People are very happy when they are seeing their favorite author. Their happiness and excitement is contagious. The opposite is true for people buying hundreds of dollars of textbooks.
- So many people come through the bookstore to buy their textbooks and holiday gifts. It's fantastic people watching and a fun challenge for myself to see how efficient I can be while still providing the customer with an enjoyable experience.
- If you do have to buy textbooks or gifts, never come at lunchtime, always about an hour or 30 minutes before closing.
Babysitting
While this isn't on my resume, I think it is worth mentioning. It was a big part of my life for the past ten years and something that I've enjoyed doing greatly.
- I was doing something different than school. Seeing the world through a 2-year-old's perspective was always a good break from econometrics homework, reading about development theory, or working on a research paper.
- This point goes for all of my jobs, not just babysitting: they get me out there, make me have things on my calendar, meet people, and have experiences that I normally wouldn't have it I hadn't put the effort in.
- Babysitting was fun. The kids were great and I made my own hours. The people I worked for were wonderful and they've been incredibly helpful professional contacts.
- Most of all, I've learned patience because sometimes kids cry, but it doesn't help to get mad. Or if I'm walking, rather than get flustered because I am in a rush and stuck behind a meandering young walker, I've learned to appreciate that this walk is a lot newer to them than it is to me.