I feel the biggest way the United States Commercial Service demonstrates public service is with the help and assistance we provide local businesses with exporting their goods and services. The services provided by USEAC affect all citizens of the USA and Arizona.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, the U.S. Commercial Service provides various services to local companies looking to export their goods for the first time or to a new country. We help businesses make the necessary contacts in the countries they are interested in so that they may increase their sales, thus stimulating the local economy and helping with potential job growth for the state. When we are able to provide them company with assistance and more often than not, success, we in turn help Arizona and the United States. By increasing United States trade all over the world, we are able to provide a huge public service to the citizens of the United States. When a business increases their trade, and is successful, they tend to grow. That growth requires more employees, larger offices,warehouses, or factories, which in turn creates more jobs.
This is the best thing about having the opportunity to intern with United States Department of Commerce. It is extremely rewarding knowing that I personally have a hand in helping a local business in expanding. My supervisor, Anna, has told me many success stories of the organizations that she has worked with. Our mission is to help these businesses/organizations succeed.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Sisters are doin' it for themselves!
I am so excited for the end of May! I have never mentioned this on my blog, but I have a very large family. It can be rather complicated to explain, but all you need to know is that at the end of May my little sister will be graduating high school and with that my sisters will be traveling back home to Phoenix for the occasion. This will be the first time, most of us will be together again in quite some time. Needless to say, I am waiting in anticipation for May 25th!
My five sisters and I(yup, five!) have been through so much together. They are the most important people in my life. I look up to all of them for different reasons and yes, I even look up to my little sister.
They have been such an incredible source of strength for me when I am at my worst. They encourage, inspire, and motivate me to be my best. I am so extremely grateful to have them in my life.
On May 28th, my little sister will be graduating high school. It feels like just yesterday she was born. Before her I was the baby of the family, I never really understood before she was born how older siblings tend to parent their younger. Now I get it. I am so proud of her on reaching this milestone and have enjoyed seeing the strong, young woman she has become.
Cheers to all those who are graduating this year! Whatever your educational achievement may be!
-S
My five sisters and I(yup, five!) have been through so much together. They are the most important people in my life. I look up to all of them for different reasons and yes, I even look up to my little sister.
They have been such an incredible source of strength for me when I am at my worst. They encourage, inspire, and motivate me to be my best. I am so extremely grateful to have them in my life.
On May 28th, my little sister will be graduating high school. It feels like just yesterday she was born. Before her I was the baby of the family, I never really understood before she was born how older siblings tend to parent their younger. Now I get it. I am so proud of her on reaching this milestone and have enjoyed seeing the strong, young woman she has become.
Cheers to all those who are graduating this year! Whatever your educational achievement may be!
-S
Samantha, Brandy, Brooke, Kara and I.
My "twin" sister, Katie.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
The leader is good! The leader is great! We surrender our will, as of this date!
Simpsons fans will understand my title! :)
Anywho, leadership. Leadership plays a very big role in my internship. At my particular office there is a total of five people. My supervisor Anna, her counterpart Sally, two other interns and myself. We have two there offices in the state, one in downtown Phoenix and the other in Tucson. That being said because our office is so small, we, the interns, are given the responsibility to somewhat manage ourselves. We all three work very well together, but it is rarely in person.
My fellow interns will be leaving at the end of May, which will make me the senior intern at my office. It will be my responsibility to train the new interns. I was recently included in the hiring process of the two new interns. This was an excellent way for me to display my leadership capabilities to my supervisor. Anna gave me full control over the project. I sent emails out to ASU and had the internship description posted to the career services website. All applicants were required to email me directly. I then read through all the resumes and chose those whom were the best qualified for the position. I then contacted all the prospective candidates and set up interviews. Anna and I personally interviewed the top five applicants. She was very impressed with how I set up the interviews and handled the whole process.
My supervisor displays leadership in a number of ways, but one of the biggest displays, I feel, is her ability to delegate to the interns. Anna is responsible for a wide array of portfolios for international trade. By properly delegating tasks to us she is able to serve a very diverse clientele. With her delegation though, she is relying on us to take the initiative to get said tasks done.
Another way, we, as a department display leadership is in the way we represent the United States and the Department of Commerce. For many businesses we are the very first US representative they work with. By making sure we are prompt and professional in how we conduct business, we are able to assist the client in whatever their export needs maybe, and provide them with a sense of security in knowing that we have their back. Which for me is the best way for us to display leadership.
My supervisor displays leadership in a number of ways, but one of the biggest displays, I feel, is her ability to delegate to the interns. Anna is responsible for a wide array of portfolios for international trade. By properly delegating tasks to us she is able to serve a very diverse clientele. With her delegation though, she is relying on us to take the initiative to get said tasks done.
Another way, we, as a department display leadership is in the way we represent the United States and the Department of Commerce. For many businesses we are the very first US representative they work with. By making sure we are prompt and professional in how we conduct business, we are able to assist the client in whatever their export needs maybe, and provide them with a sense of security in knowing that we have their back. Which for me is the best way for us to display leadership.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Oh, hey there Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema and Secretary Pritzker!
The other day I had the pleasure of meeting Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema in my Public Leadership class. She was our guest speaker for the day, and one helluva woman! I was a bit starstruck! I know, I am a nerd. She spoke to us on leadership and how she applies it to working in our extremely divided Congress. It was rather interesting getting to here, first hand, from someone who has a front-row seat at the capitol.
That was on a Tuesday and the very next day I went to my internship, and wouldn't you know it, I got to meet her again!!! Twice in one week! I was on cloud nine all week long!! she spoke at our Arizona District Export Council meeting about the importance of trade and what she wants to do in D.C. to help Arizona increase trade with other countries.
Just last week the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, was in Arizona. She was touring SkySong. My internship is located at SkySong and she stopped by our offices! For a political junkie, like myself, getting the opportunity to meet elected and appointed officials is amazing!
First Kyrsten Sinema, then Secretary Pritzker! Who will be next?!?! The Clintons!! Hey, I can dream! ;)
-S
That was on a Tuesday and the very next day I went to my internship, and wouldn't you know it, I got to meet her again!!! Twice in one week! I was on cloud nine all week long!! she spoke at our Arizona District Export Council meeting about the importance of trade and what she wants to do in D.C. to help Arizona increase trade with other countries.
Just last week the Secretary of the Department of Commerce, Penny Pritzker, was in Arizona. She was touring SkySong. My internship is located at SkySong and she stopped by our offices! For a political junkie, like myself, getting the opportunity to meet elected and appointed officials is amazing!
First Kyrsten Sinema, then Secretary Pritzker! Who will be next?!?! The Clintons!! Hey, I can dream! ;)
-S
Coffee Talk with the Lovely Ms. Anna
My supervisor at the USEAC(United States Export Assistance Center) is the amazing Ms. Anna. Anna is a Senior International Trade Specialist with U.S. Commercial Service. She received her B.S. in Economics from the University of Arizona. Before joining the US Department of Commerce she worked for the US State Departments Economic Bureau in Washington D.C. where she helped negotiated free trade agreements with the United Arab Emirates and South Korea. She is a very talented musician and artist, speaks both french and Spanish, and has traveled the world extensively.
Needless to say, she's quite impressive!
I had the pleasure to sit with Anna and chat about her position, her thoughts on leadership, and any advice she has for someone looking to break into her line of work.
Anna's main responsibilities are to act as a liaison for local businesses that are looking to export their goods and services. She provides them with all the information one may need on how they legally can export from the United States. Not only are the companies responsible of the US end, but they have to make sure everything is legal with the country they are exporting to as well. As Anna says, the USEAC are the 'boots on the ground', the 'first responders' to promote trade.
Anna and her colleagues set up trade missions all over the world. The purpose of the missions are to provide US companies with an opportunity to visit a foreign country, meet local officials, embassy and consulate staff, and make connections with local business owners abroad. The missions are a great way for US companies to find distributors of their products and services. Currently she is working on a trade mission to Mexico.
Anna has been working with the US Department of Commerce for twelve years now. She told me that she loves her job. It provides a great sense of satisfaction because she gets to have a hand in helping increase trade for the United States, provide jobs, and boost the economy. Since she helps local companies mostly, it is also grab to not only be introduced to who and what is in the area, but see them grow and succeed.
I asked her about how does one keep up with all the new laws and agreements countries have when it comes to trade, she said that it can be quite daunting, but that is why it is so important to always be informed about the world at large and to have great interns that can help assist her! :)
I asked her to define leadership/a leader and how she applies it to her life. She defined it leadership as being able to see what needs to be done and doing it. A good leader is a person who sees the problem before it occurs. A good leader is someone who is there to assist those they lead, they do not force or micro-manage. The provide guidance, support, and encouragement. A leader is a person who recognizes when it is time to do what is right versus what is easy.
I really like that. Doing what is right versus what is easy. I think people are so accustomed to taking the easy path over the difficult, even if the easy path is the wrong path.
When asked what one should do to enter her line of work, she said one the best things a person can do is travel! See how people live in other countries. Learn their customs and how things work. Having that knowledge is so powerful and helpful, especially when doing business globally.
I think her career and position is extremely fascinating and absolutely one I would love to have. Like her, getting to increase trade for the country and creating jobs for Americans is a wonderful thing and something I would love to be apart of.
Needless to say, she's quite impressive!
I had the pleasure to sit with Anna and chat about her position, her thoughts on leadership, and any advice she has for someone looking to break into her line of work.
Anna's main responsibilities are to act as a liaison for local businesses that are looking to export their goods and services. She provides them with all the information one may need on how they legally can export from the United States. Not only are the companies responsible of the US end, but they have to make sure everything is legal with the country they are exporting to as well. As Anna says, the USEAC are the 'boots on the ground', the 'first responders' to promote trade.
Anna and her colleagues set up trade missions all over the world. The purpose of the missions are to provide US companies with an opportunity to visit a foreign country, meet local officials, embassy and consulate staff, and make connections with local business owners abroad. The missions are a great way for US companies to find distributors of their products and services. Currently she is working on a trade mission to Mexico.
Anna has been working with the US Department of Commerce for twelve years now. She told me that she loves her job. It provides a great sense of satisfaction because she gets to have a hand in helping increase trade for the United States, provide jobs, and boost the economy. Since she helps local companies mostly, it is also grab to not only be introduced to who and what is in the area, but see them grow and succeed.
I asked her about how does one keep up with all the new laws and agreements countries have when it comes to trade, she said that it can be quite daunting, but that is why it is so important to always be informed about the world at large and to have great interns that can help assist her! :)
I asked her to define leadership/a leader and how she applies it to her life. She defined it leadership as being able to see what needs to be done and doing it. A good leader is a person who sees the problem before it occurs. A good leader is someone who is there to assist those they lead, they do not force or micro-manage. The provide guidance, support, and encouragement. A leader is a person who recognizes when it is time to do what is right versus what is easy.
I really like that. Doing what is right versus what is easy. I think people are so accustomed to taking the easy path over the difficult, even if the easy path is the wrong path.
When asked what one should do to enter her line of work, she said one the best things a person can do is travel! See how people live in other countries. Learn their customs and how things work. Having that knowledge is so powerful and helpful, especially when doing business globally.
I think her career and position is extremely fascinating and absolutely one I would love to have. Like her, getting to increase trade for the country and creating jobs for Americans is a wonderful thing and something I would love to be apart of.
Pre-Law/Pre-Med Information Session
I went to the Pre-law and Pre-med Information Session for my Career service exercise. I would eventually like to to apply to law school, so I thought this was a great opportunity to learn more about the application process.
I have to say it was not all that informative. I already knew most of the information. If anything it was a bit anxiety inducing. The advisor lead the session mentioned how most law students graduate with close to $250,000 of student loans/debt and only land jobs with a starting salary of roughly 60k!
I understand that with a law degree I will have increased my earning ability ten fold, but a quarter of a million dollars of debt, on top of my existing student loans from my undergrad! Its enough to give me a heart attack! Whats even more crazy, is with all that, law school is still, if not ever more, a dream of mine.
So heres to Sallie Mae forever owning my soul! :)
Cheers!
-S
I have to say it was not all that informative. I already knew most of the information. If anything it was a bit anxiety inducing. The advisor lead the session mentioned how most law students graduate with close to $250,000 of student loans/debt and only land jobs with a starting salary of roughly 60k!
I understand that with a law degree I will have increased my earning ability ten fold, but a quarter of a million dollars of debt, on top of my existing student loans from my undergrad! Its enough to give me a heart attack! Whats even more crazy, is with all that, law school is still, if not ever more, a dream of mine.
So heres to Sallie Mae forever owning my soul! :)
Cheers!
-S
H-A-L-L-O-W-E-E-N spells Halloween! Wait? What?
So the other day I was enjoying a drink with my BFF at Lux. If you have not been to Lux, you are truly missing out. It is one my favorite haunts. I highly recommend stopping by.
We were discussing our options for Halloween 2014. But Shane, do you not think it is a bit early to be planning for Halloween? To which I reply with, it is NEVER too early to be planning for Halloween. I usually begin planning, on November 1st. YUPPP!!! The day after. That way it gives me the most amount of time to think of the best costume ever! I take Halloween pretty serious.
I'm not your 'Costume from a bag' kinda guy. I enjoy building my costume piece by piece. I try to make it as authentic as possible. Ya it can get costly, but I find it always makes a huge splash when I step out of the house and hit the town! I will admit it is getting pretty hard to come up with a super sweet costume every year. All the more reason it is critical I begin planning in advance.
V informed me that Halloween this year lands on a Friday! Which means things will be crazy! Holidays in general are always best when they land on the weekends. Not only are more people willing to cut loose, but then you have two days to fully recover. ;) Besides dressing up, it is also exciting going out and seeing others who are just as done up or over the top.
If you are a fan of the holiday, good luck with your costumes and here is to an extremely early, Happy Halloween!
We were discussing our options for Halloween 2014. But Shane, do you not think it is a bit early to be planning for Halloween? To which I reply with, it is NEVER too early to be planning for Halloween. I usually begin planning, on November 1st. YUPPP!!! The day after. That way it gives me the most amount of time to think of the best costume ever! I take Halloween pretty serious.
I'm not your 'Costume from a bag' kinda guy. I enjoy building my costume piece by piece. I try to make it as authentic as possible. Ya it can get costly, but I find it always makes a huge splash when I step out of the house and hit the town! I will admit it is getting pretty hard to come up with a super sweet costume every year. All the more reason it is critical I begin planning in advance.
V informed me that Halloween this year lands on a Friday! Which means things will be crazy! Holidays in general are always best when they land on the weekends. Not only are more people willing to cut loose, but then you have two days to fully recover. ;) Besides dressing up, it is also exciting going out and seeing others who are just as done up or over the top.
If you are a fan of the holiday, good luck with your costumes and here is to an extremely early, Happy Halloween!
Jareth, the Goblin King. From the classic David Bowie film, Labyrinth. Halloween 2011.
JFK and Jackie. Halloween 2012.
Two unlucky souls aboard the Titanic and one First Class passenger. Halloween 2013
Back log!
First and foremost I would like to apologize to my fellow classmates. I have done a rather poor job at keeping up with my posts. My life has been rather chaotic lately and to be 100% honest, this has been a rather trying year for me.
Lets see, where to start since my last post? Well my internship is going great and keeping me super busy. I have also been working quite a bit. Unfortunately for me, I do not get paid at my internship, so a full time job is required. Gotta make those Benjamin's! ;) Like most of you, I have been working and studying diligently for my upcoming finals. I so do look forward to the end of the semester, even with summer school approaching. It's always nice to have another full semester done! Just one step closer to the illusive diploma!
For a returning student, like myself, school feels as if it is taking forever and a day to complete. That being said, I am glad I did not attend college when I was 18. I had no idea what I wanted to study. I know so many people who say that if they had it to do over they would not have picked the degree they did. When I was 18, I was all over the place. Now at 26, I am more focused. Focused on what I want for my life, not to say I don't have days of doubt, but I feel as if I have a better sense of direction.
Hope all is well with my fellow bloggers! Until next time!
-S
Lets see, where to start since my last post? Well my internship is going great and keeping me super busy. I have also been working quite a bit. Unfortunately for me, I do not get paid at my internship, so a full time job is required. Gotta make those Benjamin's! ;) Like most of you, I have been working and studying diligently for my upcoming finals. I so do look forward to the end of the semester, even with summer school approaching. It's always nice to have another full semester done! Just one step closer to the illusive diploma!
For a returning student, like myself, school feels as if it is taking forever and a day to complete. That being said, I am glad I did not attend college when I was 18. I had no idea what I wanted to study. I know so many people who say that if they had it to do over they would not have picked the degree they did. When I was 18, I was all over the place. Now at 26, I am more focused. Focused on what I want for my life, not to say I don't have days of doubt, but I feel as if I have a better sense of direction.
Hope all is well with my fellow bloggers! Until next time!
-S
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