My Stories:

Blog: A Creative Thinker

I have been very interested in the interviewing process for the projects that I have been participating in. Some have been more difficult than others for a variety of reasons. I work full-time job with typical banker’s hours that can make it difficult to speak with working professionals. I also go to school and try to maintain a shred of a social life, which means time becomes a real commodity for me.

I have been forced to learned that time management can be the difference between doing OK work and great work. I also have learned that people want to comment and share opinions, ideas and interests with others. When they find out they’ll be written about, they become excited that their beliefs and ideas might reach a broader audience that they would not normally be able to obtain by sharing with their friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

In addition, I feel I found another connection to my community as I search for people to interview about topics that I’ve chosen or been assigned. I love to talk, ask questions and participate, and this has only fueled the hunger I have to connect with people around me. The assignments I have received in my COMM 1610 class, Introduction to News Writing, have given me a broader understanding of how to interview, see the perspective of the media and apply new skills to the workplace in hopes to become a better employee and citizen of my community.

Bio

Samuel is a creative thinker who has managerial experience in the professional office environment and is currently working as an assistant learning and development manager for a department inside one of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ organization. He is an instructional designer by trade and an expert presenter/instructor in the corporate field. Samuel believes in professionalism. This is where his roots lie, with strengths in being an interpersonal communicator and being able to stand out or speak up even when others may not. One of his weaknesses is over-participating in different activities and projects where others might want their own space. He is a focused person who believes in delivering results and is not afraid of feedback nor failing, but he welcomes the opportunity to improve.

Samuel has participated in many projects that have influenced his workplace and community. He is a board member of his Home Owners Association, volunteers at the homeless shelter and is actively involved with his extended family. In the workplace, Samuel feels a positive sense of camaraderie and is passionate about helping his colleagues succeed. Even in his position he tries to understand and peruse different projects that will enhance employee engagement and participation. Samuel has developed tools and processes that have increased productivity, enhanced work flows and improved communications. He has managed a Learning Management System with more than 500 active courses with more than 200 monthly individual enrollments, developed a tool for a department that reduced improper behavior in a call center office setting by 75% and has co-facilitated a leadership development training series for more than 500 employees.

In addition to his developing career, Samuel is currently a student at the University of Utah and believes he has been developing a deeper understanding of what it means to capture the media and hopes that his newly acquired interviewing and writing skills will take his career to the next level. He believes the skill of developing questions for a specific person can help him better understand who people are and what they are about. Samuel continues to find new avenues to apply these new skills to his professional career to aid in his enthusiastic endeavor of helping people in the workplace succeed.

Filed under: Student-Journalists |