Personal Narrative: My Time With The SRT Team

Hinds Community College has undoubtedly enabled me to grow as both a student and a leader during my time enrolled. My passion has always lie in the film and media industry, which made Hind’s film program the perfect choice for me. Before entering this program my skills were unrefined, but now I have been given the knowledge to pursue a career in the film industry with the confidence in my ability to complete any necessary job. Since joining this program, I have become the Media Associate at First Ridgeland Baptist church in charge of all video projects, the sole video contractor for Harmonic Audio and Concert Production which is a multi-state concert production company, the lead contractor for a major theater

The growth I have experienced while attending Hinds has forever altered my life’s course. When I first came to Hinds I was a sickly dual enrollment student who could not even begin to bear the thought of speaking in front of an audience. A diagnosis of Crohn’s disease turned me from an outgoing and involved high school student into a bedridden recluse. The various programs and clubs on campus combined with my everyday classes allowed me the opportunity to improve not only my public speaking skills, but also my leadership abilities. Hinds gave me an opportunity to return to my original self through education, the Honors Program and Phi Theta Kappa (PTK).

Served as the Command Combat System Senior Enlisted and Combat Systems Training Team (CSTT) through (2) FRTP cycles which included scenario development, training and execution supporting the operational commander mission and objectives for FST-U, FST-GC, and FST-J. Specifically, oversaw operator configuration, scenario setup,

To start off the trip to Rapid, we would get in the car, and drive to a Cenex to fill up on snacks, drinks, and gas. My best friend would get Root Beer and Pringles. I would get M&M’s and Cherry Sprite. We would get in the car, after we filled it up with gas, put on our favorite music, and start the second stretch of the trip.

Senior project has definitely been a defining moment for me in my high school career. Senior project is basically a project all about what you want to be when you grow up, along with a few extra topics. I chose neurology and The BRAIN Initiative as my career and topic. I accomplished many things throughout this long process. I also gained so much knowledge about neurology

Interviewing Rad made it clear to me the reason of miscommunication between us. Recognizing the similarity of my own childhood trauma experience with him was the key to help me comprehend my struggle as the future therapist with working with traumatized children. As Robbie Adler-Tapia (2012) wrote about relationship between therapist and a child: “ this is valuable information because the therapist’s reactions to the child, often labeled countertransference, are likely a good representation of the child’s experience of being in the world and in relationship with others. (p.53)

Throughout the fiscal year I was working as member of both teams Read and Blue. Time spent in Blue team allowed me to get knowledge in technical and functional areas needed to support DC4. Working in Red team I got a chance to navigate thru ambiguous situations, from working on many different applications and various different front line cases.

“Wow. High school”. This is what I thought as I got ready to attend Link Crew. I was nervous, excited, and looking forward to finally be attending FVHS. As I entered school on the day of Link Crew, the nervousness soon faded away. I was greeted by members of the Link Crew team as I arrived, and their super positive attitudes quickly affected me in a good way. I knew I was ready to start my journey of high school, and I was very glad I chose Fountain Valley. After listening to the principal and other administrators speak in the gym, I became even more excited. Their energy and enthusiasm showed me that they really cared for their students and wanted us to succeed. Once I got into my group with my two Link Crew leaders, we headed to a class.

A project that I have managed was a senior capstone project which involved extensively researching a psychologist and present a complete presentation to the psychology department heads at Virginia Commonwealth University. As the project manager on the senior capstone project I encountered several difficulties and problems that required an innovated approach to team management. My group included of a total of four group members, these group members assumed as project led I would complete our group project without any help. I used my experience that I gained from working at PepsiCo to motivate my team members into all of us working together. I organized a group meeting to get to know each other by leading a communication exercise among the group

This past summer I was accepted to be a Link Crew Leader. The main goal of a link crew leader is to introduce the incoming freshmen to the school and make them feel less intimidated. We took a few days out of the summer to work with a group of incoming freshman and walk them around the campus to familiarize them with where they will be the next four years of their life. Coming in as a freshman can be very daunting; a new territory that you know nothing about is scary. As a link crew leader, I made sure that the new students felt at home and were comfortable at their new school. Throughout the day we played team-building games and then talked about the moral of the game and how you can apply what you learned to high school and life in general.

My time at CHS has been very different from the majority of graduates. Unlike most, I did not attend Colchester Schools prior to attending CHS, rather, I received my education at Grand Isle Elementary School. For me, going to high school meant saying goodbye to most of the friends I had known since I was little, and embarking on a new journey of making all new friends. This was a scary time for me, while my two siblings and a number of cousins had gone to CHS, I personally knew very few of my future classmates. Therefore, for the first few weeks of school in my freshman year, I walked around being unsure of what people's names were, and how exactly I was going to make new friends. However, I believe this experience has overall made me a better person, and has prepared me for the change of going off to college very well.

Happy Tuesday! I just wanted to send over a note of thanks for taking the time to speak to me yesterday on the phone. After our conversation, and my Skype call with Kirby I truly believe with my experience in handling food & beverage, lifestyle, talent and entertainment clients coupled with my strong media relationships across those fields I would be an asset to the Joneswork team.

Forward deployed to Kuwait to stand up the initial SOJTF-OIR mission. During deployment period, I became the Senior Syrian All Source Intelligence Analyst for the J2 and J3 Command Staff. I became the Subject Matter Expert on all things relating to the Syrian conflict and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). On a routine basis, I provided daily comprehensive intelligence assessments to the J2 Intelligence Director that exposed threats to friendly forces and enemy Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP). Additionally, I created and briefed daily intelligence reports to the J3 and Command Staff that shaped operational planning for future operations. These briefs provided in-depth knowledge on critical intelligence gaps for the CDR to answer the Commanding General's Priority Intelligence Requirements

My interview with R.C. was a very enlightening experience. I enjoyed speaking with her and hearing about her life. R.C. spoke about band trips, playing in her grandparent’s plant nursery and eating big Sunday dinners with her entire family every week. Not having grown up with that and seeing the happiness on her face, it made me wish I had been a part of that lifestyle. My own mother did grow up with a large family and this similarity caused me to wonder how my own mother would perceive her life review when her time comes.

There is much that can be accomplished when you surround yourself with individuals that possess the knowledge that you seek. Conducting interviews or partaking in casual conversations are ways to acquire such knowledge. I had the pleasure and opportunity to interview Steve Bickert, CPA at Concannon Miller & Co., a firm consisting of Certified Public Accountants and Business Consultants. Bickert was a perfect candidate for my interview due to the fact that he has been in the accounting profession for years, but had just recently taken, and passed the CPA exam this past October. Having the opportunity to gain perspective from an individual who had just completed the same goals I have set for myself, was a unique experience I could not pass up. The following, is a discussion regarding the interview between Bickert and myself.