A screenshot of the 'Bang's Near You' page I designed as part of my internship. My supervisor wanted something that communicated the centrality of their business in the Spokane Valley while also having unique makers for the locations in which a potential customer can find their products. This was my solution.

LESSONS LEARNED

From this experience, one of the biggest lessons I learned was to not be set back because something may not be going as I expected but instead taking the initiate to make my own opportunities. Now when things may not be going as I had planned, I know I can find, if not, create my own solution. It has motivated me to not be limited by the opportunities that may seem available and instead push for those that are not. As I continue to implement this philosophy it seems to only becomes more evident and more important to practice, ensuring I continue to strive and make the most of the opportunities available to me. Through this experience, I also learned how to proficiently function independently while also finding clever ways to respond to ambiguity. I learned that an opportunity is only really what you make of it and how you implement those lessons learned to future opportunities to continually grow both as an individual and as a leader.

Verbal Communication

Verbal communication was one of the skills I undoubtedly gained through this experience. Namely, explaining various design decisions, goals, and overall vision to my supervisor and co-workers. Furthermore, when any problems occurred I relied heavily on effective verbal communication in order to address and quickly evaluate the given problem. Without this consistent and effective verbal communication we would not have been able to accomplish as much as we did in the short amount of time I was working for the company. Thankfully, my supervisor and co-workers were always available to communicate through a multitude of platforms but the manner that worked most effectively and consistently was when we were able to verbally communicate through in-person conversations or over the phone.

Advocating for a Point of View

This entire experience could be summarized as a series of advocations for a point of view. Most of the time my supervisor could easily see my point of view through the work I was able to produce. Occasionally, this point of view did not align with my supervisor's and it was during these occasions that my ability to advocate for my point of view became incredibly important. After explaining the reasoning behind my point of view, most of the time, my supervisor would agree and I would continue with my work. Although at times this was not the case and through an in-depth conversation we would be able to come to a consensus which usually involved a combination of both our point of views ensuring the most comprehensive solutions were pushed forward.

Creating Change

Ultimately, the main purpose of this experience was for me to create change for the company. This was done in many forms but the most visible and lasting was the website redesign as a whole. I was able to develop and implement all of the competencies in this experience to produce a lasting change for the company. Aside from the website redesign, I also helped my supervisor change their vision and perspective in terms of their branding and overall approach to design. Although I was able to create change for the company, I was also able to create change for myself. Change in terms of how to approach ambiguity and advocating for a point of view most significantly. These experiences will undoubtedly allow me to become a better leader in a greater set of diverse and complex situations as I continually strive to become the best leader possible.

Vision

Due to the previously stated competency, responding to ambiguity, I also had to drive a vision for the company based on that ambiguity. This allowed me to see how abstract ideas could lead to finely detailed decisions that would ensure that greater vision could be obtained. It was an interesting challenge at times when my supervisor's vision and my own were not exactly aligned leading to very interesting conversations that would ultimately challenge both of our perspectives. Through a series of these conversations, we were able to establish a much more profound vision for both the company branding and the website redesign.

Functioning Independently

One of the key aspects of this experience was the requirement to work independently and under very little supervision. The founder and C.O.O of the company informed me that she had hired me because of my expertise and believed I did not need to be under strict supervision to accomplish my tasks. Therefore, it was up to me to set goals and timelines to meet the deadlines set by the company and the C.O.O. In doing so, I was able to learn to manage my time effectively and motivate myself to accomplish what was required of me without someone consistently checking up on my progress or if I had completed a given task or not.

Responding to Ambiguity

Throughout this experience, one of the reoccurring concepts I encountered was ambiguity. I would consistently be presented with vague and abstract ideas that my supervisor had envisioned for the website redesign and it was up to me to turn that ambiguity into actionable design decisions. This allowed me to hone my skills and at the same time learn to be flexible as new information was presented to me. In doing so, I was able to ensure that I never fixated too much on one specific solution and able to pivot quickly when need. Ultimately, this has transcended into other leadership situations where ambiguity would otherwise be a stressful circumstance but thankfully through this experience, I can rest assured knowing flexibility is key to optimal performance regardless of the ambiguity set before me.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES GAINED

Throughout this experience, I believe I gained a lot of leadership competencies that have transcended all aspects of my life. These leadership competencies include: functioning independently, responding to ambiguity, vision, verbal communication, advocating for a point of view, and creating change.

TASK ACCOMPLISHED

Through this employment opportunity, I was able to not only create a role for myself but I was also able to excel in that role and produce creative, thought-driven solutions to some of the company's most difficult branding problems. Specifically, I was able to turn the company founder's visions into specific design decisions and unify their overall brand. I was then able to take these new branded elements into website elements as part of their complete website redesign. Additionally, I listened to various ambiguous website goals and turned them into actionable design goals that could be successfully implemented in the new website. Ultimately, I was able to iterate through all of the necessary procedures in the design process to produce a website that best aligned with the company's image and core values.

PERSONAL IMPORTANCE

This experience was of particular personal importance because after not hearing back from a lot of the companies I had applied to I began to feel as though maybe I was not a competitive enough applicant for these companies. Therefore, when I changed my focus from applying to internships posted by companies to looking for internships at companies that did not have internship postings, I felt a whole new level of empowerment bestowed upon myself. Being able to essentially create my own opportunities reassured me that I do have the skills and expertise necessary to be successful in my career path. It also allowed me to gain a new perspective on facing difficult situations and making the most of them instead of allowing myself to be defeated by unfortunate circumstances and situations.

OVERVIEW

One experience I believe that greatly influenced my leadership capabilities and allowed me to develop several leadership competencies was my internship over this past summer. From finding and obtaining the internship to successfully completing it, at every step I greatly developed my leadership abilities. I was able to not only implement the knowledge attained through my coursework but also obtained skills and abilities through my various roles in the small startup company. The company itself is a producer and processor of recreational cannabis for the growing industry in this state. They were looking at unifying their brand and implementing that new unified brand in a website. Although they already had a website, they felt it drastically needed a redesign to cater to their changing identity and needs. Therefore, I decided to provide my skills and knowledge in this area to help the company achieve both its branding and website redesign goals.

Reading In-Between The Lines To Produce

Creative, Thought-Driven Solutions

DECIPHERER OF AMBIGUITY

Functioning Independently, Responding to Ambiguity, Vision, Verbal Communication, Advocating for a Point of View, and Creating Change