Networking and Building Professional Connections

There were a lot of things going on this past week in ISM as I quickly grew very busy brainstorming for my Original Work and preparing for the Business Symposium. Going into the Business Symposium, I really had no idea what to expect or who I would be talking to. Regardless, I was excited to meet with professionals, build my connections, and improve on my soft skills. At the symposium, I had the pleasure of interviewing with Mr. Denton from EX4CX and Ms.Ye from Texas Instruments. Through our conversation, they gave me a lot of advice about life after high school and into the professional world as they emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind as I moved forward. I was also able to get a small glimpse of what career interviews may really be like as they asked me many general questions about myself and my ISM topic. It was ultimately great practice for me as I built my network with other ISM students and professionals. This week I also began to brainstorm a list of potential ideas for my Original Work and created my official proposal. I had already previously been thinking of a few different ideas, but it proved very difficult to consolidate these ideas into a single proposal. Overall, however, I am so excited to begin working on my Original Work and cannot wait to see where it will take me.