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BENCHMARK 5:

Teamwork and Communication

Anticipate the Impact of Actions or Words on Others

            In the spring of my junior year in high school, I was in the third trimester of my Journalism class taught by Mrs. Shelley Job.  We were assigned to get into groups and come up with an idea for a stroke awareness public service announcement that would be entered in a city-wide contest for Allegiance hospital.  One of the requirements of the video was that we needed to incorporate the FAST system for helping a stroke victim.

            My group took a few days before finally coming up with an idea that would eventually take us far.  We chose to use puppies and cute animals in our video because we knew people usually tend to react to things like that.  Then, on the slides we would say things such as “I don’t want to lose you” so that it looked like it was the animal saying it.  By telling about stroke awareness from the perspective of a pet that is afraid to lose its owner, we anticipated that it would really hit home with some people.  We even jokingly said to each other, “If this doesn’t win, the judges have no soul!”  We put together the video, made it the best it could possibly be, and then in about a week, we had found out that our video had won first place in our division.  As first place winners, my group and I got the day off of school to go up to the hospital and present our stroke awareness video to the board.  They absolutely loved it and it was even put up on their website.  My group and I really did receive a little bit of fame from it as we were put into the local newspaper for winning, put into the Allegiance newsletter, and our video was used in many stroke awareness projects.

            Professionally, as a journalist I will need to know how to anticipate how someone is either going to answer a question, or perceive how people will react.  I will need to be prepared to have some people be angry with me for certain things and other people to be very happy with what I have written.  If I do not anticipate either the best or the worst then I will not be able to professionally and respectfully handle situations.  This is a very important skill in the journalism field as I will be writing for the public and I know that everyone has different opinions on certain subjects and even if I am just the bearer of bad news, I need to be anticipating and prepared for what they have to say.

            Personally, being able to anticipate the impact of my actions or words on others really helps to make sure you keep positive relationships with other people.  If you know or can anticipate that something you say or do will offend or hurt someone else, if you are a genuinely good person, you will have the courtesy to not do that.  It’s a very important skill to posses because otherwise, I would have a lot of people mad at me.  There’s a time and a place for everything and as long as you know how to anticipate how someone is going to react at a specific place or time then there are no worries as you have been respectful enough to that person to know when and where is appropriate.

Show Commitment to The Team

 

            In the summer right before I started high school, I decided I wanted to join the Hanover-Horton girl’s golf team.  I had never even picked up a club before in my life and just wanted to pick up the game.  As easy as golf may look, it was very difficult for me.  The first year I played I was one of two new freshmen on the team and we were both on the same level, which was good because I was not very good.  Even though we were on junior varsity, I would still make a special effort to go to most of the varsity matches so that I could watch and pick up a few things.  Even though it got to be a little boring not playing as much as the older girls, I have still been playing on the golf team ever since.

              Over these past four years of high school, golf has always been the only sport I do.  During the off season, I would do as much as possible to prepare and improve.  My sophomore year, I started to take lessons at the local golf course from William G. (Bill) Ross.  Bill taught me basically everything I know about golf.  From how to line up the club, correct my backswing and follow through to how hard to grip the club, he taught it all.  However, the most important thing he told me was to not get frustrated and give up.  Every time I would mess up, he could see how flustered I would get and he would always tell me just to smile.  Unfortunately, on February 4, 2012, not only did the community lose an amazing man, but I lost my teaching legend and friend to lung cancer.  I was devastated; however, Bill’s passing gave me even extra inspiration to play golf and be good at it.

            That next spring and summer I played more golf than I have ever played before.  I would go out with a golf league every holiday weekend and go on outings for my dad’s company.  By my junior year of playing golf, I had significantly improved and still sought to do even better.  Once that season was over I worked even harder, played even more, and got even better.  Now, this year’s golf season, I am playing on the varsity team and playing the best I ever have.  Even though this has been a tough season with all the new players, busy and conflicting schedules, and even possibilities of quitting the sport, I could not give up on the people who have supported me all four years.  So, I am still-to this very day- committed and proud to say I am part of the Hanover-Horton Girl’s Golf team.

            As a journalist, you have to be committed to the publication and people you are working with because if you are not then nothing will work.  I am going to be tested by being put in certain situations that may not be the most comfortable but they are what my job entails and I need to not give up on my employer.  Staying committed to the golf team for four years has given me the skills to not let people get to me and it allows me, in my personal life, to better handle uncomfortable situations.  In varsity matches, you may not enjoy the girl or group of girls you are golfing with but you have to persevere through it because you are there for your team.  There have been numerous times where I will even admit that I have wanted to walk off an give up on the whole thing but the skills I have acquired throughout the years, my conscience, and my commitment to the team stop me dead in my tracks and I continue on.

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