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What I did for my practicum?
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For my practicum I decided to tutor for Lakeland STARS. As a tutor, I met with my designated tutee, once a week, for two semesters. Every session I would help my tutee with their homework and teach them any material they were having trouble with. I had two different tutees over the two semesters, which helped me gain knowledge in two different teaching methods. Lakeland STARS was an amazing opportunity, and I would highly recommend it to anyone that’s interested. Tutoring and teaching is a great skill to have and can help improve communication and networking.
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How I identified my practicum site, and my advice to future Media Scholars on identifying a practicum site (such as how to contact a supervisor)?
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I found Lakeland STARS tutoring through Scholars. I was sent an email with the link to apply for the program and sent an application soon after. Once I saw the description of the program, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. I put a lot of effort into my application and was accepted to be a tutor soon after. If I were to give advice on how to identify and encounter a practicum site I would say, put yourself out there and show how much the opportunity means to you. A great way to put yourself out there is by contacting the supervisor of the site (email). While reaching out is a good chance to express your interest in the program/site, but this could also be done through the application process.
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What did I learn from my practicum?
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I have gained a lot of knowledge through my experience in Lakeland STARS. Before I joined Lakeland STARS I did not have a lot of experience or exposure to teaching/tutoring. My time at Lakeland STARS showed me how much can be learned through tutoring someone and how it can ultimately translate to an improvement in communication skills.
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How have I grown as a person, student, and/or professional?
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I have grown as a person, student, and/or professional during my time at Lakeland STARS in many ways in terms of communication, teaching and explaining. At the beginning of my experience at STARS I had a harder time explaining ideas in simpler terms and easily communicating with others. After needing to explain ideas to my tutees in ways they could understand and having to communicate with their parents and teachers I have gained a lot of experience. Now I feel a lot more confident about teaching and communicating with others. One piece of evidence that supports my growth in Lakeland STARS is the capstone project I presented to all the tutees. My Capstone project was about how to avoid scams on the internet and I felt confident to present it. This project really proved to me how much better, at communicating and teaching others, I have gotten during Lakeland STARS. I have attached my Capstone project here (click the hyperlink to see).
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How can I apply my practicum experience to my life/career moving forward?
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I am currently a part of the Robert H. Smith Business Program and hope to further delve into the field of business in the music industry. I recently chose to take the Marketing and Management double major path. I believe that my experience at Lakeland STARS will help me reach this goal because there is a lot of communication in the music industry, and Lakeland STARS helps overall communication. In an era with such advanced technology there is bound to be media and communication in almost any job field. In the music industry this can be seen through Spotify, Soundcloud, and even other social networks like Instagram. As I stated above Lakeland STARS helps build better communication through having to communicate with your tutee, site supervisor, and/or parents. I could apply this new knowledge and experience in communication to better network through the business industry. Networking is known to be the basis of business and networking is built on communication.
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My Resume (Just click the hyperlink to see it)
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What are my plans for:
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The rest of my time at UMD?
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I have decided to follow the Marketing and Management double major path for the rest of my time at UMD. I am hoping to keep my grades up high and also continue to accomplish my goals in the career field while in college.
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Post-graduation and my prospective career / field of interest? (5 pts)
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My field of interest is the Music business industry. I think this stems from the fact that I have always been very interested in music (played guitar my whole life). For many years, I have followed many parts of the music industry whether it is solo performers, bands, agents, and managers, so I feel that I have a lot of knowledge on the field. Furthermore, in the music industry I would like to have a job that is involved with marketing and managing, which I should have good experience with after I study those majors.
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Final Scholars Project - Lakeland STARS
