Skills

Communication

From the Compost project I implemented on my campus to the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion presentation I gave to the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia I have greatly improved my oral communication skills. 

Even though my compost project was an independent study, I relied heavily on communicating with my peers and advisors. I spread awareness for composting through social media and tabling, founded a volunteer group, and also presented my findings at a series of summits including The Climate Action Summit. This project would not have had as much of an impact if the greater campus community had not been involved and effective oral communication with the community aided in that impact. 

I was able to use the skills I learned from the compost project when I was chosen as a representative for UMW on The Student Advisory Committee for the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV). Effective communication came in handy when I talked to students from other universities in the commonwealth of Virginia to create a presentation on the importance of DEI programs in Universities. I then presented and advocated to SHCEV staff and the Secretary of Education on this topic with the data I had collected. 

The discussions I had with students and staff in these two projects improved my productivity and innovation, as well as increased project succession. Communication is significant in everything we do, education and occupation included. Effective communication is a skill that will assist me in every area of my life.