This is my reflections page. It is used to take notes on speakers that come to the Lutheran High Lights Program. The general format will be speaker and speaker information, then key points of the lecture, and finally, what I learned.
David Ness
David Ness is the Lutheran High School Parker principal and former educator.
Key Points
Motivation is key
Personal learning tends to bring on more individualized learning
Know your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and trials
Notice the character traits necessary for individual learning
Steps to overcome obstacles
The advantages of Senior projects
What I Took Away From This
I considered my strengths and weaknesses more deeply than I ever have before in an educational environment. I can now play off of my strengths and cover and improve my weaknesses more easily. I also learnt what is expected of me when I come up against obstacles in the Lights Program, and later in life.
Hannah Buchholz
Hannah Buchholz is the Lutheran High School Director of Admissions and Marketing. She was at one time a freelance designer and was here to talk to us about creating a brand and website design.
Key Points
Have a mission statement
Use a design checklist
Header and footer matter
Use a color scheme
Create a logo
Use a easy layout
Check spelling
What I Took Away From This
Think of your personality as your brand. Create your brand and logo as soon as possible.
John Rinks
Mr. Rink is the Lutheran High School Director of Development. He also has backgrounds in film making, military defense, and archaeology.
Key Points
Your career isn't the most significant part of your life.
Find your passions.
God wants us to try our hardest in everything.
Think Big! God has even bigger plans for you.
What you care about now may be important later in life.
What I Took Away From This
Mr. Rink inspired a need to try harder in me. When he talks about what he loves, you can tell he has such a passion for it that it burns inside him. He also reminded me that God has the ultimate plans for me, so don't be surprised when opportunities that I really want don't work out.
Group Project
This past week, we completed a group assignment on the Syrian refugee crisis. In this project, we had to present multiple solutions without being bias to a political side of the debate.
Key Points
Divide the workload, but don't be afraid to check each other's progress and ask each other questions
Listen to each other's opinions
Destroy as many bad ideas as possible
DO NOT speak over each other
DO NOT believe that your opinions are superior- it causes tension in the group
If I could do this again, I would think about mass help and cost effectivness
What I Took Away From This
This project taught me about taking in ideas before I out put my own. I did not know anything about this problem before it was introduced in class, so I had to do a lot of research before I could develop a solution. Looking around the internet and listening to my partners, I was surrounded by others ideas and they did end up influencing me. I learnt, through this, that I need to learn things as they happen, because people don't have the time to insert their opinions.
Steve Budnack
Mr. Budnack is the Director of the Parker Task Force and runs the Parker Food Bank. In the past he own a successful mortgage company.
Key Points
This particular food bank is there for not only food, but temporary financial support, counseling, and schooling.
It is better to teach someone how to live, then to support them the rest of their lives
Do not judge when walking into a program like the Task Force, you do not know why people are there
The Parker Task Force is run by volunteers, which makes people more willing to work
The main reason someone will end up on the streets is the absence of a father
Get to know a person before trying to fix a situation, it makes them more likely to trust you and the plan more effective
What I Took Away from This
This tour of the food bank and also meeting volunteers was an amazing experience. The amount of generosity that are in the hearts of these people is unbelievable. The most important thing I learnt from this is that being poor and needing aid does not always look like you would expect it to. Sometimes a house that is days away from being taken from a family is huge and full of food. Other times, the beautiful BMW is the only home somebody has. We cannot judge need based on physical appearance.
Paul Albers
Paul Albers has held many titles, including elementary teacher, athletic director, principal, and now Executive of Congregational Services in the Rocky Mountain District of the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church. He is currently in seminary to become a pastor.
Key Points
You will have no clear path going through life.
Take every opportunity God gives you and cherish it
The keys to success are problem solving, troubleshooting, and conflict resolution.
Do what you do because of your love for God and see it as God''s gifts allowing you to serve.
As you work to solve a problem, know your emotions and understand that they will impact you.
What I Took Away from This
I really enjoyed listening to Mr. Albers. He has an easy way of speaking and is good at including his audience. The most important message that I took away is that everyone has different gifts. It is up to God's people to make the body of Christ and identify with a part of the body. It is our duty to God to use the gifts he gives with us.
Michael Eckelkamp
Pastor Eckelkamp is a pastor at Saint John's Church and School.
Key Points
Decision making tool- mind map
The goal isn't what you do, it is who you are as you do it
We all have a unique shape- Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Aptitude, Personality, and Experiences
Our vocation is our calling, not our job
Our vocation is putting our SHAPE into action
Just because it is hard, doesn’t mean you aren’t meant to do it it. Actually, it might be the opposite
Work is a command to give God glory, love your neighbor, and find joy in what you do
Send thank you notes to those who impact your life
The biggest decisions of your life are from who you decide to be, not what you decide to do
God works through our weaknesses
What I Took Away From This
I wish I could shove Pastor EckelKamp's entire lecture into this page. Unfortunately, it was a two hour lecture and I didn't record it. The most important tool this speech gave me, though, was the five whys. Take something you are worried about, and ask why. Once you have the answer, question the answer. Do this five times over, and you will find the root of your problem.
Samantha Hedberg
Samantha Hedberg is the Regional Vice President of Primerica Financial Services.She was a business owner at age 23.
Key Points
Money does not grow linear, it grows compounded
You can make the American financial system work for or against you
The earlier you start investing in your future, the better and more you'll make
Urgent things are typically never important and important things are typically never urgent
Have a minimum of three sources of income
Create a balance book
Watch for identity theft
What I Took Away From This
Samantha had so much valuable information! I took away a lot from this but I think it can all be summed up in the statement, "Take control of your finances." Just because I'm young, doesn't mean I can't begin investing in my future. This talk has led me to talk to my parents about my financial position and where I should go from here.
Dan Gehrke
Executive Director of Lutheran High School
Key Points
Employee culture is one of the most important parts of a business
Make a vision statement, which is more broad than a mission statement
After that make your core values
Then have what you aspire to make core values, but don't have the consistency to call core values yet
The have your Permission to Play Values, or your bare minimum standards
Finally, your Accidental Values, these are organizational traits that come unintentionally
Who you hire matters
Assess your team, know their individual strengths and weaknesses
What I Took Away From This
As an aspiring business owner, you should know the strengths and weaknesses of your employees, the culture of the environment, and how you want the business to one day look. Make a many game plans for getting to the future vision, then make the changes necessary.
Robert Schoene
Sole proprietor and owner of B&B Cafe and Great Beginnings Cafe
Key Points
Communication is key to any successful business.
You can use humor to deflate stressed situations.
When starting a business, make mistakes on someone else's dollar.
Get experience under someone who knows what they are doing.
Hire people who are better at your job than you are.
Web presence is extremely important in this day and age.
Connections you make early can lead to opportunities later.
What I Took Away From This
I missed most of the speech, but the information I was there for was priceless. Mr. Schoene clearly knew what he was talking about and had confidence behind his faith and his decisions. The most important piece of information I was there for was his message on communication in stressful situations. He taught us how to handle angry customers and under staffing.
David Ness
Principal of Lutheran High School
Key Points
Everyone has hobbies and they can vary
Your hobbies can influence other people
A hobby is something we are committed to
Choice+ commitment+ deep learning= passion
If you tell people what they need to be interested in, they won't find passion in it
Using your hobbies to learn can influence your work
Pick a career from a hobby- that way you are all in
What I Took Away From This
Whatever you choose to do with your life, be all in. It can a sport or a collection, but if you have the passion- utilize it. If you love what you choose to do in life, all the work you do on it will show. Commit to your passion, research, then use your passion and knowledge about it to create your niche.
John Rinks
John Rinks is the Lutheran High School Director of Development. He also is an amateur archaeologist..
Key Points
Challenges can occur in work, home, and play
Your challenges can include your goals
Challenges can be fun or entertaining
When challenges get hard, we start asking God for signs
When faced with a decision, just pick- pick according to God's will
God has many plans for you, if you choose to die tonight, those plans just GO AWAY
You decide your success level based on what you allow in your life
Planning happens even in the celebration
Don't see yourself in a box, think big
What I Took Away From This
Take your challenges and role with them. Learn from and for them. "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24."
Alicia Oates
Alicia Oates is a literature teacher at Lutheran High School and she visited Lights Academy to talk about the working world.
EMAIL ETIQUETTE
Mind your manners and be prepared
Research before asking
Use the subject line
Introduce yourself
Get to the point and be brief
Always reply in a timely manner
Don’t use exclamation points or all CAPS
Be courteous
Make questions easy to reply to
Proofread and spell check
No emojis in the first email
OPENING LINE
Include your name and the nature of your relationship
Include any offline contact information at the end
COVER LETTER
PROFESSIONALISM
First impression
1st paragraph- Get attention and basic info about you
2nd paragraph- strengths, be specific, tell why you are interested, brief qualifications
3rd paragraph- express interest, be genuine, thank them for their time
Cover letters are facing a decline which makes your objective statement more important
FINAL ADVICE
Don’t overuse “I”
Use you/your
Use only one page
Be grammatically correct
Proofread
RESUMES
What makes you qualified for that position?
The purpose is to secure an interview
Include your name and contact information
Main sections- Objective statement, Contact Information, Education, Experience, Honors, Activities, and Outreach
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT
Written below your contact information
Quick picture of you and your career interests
Emphasizes key Qualification and skills
Helps reader find information quickly
Makes a good first impression
Relates company and personal goal
Emphasizes your goals and appeals employers
RESUME
Place your most relevant sections first- education or experience
Demonstrate your most relevant experience
Use a variety of action words to describe your experiences
Make sure it applies to the job you’re applying for
Purdue OWL
Put any online work under skills and experience
What I Took Away From This
Her talk was encouraging and informative. I especially liked how much time she spent on the objective statement. She taught us how to make ourselves marketable. Also, proofread.
Amy Long
Amy Long is the Parker Library Branch Manager and she spoke to us about design and creating something unique.
Key Points
Design take time
Some things that you plan don't work out
Expect to have to downsize your plans
Think about money and weight limits first
A year to plan, a year to build
Work as a partner and not as a challenge
Make the space the community wants
What I Took Away From This
I love libraries, so getting to visit a unique one was pretty cool. I also really like design and architecture so I was fascinated by her entire talk. My favorite piece of advice was building with design in mind and not thinking about it afterwords.
Mr. Gager
Staff director at Lutheran High School
Key Points
Overcoming Adversity
There are always going to be people dealing with worse and better than you are
Everybody has challenges that they have, are, or will be dealing with
This is not a guide on how to perfectly deal with adversity
Life can completely change in one minute, you don't always see it coming
A physical challenge can cause an emotional challenge