Monthly September Extra Post

September, a real month of work within our project, and one that has already seen the impending absence of two senior teachers. To summarize my efforts for this month, I've been involved in attempting to acquire more contacts than just  just my primary mentor. The reason for this renewed interest rests in my proposal for my independent component which is an online graphic organizer of the mentors I've been talking to linked to several similar questions which I have asked them. (See possible designs below evidence) The impetus for this proposal rests in a particular subset of my research unrelated to my main topic, the applicability of political skill to every day life, . For my research, I'm using the psychological definition of political skill (i.e. networking, genuine sincerity, communication skills ,etc...). It is a vested interest of mine to have my research be useful beyond an academic capacity, and it is for this reason that I particularly want to place an emphasis upon what prompted my mentors into pursuing their careers. By understanding what prompted their ambition, the results may be used to engineer programs designed to push others into this career path or help those already on this path. Looking at the body of research, I would like to utilize this year as a sort of prototype for the type of research I would like to further pursue in my college career in Political Science. Although the specific design of this proposal are relatively simplistic for a research opportunity, they should suffice as a graphic representation of the data collected.

What I've accomplished

•  Attended my first meeting/interview with primary mentor Victoria Martinez
• Observed the firsthand local political process and observed multiple proposals be submitted
• Collected a body of research to support my senior question
• Collected more contacts than before (see business cards below).
• Completed blog entries 5-6
• Modified Mentorship Hours
• Currently in the middle of contacting several other sources

Things I'm looking into

• Contacting former associates and other connections for this topic
• Attempting to get a variety of political types in order to have better diversity of sources (Concerned citizens active in political process, business leaders involved with politics, active politicians, aides to politicians, other government workers, etc...)  
• Continue to refine research and begin to selectively select for subjects closer to my independent component
• Independent component proposal needs to be refined. Visual design for graphic organizer, array of questions to be questioned on, and number of sources to be surveyed all need to be solidified before proposal can  be approved.

 

 

Business Cards of Contacts/ Potential designs of Graphic Organizers

Blog 6 - Second Interview Preparation

1.  Who is your mentor and where do they work?

My main mentor is currently Victoria Martinez who currently serves as a city council member for the city of El Monte

2.  What five questions will you ask them about their background?

1.  Were there any obstacles you found to entering your current position? 
2. What was it like running an election campaign?
3. How do you feel your college years prepare you for your current job?
4. What causes have you advocated for or actions pushed recently?
5. In your own words, how would you describe your current position?

Blog 5-Mentorship and Research Reflection

First Blog Post after my meeting with my mentor, and I am excited for my future prospects . This Tuesday on September 9th, 2014 I  attended the El Monte City Council Open Meeting and met with my mentor, Victoria Martinez, while there. I also got the privilege of meeting with several potential mentors as well including city clerk Jonathan Hawes and Municipal Specialist Jerry Moreno who I'm looking into contacting currently. Overall, I had some questions answered and enjoyed seeing how the meeting actually functioned which is a major gain for me in regards to firsthand experience. 

1. Mentorship question: Describe your experience in how you found your mentorship?  If you haven't found one yet, describe your experience so far in the search of a mentor.
       Actually finding my mentor was surprisingly stress given that she was actually a family member who I could easily get into contact with. I had been referred to her by my mother when I offhandedly mentioned that I needed to locate a mentor, and I then proceeded to send her an email to see if she would be willing to become my mentor due to her current employment on the city council of El Monte. We arranged phone meeting wherein I explained the nature of the senior project, what interested me in regards to the subject, and what would be required of her before she agreed to be my mentor.

2. Research question: What has been your most important article you have read so far and why?

 

       To date, the most important article I have read has been the article "Career Success Implications of Political Skill" as it directly relates to application. It's conclusion, that networking ranks as the highest indicator of individual success in a company structure ranks true given my own observations and logical conclusions. Acting in a genuinely appealing way to others and making connections to draw upon is a trait that has success in any field warranting interpersonal interaction. This is the kind of evidence that I feel is helpful to my overall project as this is the type of information that can be applied by people who listen to my presentation in a capacity beyond my subject alone. Genuinely useful info such as this illustrates the importance of my subject and hopefully allows it to remain in the minds of those I intend to teach moreso than other information would have.