Attending a career-related workshop or seminar: Girl What’s Next (2 points)

On November 13th, I attended the Girl What’s Next career talk held by Dr. Raquel Hammonds. In the talk, she discussed her career story and how assertion helped her gain her dream job position. She would continually put herself out there and did not stop until someone said “yes.” In her book a “no” does not mean to give up, but simply ask another person. I liked this perspective because sometimes a “no” can feel world-ending, but in reality, you’re just asking the wrong person. Her story also reminded me of people who do rejection therapy. When doing the therapy, most people end up receiving more yes’s then they could’ve imagined. These experiences in combination inspired me to be more outgoing and assertive when it comes to opportunities I am interested in.

Listening to Dr. Hammonds reminded me about how much good there is in the world. Sometimes, I stray away from being outgoing and extraverted for fear of rejection or judgement. Dr. Hammonds was true to herself and it got her into her ideal career. Her experience shows that there are still many kind people out there, willing to give others a chance. I believe I used to have this perspective, but growing up and our current administration made me more pessimistic. Her talk has given me hope for others and I will be sure to put myself out there more with clubs, activities, and in career experiences.

- Taylar Wharton