Single Story With A Deep Meaning

A single story is a belief you have about something that is later proved to not hold true, thus making you reevaluate your single view on the subject.

 

When I was asked to come up with my own personal single story a million things ran through my head. Out of all those things, I'm choosing to do the one that's most personal to me. You guys heard some of this story in class, but I don't feel that that short minute really portrayed how deeply I feel about this impacting moment in my life.

 

My senior year of high school, I ran for homecoming court and made the top five. Before this, I had never really went out of my way to run for elections because it has always been a popularity thing and I didn't feel that enough people liked me. On the contrary, I thought that people thought I was annoying and this mind-set made me feel the same way about myself. Now, the top five picked for Homecoming Court have to do Homecoming Coronation, which is a dance the seniors do for the whole school. Had I known this when I ran, I probably wouldn't have done it. I was scared to death because not only had I never danced before, but I have no sense of rhythm! (I still don't totally, but I've gotten much better(; !!!) I had a fear of getting made fun of and messing up, basically I lacked confidence in every area. To make it worse, they gave me a solo dance part! After weeks of practicing, I went up on stage, nailed it, puked, and then did it a second time. It was awesome! Afterwards, people kept asking me like, "Kasey, you dance?" "Kasey, you like dancing?" and of course my answer was no. But somebody asked me like "Kasey, you can dance?" and even though its only the slightest difference in the linking verb it made me do a complete reevaluation on myself. Just because I don't like doing something, doesn't mean I can't. If I set my mind to it, I can do anything. And even though people didn't actually look at me any differently after that, I felt like they did but it's only because I looked at myself differently. I may not be good at everything, but I can't be down on myself for something I've never even tried before and I need to accept myself and all the things I can and will do. With a more positive outlook on myself, my life also started to feel like it was very positive.

 

And this is my story about how a moment I was scared to death changed my Single Story about myself and helped me grow into a bigger person. 

Telling Me About Me

Our assignment description this week was to interview someone about our positive negative leadership styles and reflect on how this feedback made us feel.

 

 

So when I was asked to interview someone I realized that there aren't many people on the OSU campus I'm close to yet or anyone that really knows me. This assignment then consisted of feedback from my mentor, people around campus, a call to my mom and a few relatives, and another call back home to my manager at Taco Bell. Between all of these people, they helped me compose a list of my good leadership traits and bad leadership traits. Positively, I was told that I'm an Initiator (good at starting projects, converstations, etc.), outgoing, open-minded, negotiable, outspoken, outside-the-box thinker, intuitive, and a creative thinker. It made me feel good that I come off onto people in this way and I realized that all of these things reflect my top morals and values. However, some bad feedback I received was that I can be short-tempered, distracted, procrastinator and bad priorities, and sometimes I'm TOO much of a perfectionist. While nobody likes negative feedback, I usually welcome constructive criticism. I use this as a goal to improve on myself in not only my day to day interactions with others, but to help myself personally and mentally. 

Considering Kidder

Our given scenario:
A member of the executive board of your fraternity, sorority, or student organization does not have the minimum GPA to continue serving on the executive board, per the written and codified bylaws of the organization. This fact is brought to the attention of the entire board, which, as a group, must decide whether this executive member should be able to remain on the executive board. It is close to the end of the executive board members’ terms. What do you do?

Our breakdown relating this to Kidder's Framework:
We said that this is Justice vs. Mercy because the board could let this person stay, but they have the power to say that they can't stay. Some may even have a personal connection with this person, but at the same time that isn't fair to all the people that weren't able to get onto the executive board because they didn't have the GPA. This is what also makes this a Truth vs. Loyalty scenario. This could be considered Short-Term vs. Long-Term because the board could be thinking that they could keep him for this short time, but how will it look on that group in the future? Or if they let this person go now and they have a really important position what will happen to that position in the long run? And lastly, this is also a Individual vs. Community issue because it's this one person against the rest of the committee.

We said that this is mainly going to be thought about on the lines of Rule-Based Thinking because the committee needs to make a decision about weather or not to kick said person out because they don't have the required GPA which is a set type of "law" for the committee. Some members may have and issue with trying not to focus on Care-Based Thinking because they may have a personal connection with the person and they may not want this person to end up not liking them. This member may not want to ruin his friendship with the other person and may consider giving him a second chance because he's almost done anyways and they may need him for the organization. People who run along the lines of Ends-Based Thinking may be thinking about the overall performance without this person, the impact this may have on how the group will look if they don't kick him off, and if they can find someone intelligent enough to replace this person, or if maybe they could find someone even more intelligent.

What would you do?

Group Dynamics - Avengers Initiative

Characters:
Tony Stark/Iron Man (Information seeker/Opinion Giver)
Steve Rodgers/Captain America (Opinion Giver/Summarizer)
Bruce Banner/ The Hulk (Information seeker/Clarifier)
Thor (Mediator)
Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Follower)
Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Follower)
Nick Fury (Encourager/Summarizer) 

 

 

The Avengers is a group of heroes, and with that comes varying leadership styles, personalities, and ways of executing their work. Tony Stark is both an information seeker and an opinion giver. He is smart, always trying to gather more details about the situation. That being said, he constantly gives his opinion, serving as one of the biggest personalities in the room at all times. His voice and viewpoint are always heard. Steve Rodgers, better known as Captain America, is a summarizer, always wanting to make sure everyone is on the same page. Additionally, Captain is an opinion giver who wants to ensure that everyone else knows all of the facts and details before proceeding. He is a reasonable person to have in the group. Bruce Banner/The Hulk is the information seeker and clarifier. A doctor by nature, the Hulk is always gathering information so he can calculate a plan of action. His natural intelligence also makes him a clarifier, elaborating on the plan of action for everyone to understand. 

Thor is the mediator of the group, attempting to create harmony among all of the differing views. Despite having a strong personality, within The Avengers he takes on a mediation role in order to straighten out the issues. Nick Fury, the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., is the encourager and summarizer among his team. As the man who assembled the group, Fury is responsible for welcoming and ensuring the

success of everyone. Finally, both Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Clint Barton/Hawkeye are the sole followers of the group. Although they each bring a unique personality and skillset to the group, they are both active participants in the dynamic of The Avengers. Black Widow is strong-willed as the lone female of the group, but she has conviction and will always follow through. 

The forming of The Avengers begins over a period of time in which the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. assemble the group. To “bring together a group of remarkable people and see if they can become more” was the vision of Nick Fury, who led the formation. Along with Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Fury assembles the heroes from across the globe. The members, including Tony Stark/Iron Man, Steve Rodgers/Captain America, Thor, Bruce Banner/Hulk, Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Clint Barton/Hawkeye, and Nick Fury all come together under S.H.I.E.L.D.’s “Avengers Initiative.” 

 The initial conflict and storming of the members of the group is evident due to the dominant personalities of each Avenger. Most prominently, we see Tony Stark clashing with Captain America. They both seek the greater good, but have different ideas of how to reach their goals. This conflict is followed by Stark butting heads with Thor, also due to their varying opinions. As the entire group is formed, storming occurs on a normal basis. Each member of The Avengers is used to playing by their own rules, so working together as a team is a huge adjustment. 

 After the shocking and devastating loss of Agent Coulson, the members of The Avengers begin norming as a team. The death of their friend is the catalyst for normalizing them together. After working through their issues, they understand the greater purpose for their team to work together. The group’s personality is defined by the varying members’ headstrong qualities. United with the drive to succeed, The Avengers buckle down and work together as a unit. 

The Avengers clearly begin performing as a team when the Battle of New York breaks out. The group’s purpose is to answer their call to action: fight to save the world. This lofty goal can be worked towards once the Chitauri invades New York. They effectively utilize their specialized skills in a united front, working against the clock to save New York. Building upon their established foundation of forming, storming, and norming, the group works flawlessly together towards achieving their goal. 

Finally, the adjourning occurs once their mission is complete. The Avengers, despite not knowing how long their group would be together for, are proud of their accomplishments together. The end of their job doesn’t mean the end of the group, as they understand that they may need to unite again if they are needed. 

The Perks of Being an Orange Flower

My color is orange: My strength is skillfulness.

"If your brightest color is ORANGE, a zest for life and desire to test the limits best describe your nature. You take pride in being highly skilled in a variety of field and need freedom to take immediate action. You prefer a hands-on approach to problem solving, and a direct line of reasoning creates the excitement and immediate results you admire. You are a master negotiator; adventure is your middle name."

I honestly think it's crazy how well the orange theme fits me. I want everything life has to offer me, and I want it as soon as I can get it. Rules aren't my forte, but I can handle them. I prefer to be the smiling face that helps put it all together. People tend to think of me as impatient, but it's only because they don't understand the need I feel to get things done. I was never able to decide on a career path, so I'm doing them all. If I can, why not? I'm going to take everything life has to offer head on. On one side, I'm a very go-with-the-flow, I'm-up-for-anything kind of person; on the other, I'm a zesty outgoing person, who is known as that person with a positive outlook on everything. I'm very competitive, which is funny because when we were in our group, I could see that in all of us. All of us had something to say so we couldn't decide on any one thing. If you put us in a room and gave us a project to do I don't think it would go the best because of the fact that all of us would have our own ideas and want to be in charge. People tend to refer to me as a "Free Spirit"

My MTBI was

ESFP



Outgoing, friendly, and accepting. Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. Enjoy working with others to make things happen. Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. Flexible, spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.

 

This also describes me very well. Although I'm not much sure about the "common sense" part since most people ask me if I'm naturally a blonde, but that's besides the point. I love working on big projects with other people and watching it all come together at the end. I adjust to new settings quickly because I'm very accepting of new things; I approach them with a smile. Reaching out to others has never been a problem to me, I'll make a friend out of anybody. New people are interesting, and every person I meet helps me grow in some sort of way. I love life and the little things it has to offer, and can't wait for all of what it has in store for me.



Lasting Impressions - Mission Statement

2. My Mission Statement:

My purpose in life is to make a lasting impression on every person I come into contact with. I value helping other people to reach their goals and I value others happiness. I want to become a Stage Producer in Theatre and I want to take it internationally so that my art inspires people all over the world. I hope through this that I can bring together plays and enjoy watching every smile that walks through the door after the show that night. However, Stage Producing isn't the only thing I wish to do with my life. I wish to own my own tattoo studio; through this I want to help people creatively express themselves in the way they'd like to. I want to open my own recording studio; through this I want to promote people who wouldn't make it otherwise. Just because someone isn't book smart doesn't mean they shouldn't be able to make it. If you have an amazing voice, then singing is your talent and you deserve to make it for your talent just like everybody else. Eventually, I wish to open my own barber shop where I can make a good relaxing hangout place for people to come and get their hair or nails done with good customer service in a chill environment. By the time I'm fifty, I wish to own all this and also open up my own clothing store that's reasonably priced with clothes for all shapes and sizes that you may not normally find anywhere else. The reason I will get all this is because I'm very determined. I'm a very social, happy, creative, intellectual, outgoing person who wants to do everything with their life. It all starts with a dream and hard work and dedication to myself, as well as others, will be what gets me there.

Being in Tune With Who You Are

1. There are many things that form a person into who they are. Some people are more in tune with these aspects of themselves and how they've come to make them into a person, and other people are still figuring out. I feel that I'm a person who is really in touch with myself, and this derives from knowing where I came from and who I want to be.

I was raised in a tiny house without much alone time, seeing that I shared a room with my little sister my whole life. I've always liked having a lot of friends and talking to new people. Growing up I was one of maybe ten white kids in all of my classes. I come from Toledo which is predominately African American. I have an Appalachian American background myself, and this comes from my dad’s side of the family. My dad died when I was almost nine so I never knew much of his side of the family. The death of my father from cancer at such a young age helped form me into the person I am. Even though this is a bad experience that I was unfortunate to encounter, I don’t regret it because it is truly something that formed me into who I am. My grandmother was also a very big factor in what lead to my views and goals in life. She was a painter and drawer until she started going blind when I was about three. After my father died, I would spend a lot of time with my grandmother after school. During this time, she would try to teach my little sister and I tricks of the artist trade. At the time I thought it was stupid, but I remember those things now and they’ve helped me to become a better artist. About four years after my father passed away, my grandmother passed away also. This wasn’t something I was new to but it was still hard and it’s another one of those things that I don’t necessarily regret because it’s helped form me into the person I am today.

I’m a very hands-on type of person. I like interacting and I love being with people. I’m not the type of person that requires very much alone time, I’d much rather be with a group of people. This may be due to the fact that I never really had alone time growing up because I shared a room with my sister. My artistic and creative side obviously comes from my grandmother and her exposing me at a young age. I have big goals for myself that I know I’ll push through with the right dedication. This comes from my mother, her pigheadedness, and the fact that she always encouraged me that I can do anything I set my mind to. With these good influences and my diverse background I hope that one day, all of my dreams will come true. (: