Name of Professionals: Mrs. Nickquolette Barrett, Mr. Shea Mercer, Mr. Alan Mesches, Mr. Dan Mossakowski

Event: Independent Study & Mentorship Business Symposium

Location: Independence High School

Date of Event:  October 2nd, 2019

Assessment:

I have often heard cliché statements about opportunity, quotes along the lines of waiting for an opportunity and grabbing it when it comes. However, through my experiences at the Independent Study and Mentorship Business Symposium, whether those experiences include fine-tuning my interview skills, meeting other aspiring students, or receiving constructive criticism on my resume, I realized the importance of creating your own opportunities and following through with them rather than waiting for opportunities to knock on your door.

At the Business Symposium, I had the opportunity to interact with other students in the Independent Study & Mentorship program in their respective schools, local professionals, and intellectual speakers. As an outsider viewing the whole situation, I believe that this experience has greatly impacted the way I approach my project and has also expanded my comfort zone by forcing me to venture out of it.

My Independent Study & Mentorship journey involves multiple moving parts, and as one rusted gear in a machine limits the machine’s efficiency, all part of my project, whether that be my intrapersonal and communication skills, the quality of my product, the level of research, or any technical components, need to be performing at the best of their abilities. The exposure I gained at this event allowed me to gain a new perspective of approaching my ISM project.

As I had the opportunity to meet with Mr. Alan Mesches, a retired marketing professional and the founder of Leadership Frisco, I was able to absorb unique suggestions on my working original work idea, which involves creating a community-centered social enterprise which minimizes the harmful environmental effects of coffee grounds. Mr. Mesches, who has had the opportunity to maintain connections with various marketing and financial professionals in the sports industry, suggested that, in addition to connecting with said professionals to research entrepreneurship, I explore revitalizing my passion for Cricket differently: promoting the sport in this area rather than simply playing it. Impressed with my interest in entrepreneurship, Mr. Mesches stated how entrepreneurship doesn’t always involve establishing a profit-hungry corporation. Rather, it could be small efforts by a passionate young boy in Frisco, Texas who wants to spread the sport of Cricket in the community which is otherwise dominated by only a few athletic events. Following his idea, Mr. Mesches provided me with the contact information of Mrs. Faulkner, a marketing professional at the Dallas Cowboys, and the general manager of the Dallas Rattlers, the local lacrosse team. I hope to connect with these professionals and meet with them to learn more about the internal working of entrepreneurship while asking them more about their experience.

As I mentally prepared myself for the interview, which was my second fifteen interview at the event, I expected Mr. Mesches to go through my resume and provide my feedback while I followed up with questions. Not only did Mr. Mesches help me with my resume, wherein he provided ideas related to the content and formatting, but he also helped me expand my perspective on approaching my idea. I think that although this different perspective is not directly related to my Independent Study & Mentorship journey, it is a perspective I agree with as I look to utilize my entrepreneurial spirit in a variety of unique ways. As Mr. Mesches helped me identify a new approach, which allowed me to ensure the proper functioning of my “level of research” component, other experiences in this event permitted me to grow in other areas.

Although passion is vital to success, an absence of technical knowledge hinders the potential of an individual. As I recognized this truth as I continued to develop an idea for my original work, I ensured that at this event, I had the opportunity to meet with professionals who could help me improve the technical components of my professional profile. Interacting with Mr. Shea Mercer, a professional corporate recruiter, and Mrs. Nickquolette Barrett, a certified career coach, allowed me to do so.

Mr. Mercer, through his recruiting experience, explained the importance of a resume when making the first impact on a hiring manager. Offering constructive criticism, he provided me two focus points to improve on, namely the importance of relevant qualifications based on the occasion and concision. Illustrating the vast amounts of information on my resume, he explained how a hiring manager or recruiter has a limited time to look over a resume, and, for example, my resume looked very detailed with no emphasized point. He concluded with the importance of illustrating two or three reoccurring themes you want to portray in your resume, doing so by highlighting specific accomplishments. Also, to this valuable interview, absorbing information from the guest speaker, Mrs. Barrett, not only helped me in fine-tuning my technical skillset but impacted my mentality towards my professional profile. As I have treated both my schoolwork and my passion as mandatory work that I have had to complete for a numerical ranking, I was experiencing a large amount of stress without any avail. However, Mrs. Barrett’s suggestions about becoming the “CEO of your own career” while developing a “take-charge mentality” has allowed me to gain a new perspective as I approach my journey in the Independent Study & Mentorship Program. In addition, Mrs. Barrett provided me additional advice on my resume, commending me on my effective use of “power words” that emphasize my passions and achievements. Through both interactions, I improved on the technical nature of my project while establishing new connections that I hope to continue to utilize in the future.

In addition to these formal interviews, I was able to have a brief conversation with Mr. Dan Mossakowski. A financial entrepreneur with his wealth management firm, I approached Mr. Mossakowski to hopefully gain some knowledge on impact investments and their modern-day applications. However, as he directed the conversation with thought-provoking questions, we transitioned into a discussion about the vital characteristics of a successful individual. He commented on how successful individuals do not consider “failure to be a word in their dictionary.” Rather, they consider it an “opportunity to reroute [themselves] to success.” He also progressed to described entrepreneurship in general as a trial-and-error experiment, where any other job is simply being part of the status quo. This progressive thinking helped me establish an alternate way of thinking about entrepreneurship. Instead of focusing on its fallbacks and uncertainty, I began to concentrate on its potential for success and its ability to revolutionize the lifestyle of the common man, whether that’s the way somebody communicates with another individual a thousand miles away to how somebody vacuums their bedroom. This brief meeting provided me with great insight from an established professional and I hope to remain in touch with him for more technical and professional advice.

Despite a lack of student connections, I strongly believe the numerous interviews I conducted provided me with a plethora of advice, which if I effectively incorporate, will set me up for success in the coming future. Through this valuable experience, I plan on utilizing the criticism and advice each professional provided me to better my professional image while continuing to remain in touch with said professionals. Lastly, but most importantly, I would like to thank Mr. Mossakowski, Mr. Mesches, Mr. Mercer, and Mrs. Nickquolette for providing me priceless information and equipping me with the right tools and resources to successfully continue my enriching Independent Study and Mentorship journey.