Author: bjf232

My proudest moment of my experience this summer with La Fundación Paraguaya took place during the last few days of my internship. During this time the organization asks each intern to give a final presentation to co-workers and supervisors that requires reflecting on experiences and sharing challenges faced and insights learned. For me, I was excited to present as, in general, I embrace reflecting and the way in which my perspective broadens and deepens with each experience. I’ve found this type of thought so valuable, in fact, that I journaled my thoughts consistently throughout the 9 weeks that I was there. Interestingly, however, it was a story told about me by my supervisor that allowed me to see I had overlooked my proudest accomplishment.

My presentation brought up many ideas that certainly had great value.  For example, I spoke about having gained a better understanding of the workings of a non-profit organization and the challenges faced in social justice work. I spoke about honing my Spanish skills, and absorbing the culture of the people and country of Paraguay. Yet after presenting, I remember my supervisor, Guillermo, asking to share a story with the rest of the group. He said, “I remember one of the first days Brandon was in the office and we went to help a class carry out their business plan at one of the high schools. During these sessions, the students are constantly asking questions, speaking quickly, using specific vocabulary—it was obviously a difficult task for Brandon, but at that time I was with him to help out. When we returned to the office, I expressed to Brandon that, if he were up to it, I’d like him to travel alone to the high schools and work with the students alone. At first, he expressed doubts, saying ‘I don’t know, Guille, I don’t know if I speak well enough—if I will be able to understand their questions well enough and explain some of these concepts.’  At that point, we had decided I would accompany him again. Yet, just a few hours later before the end of the day he approached me and, with a new confidence, said ‘I’d like to go on Friday if you don’t mind.’”

 

The reason that I bring up this story is that, while I focused on goals I had outlined in my World of Work application as my accomplishments, which are certainly important, I realized that I had overlooked the decision that made all of these goals attainable, which was finding the courage to be vulnerable and step outside of my comfort zone. In listening to the story, it had become so transparent to me how much this risk of making mistakes and being in a new environment scared me, and hearing it told by my supervisor while knowing I had overcome this obstacle is truly an accomplishment that holds much value to me. The effect of this fundamental decision made my other goals possible; that is, opting to work with the students alone meant that I did not have anyone other than myself to rely on for understanding and answering complex concepts, and therefore helped me fortify my confidence and skill with Spanish. Furthermore, this decision put me one-on-one with students and allowed me to feel as though I was making a tangible, positive difference in their lives. For me, having had great opportunities such as attending Brandeis, was so rewarding as I felt that I was giving back after being given so much.

As I return to Brandeis, I am excited to continue to speak Spanish and have plans to attend “Charlamos” meetings; a club on campus devoted to speaking Spanish and celebrating Hispanic culture. A Brandeis’ student run club called English Language Learning Initiative is another great opportunity to involve myself in volunteer work that will expand my cultural perspective.  Additionally, I believe I enter this academic year with a greater appreciation of other cultures and look to attend the many cultural celebrations that Brandeis hosts each semester. Above all, however, I hope to continue to find the confidence to step out of my comfort zone, as I have come to realize how much one learns about himself through doing so. Lastly, I would like to say thank you so much to Brandeis and the WOW committee for offering such an enriching experience to their students.  Opportunities like this make Brandeis such a special institution.

Brandon Frank ’12

 

Hello WOW bloggers. A month has past since my last post, meaning that I have, amazingly, already passed the half-way point in my internship with Fundacion Paraguaya. I am very fortunate to say that, in this time, I have found my niche in terms of my work; that is, I have really been enjoying what I have been doing on a daily basis. After switching my area of work from the micro-finance office to a department that focuses on business education called “Educacion Emprendora”, I have been learning in ways that reinforce many of the learning goals that I outlined prior to my internship.

Within the “Educacion Emprendedora” program, I am specifically working with Junior Achievement – an international program that helps high school-aged children in groups of approximately 30 start and manage their own businesses for a year. The students work in groups referred to as the “company” to develop a product or service to offer, sell stock within the company to generate capital, purchase any necessary production equipment, develop a business plan, produce their product or service, execute public relations, and finally enter the local economy to sell. The defining characteristic of Junior Achievement is an emphasis on learning by doing; in other words, the students have the chance to put into practice the theory they have learned in the classroom. The program often an exciting experience, and students come to realize an intimate understanding of the issues executives face throughout the year by personally facing the challenges and questions that arise in various areas of the business such as marketing, production, human resources, etc.

To help guide the students in this process, each company receives a detailed program manual outlined with weekly goals as a guideline to complete, attends a day-long business organization session, and can access support from me and my co-workers whenever they have questions.

One of the aspects I have enjoyed most about my work is my ability to travel. On a typical day I will travel to a high school which can be located in or outside of the city of Asuncion. As one of my learning goals was to experience Paraguayan culture, these trips outside the city allow me to compare elements between urban and rural life. Even seemingly mundane elements such as riding the public transit open my view to larger cultural ideas.

When I arrive at a school, I work with the five elected executives of the highschool’s company and help them realize a detailed business plan. Together we elaborate their company’s fixed costs, costs per unit of production, equilibrium point, sales goals based on earnings per share, and more. By the end of our exercises, the company knows exactly how many units of their goods/service it must sell per month, per week, per day, and per person to reach their goal. While the process sounds complicated, the underlying concept is fundamental in nature; the objective is that each student learns the skill of breaking down seemingly overwhelming and complex goals into smaller, achievable ones, ultimately instilling in him the confidence that he can pursue any professional or personal goal.

Working within the program has been a learning experience for me as well. First, in addition to refining the above mentioned organizational techniques, I am continuing to deepen my understanding of entrepreneurship and managing a business. Second, one of the most important growth factors for me has been gaining more experience speaking Spanish. Through speaking, listening and interacting in Spanish frequently and in new contexts my comfort and confidence in the language is growing. Third, the most rewarding element of my job is feeling as though I am making a tangible difference in these students’ lives, especially after sessions when the students leave saying “I feel that I have really learned.”  I am humbled to think that I am giving them some confidence, especially in the case where some children come from difficult backgrounds.

To be learning something new everyday is a gift, and I thank the WOW committee for this opportunity. Until next time!

– Brandon Frank ’14