January 2022 Scholar Blog
Greetings to all! My name is Jooye (most people call me “Judy”), and I am a part of Wake Forest University’s College LAUNCH for Leadership program in the Winston-Salem cohort. This program has helped me learn much about colleges and how to prepare myself for future careers. It has been a great opportunity to meet new people and connect with adults, communicating together about our interests and getting help from them. Our January Summit was a continuation of this journey and was a great start into 2022.
I have always thought about my major and had a specific plan on what I want to do in the future. However, I was very anxious and scared because life doesn’t always go as the way you planned it. During our January Summit, I was able to learn more about future planning and the importance of considering the things you like to do when choosing a major.
We began our day with the topic of choosing a college major. Meeting with Ms. Jasmine Williams (from the Wake Forest University School of Business) and Ms. Helen Morgan (from the Wake Forest University Office of Professional and Career Development) provided us with information about how to make such an important decision. We each took time to take the Holland Code in order to find career categories that align with our specific interests and skills. When then met in small groups to discuss specific majors, career options, and personal attributes related to our top scoring categories. It helped me know that I am not only limited to the science field, but could also consider pursuing something in the art field, given my hobbies in crafting and music.
Now, hearing this may seem like just an ordinary personality quiz. However, the way we were able to discuss together in small breakout groups helped me interact more closely with what I really like and consider my options. Also, I was very impacted when the presenters gave the advice of saying “it is never too late to start a new path” which helped my anxiety level about my future decision. This is especially important because I am always accustomed to comparing myself to others and doing everything fast with the goal of speeding through my education towards my future career goal. However, with these conversations and discussions, I found that there is time to explore in life and that I should take opportunities to find a college major that allows me to pursue a career I truly enjoy.
After these discussions, we moved on to a short presentation and activity on professional courtesies. I thought that this was a great experience because it provided us with concrete examples of ways to show gratitude in a formal or professional setting. This was a great opportunity for me to know how to one day speak to my college professors and how to communicate in the best way possible. To end the day, we were also able to meet our YPAR group and plan towards our final project. My team is focusing on Social Media and its impact on teens. Because we got the time to meet up, it was a great opportunity to collaborate and form new ideas about our project.
As a participant of the LAUNCH program, this January Summit was one of the most informative events thus far. The session not only provided me with a lot of helpful information but it also relieved some of my stress. I think that this is a great opportunity to learn and interact with people that are similar and different from me. This journey is helping me to find who I truly am and make important decisions about my future.