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Composition Program.
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Date:
January 25, 2001
To: Center Team Leader and Interns
From: Caryn Mendez
Subject: Request for Personal Information
I graduated from high school in June of 1997. Since then, I have attended The University of Arizona full time, and will be graduating this coming May. My major is Communication, and my minor is Family Studies.
My professional interests are mainly in the field of communication as well as the field of family therapy. I have learned many diverse theories in my classes about the ways in which people send and receive messages, either verbally or nonverbally, and would like to further research and analyze the many aspects of communication. I also have a special interest in communication between family members, especially when dealing with conflict management. I believe that there are special processes, influences, and goals within the culture of a family that affect what is said and the manner in which they are said (or expressed), and I am fascinated with this idea and eager to observe and research family communication.
While my ultimate goal is to become a family and marriage therapist, I do have some outside interests as well. Namely, I have a curiosity with weather phenomenon and enjoy browsing the internet looking for weather images produced by the latest technology. I include this information because I would like to involve meteorology in my major project in case I am unable to develop a suitable project on communication or family therapy.
Most communication in my chosen field is face to face (as in a therapy session), or written (as in research). However, many aspects of communication still occur within those two contexts. For example, in a therapy setting, communication is both verbal and nonverbal (body language speaks volumes about feelings and conflict!); and in research, the most common form of communication is written.
I am not certain about how the meteorology field communicates. My interest in this field is a little superficial, so I do not know specifics about members of this profession communicate with others. However, I am familiar with how they communicate with the public since I am a frequent browser of weather related web pages and a regular viewer of weather news on television. An example of this communication would be the use of color and the clarity of maps in weather updates. Work Experience My work experience is mostly in the area of customer service and secretarial work. I worked as a shift supervisor for a retail store for two years while in high school. My duties included supervision of associates, cashier, merchandising, customer service (answering questions, etc.), preparation of bank deposits, paperwork, inventory, and writing memos to the corporate office. Currently, I am working as an administrative assistant for the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology. I started there as a student worker two years ago, and was recently promoted to my current staff position. My duties include customer service (focused on students and faculty), maintaining department documents, shipping and receiving packages, scheduling conference rooms, mail disbursement, and supervision of student workers.
I am also currently participating in an independent study with a professor with the Communication Department, which is allowing me to gain real-world experience in social science research. I am working on two research studies for which I do data entry, coding, and background research for literature reviews. I think this is the most important aspect of my experience because it relates to the field I plan to enter upon graduation and because it is an area in which I have a great interest.
I have a fairly wide range of job skills and people skills. On the technical side, I am proficient on MS Word and Works, and can work on both PC and Mac platforms. I can utilize fax machines and copy machines, and I am also familiar with their maintenance. My people skills include patience, conflict management, leadership abilities, and group work experience. Additionally, I pay special attention to detail, and I am a fast learner.