Capstone Mode!
Week 3, Day 18 already! It’s scary when I count them…
The day started as always with a morning briefing from Takeo. Then we had a very interesting lecture by Dr. Dawson. She showed us some videos about cultural differences, different perceptions, discrimination and the ways that it affects businesses. Dr. Dawson asked engaging questions and encouraged us to express our thoughts. The diversity of our group had been proven a valuable asset for the discussion as a lot of different views about the subject were mentioned. I really enjoyed the class as it triggered my curiosity to learn more about handling human resources in the most productive way.
After lunch, we joined the class of the veteran entrepreneurs with Dr. Steven Olson. It was a very interactive lecture. He taught us about innovation and creativity. We were exposed to 4 different types of competing values that people have in an organization – collaborative, goal oriented, visionary, control. It was fun because we did that in a way that gave us the chance to interact with the veterans and also learn more about each other.
In the afternoon, we have met in the library where Todd Doman, the UTC Grant office specialist, gave us his insights on how to write a grant. His presentation made me realize the importance of having good writing skills. It can have a significant impact. The schedule proceeded with group work for the Capstone Project. We had a long brainstorming discussion, we had set a timeline and we came up with some potential ideas. Project work can be challenging, but looking at the people that work together, I can see a lot of great potential outcomes.
For the last activity of the day, we have spent some time volunteering at the Salvation Army where we have helped with the decoration of the place. We have prepared everything for the Wednesday's dinner with the veterans. Doing volunteering together has strengthened the bonds we have as a whole group. I am grateful for everything that we had experienced up to now. I can’t wait for the next days where we will be working more intensively on our projects.
