Thank you, above all, for your patience. I came in not knowing exactly what I was getting into, but knowing that I would put my all into it. There were times when I definitely overthought situations that you knew I could handle (having you constantly check my numbers on the Sponsorship Funding Program even though I had checked, and rechecked them and they were right), and there were times when I took a risk and came up short (thank goodness the laminator survived when I thought that I knew how to operate it without asking anyone). Thank you for pushing me to be better and more responsible with every event I helped facilitate. Sometimes I took it personally, but at the end of the day I realized how much stronger it made me and more prepared for the next time I faced a similar situation. Thank you for respecting me and throwing me right into the beautiful chaos that is preparing for and running events. I felt like a member of the team and not like the intern.
Thank you for the life chats as I was leaving for the day, and the understanding when I had to leave an hour early to study for an exam. Thank you for embracing my visions even when it seemed that they would fail, and cheering me on when they succeeded.
Thank you for taking the time to teach me and take time out of your busy schedule to make sure that those lessons stuck with me. I learned so much about myself personally and professionally that will take me far in life. I hope to see you in the fall when I can come back and enjoy the events from "the other side". Although I do not believe I will ever be able to attend an event again without thinking about all the work going into it and what I would have done instead.
- Alex
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Looking Back
Looking back on my internship experience is very overwhelming; in a good way. I accomplished SO much in such a short amount of time (5 months). I still honestly cannot believe that last Saturday was my final day working with my office and my final event. Tree Lighting and the Parade of Lights was a perfect way to end my time. I worked the event from 8 in the morning to 11 at night and it felt like it flew by. In the morning I was in charge of the display in the Downtown Chandler area. One of my big projects was working on making a display for the Tumbleweed Tree. I found and ordered three lighted displays that would work outside for an extended period of time. I later assembled them when they arrived and placed the informative posters that I helped design and write.
Later in the evening I helped manage our volunteers who were assisting with the parade, and helped get parade entries set up and ready to go. An exhausting evening, but it was perfectly pulled off.
When I consider the entirety of my experience I definitely gained so much. Here are my original goals:
1. I hope to achieve a broader knowledge of working at a city level. More specifically how the different city departments collaborate and interact together to produce results for their citizens.
2. Learn what exactly it takes to effectively run a department, and all the intricacies associated with it that most are not aware of.
3. Gain valuable skills in areas such as leadership, management, organization, and cooperation to take with me in whatever path my career takes me.
I worked with not only so many different people in the Recreation department, but many people outside of it as well. Part of being able to help a citizen organize a special event is being able to get approval from different city departments. The same is true for our own events. During the Tree Lighting event there was a miscommunication between our department and the traffic control that resulted in a major street not being shut down at the correct time. Luckily we had people in the area that realized what was happening and where able to tell us so that we could then contact traffic control to get the issue resolved quickly. It could have very well been the case that without our relationship with traffic control that this problem could have taken a longer time to resolve, at the risk to event goers, or that another bad situation could have resulted.
Running the Special Events department, or any department for that matter, is no easy task. Aside from the basic job description of being in charge of special events you are involved in writing city code, managing staff, managing equipment, being the go-to person for special event related questions, being the liaison when it comes to organizing special events, and being involved with committees to lend your expertise to name a few. Much like school you can be in charge of five different projects at a time and still be responsible for the basic duties required to run your department. I learned how to better organize my time and how to stay on top of my work. I learned that getting the job done often requires going above and beyond what is minimally required of you to excel at your job. I learned that you need to be flexible when things go wrong, but that you also need to be responsible for your shortcomings. Above all I learned that nobody gets to where they are without trying, and that sometimes means taking risks. For someone like me, who often focuses on perfection, it was difficult to learn these things, but I believe it will make me a stronger boss when the time comes.
One big skill I learned was that of being confident. I had the chance to go out to lunch with my boss this week and discuss my experience and where I was going from here. She commented that when I first started I was very timid and a little unsure of myself, as was to be expected. Right around the middle of September, though, she noticed that a change occurred in me, I become more confident in my work; I asked less questions and took charge of my projects. Something clicked in me and I became not just an intern, but a valuable member of the team. This was reassuring to hear because throughout my time I often felt unsure of myself or if I was making the right decisions. I definitely felt more confident in my role, but still was very critical of myself.
I also gained so much from interacting with so many different people. It felt odd to sometimes delegate tasks to people that were older than me and more experienced, but I just kept in mind how I would want to be treated when working with both staff and volunteers. I made many new friends and was met with respect with every event I attended.
This experience was one that I can take with me wherever I go in life, and one that I am grateful to have been given to help make my way in the world.
 |
| My displays |
When I consider the entirety of my experience I definitely gained so much. Here are my original goals:
1. I hope to achieve a broader knowledge of working at a city level. More specifically how the different city departments collaborate and interact together to produce results for their citizens.
2. Learn what exactly it takes to effectively run a department, and all the intricacies associated with it that most are not aware of.
3. Gain valuable skills in areas such as leadership, management, organization, and cooperation to take with me in whatever path my career takes me.
I worked with not only so many different people in the Recreation department, but many people outside of it as well. Part of being able to help a citizen organize a special event is being able to get approval from different city departments. The same is true for our own events. During the Tree Lighting event there was a miscommunication between our department and the traffic control that resulted in a major street not being shut down at the correct time. Luckily we had people in the area that realized what was happening and where able to tell us so that we could then contact traffic control to get the issue resolved quickly. It could have very well been the case that without our relationship with traffic control that this problem could have taken a longer time to resolve, at the risk to event goers, or that another bad situation could have resulted.
Running the Special Events department, or any department for that matter, is no easy task. Aside from the basic job description of being in charge of special events you are involved in writing city code, managing staff, managing equipment, being the go-to person for special event related questions, being the liaison when it comes to organizing special events, and being involved with committees to lend your expertise to name a few. Much like school you can be in charge of five different projects at a time and still be responsible for the basic duties required to run your department. I learned how to better organize my time and how to stay on top of my work. I learned that getting the job done often requires going above and beyond what is minimally required of you to excel at your job. I learned that you need to be flexible when things go wrong, but that you also need to be responsible for your shortcomings. Above all I learned that nobody gets to where they are without trying, and that sometimes means taking risks. For someone like me, who often focuses on perfection, it was difficult to learn these things, but I believe it will make me a stronger boss when the time comes.
One big skill I learned was that of being confident. I had the chance to go out to lunch with my boss this week and discuss my experience and where I was going from here. She commented that when I first started I was very timid and a little unsure of myself, as was to be expected. Right around the middle of September, though, she noticed that a change occurred in me, I become more confident in my work; I asked less questions and took charge of my projects. Something clicked in me and I became not just an intern, but a valuable member of the team. This was reassuring to hear because throughout my time I often felt unsure of myself or if I was making the right decisions. I definitely felt more confident in my role, but still was very critical of myself.
I also gained so much from interacting with so many different people. It felt odd to sometimes delegate tasks to people that were older than me and more experienced, but I just kept in mind how I would want to be treated when working with both staff and volunteers. I made many new friends and was met with respect with every event I attended.
This experience was one that I can take with me wherever I go in life, and one that I am grateful to have been given to help make my way in the world.
 |
| That's a wrap! |
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
Organization Strengths
There are many strengths that my organization posses. They are very well run and organized. I have always felt that we were on top of projects that needed to be done and were always prepared for event day. The event coordinator in our office had a checklist that we would go over the week of the event to accomplish different tasks on different days. This helped us to not feel so overwhelmed, and to help spread the work out over the course of a few days. Loading and unloading equipment came become very tiresome! There were several times when we finished ahead of schedule on event set up days which allowed us more time for other projects, and made the whole process less stressful.
When it came to event days she always had a checklist of what needed to be done to set up/run/and clean up an event. This made it very easy to help direct staff and volunteers on what to do and help with, especially for someone like me who was new to the whole process. I felt that everyone had a place and job to do and everyone's time and energy was maximized and used to their full ability.
Other strengths of my office was in the way that communication was handled and how organized my boss was. They had a very specific timeline once a special event application was received, and a great organization system to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. They were extremely timely in their responses to the public and I think that is very important when are you in a public service position. Every question from someone simply calling in to ask about a special event to someone wanting information on their application was treated equally. If I were in charge of a similar organization I would probably do things the same way, but more catered to how I like to do things. This department is a great foundation for me to base my actions off of in the future. Having no previous experience running a department of any kind I can think back to my time here as a strong basis.
When it came to event days she always had a checklist of what needed to be done to set up/run/and clean up an event. This made it very easy to help direct staff and volunteers on what to do and help with, especially for someone like me who was new to the whole process. I felt that everyone had a place and job to do and everyone's time and energy was maximized and used to their full ability.
Other strengths of my office was in the way that communication was handled and how organized my boss was. They had a very specific timeline once a special event application was received, and a great organization system to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. They were extremely timely in their responses to the public and I think that is very important when are you in a public service position. Every question from someone simply calling in to ask about a special event to someone wanting information on their application was treated equally. If I were in charge of a similar organization I would probably do things the same way, but more catered to how I like to do things. This department is a great foundation for me to base my actions off of in the future. Having no previous experience running a department of any kind I can think back to my time here as a strong basis.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Career Service Write Up 2
Today I met with a career coach in the business school. Ever since I have been actively working in my internship I have enjoyed the special events process more and more. The other day I was thinking that maybe this was leading me down a career organizing corporate fundraising/special events for a nonprofit or park service organization. Or working for a corporation that helps out nonprofits, such as Kohl's and Petco. I would love to combine my experience and my degree to serve the public in this way.
The meeting was extremely helpful. We completely vetted my resume and worked on beefing up the descriptions of what it was I had done in my internship and previous work experience. We talked about goals I had for the future, and different ways to market myself. She gave me several examples of different nonprofits that look for new graduates to start out in their company and move up to working full time. She gave me dates of several career fairs to start attending in the spring if I decided to go the corporate route.
We also talked about how to interview. She pointed out that I often got caught up in the details and process of what I accomplished. For example I went into great detail about the Sponsorship Funding Program and the different ways I helped orchestrate it, but I never mentioned why I did it or how it made me feel. She explained that this was great I could explain the process, but also might make me come off as robotic if I wasn't able to explain how the project made me feel. I had no idea I was even doing this! I have so much to say about everything I have been involved in and could on for hours about it, but I was so nervous in an interview I completely forgot to mention them. I took other notes on how to improve my interview style. They still make me nervous, but I am confident I will be better at them in the future.
I attended one career fair last semester with the goal of looking for an internship and seeing the different organizations and companies that were out there. I was extremely nervous beforehand, but the event was actually a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice and welcoming and I walked away feeling better prepared to face the real world. The whole process of applying and interviewing is still daunting, but I am looking forward to what is out there for me after graduation.
The meeting was extremely helpful. We completely vetted my resume and worked on beefing up the descriptions of what it was I had done in my internship and previous work experience. We talked about goals I had for the future, and different ways to market myself. She gave me several examples of different nonprofits that look for new graduates to start out in their company and move up to working full time. She gave me dates of several career fairs to start attending in the spring if I decided to go the corporate route.
We also talked about how to interview. She pointed out that I often got caught up in the details and process of what I accomplished. For example I went into great detail about the Sponsorship Funding Program and the different ways I helped orchestrate it, but I never mentioned why I did it or how it made me feel. She explained that this was great I could explain the process, but also might make me come off as robotic if I wasn't able to explain how the project made me feel. I had no idea I was even doing this! I have so much to say about everything I have been involved in and could on for hours about it, but I was so nervous in an interview I completely forgot to mention them. I took other notes on how to improve my interview style. They still make me nervous, but I am confident I will be better at them in the future.
I attended one career fair last semester with the goal of looking for an internship and seeing the different organizations and companies that were out there. I was extremely nervous beforehand, but the event was actually a lot of fun. Everyone was so nice and welcoming and I walked away feeling better prepared to face the real world. The whole process of applying and interviewing is still daunting, but I am looking forward to what is out there for me after graduation.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Life Lessons-Free Write 11
One of the biggest things I did not realize about working for Special Events was the amount of physical activity that goes into it. I mean I realize I would be out in the field quite a bit, in fact this is what I prefer. What I did not realize is how hands on the coordinator got. We were right there doing everything alongside the volunteers and other staff on top of other managerial things. I took a look today at my steps on my health app yesterday after everything was done at around 4. I know this is accurate because you can bet that I went right home and laid down for the rest of the evening!
I love it though. I love feeling like I worked hard and accomplished something.
Another thing I did not realize was how close I would get to the people I worked with. I knew that I would develop a relationship with some people, but I also knew that most people saw interns as being temporary and therefore would not make an effort. I have no idea if it's just the City of Chandler or what, but working with the staff has been such a positive experience. I have met so many different and interesting people, and all of them have been so friendly and welcoming.
I was crossing the huge field at Tumbleweed after Woofstock to get to my car and all of a sudden I hear "Alex!" Perplexed I turned around and saw a woman I had worked with early to clean out the dog water fountains we proved the guests. I had maybe interacted with her for an hour talking about work and our personal lives, but here she was calling out to me, "Have a good day, I'll see you at Tree Lighting!" Building community is so important to me, and in that moment I felt like I belonged. I wasn't the outsider anymore; I was the confident intern who was able to interact and relate with staff I had just met, and even those I had known for a couple of events, in a positive way.
It has been great to learn how to manage staff and volunteers. Being able to experience both working alongside them and asking them to do certain tasks has made me a better leader. The great part about recreation is that I am able to help with the work I am asking them to do. I would never ask them to do something I was unwilling. I envision myself in a career where I have the opportunity to get out from behind my desk at points and get out into the field. Recreation offers that perfect balance.
I am becoming more confident by the day. Not just in my professional development, but personal as well. I find that even if something seems impossible all I have to do is think "Remember that time you helped organize, run, and set up an event for 5,000 people?" and suddenly I don't feel so small anymore.
I love it though. I love feeling like I worked hard and accomplished something.
Another thing I did not realize was how close I would get to the people I worked with. I knew that I would develop a relationship with some people, but I also knew that most people saw interns as being temporary and therefore would not make an effort. I have no idea if it's just the City of Chandler or what, but working with the staff has been such a positive experience. I have met so many different and interesting people, and all of them have been so friendly and welcoming.
I was crossing the huge field at Tumbleweed after Woofstock to get to my car and all of a sudden I hear "Alex!" Perplexed I turned around and saw a woman I had worked with early to clean out the dog water fountains we proved the guests. I had maybe interacted with her for an hour talking about work and our personal lives, but here she was calling out to me, "Have a good day, I'll see you at Tree Lighting!" Building community is so important to me, and in that moment I felt like I belonged. I wasn't the outsider anymore; I was the confident intern who was able to interact and relate with staff I had just met, and even those I had known for a couple of events, in a positive way.
It has been great to learn how to manage staff and volunteers. Being able to experience both working alongside them and asking them to do certain tasks has made me a better leader. The great part about recreation is that I am able to help with the work I am asking them to do. I would never ask them to do something I was unwilling. I envision myself in a career where I have the opportunity to get out from behind my desk at points and get out into the field. Recreation offers that perfect balance.
I am becoming more confident by the day. Not just in my professional development, but personal as well. I find that even if something seems impossible all I have to do is think "Remember that time you helped organize, run, and set up an event for 5,000 people?" and suddenly I don't feel so small anymore.
Woofstock- Free Write 10
We hosted our third event yesterday and I can't even begin to describe how tired I am. Physical prep work for an event starts days before, so on Thursday we began pulling out and cataloging supplies we would need. Friday consisted of loading all the supplies at City Hall and the Community Center into our trucks and bringing it to Tumbleweed Park. All in all it took 2 trips and loading/unloading supplies 4 times. On Saturday (event day) we started early at 5 in the morning. The City of Chandler has a huge trailer that they use for events and other things. It contained all the tables and chairs and trashcans and canopies we needed. I was in charge of helping unload and distributing them around the park at the appropriate areas for vendors that had requested them. Let me just say that "Easy Up" canopies are anything but.
Woofstock is our only dog-centered event and we had so many related activities there. We had a dog psychic, dog massage, a fur parlor (a mobile grooming company that airbrushed eco-friendly, washable tattoos on the dogs), multiple rescue groups, and lots of recreation activities for dogs such as agility and a lure course (an obstacle course that has the dog chase after a toy on a wire). The event itself started at 9:00 and was so much fun and such a success! I was so impressed with all the vendors and participants we had. There was almost virtually no trash and everyone cleaned up after their dogs. Later in the day I helped orchestrate the "Pet Parade" which showcased dogs and their owners who had dressed up. The participants loved it and it were surprised when I handed out actual medals to the winners! At the start of the day I did a walk-through to make sure the vendors were all there and in the right spot. Throughout the day I checked up on them to see how it was going and to ask input on what could be improved. It was a great exercise in conflict resolution and also with interacting with the public and clients.
Overall, though, the feedback was great and people loved the event. The Maricopa Animal Care and Control was there and reported that they had adopted all of their dogs out by the end of the event, That sounds like success to me! My family even stopped by with my dogs:
Woofstock is our only dog-centered event and we had so many related activities there. We had a dog psychic, dog massage, a fur parlor (a mobile grooming company that airbrushed eco-friendly, washable tattoos on the dogs), multiple rescue groups, and lots of recreation activities for dogs such as agility and a lure course (an obstacle course that has the dog chase after a toy on a wire). The event itself started at 9:00 and was so much fun and such a success! I was so impressed with all the vendors and participants we had. There was almost virtually no trash and everyone cleaned up after their dogs. Later in the day I helped orchestrate the "Pet Parade" which showcased dogs and their owners who had dressed up. The participants loved it and it were surprised when I handed out actual medals to the winners! At the start of the day I did a walk-through to make sure the vendors were all there and in the right spot. Throughout the day I checked up on them to see how it was going and to ask input on what could be improved. It was a great exercise in conflict resolution and also with interacting with the public and clients.
Overall, though, the feedback was great and people loved the event. The Maricopa Animal Care and Control was there and reported that they had adopted all of their dogs out by the end of the event, That sounds like success to me! My family even stopped by with my dogs:
 |
| Wally and Marty say: "We love the City of Chandler Special Events!" |
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Policy Writing- Free Write 9
I mentioned it in one of my earlier posts, but we are currently working on helping to write new policy for a stage that was just constructed in the area next to our Community Center. Most of the language is already there from an old Standard Operating Procedure we are using to help guide us. However it was my job to take the information my boss gathered about the stage and event area and place it into the old SOP and delete parts that were not applicable to our new policy. It is ironic because in school I have written thousands of papers; some I loved to write and others not so much. When I was younger I always felt like writing would not be that big of a skill I would take with me, and here I am! I am very much enjoying writing the new policy and moving the different sections around; it's like a puzzle. I also love being able to find just the right word to succinctly say what I mean without going on and on for pages. Others may think it is both boring to write and read, but I have truly found one of my passions in life.
In other news I am working on designing a display for Chandler's Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. There are three displays with pictures and a history of the tree lighting ceremony. I wrote out the entire display with information I pulled from Chandler's website and archives, Chandlerpedia. After I was done with that I sent it to the person in charge of graphic design. She did a beautiful job putting it all together with pictures from over the years. She gave me a few designs and approved one and we sent it tot he print shop. We just got them in today and they look great! I am in the process of putting together display box I found for them. However the display box is outdoor-proof, very large, and also is self-illuminated. It has been a struggle correctly installing it with all the wires and various parts, but my spirit is not dampened. I am so excited to put one together and put the sign it in and see my project from start to finish. These displays are very robust and will last quite a long time; long after I am gone! I think it is really cool that something I have worked so hard on will be with the city for many years. My own little legacy.
In other news I am working on designing a display for Chandler's Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. There are three displays with pictures and a history of the tree lighting ceremony. I wrote out the entire display with information I pulled from Chandler's website and archives, Chandlerpedia. After I was done with that I sent it to the person in charge of graphic design. She did a beautiful job putting it all together with pictures from over the years. She gave me a few designs and approved one and we sent it tot he print shop. We just got them in today and they look great! I am in the process of putting together display box I found for them. However the display box is outdoor-proof, very large, and also is self-illuminated. It has been a struggle correctly installing it with all the wires and various parts, but my spirit is not dampened. I am so excited to put one together and put the sign it in and see my project from start to finish. These displays are very robust and will last quite a long time; long after I am gone! I think it is really cool that something I have worked so hard on will be with the city for many years. My own little legacy.
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