Author: mt129963

Last week I attended a workshop with Sheridan, Mike and Joe. We attended a workshop called Small Talk: Its A Big Deal! Part Two. I initially walked in thinking about what can I possibly learn about small talk that I don’t know. In my eyes small talk is a very simple and easy task. I find it easy to strike up with a conversation with a person I don’t know. However, what was taught in this workshop taught me new things as well as reinforce what I already know about small talk. At the beginning of the workshop we defined what small talk was: it was generally “an informal conversation between two people or among a small group of people. Body language is very important in the area of small talk. Body language shows us if people are approachable or not or if they are being receptive to what you say. It is important to seem approachable so people can initiate small talk. The way they react shows where the conversation will be headed. If they are fully engaged in the conversation it will lead into an interesting talk whereas if they were not very responsive, the conversation would go no where. It is important for us to be a good listener as well as a good conversationalist in order to maintain a good conversation. They spoke about how it is easier to approach a person and initiate small talk rather than approach a group of people and initiate small talk. It is more difficult to initiate small talk with a group of people because you don’t know what their conversation is full about especially if you came in middle of their conversation. I learned the importance of small talk in job opportunities. We should be able to participate in small talk in order to try to land a job with an employer. We must be able to seem as an ideal employee to the employer and we must be able to stand out in order for them to be interested in us. It is also important that we ask for their information and make sure to give them our information in order for them to be able to contact us if they are interested in us. It is also a smart idea to not only give our information to employers, but to others we meet as well. They may be able to help us get a job and recommend us to worthy employers. It is important to be able to engage in conversation as well as be confident to approach people. We must be able to network in order to get somewhere in our lives. Networking can help us climb in the career ladder and help us become successful. Like they say “Its more important who you know rather than what you know.” If you leave a good impression on who you speak to, it will enable you to open up to new opportunities that you once didn’t have. In the end of the workshop I learned that small talk isn’t something you do just to have fun and socialize, but it is vital to open up opportunities for your future.

I identify myself as someone who is unique. I may be shy and awkward at first, but one will soon learn that I am a pretty confident, sociable, & friendly person. I am trustworthy, honest, and non-judgmental as well.  I am hardworking, determined and motivated, which are the qualities that drive me to work harder and succeed.

Who am I to others? Well, to others, I am a daughter, a sister, a cousin, a niece, a college student, at tutor, a role model, a mentor, a friend, a confident and reliable person. I am someone who can gives out advice and be a listener.

I have no single important person in my life. Every one of my family and friends are the most important people in my life. I am unable to choose just one important person in my life. They have supported all my goals and have been there for me through my rough times. They motivate me and inspire me to be my best as well as encourage me to try new things and not fear the unknown.

What I like the best is being around people I like and enjoying my time with them. I believe that time is precious so therefore we must spend time with the people we love. It is nice to have people to share your life with. I realize that these people may not be in my life forever, therefore I must spend as much as quality time with them as I can.

What I like the least is not being able to live my life to the fullest. I don’t like sticking to a schedule and I prefer not knowing what’s going to happen. I hate having to wake up every day at a certain time just to get to school and from there taking the classes I have for that day. I wish I can just take a year of and just do me. I want to be able to travel the world and see the things I want to see. I want a whole different life experience that most people aren’t luck enough to have. Life is always more exciting when you don’t know what is in store for you.

Who am I? Isn’t that the question we always seem to ask ourselves? Whether we are faced in a difficult situation or we must make difficult decisions in the end, we must know that how we handle our problems makes us who we are today. Well my name is Melin Thomas and as for me I believe that I am just a unique, open-minded person who likes to have fun and be able to enjoy life. I am an honest, trustworthy, and a dependable person and I cherish those closest to me. I was born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn until I was 10 years old, and then I moved to New Hyde Park, Long Island. I feel like where I grew up impacted me and made me the person that I am today. I learned to always be able to keep a positive outlook on life and to never compare myself to others because everyone is raised under different circumstances. One great thing about growing up in two different environments is that it helped me be able to adjust to changes better and meet new and different people which I believe, has made me into a well-rounded person today.

I have many concerns during freshman year. One of my concerns is to be able to have good time management skills. I want to be able to find a balance between studying for school and doing my homework as well as having a good time and socializing. I also hope to maintain a good GPA throughout college because otherwise I would be disappointed in myself because I would know I could do better.  I also came to learn that Baruch is very competitive and that you must work hard to get to the top. You are responsible for your failure or success and my goal is to be successful. Another concern I have is to be able to meet new people and not be shy. I am extremely shy at the beginning and I find it hard to approach people; but if I am approached, I will be as friendly as possible and I believe that I am pretty easy to get along with. I just hope that I am lucky enough to meet great new people that will become my long time best friends.

Baruch is very different from high school. It is much more diverse and it’s filled from people all over the world, not just my community. In Baruch I am just another somebody, whereas in high school I was Melin Thomas. In Baruch, we are not babied and we must learn to do things ourselves and learn to become more competitive because in the end, business is a cut throat world. My first year at college will transform me into a more independent, hardworking, knowledgeable person. It will give me the confidence to go out on my own and experience new things. I will have a broader perception of the world ahead of me. The challenges I would face and the decisions I would make will transform me into who I will become.