Leah Pan: Applying and Learning Skills to Succeed
Looking back at my first quarter and a half working at Cristo Rey San Jose (CRSJ), I’ve enjoyed learning about the work that happens behind the scenes to support a non-profit, such as donations and event planning. Even though the business goal is different from other companies I’ve worked for, many of the business skills that I’ve learned from my professional experiences or gained from my classes at Santa Clara have been transferable to this new role. For example, professionalism, communication, and time management skills were vital for me because they helped me in whatever projects I was given. I was able to effectively communicate my timeliness, gain feedback, and bond with my manager to create an overall, amazing experience so far.
Working with the Advancement team in their marketing, event planning, and donor relations department has exposed me to how different marketing strategies and networking skills can be utilized in businesses to achieve goals. The real-life application of these skills has been so valuable to me because it gave me new perspectives and improved my understanding of the business topics that I learned in class such as database management and analysis for marketing decisions.
At CRSJ so far, the two biggest skills that I believe are important to the organization and have helped me succeed are collaboration and adaptability. Everyone that I’ve had the privilege to meet and talk with at CRSJ has given me an insight into the open and collaborative work environment that the school strives to foster. In a school that’s motivated to create the best experience for students, the Advancement team works closely together on projects and events. I admire how everyone on my team is always willing to help others when the workload becomes overwhelming. In addition, adaptability has also been valuable to me at CRSJ because as a Management Information Systems major, I’ve had to adapt to learn new skills last quarter within marketing that I’ve never tried before such as Canva and Sprout Social. I’ve enjoyed every new experience I’ve gained and look forward to gaining more while working at CRSJ.