Overview:For your final assignment in this course, reflect on your experiences in this course and at Grantham so far. Think about the ways your coursework has helped to make you a stronger, better

GU299 General Education Capstone

Week 1 Reflection Journal

Nicole Jensen

Grantham University

Upon the successful completion of this course, I will have received my associate degree in both business administration as well as business management. With the receipt of my degree it is my long-term goal to take my administrative career to its highest level. Optimally, I plan to work full-time in my career field and obtain maximum experience which will award me the knowledge to successfully operate a small business of my own.

By taking the step to commit to a degree program, it was my ultimate goal to set a good example for my son and to provide a better future for my family. Additionally, I hope to secure a lifestyle which will bring me pride and joy, and one that makes me feel fulfilled as well as successful.

Social, Ethical and Professional Responsibility were introduced to me at new levels which resonated most with me in regard to respect for diversity when I worked on several assignments within the strategies for decision making course offered by Gantham University. During the course, I was continuously challenged to consider all aspects of possible scenarios I am likely to face as I grow in my administrative career. By studying these strategies, I was able to strengthen my abilities in thinking more objectively. This opened my mind to a new-found respect for diversity, strengthened my communication skills and provided me quality lifelong learning. With that, I recognize that I have yet to strengthen my communication skills. I find public speaking to be my weakest skill as I have yet to master my tone and how to best present myself to a crowd. On the other hand, I find my strongest ability to be respect for diversity. As a military child, former active duty service member and spouse to a retired U.S. Army soldier, I have been exposed to diverse cultures. I have learned about and found respect for varying mannerisms as well as beliefs.

Community service could help me strengthen my communication skills as I might encounter a service which requires me to speak with a crowd of people in order to motivate them to participate in activities. With that, I am simultaneously gaining in my strongest asset as I am able to identify varying cultures and how interact in ways which will honor their beliefs.

As I research the boy scouts, one bias I might encounter is allowing members of the opposite sex to become members. The name in itself indicates that this is an organization consisting of just the male gender. However, having served in the military at a time when there was still a lot of gender profiling, I have learned to be much more objective to gender neutrality. This could be a great tool in overcoming my personal bias in allowing the merge of both genders within the boy scouts.

One question I hope to find an answer to while researching the boy scouts is why it was decided to allow the merge of genders in the first place. This might open my mind to many more questions in the future which will fuel my curiosity much more and hopefully provide me with the proper tools to complete this course successfully.