Giovedi 21.05.09

Last semester I designed and presented a proposal to improve communication between DC-based and on-assignment employees in the Sustainable Growth and Developmet Group at The Louis Berger Group, Inc. where I was an intern. Though stressful, I enjoyed the process of interviewing colleagues and experts to come up with a technology based solution that could be implemented and enforced. Well the hard work paid off and I was awarded first place in the UMD's Professional Writing Contest! My dad was able to go to the ceremony and receive the certificate and check in my place. I put a few words together for him to read:

I am so honored to be the recipient of this year's Professional Writing Contest award. My paper was the product of time spent researching a complex problem in a fascinating company and time spent learning from Dr. Lowderbaugh's constructive guidance. I owe him my sincerest gratitude for teaching me how to effectively present my ideas in a business setting. I consider this project to be a milestone in my university career, really a capstone to all the years I have been refining my writing skills. Of course, a special thanks also goes out to my colleagues at The Louis Berger Group for answering all my questions with genuine enthusiasm. Again, I am so thrilled to be recognized this way, it means so much to me as a student, a writer, and a future professional.

So for those of you who have been reading my blogs and wondering if I was involved in any school work at all, HA! Proved you wrong, I am a good student at least sometimes. In fact, today I turned in a project analyzing the retail, image, and stylistic identity of the Spanish clothing company, MANGO. And a bunch of us simultaneously studied and sunbathed this afternoon. That being said, tomorrow I'm taking a break to go to a free jazz concert in one of our many piazzas which will probably be followed by a trip to the botanical gardens.