For the sake of some closure to the first semester and to provide a transition into the new semester here's a quick recap of classes and how they've helped me on my quest to Make a Difference.
First semester:
Analysis for Decision Making in Public Service: The most concrete of my classes. It provided me with new skills for understanding the nuts and bolts of how non-profits work. More than any other class, it increased my vocabulary for working in the non-profit sector.
Communication: Facilitation of small groups for the purpose of creating and/or understanding communities. Facilitation was one of my strongest skills coming into the program and this class introduced me to even more facilitation techniques and how they could be applied to serving the community.
Practicum: This is the only class that lasts the entire year. It's the fieldwork class in which I apply the concepts I'm learning in the other classes to my team's work with TOPPS, Inc.
Leadership: Try breaking the concept of leadership into a set of teachable skills. Not an easy thing to do. I read many examples of leaders and theories of leadership and at the end of it all started on the path to defining my personal leadership style.
Legal and Ethical Dimensions in Public Service: This was my taste of law school. Dang. Lawyers read a lot. This class taught me that I have a lot more to learn when it comes to the legal aspects of public service. Or, put differently, when to call a lawyer. :-)
