Business Symposium Week! (10.9.23)

This week in the ISM class was full of learning and new experiences. This was an extremely important week in my ISM journey as I participated in my first professional event.

There are a couple key accomplishments I made this week. The first one being I took the PSAT, which was a significant test in my academic career. However, attending the ISM Business Symposium was definitely the week's highlight.

At the symposium I was able to network with experts in the field of radiology as well as other students who were pursuing a variety of career paths during this event. I also learned the specifics about the ISM class's original work and final project components, which will be important in the future when I begin to create my own work.

Learning how to make cold calls and connect with potential mentors was among the week's most important lessons. This ability is important because it will help me when I begin to connect with professionals in my field. In addition, I learned how to build a strong digital portfolio which is important for showcasing my work and accomplishments.

While attending the business symposium I became curious about how I can use the information and contacts made at the business symposium to help me even if these contacts are not in my field of interest.

During the symposium, I found it difficult to leave my comfort zone and have meaningful conversations with the professional during networking. This was something I had not done much before however I overcame it by pushing myself to go talk to anyone I saw who was open for a conversation to practice networking.

This week I believe I was successful in completing my first two professional interviews during the symposium. Through my practice interview in class I was able to construct good answers to questions and engage in purposeful conversations with professionals.

I want to strengthen the connections I made at the Business Symposium in the coming week by looking into potential mentors and research opportunities in more detail. Additionally, I want to implement some ideas I learned from the symposium into my digital portfolio so that it accurately captures my focus in the ISM class and showcases my work effectively.

This past week has highlighted the significance of effective networking and communication. It has also encouraged me to begin thinking about what I would like to do for my original work and final project. As I move forward in my ISM journey, I intend to implement the important lessons and skills I learned at the symposium into my work.