My Personal and Professional Development Plan

"Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work"  Peter Drucker.

My personal and professional development (of which I've placed below) has let me evaluate my previous experiences, recognise my key strengths and skills for maturation, and implement my knowledge to better my future endeavours. From simply glimpsing at my plan, I can see my accomplishments thus far, the ways in which I seek to development, and contemplate my progress at university. As I've learned through my involvement with the Graduate Skills Programme, reflection upon my skills progression is vital to my future success. This plan will continue to be of use to me long after my graduation as I continue to advance in my career path, and will challenge me to continuously set realistic goals backed by a course of action. 

Activity

Skill(s) Targeted

Success Measure(s)

Date(s)
Self Employed: 
Private Event Director
event management;
project management; 
communication skills;
leadership
accountability;
financial management; budgeting skills; precision;
 team work;
problem solving;
confidence;
adaptability
Although I wished to gain work experience during high school, my timetable was not always conducive to a job with a fixed schedule. Consequently, I became my own employer. 
Using the pre-existing network connections I fostered through my babysitting business and my small scale event planning skills acquired through my extra-curricular pursuits, I contacted my clients inquiring if they needed someone to plan an upcoming event for them, such as a birthday party. Fortunately, one needed an Event Director to organise, manage and execute a 10 year old girl’s birthday party. Through collaborating with party guests and communicating with the client, the party was a success with nearly 30 attendees and one happy birthday girl!
September 2009 
–
 June 2013
University of Glasgow's Recruitment and International Office: 
International Student Ambassador
communication skills; team work; presentation skills; subject specialist; 
event management;
adaptability;
confidence;
advertising
The biggest benefit of my job is, as a campus tour guide, I have the ability to constantly improve my interpersonal and presentation skills. This is due to the continuous interaction I have with prospective students from all parts of the globe and the need to ensure each prospective student feels catered to. During my time as a campus tour guide I have been met with innumerable positive appraisals and even a hug once!
September 2013
- 
Present
Student Representative Council (SRC): 
Class Representative for Geography I & II
communication skills; team work;
 social media; 
student engagement;
problem solving
For the past two years I have been a Geography Class Representative for Levels I and II in which I collaborate with Geography students to represent them in the SRC. During this time I have co-organised and fostered peer to peer study groups for students in my Geography course. Although this project is still in progress, students have already reported increased interaction amongst peers and improved exam readiness. 
September 2013 
- 
May 2015
Amnesty International: Ordinary Board Member
communication skills; team work; presentation skills; leadership; 
event management; ethical and social awareness;
IT skills;
problem solving
As an Ordinary Board Member, I chose to primarily serve as an assistant to the Campaigns Coordinator, and in doing so I was able to research and present multiple campaign briefings. For example, in late 2014, violence broke out in Ferguson, Missouri, U.S. and being from the U.S., I felt compelled to raise awareness of the globally relevant human rights violations occurring in the city. I researched, organised, and presented a campaign on the history of racial discrimination in the U.S., the situation in Ferguson, and similar cases from around the world. A variety of outcomes were produced from the campaign such as the photo action seen to the right.
September 2014 
- 
March 2015
Oxfam: 
Treasurer and Events Manager
financial management; budgeting skills; precision;
communication skills; team work;
leadership;
event management;
accountability;
IT skills
In this function I responsibly managed the society's finances and organised large-scale events. For example, as a part of the University-wide Syrian Refugee Week sponsored by the Inter-Society Coalition for Syrian Refugees I'm a member of, I organised a hugely successful ceilidh through networking, creating small task teams, and collaboration with multiple societies for raffle prizes. After the ceilidh, nearly £300 was raised for UNICEF's, Oxfam's, and Amnesty International's Syrian Crisis Appeal. I also learned how to better utilise my team work skills to coordinate others across societies.
September 2014 
- 
May 2015
Student Learning Services: 
Undergraduate Writing Workshops
time management techniques;
note-taking and memory techniques; mnemonics; 
referencing styles; avoiding plagiarism
Undertook studying and revising all important information in the course of a few weeks before exams with competing essay deadlines. By prioritising my revision, I was able to read additional sources such as journal articles and book chapters. As a result, I was able to finish my revision prior to my exam dates and achieved great grades.
January 2015 -
March 2015
Student Representative Council (SRC): 
Programme Developer
communication skills; 
team work; presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; 
social media; 
student engagement;
negotiation skills;
ethical and social awareness
Currently co-developing a sexual consent and harassment programme for Glasgow University students. In February 2015, a task team composed of diverse representatives such as Police Scotland, Rape Crisis, Sexpression, myself standing for Glasgow University students, and other organisations came together to design the aims of the programme. These aims are now being employed to assist the structuring of the programme that will ensure each Glasgow University student feels secure, thereby improving the quality of student life.
January 2015 
- 
Present
Amnesty International: Campaigns Coordinator
communication skills; team work; 
inter-society collaboration;
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
promotion and advertising;
problem solving
Researches and plans campaigns and collaborates with other societies to create campaigns with  wide reaching audiences and large scale fundraisers. As Campaigns Coordinator I intend to use my project management and leadership skills to produce thriving and audacious campaigns based upon the topics elected by the society's general members in September 2015. By doing so, those who have had their voices silenced by war, oppression and other unimaginable terrors will have a voice through Glasgow University's Amnesty International and the general public. 
March 2015 
- 
March 2016
Selective Personnel: 
Events Manager and Hostess
event management;
project management; 
communication skills;
leadership
accountability;
precision;
 team work;
problem solving;
confidence;
adaptability
Through Selective Personnel I perform a variety of roles: events manager, hostess, server, barista, and kitchen assistant. As the workforce requirements change per event, I am able to fully engage with each of the roles needed to run a successful event. 
In saying this, my experience with Selective Personnel further develops my skills as an Events Manager. By knowing what skills are required for each role, I can better estimate, procure and assign staff for a function. It also prepares me to readily substitute for any position, such as a hostess, during an event I'm directing.
April 2015
- 
April 2016
EURO2015: 
Conference Guide
flexibility; 
event management; communication skills; 
cross-service communication;
enterprise awareness; 
interpersonal skills
As a Conference Guide, I was primarily tasked with assisting conference delegates and resolving any queries they had. In one instance, a delegate asked me for assistance in finding a refrigerated area to store one of his medications. By utilising my knowledge of food and health safety regulations and working in conjunction with the site manager and catering staff, I was swiftly able to find a refrigerated location that was both convenient for the delegate and the catering staff. 
July 2015
- 
July 2015
TEDxUniversity of Glasgow: 
Logistics Team Member
flexibility; 
event management; communication skills; 
cross-service communication;
enterprise awareness; 
social media; 
student engagement;
interpersonal skills;
promotion and advertising; 
IT skills;
budgeting and financial awareness
As a member of the Logistics Team for this year's TEDxUniversity of Glasgow, it is my responsibility to work with fellow team members to make all arrangements regarding: venue searching and management, transportation, special requirements, speaker liaison for logistical requirements, and logistics budgeting for the entire event. 

In addition to this, our team is required to communicate with other teams (such as Marketing and Sponsorship), work with organisational requirements for each event, and coordinate both the launch party and the main conference. In doing so, we will ensure a smoothly run and enjoyable programme for all of those involved.
July 2015 
-
March 2016
College of Social Sciences (Employability Office): 
Events Management Coordinator
flexibility; 
event management; communication skills; 
cross-service communication;
enterprise awareness; social media; 
student engagement;
interpersonal skills;
promotion and advertising; 
IT skills
I am primarily responsible for arranging and directing the College of Social Sciences’ employability events. In doing so, I work to increase and diversify professional development opportunities for students whilst supporting the work of the College Employability Officer. Through utilisation of my communication and networking skills, with extensive experience in large scale event organisation and management, I hope to engage and equipment Social Science students with useful tools to achieve their greatest ambitions.
September 2015
​ - 
Current
Glasgow University Environmental Sustainability Team: 
Student Engagement Promoter
communication skills; team work; 
inter-society collaboration;
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
promotion and advertising;
problem solving;
student engagement
I work to achieve a action-oriented university-wide sustainability policy by catalysing the creation of a sustainability culture at the University of Glasgow by empowering the local and university communities through: effective mediation between internal and external parties, and creating engaging events on environmentalism for students. Additionally, I collaborated with multiple internal parties to create Strategic Policy Plans, heightened Community Engagement and Environmental Communication Strategies. 
September 2017
​-
​Current
University of Glasgow: 
Geography and Sociology Joint Honours MA (SocSci) Graduate
research and data analysis skills; communication skills; team work; 
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
problem solving; 
IT skills;
 many more
Whilst I graduated from the University of Glasgow with Honours, I also gained a plethora of academic, work, and extra-curricular experiences during this incredible time.
September 2013
​-
​June 2017

future prospects...

The Scottish Parliament: 
Waste Researcher Intern 
​
or 

​Climate Change Policy Intern
fundraising skills; 
IT skills; 
advertising and promotion; communication; specialist knowledge; independent investigation; 
critical thinking;
precision;
adaptability;
confidence
Empowering factors: Both of these placements offer the opportunity to work within the Scottish Government’s Climate Change Delivery Hub, contributing to the work of the Climate Change Delivery Team.
Summer 2017
University of Glasgow:
MRes Human Geography: Space, Politics, Ecologies
communication skills; team work; 
inter-society collaboration;
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
problem solving;
fundraising skills; 
IT skills;
 many more
Empowering factors: Focusing upon the themes of spaces, politics and ecologies, this MRes in Human Geography offers a postgraduate training in research methodologies and techniques with reference to specific theories and literatures which will allow me to gain specialised training to continue my latest research in food security and vulnerable groups.
September 2017
-
September 2018
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations:
Junior Professional Programme
research and data analysis skills; communication skills; team work; 
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
problem solving; 
IT skills;
 many more
Empowering factors: the Junior Professional Programme is a recruitment initiative targeted for talented, highly qualified professionals to start a career as an international civil servant with the FAO or to gain professional experience.
September 2018
-
September 2020
Working for Climate Outreach 
communication skills; team work; 
presentation skills; leadership; 
project management; ethical and social awareness;
subject specialist;
promotion and advertising;
problem solving;
fundraising skills; 
IT skills;
 many more
Climate Outreach (formerly C.O.I.N.) are Europe's leading experts in climate change communication, bridging the gap between theory and practice.
​
Empowering factor: Employment offers before graduation obtained through successful application and interview, whilst possibly utilising networking skills.
2020