Name that title movie!
I’ve been feeling pretty philanthropic lately. I want to share some of the things that I have been involved in. Not because I want to toot my own horn or receive praise from anyone, but because I genuinely hope that hearing about my experiences will inspire you to participate in your community. If only one person is inspired then I didn’t waste my energy.
Let’s start with Doing My Part. DMP is a non-profit organization in Charlotte that raises money, $3 at a time, to give back to the community. (Please consider going to doingmypart.com and signing up for a monthly $3 donation) Here’s how it works: DMP collects $3 donations until they get to $1500. Once the pot hits $1500, that money is donated to a project and the ticker immediately starts over to collect money for the next project. DMP is very new, as we just completed our first project on August 11. And let me tell you, it was an awesome project.
DMP teamed up with Samaritan’s Feet to give shoes, socks, and book bags with basic school supplies to homeless children in Charlotte. We went to the women and children’s homeless shelter where we washed their feet, gave them a brand new pair of shoes and socks, and then sent them on their way with some new school supplies. It was a really awesome experience.
The cool thing about DMP is that you are a member of one organization, but you get to be involved in all kinds of things around the community. They are involved in helping the homeless, veteran assistance, cancer fundraising/support, and so on. They put a lot of effort into surveying the community, vetting organizations, and making sure their time and money is going to the most urgent needs.
Every other Sunday DMP’s Street Team teams up with Serve Charlotte’s Homeless to comb the streets of Uptown for homeless people, handing out food and toiletries. I have only had the opportunity to participate in this once, but I can’t recommend it enough. It’s really an eye opening experience that can change your outlook if you let it. If you’re interested in being a member of the Doing My Part Street Team or just donating $3 a month to be one of our heroes, let me know and I’ll point you in the right direction! If they can get 10,000 heroes we can do one project a month. Imagine how many people we could help!
Something else I participated in recently was Habitat for Humanity. I know everyone is familiar with this one and it’s actually kind of challenging to volunteer for them without being part of an organization that makes a donation to the build. This is the second time I have had the opportunity to work with Habitat and both experiences were incredibly different. But what’s cool about Habitat is that you’re working on a house side by side with the family that’s going to own it when it’s completed. That alone is enough to inspire me to want to help out people in different ways. There are so many organizations in every community that are in place to assist those less fortunate. The hardest part about helping out is deciding which one you want to donate your time to.
Just today I signed up, for the second year, to volunteer as a staff member for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in October. This experience is always cool because there are so many survivors who are so excited to be there. My mom is currently battling stage 4 breast cancer so this event is very close to my heart and always an uplifting experience. Organizations like this have a lot of paid help so my job isn’t always significant in task, but the most important part of volunteering for an organization like this is being a cheerleader. You have no idea how much the participants, the survivors, and the fighters appreciate it. That’s enough to make it worth my time.
I challenge you to find a cause that’s important to you and support the shit out of it. There are various causes that are close to my heart for various reasons and I can’t afford to donate money to all of them, but sometimes my time is more valuable. Decide what you can afford to do and take action. Your community needs you!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world" - Ghandi
Monday, August 20, 2012
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Drumroll Please....
Remember when I said I had exciting news that I couldn’t share right away? Well, guess what! I’m still not pregnant. Whew. Thank goodness for that. But, in order for you to find my news as exciting as I do you’ll need to know what I went through to get there.
When I went back to school I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with the Finance degree I was pursuing. The more I learned and talked to people who were in the business, I learned that I was really interested in Investment Banking (from here on out referred to as IB). I was told numerous times by everyone I talked to that IB was super competitive and a degree from my “non-ivy league” university was not going to cut it. Since my university was pretty much my only option at the time I decided to strive for a 4.0 to give me a leg up. Mission accomplished (the 4.0, not the leg up).
I applied to a hundred jobs and made connections at every big bank I could find. Everyone told me the same thing… my university wasn’t prestigious enough to land me a job in IB. Well crap.
When I graduated I asked my favorite professor (who happened to be a prominent market consultant in the community) if he had any ideas how to get into IB. He gave me a few names and wished me well.
Fast forward two months and 100 more job applications, I FINALLY got a call back from one of my professor’s contacts. She happened to be a recruiting VP for a well-known leadership program at a big bank. Open door, insert foot. Yes! I interviewed with her and found out soon after that they wanted me back for a second interview. Turns out this was a big deal, out of 2500+ applicants/interviews, only about 300 get called back for a second interview. Go me!
Side note for informational purposes: The program I was trying to get into is a leadership program where you spend the first 10 months of employment in training. They teach you all about the bank and give you detailed knowledge and training for the area of the bank that you will be working in. Also, since it’s a leadership program, they monitor your career and make sure you are progressing nicely. After the program you are a regular employee just like everyone else, just one that gets special treatment because you’re special. It comes with a lot of perks. This training program is kind of like school with “majors” depending on the career field you want to pursue. Each January and July the program accepts about 50 people. Capital Markets (i.e. Investment Banking) only has 3 slots. Yikes.
Back to my story…
At the end of the second interview they ask you to name your top 3 choices for “major”. When they called to offer me a position in the program they gave me my third choice. Now, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (an expression that I’ve never understood, but I’m pretty sure it applies here), but I was a little disappointed. Capital Markets is so competitive that I felt like this was my last hope for getting into IB. When they offered me the position they mentioned how well I interviewed and how impressed they were. I saw this as an opportunity to ask questions… why not Capital Markets? You’ll never guess what he said. No really, guess.
Of course he said what everyone else said. Most of the candidates for that major come from a more prestigious university and have had an internship on the street (wall street, that is). Damnitt man! After talking for a while he decided he liked my gumption and offered to talk to some people to see what he could land me another interview with the Capital Markets guys. He ended up talking to three or four different people about me. I interviewed with three of them. Talk about exhausting.
After all was said and done, I did it. I finally convinced them that despite the institution that awarded my degree, despite my lack of internship, and despite my lack of experience in anything IB related, that I can do this job.
I GOT IT! Beginning in January of 2013, I will officially be working in Capital Markets, one of the most competitive industries on the job market.
I’m pretty sure my cute smile and stellar personality only had a little bit to do with it.
When I went back to school I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with the Finance degree I was pursuing. The more I learned and talked to people who were in the business, I learned that I was really interested in Investment Banking (from here on out referred to as IB). I was told numerous times by everyone I talked to that IB was super competitive and a degree from my “non-ivy league” university was not going to cut it. Since my university was pretty much my only option at the time I decided to strive for a 4.0 to give me a leg up. Mission accomplished (the 4.0, not the leg up).
I applied to a hundred jobs and made connections at every big bank I could find. Everyone told me the same thing… my university wasn’t prestigious enough to land me a job in IB. Well crap.
When I graduated I asked my favorite professor (who happened to be a prominent market consultant in the community) if he had any ideas how to get into IB. He gave me a few names and wished me well.
Fast forward two months and 100 more job applications, I FINALLY got a call back from one of my professor’s contacts. She happened to be a recruiting VP for a well-known leadership program at a big bank. Open door, insert foot. Yes! I interviewed with her and found out soon after that they wanted me back for a second interview. Turns out this was a big deal, out of 2500+ applicants/interviews, only about 300 get called back for a second interview. Go me!
Side note for informational purposes: The program I was trying to get into is a leadership program where you spend the first 10 months of employment in training. They teach you all about the bank and give you detailed knowledge and training for the area of the bank that you will be working in. Also, since it’s a leadership program, they monitor your career and make sure you are progressing nicely. After the program you are a regular employee just like everyone else, just one that gets special treatment because you’re special. It comes with a lot of perks. This training program is kind of like school with “majors” depending on the career field you want to pursue. Each January and July the program accepts about 50 people. Capital Markets (i.e. Investment Banking) only has 3 slots. Yikes.
Back to my story…
At the end of the second interview they ask you to name your top 3 choices for “major”. When they called to offer me a position in the program they gave me my third choice. Now, I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth (an expression that I’ve never understood, but I’m pretty sure it applies here), but I was a little disappointed. Capital Markets is so competitive that I felt like this was my last hope for getting into IB. When they offered me the position they mentioned how well I interviewed and how impressed they were. I saw this as an opportunity to ask questions… why not Capital Markets? You’ll never guess what he said. No really, guess.
Of course he said what everyone else said. Most of the candidates for that major come from a more prestigious university and have had an internship on the street (wall street, that is). Damnitt man! After talking for a while he decided he liked my gumption and offered to talk to some people to see what he could land me another interview with the Capital Markets guys. He ended up talking to three or four different people about me. I interviewed with three of them. Talk about exhausting.
After all was said and done, I did it. I finally convinced them that despite the institution that awarded my degree, despite my lack of internship, and despite my lack of experience in anything IB related, that I can do this job.
I GOT IT! Beginning in January of 2013, I will officially be working in Capital Markets, one of the most competitive industries on the job market.
I’m pretty sure my cute smile and stellar personality only had a little bit to do with it.
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Life as I Know It
Hey. Remember me? I used to write this very honest blog that half of you found funny and the other half found offensive. Life got a little crazy for a while and then I took a really awesome vacation. But, I’m back. I’ve been thinking about a lot of things so I’m going to go ahead and get my brain dump out of the way. It’s my favorite kind of post to write.
Things have been going really well in my life lately. Like…really well to point that I am almost terrified on a daily basis for the bad news that’s going to bring it all crashing to the ground. I’m actually not sure if things are better than usual or if bad things are happening to so many people around me that my problems seem insignificant in comparison. Maybe I’m just more in tune with my surroundings because my job is so boring… Either way, I really hope things keep going this way because it’s very refreshing.
I feel like I’ve grown up a little this year. I’m actually starting to feel like an adult. Not because I’m more mature (lets be real here, you’ve read my blog), but I think it’s because I’m not in school anymore. I became a student about two months after I became a wife so it was a very confusing time for me. Now that I’m a college graduate, with a job, and a husband, and (*gasp*) I am in my late 20’s, and I actually clean my house and cook dinner on a regular basis things seem different. I’ve grown up before my own eyes. It’s weird.
Remember when I said I was going to give up junk food for 40 days? Because if the Catholics can do it then so can I? I would be a terrible Catholic. I only lasted 4 days. And then I spiraled out of control. I’ve been eating whatever I want, whenever I want, for like a month. It’s not working out well for me. I am slowly crawling back onto my healthy wagon. It’s just not nearly as fun as the gluttony wagon.
I used to have a super private cubicle in a corner where no one could walk by and I always had warning if someone was coming in. Well…my group was relocated a couple weeks ago as a result of a company merger. FML. My new cube is on a main highway and the end of a row so EVERY ONE has to walk by my desk 35 times a day. And, bonus, there is a busy printer right outside my door. Someone please tell me how I am supposed to play on my phone and read blogs on my computer all day with all these people watching. GAH!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships; Old ones, new ones, estranged ones (unfortunately), and ones that just don’t get enough attention. Isn’t it sad the way people lose touch? Some of my best friends from high school live so close, yet I haven’t seen them in years. I miss them. My very best guy friend lives 30 minutes away, yet I haven’t seen him in over 2 years and only talk to him through our ‘words with friends’ games. I know he has probably replaced me in his life, understandably, but it makes me so sad because we had the best times together. Some of my best memories are with someone that I’m not even friends with anymore and I can’t even fully explain why. I just know it’s irreparable. Oh life, why must you be so depressing at times? Thank goodness the friendships that are fully intact and well nurtured are so awesome.
If you know anything about me then you know that I LOVE Taylor Swift. I am super obsessed. I’ve actually gotten mad at people for saying bad things about her. So what I’m about to say might shock you…. I think her new song kind of sucks. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Not only is it not country (may I remind you she is a country artist), but it is also one of the most juvenile songs that she’s written. This is odd to me seeing as how she’s getting older and it’s been a couple of years since her last CD was released. I genuinely hope that this song is not a reflection of her new CD. This is not a bandwagon that I will willingly be jumping off of.
The DNC is coming to this great city of mine. I have come to the realization that it’s going to be a gigantic pain in my ass no matter how you look at it. I have options. I can stay in my uptown condo and walk to my uptown job, I can stay outside of the city and drive to my uptown job, or I can stay outside of the city and drive to a remote location to work. Obviously, staying home and walking to work would be ideal. However, the security in this city is going to be so absurd I would probably get sniped for walking down a sidewalk that was restricted to pedestrians. Not to mention the crowds. Add to that the fact that they are actually ticketing people for jaywalking (do you have any idea how long it takes to get somewhere if you actually wait for the lights to change??) and it will end up being one giant headache. They are even increasing security in my building so I would be ID’d every time I walked in the door. Plus, we are thinking about renting out or condo so staying there may not even be an option soon. The option to stay outside the city and drive to work in uptown is almost too complicated to talk about. They are closing so many streets that getting here would be a challenge in itself. Not to mention the parking rates are going to sky rocket so it ends up being a fairly expensive option. My third option is to stay outside of the city and drive to a remote location (one of the company owned plants) to sit in a conference room with the rest of my group for an entire week. One week…looking at my coworkers...listening to them banter. Go ahead and shoot me now because I would never get out alive. More first world problems.
I’m sorry this post wasn’t full of the sarcasm you’re probably accustomed to. Sometimes I have serious thoughts, too. It’s rare, but it happens.
Things have been going really well in my life lately. Like…really well to point that I am almost terrified on a daily basis for the bad news that’s going to bring it all crashing to the ground. I’m actually not sure if things are better than usual or if bad things are happening to so many people around me that my problems seem insignificant in comparison. Maybe I’m just more in tune with my surroundings because my job is so boring… Either way, I really hope things keep going this way because it’s very refreshing.
I feel like I’ve grown up a little this year. I’m actually starting to feel like an adult. Not because I’m more mature (lets be real here, you’ve read my blog), but I think it’s because I’m not in school anymore. I became a student about two months after I became a wife so it was a very confusing time for me. Now that I’m a college graduate, with a job, and a husband, and (*gasp*) I am in my late 20’s, and I actually clean my house and cook dinner on a regular basis things seem different. I’ve grown up before my own eyes. It’s weird.
Remember when I said I was going to give up junk food for 40 days? Because if the Catholics can do it then so can I? I would be a terrible Catholic. I only lasted 4 days. And then I spiraled out of control. I’ve been eating whatever I want, whenever I want, for like a month. It’s not working out well for me. I am slowly crawling back onto my healthy wagon. It’s just not nearly as fun as the gluttony wagon.
I used to have a super private cubicle in a corner where no one could walk by and I always had warning if someone was coming in. Well…my group was relocated a couple weeks ago as a result of a company merger. FML. My new cube is on a main highway and the end of a row so EVERY ONE has to walk by my desk 35 times a day. And, bonus, there is a busy printer right outside my door. Someone please tell me how I am supposed to play on my phone and read blogs on my computer all day with all these people watching. GAH!!
I’ve been thinking a lot about friendships; Old ones, new ones, estranged ones (unfortunately), and ones that just don’t get enough attention. Isn’t it sad the way people lose touch? Some of my best friends from high school live so close, yet I haven’t seen them in years. I miss them. My very best guy friend lives 30 minutes away, yet I haven’t seen him in over 2 years and only talk to him through our ‘words with friends’ games. I know he has probably replaced me in his life, understandably, but it makes me so sad because we had the best times together. Some of my best memories are with someone that I’m not even friends with anymore and I can’t even fully explain why. I just know it’s irreparable. Oh life, why must you be so depressing at times? Thank goodness the friendships that are fully intact and well nurtured are so awesome.
If you know anything about me then you know that I LOVE Taylor Swift. I am super obsessed. I’ve actually gotten mad at people for saying bad things about her. So what I’m about to say might shock you…. I think her new song kind of sucks. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Not only is it not country (may I remind you she is a country artist), but it is also one of the most juvenile songs that she’s written. This is odd to me seeing as how she’s getting older and it’s been a couple of years since her last CD was released. I genuinely hope that this song is not a reflection of her new CD. This is not a bandwagon that I will willingly be jumping off of.
The DNC is coming to this great city of mine. I have come to the realization that it’s going to be a gigantic pain in my ass no matter how you look at it. I have options. I can stay in my uptown condo and walk to my uptown job, I can stay outside of the city and drive to my uptown job, or I can stay outside of the city and drive to a remote location to work. Obviously, staying home and walking to work would be ideal. However, the security in this city is going to be so absurd I would probably get sniped for walking down a sidewalk that was restricted to pedestrians. Not to mention the crowds. Add to that the fact that they are actually ticketing people for jaywalking (do you have any idea how long it takes to get somewhere if you actually wait for the lights to change??) and it will end up being one giant headache. They are even increasing security in my building so I would be ID’d every time I walked in the door. Plus, we are thinking about renting out or condo so staying there may not even be an option soon. The option to stay outside the city and drive to work in uptown is almost too complicated to talk about. They are closing so many streets that getting here would be a challenge in itself. Not to mention the parking rates are going to sky rocket so it ends up being a fairly expensive option. My third option is to stay outside of the city and drive to a remote location (one of the company owned plants) to sit in a conference room with the rest of my group for an entire week. One week…looking at my coworkers...listening to them banter. Go ahead and shoot me now because I would never get out alive. More first world problems.
I’m sorry this post wasn’t full of the sarcasm you’re probably accustomed to. Sometimes I have serious thoughts, too. It’s rare, but it happens.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)