I'm an Onion

When you read that title your brain will probably jump to the cliche message that provides an image of pulling back layers in order to expose my core and who I really am as a person. But nope. The title has nothing to do with my personality. I'm referring to the Literary Journal at Saint Michael's College known as The Onion River Review. This has been something I have wanted to become involved with for a while now, and this was the first year I actually took action on my wishes and became a part of their editing team. Mind you, I'm not an English, journalism, or even an art major or minor, but I enjoy how they approach each piece because they want to know what YOU are drawn to. They value your opinion because they want their readers represented.

It's an extremely competitive process to have something published. I've submitted digital photographs (art, photography, and written submissions make up the Onion) for the past couple years and have never made it in. However, after being on their decision board this year and having to read and evaluate all the submitted images, poems, and stories, I can definitely see why what I may have sent in the past was not up to par. Every submission is so unique. There are no sunset photos, no stories about "happily ever after" because it's not what the journal is about. I've learned that they (we) really pride ourselves in choosing unique pieces and images - things that you feel you haven't read or seen before.

Therefore, I find myself using what I have learned thus far in the Elevator Pitch Essentials book and Made To Stick in how I make my choices about the submissions. For instance, I know that especially poetry can be very abstract, but I find myself much more attracted to submissions that are concrete. I like being able to clearly picture in my mind what is being written. Therefore, I like lots of detail because I will remember it better because I can make a picture in my head. I am also drawn to submissions that evoke emotion within me; I want something that I can really relate to. My favorite submission thus far made me recall my old childhood house and the feelings that were attached to those memories. Lastly, I believe that each piece I read should have something unexpected about it - something non-cliche. My thought process is that if a story cuts off abruptly or if you find yourself bored while reading it, then I don't think it will be very memorable.

Alright! Our meeting to discuss all written submissions is tomorrow, and I still have lots to read. Thanks to those of you out there who submitted, it's going to be another inspiring and creative issue!

Make-A-Wish Foundation Recognition Dinner

Last night I had a great opportunity to see old coworkers, friends, and meet some new people! It was the recognition dinner for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Vermont. I worked and interned there during my junior year and each year they have this dinner to celebrate donors and volunteers. Even though I am done working there, I remain actively involved through volunteering at events. In fact, our next big event is the Great Cookie Dunk! If you like cookies (Tipped Cow Cookies is our sponsor) than you should mark this date on your calendar. The idea is to get in the guiness book of world records for the most amount of people dunking cookies in milk at the same time. It will be a part of Kids' Day in Burlington which is May 12, 2012. It will be at the waterfront in Burlington, and it should be a really great time. The former CEO sad that he hopes it will be "as big as the fourth of July!" (Anyone who's been in Burlington on the Fourth of July knows how crowded it is!) It will be a great part of Kids' Day. Plus, be sure to look for our float in the Mardi Gras Parade on March 3rd! We will be advertising for the cookie dunk and I'll be giving out pins advertising the event to everyone.

There were a few surprises during the night! At the start, there was a slideshow and then a bunch of the wish families came in which was really great to recognize them. I learned last night that last year there were 22 wishes granted during the entire year last year. So far this year there have been 17 wishes granted! Their goal this year is fifty! I was also reminded that the Make-A-Wish chapter of Vermont is one of the most successful chapters in the entire United States. This is because they are always able to pay for every eligible child that comes their way. They have never turned a child away if they were eligible. To me, this is an amazing thing to be able to say for such a small state. It's also astounding when you think that the average wish costs around $10,000. Yet a child's life is changed forever. Last night was very emotional at times because one of the wish children was getting very emotional when he was reflecting on his trip to Disney World (which is 40% of the wishes). It was so touching to see a five-year-old be so overwhelmed with emotion and knowing that everyone in the room helped in some way. Last night they honored about 150 volunteers and donors. In my opinion, they are some of the most inspiring and kind people in Vermont! What a great night.

Made To Stick: More Relevant Than Expected

Made To Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath is a great read for anyone who has to get a point across easily. Even in the introduction, the authors claim that parents can benefit from the book because they have to communicate certain topics very clearly to their children. However, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that each chapter offers multiple relevant scenarios and topics that we (as students) can apply to our lives. Currently, many of us are either applying to jobs or internships and we need to become comfortable with explaining our point in a concise and compact way that gets to the core of what we want to say. By getting straight to the essence of responses to interview questions, we are able to focus our thoughts, because we then give more information without getting into too much detail. The authors refer to this as the "inverted pyramid."

Yesterday I was able to have a practice interview. This was the number one mistake I made: I had trouble formulating my thoughts into an "inverted pyramid" format. I would have many ideas pop up in my head after a question was asked, and I would fall into the pattern of somewhat addressing each topic or issue. I believe that especially after reading Made To Stick I will have a much better idea about how to make responses to questions much more memorable in a situation such as an interview. Chip Heath's other book, Switch has been on my "to read" list for over a year, and after realizing how interesting this book is, I will definitely have to make it a priority!

How Far is Too Far?

I recently saw a commercial "preview" - if you will, for the Superbowl. This is how it was presented: a beautiful  woman is dressed in a skimpy racing-themed outfit waving racing flags. All of this is in slow motion and words appear on the screen saying "See you on Sunday." My initial reaction was that the ad was for Victoria's Secret, yet I then realize it's for the Kia car company. I realize that commercials can have very unexpected turns, yet I thought this seemed over the top. Personally, there are members of my family that own Kia cars, and the ad actually caused me to lose respect for the company. Even male friends I have said that it just seemed ridiculous.

Another friend of mine also mentioned that many companies are now releasing trailers for their commercials. It seems that there is now so much hype over Superbowl commercials. It is understandable considering how much money is spent on having them viewed by most of America, yet is it really necessary that we release trailers and previews for something that is only a couple minutes long at the most?

In addition, I heard that you can now go on certain websites to view the commercials before they appear during the Superbowl. Doesn't this take away from the surprise and novelty of seeing it during the actual game? I also find it interesting that marketers feel that people shouldn't have to wait to see the ads. My opinion is that the ads themselves appear to serve more of an entertainment purpose than causing us to actually desire the product or service. Therefore, I don't think sales would skyrocket on a particular product if we saw the advertisement earlier (meaning before the game begins). But I could very well be wrong - maybe when you view the ad does make a difference. Do you think your behavior would be different if you saw the commercials beforehand? If so, do you think you would be more likely to buy the product or not?