Reflections

What were the three most important lessons you learned from LMP? (life and hospitality)

• "Early is on time, on time is late", this phrase helped me learn how to manage my time wisely, especially when I'm getting ready for school or something important.

• I learned how to improve my communication skills as well as how to deal with customer complaints.

• Another lesson I learned was to always be organized with your goals, to keep setting goals as you go through life.

Describe your most memorable experience in LMP.

• My most memorable experience was our "Be a Tourist" field trip. We traveled around the island and went sight seeing at different locations. Some of my classmates prepared little presentations about each place went to. It was a fun day overall and it was my last school field trip ever.

What was your proudest or happiest moment in high school?

• My proudest and happiest moment in high school was when my softball team won 3rd place in Softball Championships

What were the challenges you had to overcome in high school?

• Some of the challenges I had to overcome in high school was having to change my whole friend group. I figured it was time to change some people in my circle so that I can be the better version of myself.

What is your biggest regret during high school?

• My biggest regret in high school is getting lazy and falling behind in some classes. I was able to pick up my grades but I feel like if I put more effort, I probably would've been on of the top 10 or close.

How has high school prepared you for college and career?

• I feel like my teachers did their jobs to prepare me for college through assignments and tasks that help us challenge ourselves to be better and do better. This program has prepared me for career through internships and volunteer work at restaurants as well as preparing for interviews.

If you had to re-do high school, what is one major change you would make?

• If I had to re-do high school, a major change I'd make would be to put more effort in everything I do from sports to class assignments.

Who was your favorite guest speaker in the last three years of LMP?

• My favorite guest speaker would be Dr. Betances because he would give us advice on how to be better and grow our intelligence. He showed us that we can be more than what we are now.

What was your favorite ice breaker question? Explain.

• I don't have a favorite ice breaker question. I always enjoyed ice breaker questions before we started the class because we all shared our thoughts and opinions and we were very open. I love the questions that make us open up about ourselves because I got to know more about my classmates

What advice do you have for the incoming hospitality students?

• My advice to the incoming hospitality students to is to take advantage of every opportunity Mr. Chong gives out. It will give you more experience and tips to prepare you for life outside of high school. If you ever have a problem, don't be afraid to let Mr. Chong know. Not only will he help you but he is willing to listen and give you time to do your thing. The last thing is to just learn more about your classmates and form a bond with them, you guys are going to be stuck together for the next 3 years. It's always good to step out of your shell.

What? What was the project about? What was your role?

This project was our final project for the school year. We collaborated with Prostart III and came together to create and market a new restaurant. The Prostart team prepared the menu and provided their classroom as the “Restaurant”. Our class did the marketing, designed the layout of the restaurant, and served the food to our guests. I was part of the marketing/research team. My job was to provide information on how to run a restaurant and research different ways to market our establishment.

So What? What was the outcome of the project and service? What did you learn about marketing? Discuss your team's performance.

I think the outcome was a success. The judges gave us feedback for both classes. They gave us tips on how we can improve our marketing skills. What I learned from marketing was that there is a lot of researching that goes into this. You have to know about advertising a new restaurant through ads, social media pages, flyers, and websites. The servers did quite a great job. They took the time to memorize the menu so that they may be able to answer the guests questions. The marketing/researching team did a good job too. They not only created ads and posts for social media, they also designed the layout of the restaurant, and presented to the judges while the Prostart students were still cooking.

Now what? If you had to re-do this, what would you do differently to improve? Discuss what went well and what changes need to be made.

If I were to re-do the project, my team and I would have better communication with the other class. The most stressful part of the project was having to go back and forth with the menu because they would change it and not tell us about it until the last minute. Our team also needed to coordinate on what to wear because everyone was wearing something different which made the presentation look a little off. Overall, I think we worked well with Prostart that day. We made sure everyone was doing their part and we helped each other with the food, making sure it was presentable and all. The food went out all together and the judges seemed to enjoy it so I think everything went well.

Topics to discuss:

respect, openness, freedom to question, learning climate, engagement and interaction, classroom cleanliness, compare and comment your current in-person class vs last year's online class, any suggestions for improvements, share about highlights of this year, and comment your honest level of effort and motivation (high to low).

I feel this class has always been welcoming and comfortable for me since my first year. I get along with my classmates really well. I have different classmates from my previous year, most of my friends.

In Dr. B's article he talks about how the summer after leaving high school is important. He talks about how we should use that time to prepare ourselves for college by reading books and growing our intelligence. He made it very clear that slacking off during those few months push you back just a little. He also talked about using the internet to access articles, TED talks, and YouTube presentations. Instead of using it for social media all the time we can do something useful with it. Dr. B also talks about seeking coaching and assistance from accomplished professionals and having a mentor. The article is different from the presentation because it expanded on more on topics where reading aloud is important, reading memoirs, having mentors, and being prepared for college life.

The biggest lesson I learned was that I have to be the one to wake up in the morning and make decisions myself. This made me realize that I will soon be living independently in a world where I have to everything on my own. I will apply this by recognizing that I will become an adult in a couple of months, and that my life will soon begin. Every decision I make from now on will affect my journey and success.

What?

Every year we have the Freshman Recruitment where we present to freshman classes about what our program has to offer. Our role is to talk about what goes on in this 3-year program, the skills we develop, and the benefits of this program. A few days before our presentation, we practiced doing our presentation in front of Mr. Chong and our classmates just so we can get a feel of it. Mr. Chong would give us advice on how we can improve and catch their attention on the day we present.

So what?

The first presentation, it felt like no one really cared for us. No one had questions or comments about our presentation. In fact, they looked really bored. We tried our best to keep them active but it just wasn't working. The next day of presentations, my team went up. The freshman students that day had a lot of questions and feedback, they seemed really interested. It felt good listening to what they had to say. The outcome of our presentation was pretty good. I learned that marketing and promoting our program is successful when you talk about what is in it for them, like the benefits. The only challenge we had was trying to keep them intrigued and awake.

Now what?

If I were to re-do this presentation, I would try to be less nervous. I feel like that was my biggest problem. Another thing I would do differently is to just be organized. We had to change our lines many times because people kept coming one day, then they'd be absent the next. I had to memorize the whole slide just incase someone decided to back out last minute. To ensure a successful presentation, everyone must work together and put in as much effort as the others. You must be confident and organized so that everything goes smoothly.

Overcoming the Stereotypes of being Micronesian

My TED talk topic was “Overcoming the Stereotypes of being Micronesian”. Most people like to look at Micronesians in a negative way, especially towards people from the FSM. Stereotypes are generalized beliefs about a specific group, usually negative or hurtful. Some people think that Micronesians are “lazy” or “stupid”, “incompetent” or that all we do is “cause trouble”. These are just a few but very common stereotypes. I talked about how stereotypes have nothing to do with who you are or what you’re capable of. The way people view you is not as important as the way you view yourself. Every race or ethnicity has some rotten apples but that doesn’t mean they’re all rotten.

The outcome of my presentation was alright. I feel like I did well. The panelists kept talking about my presentation and the importance of highlighting an issue like that. I was glad I got that presentation out of the way but most of all I was proud of myself. Not a lot of people like to talk about issues like this and I was glad I was able to speak for those who couldn’t. I was extremely nervous but I feel like I did good and I got my point across.

I received great feedback from the panelists and some good reviews on my comment sheets. Although I did well, I still have to work on my volume when I speak or present in front of others. I need to learn how to make my voice fill the room. That’s probably the only thing I would do differently during my presentation if I had the chance. I guess the biggest thing I learned was to start learning how to reject rejection and not make apologies for being the way I am. I also learned that reading memoirs of people who’ve gone through the same thing can help.

Leadership Quotes

Aug. 27. 2021