Literacy Skills
and
Guest Speakers

After Marcus Sanderlin’s session on personal branding, I gained a deeper understanding of how to present myself professionally and authentically. As a guest speaker from the OPCD, Marcus emphasized the importance of shaping a personal brand that reflects both who you are and what you stand for. From his session, I specifically realized how to tailor my passion, advocating for marginalized groups, into a consistent narrative that I can adapt in a myriad of professional settings. I also learned how to effectively market myself in both cover letters and interviews by connecting my lived experiences to the roles I’m pursuing. By gaining more insight into telling a story that highlights my values, strengths, and goals, this session helped me see branding as both a professionally strategic and personally empowering process.

Sarah Wojcik-Gross’s workshop gave me practical knowledge about using artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude effectively. I specifically learned about the power of utilizing strategic prompting in conversations with AI; by asking clear questions and providing rich details, I can get more useful and relevant responses. However, Gross also discussed the risks of using AI, such as its tendency to “hallucinate,” or generate false information that appears trustworthy. This danger highlights the importance of double-checking facts since AI models are generative, unlike traditional search engines, so they can produce inaccurate content. This session was extremely helpful for me, particularly as AI becomes increasingly integrated into academic and professional spaces, and I look forward to applying Gross's insights in my future interactions with AI.