October 23, 2024 • 34 mins
In this episode of Digication Scholars Conversations, host Kelly Driscoll interviews Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent TCU graduate, as she shares her journey using the Digication ePortfolio platform.
Kaitlyn explains how ePortfolios offer a personalized and comprehensive way to showcase skills, achievements, and experiences, setting them apart from traditional resumes and social networking profiles.
Learn practical tips for curating ePortfolio content, organizing internships, and reflecting on personal growth.
This inspiring discussion highlights the value of lifelong learning, self-advocacy, and the power of visual documentation for career advancement.
For more information about this podcast, please visit our podcast website using the link below: https://bit.ly/3MfBqbo
Listen on Apple Podcasts using the link below: https://apple.co/3OkFVEn
Follow us on Social Media!
Twitter: https://bit.ly/3M9J7Qt
Facebook: https://bit.ly/3OgnIYw
Instagram: https://bit.ly/3Mjm4D8
Please visit our website at https://bit.ly/3IgGVFP
#DigicationScholars #ePortfolio #CareerGrowth #LifelongLearning #selfadvocacy
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to DigicationScholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
In this episode, you'll hearpart two of my conversation with
Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent graduateof Texas Christian University.
More links and information about today'sconversation can be found on Digication's
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
(00:21):
Full episodes of Digication ScholarsConversations can be found on
YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
At Digication, we talk a lot about,um, the, the use of our platform as
a way for students to be able to beseen, be heard, and be recognized.
(00:43):
And thinking back to when, you know,you were starting to learn about
Digication and start sharing someof the things that you were doing.
Did you feel that kind of, um,or did you feel that kind of
relationship with the platform?
(01:04):
Were, were you interested in being seenand being heard and being recognized?
And maybe some of the ways that you wereable to, to use the tools to achieve that?
Oh,
certainly.
Yeah.
I, um, I was first introduced toDigication and this ePortfolio.
Platform, uh, through one of my classesat TCU, it was in my fashion merchandising
(01:31):
major, and my teacher at the time, Dr.
Fortenberry, um, chose thisplatform for us to use in our career
development course, um, really inan effort to gear us up to graduate.
So, I think this was about my senior year,um, first semester that I started it,
and it definitely took some time, um, tocreate it in full, which is constantly
(01:56):
evolving as well, but, um, to get kind ofan idea of what I wanted to do with it.
Um, the intention, Behind it, ultimately,was to provide me as a student entering
the workforce soon, uh, with a toolto really showcase my achievements,
um, kind of what I've been working on,what I'm able to do, and, um, get this
(02:20):
information out to future employers,or if I, at the time, I didn't know if
I maybe wanted to pursue, um, furthereducation, whoever it may be, kind of
like, Compiling all of my achievementsand work thus far into one place and
having that be a centralized locationto share it with others, you know, and,
(02:45):
um, I feel like a good e portfolio.
It's both a product, digital collection,you know, of my artifacts and what I've
worked on, maybe that be presentationsor papers or research projects, social
media examples, things like that, um,but it's also a process of, in the
(03:08):
making of it, really reflecting on it.
Thank you.
Those moments and those achievementsthat I've had and kind of what
they present in me and how theycan represent me to others.
And I feel like in the past, I'msure there was like written examples,
(03:28):
physical portfolios, maybe that youcould bring in to a job interview.
Um, but having the ePortfolio Itkind of made, it made this invisible
learning that was going on in schoolvisible, but not only that, it made
it mobile, so anyone could, yeah, itwasn't just I had one copy of it that
(03:49):
I had to manually bring everywhere.
It was so easy having it online where Icould just take that link, um, And share
it forward with even just connectionsthat I was, um, reaching out to in an
effort to find a job, um, references,people and careers that I was looking
(04:09):
to for inspiration, mentors, thingslike that, um, There's so many different
source or groups of people that it wasgeared towards and having it all together
in one place online was so beneficial.
And I feel like LinkedIn, forexample, is a great networking tool.
(04:31):
And it has all of my, like, backgroundand my previous jobs and experience
and things like that, but it doesn'teven compare to, like, what I'm able
to create on here or on Digication'sePortfolio, because the ePortfolio allowed
me to use all different sorts of media.
(04:52):
You know, whether that be the writtentext of reflections on things, the
projects that I actually workedon, I could upload PowerPoints or
presentations that I did, um, photographsthat I took in different social
media platforms that I played aroundwith and feeds, all sorts of things,
video I could upload there as well.
(05:14):
So having all that there wasso invaluable and was like the
ultimate goal from the start.
And it just progressed even further thanwhat I could imagine, kind of a thing.
And it certainly helped mepost grad, graduating and post
grad, kind of all of the above.
(05:34):
Because now I'm able to even look backon that, having created it in college
when everything was so fresh and,um, I was currently going through it.
And over time, I've realized my memoryis not as great as I wish it was.
Yeah, exactly.
And I'm like, so grateful that I was ableto not only just Get all of that in, all
(05:58):
of the actual artifacts into one location,but also the reflective periods that I
chose, um, or places that I chose to,uh, write up my lessons that I learned
and key skills that I gained and myfavorite parts of it, um, stuff like that.
Like reading through it makes itso much easier to recall things.
(06:19):
Moving forward.
So it's certainly been a blessing.
Yeah, absolutely.
And thank you for sharing how, you know,for you, it's different from something
like LinkedIn, people that are kind ofnew to this, Kind of platforms sometimes
have those questions and LinkedIn is, youknow, clearly a valuable tool for so many.
(06:45):
Um, but as you mentioned, you know, ithas a kind of standard format and You
know, just thinking about that comparedto this real kind of personal branding
and customization and, and stories thatwent into each of your experiences right
(07:09):
alongside the actual kind of products thatyou created is so rich and so different
from You know, this kind of scroll down.
These are the bulletpoints of my experience.
And, uh, I do think it givespeople the opportunity to share
(07:30):
so much more about who they, whothey are and how they've grown.
You know, I think LinkedIn's done abeautiful job in creating this network
and allowing people really to share,um, You know, kind of a profile slash
resume, and, and we're kind of givingpeople that opportunity, you know, with
(07:56):
all of those bullets, what are the realstories that happen during that time?
Right?
Let, let, you know, if you're reallyinterested in this individual, You know,
this is where you can really go in and,and learn more about them, you know,
what their passions are, what drivesand motivates them, where they may have
(08:22):
encountered challenges and grown fromthat and really get a sense of the,
the person, um, and you know, your,your kind of culminating portfolio.
Really exemplifies that.
Um, and you talked a little bitabout this reflective process.
(08:44):
Was that something that, um, youlearned during your time at TCU
or do you feel like reflecting onyour experience is something that
you brought with you into college?
What, what was that?
What was that like?
And had you shared reflectionslike that with other people before?
(09:05):
Sometimes that's a totallynew thing for people, too.
No, that's a great point.
Um, I do think my Digication portfolio wasone of the first places where I've put it
out there for just anyone kind of to see.
I've, again, as I've mentioned, I'vealways been such a visual person, so
(09:28):
I've never shied away from sharinga photo or posting on social media.
Or, yeah, that kind of thing I was verycomfortable with, but sharing written
message and my internal, um, feelingsabout a certain thing or kind of how
it's guided me through something, um, wassomething a little bit new, um, which is
(09:51):
great because I do love pushing myself.
I think it's, it was a greatopportunity to not only share the
academic side of things and the actualskills that I learned, um, That can
be used for a job, but also kind ofwho I am, how I process things, um,
(10:14):
what, how I make meaning of things.
And I've definitely alwaysbeen a introspective person.
I love to reflect.
I loved to diary as a kid.
Um, but of course all those thingswere very internal, personal,
nothing I particularly shared.
And while the information on my ePortfolioisn't particularly emotional, um, it
(10:40):
was, it was information of how I choseto process things and sharing that with
the viewer or whoever is reading it.
does add another layer than just thesimple text on the resume that is
shown on LinkedIn, like you mentioned.
I feel like platforms like that areextremely valuable, of course, and
(11:03):
the networking part of it is somethingI've used a lot, um, but it's more so
how do you get the information acrossin the easiest, simplest way possible.
I feel like there's a lot more,like, condensing things down, um,
just, uh, Have the recruiter knowthat you graduated with this and
(11:25):
have this skill like bullet pointed.
Um, whereas my ePortfolio gave mea platform to really dive deeper
and share with them not only theskills that I have, but who I am.
Um, and I think that is one ofmy favorite things about it.
Um, and then even going back andlooking on it now, uh, It's an
(11:48):
archive of kind of who I was and howI was feeling at that given time.
Um, and it helps my memories so much.
Like, it takes me just right back.
Like, even just reading thesmallest paragraph of my
reflection on a project that I did.
Software Year, for example, um, it'shelped a lot in the retention of the
(12:10):
information that I, um, got at thattime and using that moving forward.
So, it's been good.
Um, I was very intentional in whatI wanted to use on the platform, um,
like what categories I wanted to share.
And so, on my page, I have a Bar upat the top with all the main ones
(12:35):
that I thought would be important.
And I wanted to start it off with an aboutme, which I think makes sense intuitively.
Um, and I just shared my story therebriefly, of course, but, um, I also
wanted to include additional elements.
So a photo of myself, a quotethat, um, was important to me.
(12:57):
And so, and something I continue toupdate over time to help relay the message
that I am continuing to update this.
I'm here.
And like, this is somethingthat's important to me for
people who are looking at it.
Whereas I feel like sometimes peoplewill look on things and be like,
from high school or from college.
(13:18):
And, you know, Think that theyjust made it then and they've
left it there kind of a thing
and
on my homepage at the very bottomI updated every year just with
things that I enjoy or maybe likewhat I'm doing the most at the time
Yeah, and then a goal that I have,um, I think is up there right now.
(13:41):
And then I've also included a strengthsquest which I think maybe that's the
specific branded title of the one thatI did, but there's all sorts of, um, you
know, those self assessments, uh, Yeah,to kind of get to what are your strengths.
Um, so including that was also animportant element that I don't feel
(14:04):
like recruiters will see elsewhere.
Um, that's not something often, um,uploaded or shown on your job application
or resume and stuff like that.
And so linking my Digication when I sendout information about myself, um, helps
(14:25):
them just learn a lot more about me ona professional level, as well as on a
personal level, which I feel like is atthe core of what business is these days.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And you, you know, when you're viewingthe, um, StrengthsQuest results, and
then going through and viewing your work.
(14:46):
It's just like everything lined up.
Yeah,
exactly.
It makes sense, you know.
It all makes perfect sense.
Yeah, my strengths are, I'm adeveloper, I have empathy, achiever,
context, which is really just pullingfrom past experiences, um, and then
consistency, which I feel like all ofthose things, You can see throughout
(15:08):
the way that I designed, um, and what,what information I put into my profile.
So yeah, certainly translates.
Oh, sorry.
Oh, no, that was it.
That was it.
It
translates.
I was just thinking, so you werementioning a little bit about
how, um, you know, you werethinking about how you wanted to.
(15:31):
Organize all of your work.
And we see students, uh, kind of cometo this with different ideas and also,
um, input from various, uh, instructorsthat they might be working with or
thinking about, you know, who theaudience is that may be viewing it.
(15:52):
Could you talk a little bit aboutmaybe what that was like for you?
You know, you're just loggingin and getting started.
Um, How did you decide, youknow, what you wanted that kind
of top level hierarchy to be?
You know, you've got so many, somuch content that you wanted to share
(16:14):
and, um, I don't know off the top ofmy head how many pages are in that.
I don't either, but itmight take time to count.
But it's all really well, uh,I mean you can tell a lot of
consideration went into that.
You know, the, the pages all have, uh,titles that would make sense for viewers.
(16:37):
coming from, you know, all differentplaces, not just internal to TCU.
And, um, I would love tohear just a little bit about
what your process is like.
Did, did how things were organizedchange and shift as you were creating it?
Have they changed or shiftedat all after graduation?
(16:58):
I love that you go back in and, youknow, Keep updating goals and yeah,
references, my resume, yeah,different things like that.
Um, I always try to update.
Um, but yeah, back thinking back towhen I was first creating it, overall
categories, I had support from myteacher at the time, Dr, uh, Fortenberry.
(17:25):
Um, she helped us as a class, the biggestoverview topics that she felt The most
valuable, um, and easily understandable.
And then from there we kind of tookthe reins and we're able to create the
portfolio that made the most sense for us.
Um, so my top categories were theabout me page that I just mentioned.
(17:51):
Um, Resume, References, LearningExperiences, which included a deeper
dive subcategories of specific classesthat I took that I felt like would
be really valuable to showcase, um.
And then activities that I wasinvolved in, honors that I received,
(18:15):
um, and then towards the end, um,or actually I must have created this
junior year because now that I'mthinking about it, I added information.
Yeah, maybe, yeah, a lot was going on.
All the years kind of blurafter a certain point.
Um, but I did have another tab forinternships, which, I had one, um, in
(18:42):
between my junior and senior year andI also had some when I was younger
that I personally just added in assupplemental information as well.
Um, and so there's a deep diveinto my internships and how that
process looked and what I gainedfrom that, um, as well as just
(19:03):
exhibits and artifacts from that.
Jobs that I had.
I did a lot of social media workand influencer relations throughout
college at different companies.
And so some of the social media feedsand my strategy behind that I included,
um, On the work level tab, um, whichI'm going to go into and update with
(19:27):
my current, uh, work and what I'vedone and accomplished because I think
that'll be very beneficial as well, butthose were my overall categories, most
of which had subcategories within them.
Um, and they're pretty self explanatory,which I'm glad that you mentioned
that it did translate that way, um,so that it's easy to look through
(19:49):
from an outsider's perspective.
Um, but I think two of the corecategories that I knew that I needed,
um, would be the learning experiences.
That encompassed a handful of classesthat I felt were most important and
that I learned the most hard and softskills, um, that would translate into
(20:14):
a work environment, um, so I basicallylisted, like, a new page per class, um,
included what we call artifacts, whichis basically just work that's been done.
Um, something like tangible that likea PowerPoint or a design project or
(20:35):
a poster board, a sketch, whateverit may be pertaining to that class.
Um, I would include that.
So, I always had a visual, um, as wellas a wri a write up, um, which is the
reflection that I was talking about.
Um, and I included the classtitle just for reference.
I figured Other students would maybebe looking on it and get inspiration
(21:01):
from it and perhaps want to findthat class if they go to TCU.
Um, and then information on what thosevisual artifacts are, kind of when I
took the class, um, and then that writeup summary of, What I experienced,
what I gained from it, the skills thatcan be translatable to a career, and
(21:27):
that is probably, looking back on it,one of the most valuable categories
because otherwise, like I said,memory kind of goes away over time.
I would have certainly hadsomewhere in my computer.
These projects and, like, artifacts,but actually going and finding them,
(21:50):
like, have you ever gone into acomputer trying to, like, just go
through your documents and stuff?
Like, that's not fun.
Not fun.
No one does that, really.
I feel like it just kindof gets lost in the cloud.
Um, but having it all on here has been sohelpful looking back on, um, my education.
(22:11):
And then also that internship,uh, tab was very beneficial.
As I was graduating, looking for ajob, uh, because it really outlined the
practical experience I had, um, whatI learned, the connections I made, um,
projects that I had, uh, so there'sa really good deep dive in there.
(22:32):
Um, and I did partner with the companythat I, uh, Interned with, uh, as well
as guidance from my education at TCU toalso get feedback from my supervisors
at the time, um, like written up.
And that was something I wanted toinclude for prospective employers
(22:53):
to be able to access as well.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
I
would love to hear about that.
So we do get, um, sometimes people,you know, are interested in Digication,
specifically for these kind ofexperiential learning experiences, um,
(23:14):
you know, where students are, you know,doing internships or study abroad or
field experiences, you know, if they'reinterested in going into healthcare.
And so they're often, you know,out in the field doing, you know,
hands on work within the kinds oforganizations that they're hoping to,
(23:38):
to be in potentially after graduation.
And so could you share a littlebit about maybe, um, from those
internships, what, what kinds ofartifacts you were able to include?
Um, Maybe going back and looking atthat what it's like to to read about
(23:59):
your experiences in the internships andDid you use Digication in order to help
get those internships, or did you sharewhat you created in Digication to get?
You know, recognize for someof the, you know, career
opportunities that you have now.
(24:20):
I'd love to hear about that.
Yeah.
So to start off with your firstquestion of the internships that I
had and the kind of artifacts that Iwas able to collect, um, as I said, I
am a visual person, so I certainly amsomeone who likes to document what's
going on, um, usually through a photo.
(24:41):
Um, but also.
In all other ways, data collection, um,project management and things like that.
So exiting or going into and exiting mysummer internship the year before, um,
my senior year, I had the intention ofcollecting, the items that I was able to
(25:04):
contribute to because I knew that thiswould be beneficial for a portfolio.
Um, seeing as I did create theportfolio in advance, uh, having
even just that recognition, um,or knowledge of it going into it.
Yeah, it gave me a place toneed to put those things.
Um, so I, Actively throughout myinternships would collect, write down
(25:30):
things that I accomplished, collect, um,the artifacts that I discuss or photos of,
um, visiting certain locations on the job,which my junior summer, junior to senior,
Internship was right when COVID hit.
So that kind of changed a lot of things.
(25:50):
Um, and there was certainly a fear atone point that it might not work out
and line up, um, after having gotten it.
Right.
Yeah.
And so I was lucky enough that thecompany, um, that I worked for,
Arteriors, uh, was able to easily transferthe internship to be done remotely.
(26:15):
Even though it was based here in Dallas,um, and I did end up remaining in
Fort Worth on campus that summer forother classes I was taking as well.
Um, there wasn't much opportunityto actually go in and take the
photos that I so normally like.
Um, but I did get an opportunity ortwo, um, on occasion and so I took
(26:40):
those, um, and Collected photos ofsome of the products I was working on.
Um, I visited the showroom and wasable to gather some imagery there.
Uh, I had to go in for a couple projectsof, um, supporting, The Warehouse
kind of just as an intern, you know,additional tasks that, um, would
(27:04):
support the company and, uh, I helpedwith organization and counting parts
and, uh, getting things to where theyneeded to be, um, especially during
COVID when things were a bit of a rise.
So, um, Yeah, exactly.
Which, and I, I never hate when someoneasks me to support in another area
because I always see it as an opportunityto grow and learn something new.
(27:26):
So, even if it wasn't, like, the core ofmy job, um, that summer, I was happy to
do so, um, and was able to connect withother individuals as well, which is great.
But, um, For that internship,I collected a lot of pictures
when I was able to go in.
Um, I also, at the end of the internship,compiled different documents that I
(27:49):
supported, um, or created throughout.
Uh, certainly when you're doing this,a disclaimer to Talk to your supervisor
and make sure that that's information
that you're able to share.
Exactly.
You don't want to be leakingany privileged information.
(28:10):
Um, but I did wait until after, becauseI was working on the new collection
that was going to be coming out.
Um, I was, uh, ProductDevelopment and Management Intern.
So, I didn't release that informationonline until those items were out.
So, yeah, little disclaimer there, butstill valuable to collect that information
to be able to use down the line, you know,when you're able to, if you're able to.
(28:34):
Um, but I also had weekly reports,um, and meetings with my supervisor
on the job, and I was able to sharethat, uh, feedback, um, and then
feedback on that feedback of howI'd improved, which Shares a lot of
information with a prospective employer.
Um, we did book clubsduring the internship.
(28:54):
So I was able to kind of reflecton what I'd learned there as well
as connections and references.
Um, and then I took the opportunityto also create an end of internship,
kind of exit presentation.
So, um, That also did, like, a overallsummary of going into it, kind of what
(29:19):
I was expecting, how I learned throughthings, and what I got out of it, um,
so that was a great visual to be ableto include on my portfolio as well,
but, um, Also from, apart from thatinternship, I did one earlier over in
Europe with my family's company at ModaTextile, and there was nothing I needed
(29:42):
to do in connection to my schoolworkwith that internship, but I did take the
liberty to honestly just do a similar um,compilation and Reflection on what was
done, what I learned, um, who I connectedwith on a daily basis since that was a
(30:04):
more condensed opportunity, um, and Iwas actually going and visiting different
countries and meeting with prospectivevendors, um, And if I wasn't to have
created that file and that compilationof information, I would, it would be so
hard to remember the ins and outs of whatI really did learn what like eight years
(30:26):
ago or so, like more than eight years ago.
Um, so I do think it's so valuable,like if, You're a student listening
to this, um, or honestly at anyage in any profession, like keeping
track of what it is that you'relearning and the accomplishments that
you're making as you're, as you'regoing through it is so beneficial.
(30:46):
And definitely one of my biggestpieces of advice is because you're
your best advocate, like you'rethe person who's going to have to
get this information out to others.
Um, And having a place to go backto, to reference little things
here and there, um, it adds up.
And then you're able to use that fora new job maybe that you're interested
(31:09):
in, or a compensation review, or maybeyou'll discover a new interest that you
have, or habit, or something, um, that'llcreate a whole new career path for you.
But yeah, and then sharing it ona platform like this, um, on an
ePortfolio just makes it so much easier.
(31:31):
Having it all in one place.
Yeah, and I love what you said about,you know, you're your best advocate.
And that, You know, you can use a toollike this to have everything that you
need to support advocacy for yourself.
You know, it can, it can speakfor you when you're not there.
(31:54):
Um, but you also have the opportunityto review and see for yourself.
Um, all that you are and the things thatyou value and the skills that you have.
You know, if you're ever havinga Time where you're questioning
if you're on the the right pathor doing what you're capable of.
(32:16):
It's always something that you can referback to and then always something that
you can share out with with other people.
So, thank you.
Yes, certainly
and The quote, actually, that I haveon my first page of my About Me on
my portfolio, it kind of goes in linewith that, that there's really only
(32:38):
two things in life that are in it.
your total control, and that'syour attitude and your effort.
And it really goes to show the level of
intention and drive that you have to beable to take a task or something that
(32:59):
you're working on, use it, reflect on it.
And then be able to have that as somethingthat can personify you through others
looking on your site, um, whether ornot you're directly giving it to them.
I actually tested it out.
If I type my name into Google,it's the second thing that pops up.
(33:22):
I'm not sure if that's yourguys SEO killing it or That's
what we want for you!
Exactly!
Which is exactly what I
want as well.
Um, so, yeah.
Totally agree with
you there.
Yes, yes.
Oh, well, Kaitlyn, so much for Joiningme today and sharing your story and
(33:45):
your experience and your insights forother students that might be listening.
And you're right, we're all lifelonglearners, so this is something
that's of value really to anyone.
We believe that strongly, too.
And um, I'm looking forward tosharing your stories and thank
you again for joining me onDigication Scholars Conversations.
Oh, thank you so much for having me!
This was so
(34:06):
fun, and I'm so happy tostay in touch moving forward.
Yes, yes, please.
Thank you, and take good care.
You too.
Bye.
Coming up next, we'll be chattingwith Bill Torgerson, a lecturer
in rhetoric and composition atAppalachian State University.
(34:29):
Here's a quick preview.
This would be what I would pointto as a coach and as a professor.
You know, the ability to learn content.
The ability to present the contentin an engaging way that makes it
easily digestible to the audience,whether it's a player or a student.
Um, those are really important in bothof those spaces and probably strengths of
(34:50):
mind.
Welcome to DigicationScholars Conversations.
I'm your host, Kelly Driscoll.
In this episode, you'll hearpart two of my conversation with
Kaitlyn Coskun, a recent graduateof Texas Christian University.
More links and information about today'sconversation can be found on Digication's
Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
(00:21):
Full episodes of Digication ScholarsConversations can be found on
YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
At Digication, we talk a lot about,um, the, the use of our platform as
a way for students to be able to beseen, be heard, and be recognized.
(00:43):
And thinking back to when, you know,you were starting to learn about
Digication and start sharing someof the things that you were doing.
Did you feel that kind of, um,or did you feel that kind of
relationship with the platform?
(01:04):
Were, were you interested in being seenand being heard and being recognized?
And maybe some of the ways that you wereable to, to use the tools to achieve that?
Oh,
certainly.
Yeah.
I, um, I was first introduced toDigication and this ePortfolio.
Platform, uh, through one of my classesat TCU, it was in my fashion merchandising
(01:31):
major, and my teacher at the time, Dr.
Fortenberry, um, chose thisplatform for us to use in our career
development course, um, really inan effort to gear us up to graduate.
So, I think this was about my senior year,um, first semester that I started it,
and it definitely took some time, um, tocreate it in full, which is constantly
(01:56):
evolving as well, but, um, to get kind ofan idea of what I wanted to do with it.
Um, the intention, Behind it, ultimately,was to provide me as a student entering
the workforce soon, uh, with a toolto really showcase my achievements,
um, kind of what I've been working on,what I'm able to do, and, um, get this
(02:20):
information out to future employers,or if I, at the time, I didn't know if
I maybe wanted to pursue, um, furthereducation, whoever it may be, kind of
like, Compiling all of my achievementsand work thus far into one place and
having that be a centralized locationto share it with others, you know, and,
(02:45):
um, I feel like a good e portfolio.
It's both a product, digital collection,you know, of my artifacts and what I've
worked on, maybe that be presentationsor papers or research projects, social
media examples, things like that, um,but it's also a process of, in the
(03:08):
making of it, really reflecting on it.
Thank you.
Those moments and those achievementsthat I've had and kind of what
they present in me and how theycan represent me to others.
And I feel like in the past, I'msure there was like written examples,
(03:28):
physical portfolios, maybe that youcould bring in to a job interview.
Um, but having the ePortfolio Itkind of made, it made this invisible
learning that was going on in schoolvisible, but not only that, it made
it mobile, so anyone could, yeah, itwasn't just I had one copy of it that
(03:49):
I had to manually bring everywhere.
It was so easy having it online where Icould just take that link, um, And share
it forward with even just connectionsthat I was, um, reaching out to in an
effort to find a job, um, references,people and careers that I was looking
(04:09):
to for inspiration, mentors, thingslike that, um, There's so many different
source or groups of people that it wasgeared towards and having it all together
in one place online was so beneficial.
And I feel like LinkedIn, forexample, is a great networking tool.
(04:31):
And it has all of my, like, backgroundand my previous jobs and experience
and things like that, but it doesn'teven compare to, like, what I'm able
to create on here or on Digication'sePortfolio, because the ePortfolio allowed
me to use all different sorts of media.
(04:52):
You know, whether that be the writtentext of reflections on things, the
projects that I actually workedon, I could upload PowerPoints or
presentations that I did, um, photographsthat I took in different social
media platforms that I played aroundwith and feeds, all sorts of things,
video I could upload there as well.
(05:14):
So having all that there wasso invaluable and was like the
ultimate goal from the start.
And it just progressed even further thanwhat I could imagine, kind of a thing.
And it certainly helped mepost grad, graduating and post
grad, kind of all of the above.
(05:34):
Because now I'm able to even look backon that, having created it in college
when everything was so fresh and,um, I was currently going through it.
And over time, I've realized my memoryis not as great as I wish it was.
Yeah, exactly.
And I'm like, so grateful that I was ableto not only just Get all of that in, all
(05:58):
of the actual artifacts into one location,but also the reflective periods that I
chose, um, or places that I chose to,uh, write up my lessons that I learned
and key skills that I gained and myfavorite parts of it, um, stuff like that.
Like reading through it makes itso much easier to recall things.
(06:19):
Moving forward.
So it's certainly been a blessing.
Yeah, absolutely.
And thank you for sharing how, you know,for you, it's different from something
like LinkedIn, people that are kind ofnew to this, Kind of platforms sometimes
have those questions and LinkedIn is, youknow, clearly a valuable tool for so many.
(06:45):
Um, but as you mentioned, you know, ithas a kind of standard format and You
know, just thinking about that comparedto this real kind of personal branding
and customization and, and stories thatwent into each of your experiences right
(07:09):
alongside the actual kind of products thatyou created is so rich and so different
from You know, this kind of scroll down.
These are the bulletpoints of my experience.
And, uh, I do think it givespeople the opportunity to share
(07:30):
so much more about who they, whothey are and how they've grown.
You know, I think LinkedIn's done abeautiful job in creating this network
and allowing people really to share,um, You know, kind of a profile slash
resume, and, and we're kind of givingpeople that opportunity, you know, with
(07:56):
all of those bullets, what are the realstories that happen during that time?
Right?
Let, let, you know, if you're reallyinterested in this individual, You know,
this is where you can really go in and,and learn more about them, you know,
what their passions are, what drivesand motivates them, where they may have
(08:22):
encountered challenges and grown fromthat and really get a sense of the,
the person, um, and you know, your,your kind of culminating portfolio.
Really exemplifies that.
Um, and you talked a little bitabout this reflective process.
(08:44):
Was that something that, um, youlearned during your time at TCU
or do you feel like reflecting onyour experience is something that
you brought with you into college?
What, what was that?
What was that like?
And had you shared reflectionslike that with other people before?
(09:05):
Sometimes that's a totallynew thing for people, too.
No, that's a great point.
Um, I do think my Digication portfolio wasone of the first places where I've put it
out there for just anyone kind of to see.
I've, again, as I've mentioned, I'vealways been such a visual person, so
(09:28):
I've never shied away from sharinga photo or posting on social media.
Or, yeah, that kind of thing I was verycomfortable with, but sharing written
message and my internal, um, feelingsabout a certain thing or kind of how
it's guided me through something, um, wassomething a little bit new, um, which is
(09:51):
great because I do love pushing myself.
I think it's, it was a greatopportunity to not only share the
academic side of things and the actualskills that I learned, um, That can
be used for a job, but also kind ofwho I am, how I process things, um,
(10:14):
what, how I make meaning of things.
And I've definitely alwaysbeen a introspective person.
I love to reflect.
I loved to diary as a kid.
Um, but of course all those thingswere very internal, personal,
nothing I particularly shared.
And while the information on my ePortfolioisn't particularly emotional, um, it
(10:40):
was, it was information of how I choseto process things and sharing that with
the viewer or whoever is reading it.
does add another layer than just thesimple text on the resume that is
shown on LinkedIn, like you mentioned.
I feel like platforms like that areextremely valuable, of course, and
(11:03):
the networking part of it is somethingI've used a lot, um, but it's more so
how do you get the information acrossin the easiest, simplest way possible.
I feel like there's a lot more,like, condensing things down, um,
just, uh, Have the recruiter knowthat you graduated with this and
(11:25):
have this skill like bullet pointed.
Um, whereas my ePortfolio gave mea platform to really dive deeper
and share with them not only theskills that I have, but who I am.
Um, and I think that is one ofmy favorite things about it.
Um, and then even going back andlooking on it now, uh, It's an
(11:48):
archive of kind of who I was and howI was feeling at that given time.
Um, and it helps my memories so much.
Like, it takes me just right back.
Like, even just reading thesmallest paragraph of my
reflection on a project that I did.
Software Year, for example, um, it'shelped a lot in the retention of the
(12:10):
information that I, um, got at thattime and using that moving forward.
So, it's been good.
Um, I was very intentional in whatI wanted to use on the platform, um,
like what categories I wanted to share.
And so, on my page, I have a Bar upat the top with all the main ones
(12:35):
that I thought would be important.
And I wanted to start it off with an aboutme, which I think makes sense intuitively.
Um, and I just shared my story therebriefly, of course, but, um, I also
wanted to include additional elements.
So a photo of myself, a quotethat, um, was important to me.
(12:57):
And so, and something I continue toupdate over time to help relay the message
that I am continuing to update this.
I'm here.
And like, this is somethingthat's important to me for
people who are looking at it.
Whereas I feel like sometimes peoplewill look on things and be like,
from high school or from college.
(13:18):
And, you know, Think that theyjust made it then and they've
left it there kind of a thing
and
on my homepage at the very bottomI updated every year just with
things that I enjoy or maybe likewhat I'm doing the most at the time
Yeah, and then a goal that I have,um, I think is up there right now.
(13:41):
And then I've also included a strengthsquest which I think maybe that's the
specific branded title of the one thatI did, but there's all sorts of, um, you
know, those self assessments, uh, Yeah,to kind of get to what are your strengths.
Um, so including that was also animportant element that I don't feel
(14:04):
like recruiters will see elsewhere.
Um, that's not something often, um,uploaded or shown on your job application
or resume and stuff like that.
And so linking my Digication when I sendout information about myself, um, helps
(14:25):
them just learn a lot more about me ona professional level, as well as on a
personal level, which I feel like is atthe core of what business is these days.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And you, you know, when you're viewingthe, um, StrengthsQuest results, and
then going through and viewing your work.
(14:46):
It's just like everything lined up.
Yeah,
exactly.
It makes sense, you know.
It all makes perfect sense.
Yeah, my strengths are, I'm adeveloper, I have empathy, achiever,
context, which is really just pullingfrom past experiences, um, and then
consistency, which I feel like all ofthose things, You can see throughout
(15:08):
the way that I designed, um, and what,what information I put into my profile.
So yeah, certainly translates.
Oh, sorry.
Oh, no, that was it.
That was it.
It
translates.
I was just thinking, so you werementioning a little bit about
how, um, you know, you werethinking about how you wanted to.
(15:31):
Organize all of your work.
And we see students, uh, kind of cometo this with different ideas and also,
um, input from various, uh, instructorsthat they might be working with or
thinking about, you know, who theaudience is that may be viewing it.
(15:52):
Could you talk a little bit aboutmaybe what that was like for you?
You know, you're just loggingin and getting started.
Um, How did you decide, youknow, what you wanted that kind
of top level hierarchy to be?
You know, you've got so many, somuch content that you wanted to share
(16:14):
and, um, I don't know off the top ofmy head how many pages are in that.
I don't either, but itmight take time to count.
But it's all really well, uh,I mean you can tell a lot of
consideration went into that.
You know, the, the pages all have, uh,titles that would make sense for viewers.
(16:37):
coming from, you know, all differentplaces, not just internal to TCU.
And, um, I would love tohear just a little bit about
what your process is like.
Did, did how things were organizedchange and shift as you were creating it?
Have they changed or shiftedat all after graduation?
(16:58):
I love that you go back in and, youknow, Keep updating goals and yeah,
references, my resume, yeah,different things like that.
Um, I always try to update.
Um, but yeah, back thinking back towhen I was first creating it, overall
categories, I had support from myteacher at the time, Dr, uh, Fortenberry.
(17:25):
Um, she helped us as a class, the biggestoverview topics that she felt The most
valuable, um, and easily understandable.
And then from there we kind of tookthe reins and we're able to create the
portfolio that made the most sense for us.
Um, so my top categories were theabout me page that I just mentioned.
(17:51):
Um, Resume, References, LearningExperiences, which included a deeper
dive subcategories of specific classesthat I took that I felt like would
be really valuable to showcase, um.
And then activities that I wasinvolved in, honors that I received,
(18:15):
um, and then towards the end, um,or actually I must have created this
junior year because now that I'mthinking about it, I added information.
Yeah, maybe, yeah, a lot was going on.
All the years kind of blurafter a certain point.
Um, but I did have another tab forinternships, which, I had one, um, in
(18:42):
between my junior and senior year andI also had some when I was younger
that I personally just added in assupplemental information as well.
Um, and so there's a deep diveinto my internships and how that
process looked and what I gainedfrom that, um, as well as just
(19:03):
exhibits and artifacts from that.
Jobs that I had.
I did a lot of social media workand influencer relations throughout
college at different companies.
And so some of the social media feedsand my strategy behind that I included,
um, On the work level tab, um, whichI'm going to go into and update with
(19:27):
my current, uh, work and what I'vedone and accomplished because I think
that'll be very beneficial as well, butthose were my overall categories, most
of which had subcategories within them.
Um, and they're pretty self explanatory,which I'm glad that you mentioned
that it did translate that way, um,so that it's easy to look through
(19:49):
from an outsider's perspective.
Um, but I think two of the corecategories that I knew that I needed,
um, would be the learning experiences.
That encompassed a handful of classesthat I felt were most important and
that I learned the most hard and softskills, um, that would translate into
(20:14):
a work environment, um, so I basicallylisted, like, a new page per class, um,
included what we call artifacts, whichis basically just work that's been done.
Um, something like tangible that likea PowerPoint or a design project or
(20:35):
a poster board, a sketch, whateverit may be pertaining to that class.
Um, I would include that.
So, I always had a visual, um, as wellas a wri a write up, um, which is the
reflection that I was talking about.
Um, and I included the classtitle just for reference.
I figured Other students would maybebe looking on it and get inspiration
(21:01):
from it and perhaps want to findthat class if they go to TCU.
Um, and then information on what thosevisual artifacts are, kind of when I
took the class, um, and then that writeup summary of, What I experienced,
what I gained from it, the skills thatcan be translatable to a career, and
(21:27):
that is probably, looking back on it,one of the most valuable categories
because otherwise, like I said,memory kind of goes away over time.
I would have certainly hadsomewhere in my computer.
These projects and, like, artifacts,but actually going and finding them,
(21:50):
like, have you ever gone into acomputer trying to, like, just go
through your documents and stuff?
Like, that's not fun.
Not fun.
No one does that, really.
I feel like it just kindof gets lost in the cloud.
Um, but having it all on here has been sohelpful looking back on, um, my education.
(22:11):
And then also that internship,uh, tab was very beneficial.
As I was graduating, looking for ajob, uh, because it really outlined the
practical experience I had, um, whatI learned, the connections I made, um,
projects that I had, uh, so there'sa really good deep dive in there.
(22:32):
Um, and I did partner with the companythat I, uh, Interned with, uh, as well
as guidance from my education at TCU toalso get feedback from my supervisors
at the time, um, like written up.
And that was something I wanted toinclude for prospective employers
(22:53):
to be able to access as well.
Yeah.
So, yeah.
I
would love to hear about that.
So we do get, um, sometimes people,you know, are interested in Digication,
specifically for these kind ofexperiential learning experiences, um,
(23:14):
you know, where students are, you know,doing internships or study abroad or
field experiences, you know, if they'reinterested in going into healthcare.
And so they're often, you know,out in the field doing, you know,
hands on work within the kinds oforganizations that they're hoping to,
(23:38):
to be in potentially after graduation.
And so could you share a littlebit about maybe, um, from those
internships, what, what kinds ofartifacts you were able to include?
Um, Maybe going back and looking atthat what it's like to to read about
(23:59):
your experiences in the internships andDid you use Digication in order to help
get those internships, or did you sharewhat you created in Digication to get?
You know, recognize for someof the, you know, career
opportunities that you have now.
(24:20):
I'd love to hear about that.
Yeah.
So to start off with your firstquestion of the internships that I
had and the kind of artifacts that Iwas able to collect, um, as I said, I
am a visual person, so I certainly amsomeone who likes to document what's
going on, um, usually through a photo.
(24:41):
Um, but also.
In all other ways, data collection, um,project management and things like that.
So exiting or going into and exiting mysummer internship the year before, um,
my senior year, I had the intention ofcollecting, the items that I was able to
(25:04):
contribute to because I knew that thiswould be beneficial for a portfolio.
Um, seeing as I did create theportfolio in advance, uh, having
even just that recognition, um,or knowledge of it going into it.
Yeah, it gave me a place toneed to put those things.
Um, so I, Actively throughout myinternships would collect, write down
(25:30):
things that I accomplished, collect, um,the artifacts that I discuss or photos of,
um, visiting certain locations on the job,which my junior summer, junior to senior,
Internship was right when COVID hit.
So that kind of changed a lot of things.
(25:50):
Um, and there was certainly a fear atone point that it might not work out
and line up, um, after having gotten it.
Right.
Yeah.
And so I was lucky enough that thecompany, um, that I worked for,
Arteriors, uh, was able to easily transferthe internship to be done remotely.
(26:15):
Even though it was based here in Dallas,um, and I did end up remaining in
Fort Worth on campus that summer forother classes I was taking as well.
Um, there wasn't much opportunityto actually go in and take the
photos that I so normally like.
Um, but I did get an opportunity ortwo, um, on occasion and so I took
(26:40):
those, um, and Collected photos ofsome of the products I was working on.
Um, I visited the showroom and wasable to gather some imagery there.
Uh, I had to go in for a couple projectsof, um, supporting, The Warehouse
kind of just as an intern, you know,additional tasks that, um, would
(27:04):
support the company and, uh, I helpedwith organization and counting parts
and, uh, getting things to where theyneeded to be, um, especially during
COVID when things were a bit of a rise.
So, um, Yeah, exactly.
Which, and I, I never hate when someoneasks me to support in another area
because I always see it as an opportunityto grow and learn something new.
(27:26):
So, even if it wasn't, like, the core ofmy job, um, that summer, I was happy to
do so, um, and was able to connect withother individuals as well, which is great.
But, um, For that internship,I collected a lot of pictures
when I was able to go in.
Um, I also, at the end of the internship,compiled different documents that I
(27:49):
supported, um, or created throughout.
Uh, certainly when you're doing this,a disclaimer to Talk to your supervisor
and make sure that that's information
that you're able to share.
Exactly.
You don't want to be leakingany privileged information.
(28:10):
Um, but I did wait until after, becauseI was working on the new collection
that was going to be coming out.
Um, I was, uh, ProductDevelopment and Management Intern.
So, I didn't release that informationonline until those items were out.
So, yeah, little disclaimer there, butstill valuable to collect that information
to be able to use down the line, you know,when you're able to, if you're able to.
(28:34):
Um, but I also had weekly reports,um, and meetings with my supervisor
on the job, and I was able to sharethat, uh, feedback, um, and then
feedback on that feedback of howI'd improved, which Shares a lot of
information with a prospective employer.
Um, we did book clubsduring the internship.
(28:54):
So I was able to kind of reflecton what I'd learned there as well
as connections and references.
Um, and then I took the opportunityto also create an end of internship,
kind of exit presentation.
So, um, That also did, like, a overallsummary of going into it, kind of what
(29:19):
I was expecting, how I learned throughthings, and what I got out of it, um,
so that was a great visual to be ableto include on my portfolio as well,
but, um, Also from, apart from thatinternship, I did one earlier over in
Europe with my family's company at ModaTextile, and there was nothing I needed
(29:42):
to do in connection to my schoolworkwith that internship, but I did take the
liberty to honestly just do a similar um,compilation and Reflection on what was
done, what I learned, um, who I connectedwith on a daily basis since that was a
(30:04):
more condensed opportunity, um, and Iwas actually going and visiting different
countries and meeting with prospectivevendors, um, And if I wasn't to have
created that file and that compilationof information, I would, it would be so
hard to remember the ins and outs of whatI really did learn what like eight years
(30:26):
ago or so, like more than eight years ago.
Um, so I do think it's so valuable,like if, You're a student listening
to this, um, or honestly at anyage in any profession, like keeping
track of what it is that you'relearning and the accomplishments that
you're making as you're, as you'regoing through it is so beneficial.
(30:46):
And definitely one of my biggestpieces of advice is because you're
your best advocate, like you'rethe person who's going to have to
get this information out to others.
Um, And having a place to go backto, to reference little things
here and there, um, it adds up.
And then you're able to use that fora new job maybe that you're interested
(31:09):
in, or a compensation review, or maybeyou'll discover a new interest that you
have, or habit, or something, um, that'llcreate a whole new career path for you.
But yeah, and then sharing it ona platform like this, um, on an
ePortfolio just makes it so much easier.
(31:31):
Having it all in one place.
Yeah, and I love what you said about,you know, you're your best advocate.
And that, You know, you can use a toollike this to have everything that you
need to support advocacy for yourself.
You know, it can, it can speakfor you when you're not there.
(31:54):
Um, but you also have the opportunityto review and see for yourself.
Um, all that you are and the things thatyou value and the skills that you have.
You know, if you're ever havinga Time where you're questioning
if you're on the the right pathor doing what you're capable of.
(32:16):
It's always something that you can referback to and then always something that
you can share out with with other people.
So, thank you.
Yes, certainly
and The quote, actually, that I haveon my first page of my About Me on
my portfolio, it kind of goes in linewith that, that there's really only
(32:38):
two things in life that are in it.
your total control, and that'syour attitude and your effort.
And it really goes to show the level of
intention and drive that you have to beable to take a task or something that
(32:59):
you're working on, use it, reflect on it.
And then be able to have that as somethingthat can personify you through others
looking on your site, um, whether ornot you're directly giving it to them.
I actually tested it out.
If I type my name into Google,it's the second thing that pops up.
(33:22):
I'm not sure if that's yourguys SEO killing it or That's
what we want for you!
Exactly!
Which is exactly what I
want as well.
Um, so, yeah.
Totally agree with
you there.
Yes, yes.
Oh, well, Kaitlyn, so much for Joiningme today and sharing your story and
(33:45):
your experience and your insights forother students that might be listening.
And you're right, we're all lifelonglearners, so this is something
that's of value really to anyone.
We believe that strongly, too.
And um, I'm looking forward tosharing your stories and thank
you again for joining me onDigication Scholars Conversations.
Oh, thank you so much for having me!
This was so
(34:06):
fun, and I'm so happy tostay in touch moving forward.
Yes, yes, please.
Thank you, and take good care.
You too.
Bye.
Coming up next, we'll be chattingwith Bill Torgerson, a lecturer
in rhetoric and composition atAppalachian State University.
(34:29):
Here's a quick preview.
This would be what I would pointto as a coach and as a professor.
You know, the ability to learn content.
The ability to present the contentin an engaging way that makes it
easily digestible to the audience,whether it's a player or a student.
Um, those are really important in bothof those spaces and probably strengths of
(34:50):
mind.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!