- Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.
I traveled to Napa. California to shadow one of the Senior Portfolio Directors for Delicato Family Vineyards. I worked on brands such as Z. Alexander Brown, Noble Vines, and Black Stallion. The main focus of the week and meetings that I attended were marketing based projects and ventures, but I was also exposed to a few financial meetings and forecasting objectives.
- What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.
I think the most transformational thing about my project is the confidence in myself. Whether it be to travel, to nail an interview, to speak my mind, or take a risk, I think this project gave me all the more confidence to do all these things. This simple one week shadowing opportunity allowed me to fly across the country alone for the first time, enter an office where I knew no one, voice my opinions and insights in meetings, and find success in all this while gaining industry knowledge, building new relationships and connections, and creating confidence. It makes me want to reach higher and further than maybe the opportunities that Ohio can provide to me.
- What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.
My project advisor, who was also the director that I was shadowing, did such a great job of walking me through each project we were working on and explaining all the people and aspects involved. She, and the rest of the office, made it such a welcoming space that asking questions was so easy and any idea that I gave was always accepted and considered. There were not any new projects being started while I was there, so rather I just joined into preexisting ones.
My two favorite projects and meetings were from two different brands. One was for Z Alexander Brown, and the other was for Noble Vines. Because of company policy, many of the details of the project I am unable to expose, so rather I will remain brief in description. For Z Alexander Brown, we were discussing updates to the Wine Lounge that tours with Zac Brown Brand and appears at each of his concerts. The Noble Vines project was taking and updating mood boards for a new Instagram look and aesthetic. This was something that was very up my alley as I am a constant social media user. We discussed alterations to captions, angles of photos, posting timelines, reach and current interactions. Now that I have been away from the office for a month, I’ve enjoyed keeping up with the social media and seeing the content that I helped to create come to life.
These experiences have shown me that my thoughts and ideas are worth sharing and can make an impact. Just in this short week, I can see the effects that I helped to create, however minor they may have been, the fact that I was part of the process makes it all that more special. I’ve discovered my real love for working in teams and a hope to be in project management. This is always something I have known about myself and something that I already do, but never really considered turning that characteristic of myself into a career. This STEP Project has allowed me to rediscover that about myself and I will hold it with me as I finish out my next two years at Ohio State and take it with me as I enter the work force.
- Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.
This trip made me gain a lot more confidence in myself and has given me a better idea of where I want to take my talents when I enter the workforce. I’ve always been a numbers person but simultaneously I have always been drawn to aesthetics and creativity. While working under a portfolio director, I was able to see and experience both these sides of my brain. I was able to help pick design layouts for a shippers, create a mood board for an upcoming social media project, but also was able to talk through production numbers and forecasting and compare brand sales and methods. I did all of this while working in teams and creating great interactions and relationships. This is something that I can see myself doing in the future and I will continue to take the steps necessary to achieve this goal. I’m so grateful for this opportunity and everything it has given me.
