Communicate & Interact

The fifth core competency set forth by NASPAA is the ability to communicate and interact productively with a diverse and changing workforce and citizenry. This involves: the ability to have an understanding of the needs and values of specific communities in the United States; have an understanding of a commitment to the values of representative bureaucracy; have a respect for the views and experience of all members of a public or non-profit organization; and experience in interacting with diverse individuals and groups. To illustrate this competency, I've chosen the following experiences:

1 | Silver Wings National President | Public Speaking and Presentations

Public Speaking | Professionalism | Communicating Ideas & Passion

Over the last year, I've been able to serve as the National President of a student organization called Silver Wings. Silver Wings is a professional student organization that's dedicated to developing students' professionally and civically. Silver Wings partners with Air Force ROTC for volunteer work, and they work together to promote awareness and support of national defense. During my tenure as National President, I traveled to seven different conferences, all across the country, and presented on multiple different topics ranging from the State of Silver Wings, Air Force current events, and Professional Development topics. I would mostly present by myself, but also with other members of my staff, or our counterpart's staff. Constantly presenting to multiple different groups, whether it be students, cadets, civilians, or officers in the Air Force, taught me an immense amount about communication and interaction. Often times I would have to think on my toes and give an impromptu brief, and other times I would pour weeks of preparation into a single presentation. Having to tailor speeches to be interesting to people of so many different groups, taught me how to read the crowd and understand the individual needs of different groups. Below are a few pictures, as well as links to some of the presentations I have given over the last year.

Air Warfare

Brief

Leaving Your

Legacy

AFA

Brief

2 | Jefferson County Board of Registrars Intern | Poll Site Accessibility Checks

Creating Accessibility | Ensuring Equal Rights | Following DOJ Guidance

During my almost four months as the intern for the Jefferson County Board of Registrars, I was able to survey all 171 poll sites. This allowed me to see and experience many different parts of the County, and it also gave me the opportunity to gain experience in interacting with diverse individuals and groups. I was able to get to know countless citizens and voters that expressed their particular concerns with poll site accessibility. A key lesson that I learned during this time is that accessibility is not limited to people with disabilities. Accessibility to poll sites is important to all citizens and it can affect all voters in different ways. Getting to know voters all over the County helped me better understand the true needs of the voting community as a whole. Below is a photo of me installing a van accessible sign at an elementary school as well as the link to my final data from the poll site checks.

Equity through accessibility