About Me: SWIVEL Edition

The "strengthening what I value, enjoy, and love"(SWIVEL) worksheet created by John Kobara, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer of the California Community Foundation, is an extremely helpful tool for self reflection. A look at my completed SWIVEL will give you a good idea of my goals, values and interests.

I highly encourage everybody to complete the full SWIVEL for themselves.

Download it here

Note: The SWIVEL I have posted is edited to make it more relevant to the nature of this blog. Certain questions and responses have been deleted.

My SWIVEL after the jump

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1.Personal Mission Statement—What do I want to do with my life next year? What will I stand for and how will I make a difference? (100 words or less)
This coming year I will strengthen my existing professional connections as well as continue to expand my network in order to improve my chances of employment upon graduation. I want to once again pursue all those hobbies that last year, I was always too tired to get out of bed for. I will stand with labor and minorities, whose interests are underrepresented and at times neglected. I will make a difference by giving my time and skills to organizations that I believe are helping the interests of the underrepresented.

2.Right now, my longer term and ideal professional goal is (12 words or less)
Design and run an advertising campaign that lifts a company from obscurity

3.What are the three most important professional goals for this year?
a. Expand professional network while strengthening existing relationships
b. Get work experience in the private sector
c. Branch out of social media marketing

4.What three things do I have to change in my life? Things I have to improve or work on?
a.Overcome the awkwardness of approaching strangers and asking for help from connections
b.Take my studies more seriously
c.Learn to forgive and forget

5.What three issues, causes, or things am I passionate about? Being more engaged with these things would increase my sense of fulfillment.
a.Local politics
b.Martial arts
c.US – China relations

6.What am I curious about? I would really appreciate some help exploring/learning about these subjects.
I have a long running personal curiosity over coffee and tea, especially since I aspire to open my own coffee shop one day. Having somebody teach me about these two drinks would be a dream come true. Venture capital is a career curiosity of mine that came out this year when I realized that I was constantly getting excited by the startups that were in my own backyard of Silicon Valley.

7.How will I expand and diversify my network of friends, confidantes, and mentors?
I will expand my network on campus by attending my professors’ office hours and joining of student organizations. Diversification of my network will occur in off campus activities, such as employment and the joining of political as well as professional organizations such as the Chinese American Citizens Alliance and Asian Professional Exchange.

8.With whom will I reconnect and/or strengthen my relationship? Who can I help?
I will strengthen my relationships with the people that I have met while studying abroad in Shanghai. This is extremely important, because I do not know when I will see them again and they all live thousands of miles away in Asia. Another priority is to reconnect with old colleagues and work acquaintances, many of whom I have not talked to in months.