“There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people.”
― George H.W. Bush
Communication
Program Management
Critical Thinking
Teamwork
Leadership & Service
Lifelong Learning
The Bush School prepares students to have exceptional written and oral communication. From writing memos to deputy secretaries to drafting a twenty-page research design, each course teaches different elements and styles of writing. One of my courses entitled, "International Crisis Management", required students to refine their speaking abilities by giving four 10-minute speeches and receiving one-on-one feedback after each one. Assignments throughout the Bush School curriculum solidified crucial principles needed to produce excellent forms of written and oral communication.
Juggling four or five projects at the same time is not a task or the weak. A program manager needs to be an expert in handling several projects simultaneously. Graduate school requires students to do this while producing excellent quality work and retaining the knowledge gained. While at The Bush School, I have been given the tools to succeed as a program manager. Setting and achieving goals, prioritizing task, and most importantly asking for and applying feedback- these are the skills that made me a better program manager. A program manager has to play diverse roles covering all types of tasks. I learned that a successful program manager has a right mix of attitude, training, attributes and skills.
Responding to the complex challenges of today's world requires critical thinking. The Bush School challenges previous perceptions to create a wholistic approach to answering some of these complex problems. Coming from a very conservative family, I was assigned to argue how pro-abortion campaigns helped develop women's rights in Africa. This assignment stretched my ability to think critically about a subject and take a critical distance away from personal beliefs to make an effective evaluation. Experiences like these at The Bush School increased my ability to think critically and respond better the challenges of our day.
Teamwork is an emphasis in each course at The Bush School. Each class incorporates a group project, a simulation, or a team presentation in order to prepare students to work in teams as they enter the workforce. Each team comes with its unique challenges- balancing personalities and different cultures. One example comes from a simulation about the Syrian conflict. As a member of the media team, we had to cover the movements of different government agencies as they formulated a white paper to be presented by the "National Security Council". Although none of us had previous experience in news production, we were able to work at a real news studio to produce a nightly news report. Projects like these bolstered our ability to work in teams.
While at The Bush School, I decided to make it my main goal to learn how to lead and serve at a higher level. I joined the four main organizations and received leadership positions. I was able to represent my fellow students as an elected representative for the Student Government Association, direct service projects in the community as the vice chair of the Public Service Organization, manage funds and events as the fundraising chair for the Alexander Hamilton society, and finally represent and serve my school as a member of the Ambassador's Council. Each organization came with its own constitution and culture, which allowed me to serve and lead within different contexts.
The Bush School aims to not only teach concepts yet teach students how to teach themselves. In the area of International Affairs, the international stage is constantly changing. In order to be successful, students must become lifelong learners. The Bush School provides the necessary tools to make learning for a lifetime possible. The resources provided by The Bush Presidential Library, the Texas A&M Library System, as well as the seasoned faculty make learning how to learn possible. The ability to serve is underwritten with the power that knowledge gives to best serve and lead others.
In lieu of writing a thesis, a team of six colleagues and I were given a real-world client to help research a real-world problem. Our research looked at the epidemic of Hepatitis C (HCV) in Romania. Recently, due to international pressures and advocacy initiatives, the response to HCV is starting to take shape in Romania. The purpose of this study is to create a National Viral Hepatitis Strategy for the government of Romania by quantitatively assessing the impact of services provided by the Baylor Black Sea Foundation’s HCV program with already collected data and qualitatively understanding the context of the data with a visit to Romania.