Jose was sitting in his chair by the window as I opened the door to Room 111, which I found easily by the picture of Jesus that was hanging from it. Jose was dressed in a navy and red striped long sleeve shirt, suspenders and a scarf. He wore white zip up tennis shoes, but his left shoe was not zipped up all the way. He had the most sincere smile as I introduced myself in Spanish and sat down. After telling Jose a little about myself, I asked him if he had ever played any sports like soccer when he was younger. He replied that he had once but got hit in the eye and after that he decided that sports were not his thing.
Just a little while later, we were joined by Leah another visitor who was also inspired by Jose story and Jessica a volunteer Spanish translator. Leah had brought with her Jose’s favorite Spanish flan and I had brought Jose a personal cassette recorder.
We asked Jose many questions and learned about his past in Cuba. He had been a political prisoner for 15 years in Cuba and his wife happened to be pregnant with their second son when he was incarcerated. His family often visited him during those years.
At this point in our conversation, I began to cry. I never met my grandfather because he died very young. My grandmother has told me stories of how she raised my father, Samuel and his brother David while she was 8 months pregnant with her third son, William, when my grandfather unexpectedly died of heart failure just a few years after returning from WWII.
I felt this strong emotional connection as I was overwhelmed to be talking with a man who to most would be considered a stranger, but to me it was as if he in a way was encouraging me for those times I never got to sit and talk with my grandfather and listen to his stories.
Jose sang us a poetry piece that he wrote for his wife, but his throat hurt and he was unable to finish. However, he did use the recorder I brought him and he even told me that I better save him a seat at my wedding and that he will sing a song for me on that special day.
He also shared with us that he enjoyed painting. He said, “I used to be able to paint a sketch of you right here If I wanted”, but since he had been shot in the neck he had lost the use of his right hand and the cataracts on both of his eyes have worsened over the years.
Next, Jose rolled up his pant leg and showed us his knee that had been giving him pain. He then explained that his right shoe was not zipped up because his foot was swollen from his leg pain. He said that if the doctors did not take away the pain he was going to have to cut his leg off himself. When asked if he was nervous about having knee surgery, he replied, “Why should I be?” “The Lord is with me” His faith and belief in God was encouraging and his sense of humor at age 85 was delightful. He asked us to take a picture with him before we had to leave.
Leah, Me, Jessica and of course Mr. Casanova himself!
I wished Jose a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year thanking him for our time together. Leah and I stood in the parking lot chatting with each other when we looked up to see to our surprise Jose speeding by in his scooter wearing his red cap and grinning from ear to ear.
I was so thankful for this great opportunity to meet with Jose and I hope we will meet again!
As a public relations student, I have learned that spending quality time with your audience and knowing who they are is necessary to be of value to your customers, clients, colleagues, etc.
Listening is another key to being of value. Understanding Jose’s Cuban culture through listening to his stories actually helped me to learn some things about myself and the things that I value most in life including the ones I too often take for granted, God, family and friends.
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I had the great opportunity to participate in the NCAA Winning Careers in Athletics program in Tampa, Florida. The event was held at the St. Pete Times Forum in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championships.
In our NCAA backpacks that each participant received, there was a card with a picture of white eggs and one golden egg in the middle of them. The bottom of the card displayed the message,
“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” - Albert Einstein
Meeting professionals like Celia Slater, Ann Salerno, Karen Morrison and the entire Panel of women professionals who shared advice and experience for aspiring young women like myself was a great motivator for me.
From this experience, I am better prepared to apply my career values into my final college semester. One piece of advice that stood out to me was about taking the initiative to lead something, spoken by Amy Hayworth, Associate Athletics Director for University of South Florida.
GCSU teammates, Jessica Newland, Kelli McLane and I at DI V-ball games!
In an effort to lead something of value for our University, I have proposed to Wendell Stanton, our Athletic Director, about implementing a Women’s Leadership Symposium at GCSU addressing Gender Initiatives and Sports Career Development in March of 2010 for National Women’s History Month.
The author, Awista Ayub, of However Tall the Mountain is interested in speaking at our University along with some of the speakers I networked with this program.
Awista Ayub in the media-However Tall the Mountain Interview with CNN International Tues December 1, 2009: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/wor
ld/2009/12/01/sot.afghan.ayub.int.cnn
In addition, I have contacted our University President, Dorothy Leland, about supporting this effort as well as our Women’s Resource Center Coordinator, Jennifer Graham.
I am passionate about this as I look to inspire the next generation of women leaders. I would defiantly recommend this NCAA Winning Careers in Athletics program to those interested.
I also hope to be able to attend the NCAA Emerging Leaders Seminar in late January of 2010 or the NCAA Women's Leadership Symposium in May 2010.
As a public relations student the ability to write well is so important. In order to write a story successfully whether that be a press release, a feature story or even for this public relations blog there is usually an interviewing process that is involved. Having great interviewing skills is just one way to becoming a better writer. I included in my video blog 3 tips to remember when conducting an interview. Here are the tips again in case you missed them.
1. Be Relaxed
2. Prepare questions before the Interview
3. Ask for 3 sources and contact information
I was amazed at the flexibility of our team in seeing that everything was accomplished even if that meant doing something that was not an assigned task. Our team had the ability to recognize the need of the group and meet it as quickly and efficiently as possible. I think one of the greatest parts about being on a team is recognizing the strengths of individuals and then using those strengths to get the best results for the team. I can honestly say that this event could not have been implemented successfully without our entire team working together as one unified team.
It has been said that the team is as strong as its weakest link. While the lack of cupcakes may have been the missing link the morning of our event, I would argue that our event did not have a weakest link. Our team faced challenges, but we never let them interfere with our game plan- to make the event a success.
I would like to extend some quick shout outs to our team because I am so proud of all the work we accomplished for this event.
Cara- way to see things through even when you got sick, the decorations were fantastic
Courtney- kudos on the banner
Andrea and Keri- wonderful job making those final pieces come together with the slideshow
Beth and Tori -great job toughing it out there to get all those burgers and hotdogs cooked
Marianna- well done to you and the cupcake crew they were all so beautiful and delicious
Cassie- way to get the coleslaw and clean those dishes with cheer
Anna- making our candy list and bringing in the mother-load
Brooke- our MVP way to get Grits to hand it all over
Corinne- getting the insane amount of icing
Jennifer- making those birthday cards with a smile
Rachel - your gift wrapping (a skill I obviously don’t have)
Lyric -your composure as team captain and ability to keep the big picture in mind was valuable to our teams’ success.
Finally, to the woman who coached our team from the beginning when we were just draft picks to preparing us for the big game day event and making sure that we had enough cupcakes and even some gluten-free ones before the kickoff. Thank you Dr. Miller.
Whoever said woman can't play football, they were wrong.
Way to Go TEAM PR!
Men all around the world suffer from prostate cancer and Movember is an annual celebration of the moustache, highlighting men’s health issues specifically prostate and testicular cancer.
The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back. In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about their health.
This Movember, the money raised in the U.S. will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The Prostate Cancer Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Lance Armstrong Foundation will use the money raised by Movember to fund the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance program, which has the goal of improving survival rates and quality of life for young adults with cancer between the ages of 15 and 40.
To date, Movember has raised $47 million globally making it the world’s largest charity event for men. Help to change the face of men's health and spread awareness.
Please visit their website at www. Movember.com
Dr. Eustace Palmer, professor in the Department of English and Rhetoric at Georgia College & State University, and a native of Sierra Leone is known by colleagues and students as a man of gentle words and one whose life has been mostly kept private.
When Palmer was asked to share his most private experiences surviving prostate cancer, he gently responded, “Well, of course.” His positive outlook can be defined in those three words, and his genuine character speaks volumes to students and colleagues alike.
In the summer of 1998, five years after taking his job at GCSU, Palmer was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was having his yearly checkup with his primary physician when he was referred to an urologist. The urologist examined Palmer, but found nothing. However, sixth months later, Palmer returned to the urologist for a more in-depth examination. The biopsy results came back positive in the early stages of prostate cancer.
Having been educated about his prostate cancer diagnosis and given options for treatment, which included surgery and radiation, Palmer opted for surgery, which consisted of complete removal of the prostate gland. Beginning in September of 1998, Palmer started the eight-month preparation for surgery by taking medications and undergoing chemotherapy. His surgery was scheduled to take place in May of 1999.
During his eight-month preparation for surgery, Palmer had still not been granted his citizenship in the United States due to an outbreak of civil war conflicts in Sierra Leone. In February of 1999, Palmer was hit with the horrifying news of his older brother’s death in the civil war conflict in Sierra Leone.
“I grieved the loss of my elder brother, I am now the oldest surviving child in our family of eight children.”
Palmer kept busy before he underwent surgery that summer.
“It helped to be busy. I did not need to spend time focusing on my circumstances,” Palmer said.
During this time, he continued volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, singing in his church choir, and conducting research at the University.
He approached his circumstances with pure optimism.
“I did not view it as life threatening or frightening, it was just an interesting unusual experience. I had actually never been admitted to the hospital before,” Palmer said.
For three consecutive weeks prior to his surgery, he gave a pint of blood. The three pints of blood were then given back to him during his surgery. The surgery was conducted at the Oconee Regional Medical Center in Milledgeville, Georgia. Everything went well with the surgery, and three weeks later he had the stitches removed. Directly after the surgery he had to learn to walk properly with the help of a nursing assistant.
Staying out of the classroom was not the case for Palmer. He returned to teach a summer session class in June following his surgery. Palmer continued to see his doctor every six months after his surgery and was glad to report that the prostate cancer was completely gone.
In Sierra Leone, his father, Frederick, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the latest stages. “People in my father’s village said it was the ‘old man’s disease,’ ” said Palmer. “This disease is certainly not a question of age; you can be diagnosed as a young man. If your father does not have it, it does not mean that you can’t have it. Mine was linked to being hereditary, but many cases are not”.
Palmer’s father, Frederick, died from prostate cancer in 1983 at the age of 74. His father had worked as a civil servant for ministry of works, which is compared to a Federal Government worker in United States.
Palmer suggests that young men should not be afraid to get regular check ups at the doctor and PSA tests.
“I am grateful to my urologist and doctor for being there throughout the entire process. I have confidence in the great health system here, and this is something that my father did not have access to in Sierra Leone”.
As a man who has been personally affected by war, death and cancer, his positive outlook remains an inspiration to many and his story gives hope to men everywhere.
