Colleen Fitzsimmons

One of my top 5 strengths from StrengthsQuest was Individualization. This term means looking at the individual qualities of each person and helping them use their specific talents to their advantage. I feel as if I identify with this strength the most because I am a very adaptive person and enjoy helping others. My intended career choice, Occupational Therapy, involved working with several unique people. By having Individualization as a strength, I am able to see the strengths in each of my patients and help them achieve their goals while keeping in mind each of their unique characteristics.

The assignment I found the most helpful over the course was our curriculum plan activities. This included printing out my degree audit, going over specific requirements for the Exercise Science Major, and actually planning the next 4 semesters of college. This exercise was really an eye opener as to how many courses I need to take and grades I have to maintain in order to actually be accepted as an exercise science major. Completing my curriculum plan definitely was relieving considering I do not have to put much stress into scheduling because I have already planned what courses to take to prior to applying for the Exercise Science program. Now I understand how hard I have to work and what track I need to follow for the next 4 semesters of college.

Another assignment I found helpful was the Time Management Activities. First I had to estimate how much time I spent each week doing certain tasks, then kept a log over the course of the week of where specifically I was spending most of my time. As a result, I discovered that I spent most of my time studying and spending time with my friends and boyfriend. Although I was balancing my school work and social time well considering midterms and final papers, one specific area I was lacking time in was starting to take a toll on my body, which was my sleep schedule. I realized from this activity that I needed to really focus on getting a good amount of sleep at night so I am more focused on my studies throughout the day and by doing so I feel more alert and balanced each day.