All About Me!
Name: Sylvia Woosley
School: The John Carroll School
Grade: Senior (12th grade)
Clubs: Architecture, Engineering, & Design Club; Academic Decathlon; Envirothon; Science Olympiad
Aspirations: Become a Physician's Assistant specializing in Pediatric Oncology
How I Found the Guild
I am someone who hates to sit still; the idea of a "lazy" summer is one of my worst nightmares. Consequently, I am always on the hunt for summer enrichment programs and student internships. In the past, I have spent the week at the Naval Academy participating in the Summer STEM Program, worked at Aberdeen Proving Grounds as a prototype engineer student intern, conducted research focusing on the impact of music on mathematical ability, shadowed at Johns Hopkins Children Hospital to learn about becoming a PA, volunteered in Appalachia, West Virginia to help rebuild homes for families who had been impacted by hurricanes and flooding, and many more. This summer, however, I was looking for something a little more permanent.
After being introduced to the Technology 4 Causes student internship program by a teacher and colleague of the Director of the Transformation Guild, I was intrigued by the way the Guild allows students to develop their writing and communication skills while also using the latest AI technology to supplement planning and organizational tasks. Further, T4C focuses on using their skills and abilities to help other nonprofit organizations. After a little research, I knew that the Transformation Guild mentorship program was a perfect fit for me.
Skills I Learned
Communication
Between Teams meeting, emails, and text messages, one of the most important skills I learned over the summer was the importance of communication.
Website Design
While working with the Guild, I was able to design and publish mutiple landing pages promoting nonprofits and summarizing important T4C events.
AI Technology
Over the course of the summer, I was able to learn how to use AI constructively for palnning and organization tasks.
Workplace Etiquette
While the Guild work culture was more casual than most, I learned how to dress professionally, meet deadlines, and effectively work with colleagues.
Content Creation
Through mediums like Canva, LinkedIn, and Instagram, I was able to learn content and media design for a variety of professional purposes.
Creative Writing
By writing event recaps, transcribing interviews, and jotting down notes between meetings, I was able to develop and hone my creative writing skills.
My Projects: Baseball Legacy Society
Project: The Baseball Legacy Society
Purpose: The Baseball Legacy Society (BLS) honors the lasting contributions of those who have shaped the baseball community—both those we remember and those still making an impact.
My Involvement: One of the first projects I was assigned to while working with the Transformation Guild was the Baseball Legacy Society (BLS).
While working with the BLS, I had the opportunity to practice logo design and SOP creation.
Logo Design: In order to have a standardized background for forms that would be sent out to the BLS, I created four different iterations of a BLS-related background on Canva. Continuously receiving feedback on these designs allowed me to streamline and improve them.
SOP Creation: With the help of my fellow interns, Taylor and Joseph, and under the guidance of my boss, Mrs. Shelly Yurechko, I also had the opportunity to write out Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for how different capabilities of the BLS function. Going forward, this will ensure that all facets of the BLS are run efficiently and cohesively.
My Projects: Baseball 4 Causes
Project: Baseball 4 Causes
Purpose: Baseball 4 Causes, or B4C, is the philanthropic branch of Technology 4 Causes, aiming to create a positive influence within the baseball community and the local community at large through various initiatives by staging events, providing a community platform, and helping other organizations run charitable events.
My Involvement: As the summer progressed, I began to expand my areas of responsibility. This eventually led me to work with the Baseball 4 Causes initiative.
While working with B4C, I took a more hands-on role in content creation, attending various events to conduct interviews, gather information, and create landing pages.
Event Attendance: To create a landing page recapping the 60+ Summer Classic Baseball game, I attended the baseball game, conducting interviews with players, taking notes on the schedule, weather, music, score, and any other information I thought would benefit the landing page.
Landing Page Creation: After attending the 60+ Summer Classic Baseball game, Joseph and I used my notes to create content for a recap landing page for the game.
My Projects: Sacco Foundation
Project: William J. Sacco Critical Thinking Foundation
Purpose: An annual scholarship awarded to graduating seniors who demonstrate excellence in the areas of applied mathematics and critical thinking.
My Involvement: While working with the William J. Sacco Critical Thinking Foundation, I was in charge of raising money for scholarships, and organizing and creating landing pages.
Fundraising: With the help of other interns working with the Sacco Foundation, we reached out to various businesses in Harford County, asking for sponsorships and donations. This information was organized in a spreadsheet and sorted between walk-ins, emails, and phone calls.
Landing Page Organization: Donating sponsors of the William J. Sacco Critical Thinking Foundation receive a Sponsor Spotlight landing page highlighting how that specific business uses math in day-to-day business. It was my responsibility to brainstorm how each potential sponsor would do so.
Landing Page Creation: After brainstorming and organization, I was also put in charge of creating a prototype landing page for Sacco Sponsors.