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STEMworks™ Stories p ublished by 2019 STEMworks™ Interns

Chelsea Kau
Online Journalist & Social Media Strategist

Giel Tolentino
Graphic Designer & Social Media Analyst
ABOUT the STEMworks ™  Internship
STEMworks™ provides a work-based learning opportunity that helps build critical and creative thinking. STEMworks™ students are matched with a host company or organization based on the company’s project needs along with the interest and skills of the student.

WORK-BASED LEARNING - STEM INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS - COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - CAREER EXPLORATION - COLLEGE READINESS - STUDENT PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS - REAL PROJECTS
STEMworks™ interns spent their first week navigating work environments, discussing project goals with their mentors, and learning the different tools and programs they will be working with throughout their internship. Among the many programs used by industry professionals, our interns are utilizing Python, Centricity, AutoCAD, Clonezilla, Hootsuite, Storyline 360, Arduinos, Adobe Software, Microsoft Software, and more!
This past Friday, STEMworks™ interns had their first opportunity to converse and learn from two of the many industry presenters they will meet during their internship, Robb Oshima from SumoLogic and Alexandrina Garcia-Verdin from Google.
Every Second Counts!
Giving Your Elevator Pitch
with Robb Oshima
What's an elevator pitch, and how can it help your career? Robb Oshima presented on the importance of elevator pitches, and how impactful they are in showcasing your value and strengths. A personal elevator pitch is a quick summary of yourself. It’s named for the time it takes to ride an elevator from bottom to top of a building (roughly 30 seconds or 75 words). Done right, this short speech helps you introduce yourself to other career and business connections in a compelling way. 

This ability to showcase your the value you bring to a company and how you differ from other interviewees takes practice. STEMworks™ LIVE presenter, Robb Oshima, an account executive from SumoLogic, emphasized that your audience should have a clear understanding of who you are and what you do by the end of an elevator pitch. Otherwise, your pitch needs some work! But keep in mind, as you continue along your career or vocation pathways, there will always areas of adjustments or pivots in your plans. Your elevator pitch will adapt to those life changes.

Robb Oshima also talked about the importance of self awareness and documentation, how to conduct yourself in interviews, and the top 4 soft skills that corporate leaders are seeking. It is easier to expand and contract your elevator pitch to highlight your value when you are consistently documenting and updating your skills, experience, and goals. Along with elevator pitches, interviews are your windows of opportunity to shine! Think about the content of your elevator pitch, and supplement it with storytelling to show what you've accomplished and how you've grown.

Top 4 Soft Skills Corporate Leaders are Seeking:
  1. Leadership
  2. Communication
  3. Collaboration
  4. Time Management

Mahalo, Robb, for your expertise and advice for Hawaii's future STEMworks™ professionals! Click here to see Robb and the intern's presentation session!
Become Autonomous!
Free Tools to Amplify Your Voice or Those of Your Community with Alexandrina Garcia-Verdin
What tool can you use to not send an email? Did you know that there are a variety of free tools Google has? G Suite Developer Advocate from Google, Alexandrina Garcia-Verdin, presented 12 free Google tools everyone can use to amplify community voices.

The digital divide is real and can be daunting. But Google has an array of user-friendly tools!


 Alexandrina showcased 12 tools and how to utilize them:
  1. My Maps: Location Sharing
  2. Youtube: Awareness
  3. Keep: Notes & Reminders
  4. Sites: Websites
  5. Google Docs: Productivity
  6. G My Business: Customer Portal
  7. Drive: Storage
  8. Google Photos: Photos
  9. Tour Creator: Training
  10. Data Studio: Dashboards
  11. Gmail: Priority Inbox
  12. Groups: One-to-Many Emails

Alexandrina's goals are to inspire everyone she connects with to stay curious, find the right tool for their job, and celebrate their accomplishments. She also approaches organizations like humans--they're forever growing or changing. The key to success within organizations and relationships is to build trust and communication. This creates autonomy.

Alexandrina also had the audience reflect on how they impact others, and reorient their understanding of sharing. To her, sharing is constantly asking the question: "How will this help another person?" Are you sharing something because you want to talk about yourself? Or are you sharing because what you have to say is something of value ? This view of sharing creates opportunities to empathize with others so you can help people with their specific circumstance. In turn, you can connect them to the technologies they need to begin designing solutions for their problems.
Industry Presenters on Friday, June 21!
College Admission and Common App
Ruben Yamada
College & Career Toolkit
Chelsea Kau
Certified Copies of Vital Records
Kalani Holokai