Grading Style

In the style of WPI, there will be no grade modifiers. However, NRs will not exactly have no record... There will also be no Ds.

A: Divinely delicious. I might have it at every opportunity.
B: Tasty, but not top of the list.  I will eat it again.
C: Okay, but I won't likely have again freely on my own
NR: Technically should not even appear.

Morning Pastry Review and Tonight's Vegetable Experiment

This morning I had a Chocolate and Creme Tosade from Au Bon Pain.  It was light, and true to the cashier's description, similar to a crossaint.  The pastry was much more compact, so I didn't have to endure a whole lot of puffy lightness.  That to me is worthless calories spent. CCT is very sweet.  So sweet, in fact, I would probably not have it again. The end bites had a light sweetness to it but everything inside of that was a bit much.  If not for the natural sweetness of the watermelon I bought with it and the (free from the office) Lipton decaf tea I had immediately after, I was thinking about brushing my teeth.

Calories: 250
Cost: $2.29 (exclusive of tax)
Calories per cent: 1.092
(I have no clue what this calories per cent ratio will mean... but I feel the need to further evaluate the data.  If you can't create ratios and compare them, what is the point of having data?)
Overall grade: C

I bought frozen brussel sprouts without any idea of how I might prepare them, but I knew I could definitely get some Vitamin C I am lacking.  Except for things like water melons and berries, I much prefer vegetables to fruit.  Juice is too sugary tasting and too many calories. The mircowave does not seem to provide the right preparation methods, but, really, does it ever?  A double boiler doesn't allow for much flavor and I didn't want to cook them in oil all the time.  As much as I love the south (so far), cooking a vegetable in butter or lard a la Paula Deen seems a bit crazy to me. So I found this recipe but might instead wrap everything in aluminum foil. It might go along well with the grilled chicken.

Why I loved (and still do love) Worcester Polytechnic Institute WPI

I loved my undergraduate university.  Growing up I knew I wanted to be a civil engineer, but I never gave any thought to going to WPI since it was in my home town.  In my mind I wanted to go to a program in another state with a good football and maybe even basketball or hockey program.  There were a number of things that brought me to ultimately apply and attend WPI.  These factors also played heavily into what made my experience so amazing.

1.   Ability to play an NCAA sport – It was my dream growing up to play a college sport.  I attended camp my senior year and the field hockey coach asked if I was thinking about playing in college.  It really planted the seed in my head that I could make that dream come true.  It was a lot of hard work that paid off and that I enjoyed doing, but I got to play a varsity sport for four years, including being a two-year starter, a senior captain, and junior year leading the defense in our number one ranking of the lowest goals against average in a pretty competitive conference.
2. Study” abroad program – Engineering programs require a lot of specific classes in a predetermined sequence, so it is usually tough to get that experience “overseas”.  WPI sends about three quarters of its students (far and away more than any other engineering school/program).  I got to experience Puerto Rico and the cultural differences, understand the difficulties of island life and discover the lack of both infrastructure and good infrastructure that served as a barrier to a healthy population with access to affordable, clean water.  My friends went to Thailand, South Africa, Namibia, Hong Kong, London, Australia, Italy, and others.  I heard Panama is in the works for coming years!  You’re also working on a real project that effects the lives of those in a certain community – no classes.  For two months you’re immersed in activities to make people’s lives better.
3. Projects based curriculum – The idea that you get to select and direct projects you are interested in instead of one project everyone has to work on was incredible.  It really prepared me for a projects based workplace.  Team work, managing others, time management, self teaching (I designed the foundations for my project without having yet taken the class), deep investigation, creative problem creation and solving, technical writing, and practical technical applications were just some of the skills I developed
4. Quarters instead of semesters – Seven weeks and you’re done.  If you love the class, you get to dive in deep right away.  If you hate it, hunker down and its over in less than two months.  Definitely prepared me for a fast passed professional environment and encouraged me to really learn the material. 
5. Small campus – WPI was (and still is) very much like a family.  Everyone knows and is friendly with everyone else, but its large enough that you’re able to find a group with your sense of humor and values.  There was also the ability to rise to the top and be a very big fish in a little pond.  Definitely an ego booster, but also a skill developer.
6. Growing prestige – The rankings keep going up and our presence on lists where only a handful of schools are selected to receive an honor is expanding rapidly.  Google (or Bing) WPI and you can find out all sorts of things, like how they are among the best in ROI and have the #1 part time MBA program in the nation
7. Greek Life – I was very interested in the prospect of joining a sorority.  I wasn’t 100 percent sure if it would be something I wanted to do. In the end, I became a sister of Alpha Gamma Delta in the Zeta Zeta chapter and alongside WPI for my education was the best decision I’ve made in my life.  I was an officer and executive leadership positions, planned and participated in philanthropic and community service, gained a group of friends to study with and get advice from on classes, and made the most amazing friends I could ever ask for.  I didn’t know friendship was this incredible.  I grew as a woman, gained confidence, and I believe my Alpha Gam sorority experience at WPI served as a solid foundation for early career success. 

I like having everything. I don't like choosing.

What do you do when you are passionate about everything? No matter if an article or blog is about personal finance, careers, running, wellness, authors often instruct you to run with what inspires you the most.


My greatest interests often change by the second, where I am, who I am with. For example, a list of things that I have been passionate about this week, and it is only halfway through:

• Alpha Gamma Delta
• Mentoring on financial literacy to middle school aged girls
• Setting career goals
• Guiding others to achieve success
• Spreading engineering networks geographically
• Economic development for Worcester, Massachusetts

 I want to be a civil engineer. A multi-state licensed, project managing, Professional Civil Engineer with a stamp. It’s a career I’ve pursued since a science fair project in fifth grade. In the grand scheme of things, I do very much want to shape American infrastructure, to move the nation and move the world. Sometimes it just isn’t what I want to do the most. What happens to all of my other passions?

My dream position (or combination of responsibilities and positions, perhaps, both professional and volunteer/external?) is one where I can combine:

• Civil Engineering
• Business management aspects
• Education, particularly in science, math, and civics
• Policy

Maybe someday I can start my own business. Maybe I’ll run a department or division. Maybe I’ll end up quitting engineering and teach. Maybe I’ll run for public office. Maybe I’ll head a national organization. For right now, though I'm content where I am, I know for sure I’ve got to figure out the best way to combine everything.

You wouldn't buy a car without knowing what you're getting out of it, right?

SPONSOR AND GAIN IMMEASURABLE VISIBILITY


I saw this statement as a header instructing email readers to contact someone at an organization about being a sponsor at the national, annual conference. It struck me as strange, because why should any person or business invest in being a sponsor if their return on investment cannot be measured?


Through a quick search on Bing (since it comes standard and I use IE in the office) there were generally two varying definitions. The first was along the lines that immeasurable was impossible to measure. The second definition stated that it referenced something that was too big, huge, or monumental to be measured. My question becomes, is it that this organization cannot measure sponsorship ROI, or is sponsoring so monumentally impactful that it in no way can statistically be measured?

I love statistics and numbers and data, especially in situations that require some sort of decision making. It is something more solid than following a gut feeling. Seeing a statement telling me you can’t measure something doesn’t compel me to open my imaginary corporate wallet.

What about working with companies to see why they do it? Is it an assertion of dominance? For example, sponsors of X have increased their ranking for five straight years after their sponsorship. Does business increase? Does your ability to attract and retain talented employees hinge on sponsorship of some level? Is there a level of sponsorship that pays off while another does not? In other words, does a larger investment yield a better return - $1,000 sponsorship may only increase A by 11%, but the $2,500 sponsorship increases it by 47%. Depending what is being measured (if you measure it!) that could be a compelling argument to upgrade a sponsorship level.

Giving solid facts also helps one person sell the argument to another potentially more powerful decision maker. It provides rationale.

This professional organization is very high on ethical practices, so I could understand hesitance to twisting the ‘damned lies and statistics’ in their favor. But why not present actual, somehow measurable results?

Even Gwen Stefani Referred to Herself as "Just a Girl"

I am mesmerized by the debate and debacle of gender inequity in the workplace.  The most commonly cited statistics relative to the subject revolve around salary, and in recent months the data on women in leadership and in senior management roles (or the lack of them) have jumped on stage prominently.

I was born in the 80s. I grew up in the 90s. That meant that Spice Girls were on top and if you didn't believe in "Girl Power!" then you were probably a 10 year old boy. I went to take your daughter to work day.  The WNBA came to fruition.  Brandi Chastain took off her shirt when we won the World Cup. We were told that we could be anything we wanted. Hell, we were even told we were better than the boys!  

With this in mind (and pre-avoiding accusations of childhood feminism and allegations of being gullible - both probably true) I must have thought it was my mission as a pre-teen girl to climb barriers and knock them down in my wake.  And why not?  What better candidates were there as the antithesis to pink-wearing, Barbie doll using, Pretty-pretty-princess playing?  None in my little world: I loved sports and science and math were my favorite classes.  In 5th grade, when I decided to become a Civil Engineer (some dreams do come true!), part of the appeal was that I was chasing a profession dominated for centuries by men.  Exclude prostitution and it was probably the first profession of sorts.

My generation still has a few years before we reach middle and upper management en masse.  Does that contribute to why the numbers are seemingly low - because we are measuring the wrong data?

The more I read on the subject the more questions I have.

• Are women's network groups still useful?
• Do men care about these issues?
• Would companies in Europe ever be progressive about having more women at the Board level if not for the government involvement?
• Are recommended solutions actually feasible on a scalable basis?
• Where are all of the stories and statistics about the men in jail? I'd imagine that might contribute to women earning more degrees than men. 
• How accurate are the numbers really? Where is the bias and skew?
• Does segregating women for certain honors really honor them for their achievements, or because they are a woman?
• Is all of this woman promotion hinting at an idea that women are, and not just are perceived as, a second class of sorts?
• Are women moving backward? Sideways?
• Why is abortion considered the top "women's issue"? Why are there even separate women's issues at all?  

There are dozens more.  Being in the corporate world in engineering and reading what the media promotes makes me even more curious about the inequality issue.  I never really put a lot of thought into it before, except when I was younger, an age of idolizing the talents and careers of those like Lisa Leslie and Sheryl Swoops.

I'm only in my early/mid 20s, but I know at some point in the next 10 years children will come into the picture. How does that change perception of the woman question?  The attitude toward work and home?

These are the questions that make me think, doubt, question everything. It erodes into all corners of my life - business, education, politics and government, society, sports, media, and all else.  And this is from someone who goes out of her way to avoid playing any type of "woman card".

Oh Technology.

I follow a couple news sources on Twitter because it is a fast and easy way to keep on top of the big (or little) stories of the day. 

There was a post a few minutes ago from the New York Times, as follows:   @nytimes Coalition Force Attacks Taliban Stronghold in Afghan South http://nyti.ms/9pTO2l

It's amazing that we get play by play of what is going on half a world away. Years ago we had to wait days or even as long as weeks to get word of what had happened (cue the Battle of New Orleans). 

I remember back in high school, after 9/11, coming home and turning on the television to watch the war. Why not just read the history book when you can see it in action?  All of this technology, and the way it impacts everyone's lives, for better or worse, is fascinating.We find out in real time that the former president was in the hospital with heart issues.  That a tragic fatality occured during practice prior to the opening of the Olympic Games.  And we know which commercials our friends loved or hated during the Super Bowl.  (I love that the Drew Brees Mardi Gras float in Bristol commercial is back!  Much funnier this time around.)


Another note on technology from the NYT: Wifi for high schoolers on the bus for long rides. 
Cell phones hadn't even really gained that much traction in that age group between 2000-2004, and now they all have computers?! Wow. I also wonder how theft rates will be affected on those buses and in the school system/local communities. 

Yes, Alanis, I do think.

Two ironies I noticed today.

1. A good chunk of my work clothes have been at the dry cleaners for a week and I was happy to get them back.  What should I be expected to wear on Tuesday? Jeans.
2. Why am I wearing jeans on Tuesday?  I am leaving my home in Worcester, to go to my office in Boston, to do a site visit in Worcester, to go back to the office in Boston before coming home to Worcester at the end of the day.

Sometimes the world is just a bit silly.  Here's to hoping for a warm, windless winter day in the Worcester hills!

On a side note, I love Peyton Manning.  I think I still might be going for the Saints on Sunday....who dat!

It's like Christmas in January!

I have never been so excited for an election, including the ones that I have been heavily involved in.

All over television are campaign ads from each of the two major candidates, their parties, and groups who support certain beliefs extolled by the candidates. Is it overkill and obnoxious?  Admittedly, yes, but a part of me is celebrating inside.

When was the last time that national parties paid attention to Massachusetts?  It certainly has not been during my conscious lifetime. 

We're facing so much history in this election.  First female Senator from The Commonwealth, or first Republican since my parents were in high school?  A supposedly comprehensive first bill for health care reform discussed since....maybe when my grandparents were in high school? And not to be forgotten, this iS a special election to replace the late Senator Kennedy after his 47 years.  Both parties stand to gain and lose so much down in Washington.

Watching the morning news today there was a marked difference between the local ads and where the national organizations stepped in.  They were such stereotypical political ads - the voiceover and images and text.  No creativity or localizing. It was almost as if there is a text book or catalogue of commercials, and all you need to do is "insert candidate", "insert district", "insert office", "if applicable, insert party". 

I am worried about this election.  Firstly, that the right person for our state and nation to be elected.  That is the greatest concern.  Secondly, I am fearful of voter turnout in Worcester and across the state.  Why so much apathy?  Why so much disdain for having to vote?  I have friends who have admitted in recent weeks that they have never registered, never changed when they moved. That is so disappointing. Not to play the woman card, but I have to laugh when I think about these same women being upset 100 years ago that they wouldn't have been able to vote. It is so easy and quick to make a vote. How many places in the world would people be banned from this practice?!  I am very proud of my 100% voting record.  if so few people showed up to an election on a recognized voting day, who and how many will show up Tuesday?

People also tell me they don't vote because they don't like the candidates.  Then vote against them! Putting in a blank ballot or writing in your own candidate shows what you think of the people trying to represent us.  It IS voting against them.

I cannot wait to cast my ballot on Tuesday! Please make sure that you cast yours!

I start my new job tomorrow!

Very excited.
More to come at another time.

However, I will say I am excited for
1. A return to professional world
2. A return to a routine