The Post Bulletin in Rochester, MN published an article about me and the Corporate Services Corp:
http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=7&a=334996
Friday, March 28, 2008
One Great Adventure
How is it that I'm the luckiest person on the planet?
A couple of months ago I found out about an incredible program that IBM was starting called the Corporate Services Corps. The media outlets are dubbing it the "Corporate Peace Corps" and with good reason. If you are accepted into the program, IBM sends you to a developing country in either Africa, Eastern Europe, or Asia to work with local government and non-governmental organizations on real-world humanitarian issues for one month. The program has a lot of benefits for everyone involved. IBM gets to send some of its promising leaders over to gain global knowledge and skills first-hand. The non-profits get some of IBM's business and technological expertise, which should help them help more people who really deserve the help! The employees who go not only get an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in the world, but they get to travel, be immersed in a new culture, and get some great leadership experience to boot. Here's a recent article in the New York Times about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/technology/26blue.html?ref=worldbusiness
For me, it was a no-brainer to apply as this program brings together every single one of my passions (the enthusiasm and belief that I can make the world a better place, travel, new languages, cultures, technology, and leadership - nice job to the team that invented and pitched this idea - it's incredible).
The problem with the program is the application part. You had to have had good yearly ratings for the last two years, volunteer experience, leadership experience, and a stellar personal statement. Oh, and by the way, this was only open to IBM employees. Even with those criteria, the program became EXTREMELY competitive. They ended up getting 5500 applications from around the world, 3200 of which were eligible. Of those only 110 people - 110! were chosen. When I heard about the shear numbers of applicants a couple weeks ago, I pretty much lost all hope of being accepted. I've only been with the company for 3 years...there's no way they would pick me.
Then the most surreal thing happened. I got a phone call from the director of the program and he said, "Congratulations, you've been accepted into the program". Words can't really express how I felt at that moment. Shock, excitement, relief, wonder, extreme happiness - those all sound good, but don't do the moment any justice. That moment was only surpassed by the one in which I found out where I was going: Arusha, Tanzania.
Arusha, as it turns out is on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, about 30 miles from the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Also not far from Lake Victoria, the second-largest lake in the world. My program runs from August 23rd - September 20th. (The only problem with that being that the trip I had planned with my parents to Glacier National Park had to be canceled. Luckily my wonderful parents are pretty understanding about why I needed to ditch them!) I'll be working with two non-governmental organizations: FINCA International (which distributes microloans of about $50-$300 to small entrepreneurs, many of them women, to help them lift themselves out of poverty) and KickStart (which designs and sells technologies like their "Super MoneyMaker Pump", which is an irrigation system that allows small farmers to produce enough to feed their families and afford health care and education costs).
Are you in shock? Because I'm pretty sure I still am! There is a downside. I won't be living in Glacier this summer because the cost of internet and the hassle for only two months just isn't going to be worth it. Also, I need a slew of shots ranging from Yellow Fever to a Polio booster and even Rabies if I intend to be outside (which I will be if I'm lucky enough to stay a couple extra weeks to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on a photo safari).
Anyway, again, I am incredibly honored and excited to be in this program. I'm proud to work for a company that has given this opportunity both to its employees and the world (I know that sounds like I'm sucking up, but I really mean it)! I'm incredibly thankful to all of the people in my life and career that have gotten me to this point (too numerous to list for sure). Stay tuned, you will be hearing every juicy detail as the program moves forward!
A couple of months ago I found out about an incredible program that IBM was starting called the Corporate Services Corps. The media outlets are dubbing it the "Corporate Peace Corps" and with good reason. If you are accepted into the program, IBM sends you to a developing country in either Africa, Eastern Europe, or Asia to work with local government and non-governmental organizations on real-world humanitarian issues for one month. The program has a lot of benefits for everyone involved. IBM gets to send some of its promising leaders over to gain global knowledge and skills first-hand. The non-profits get some of IBM's business and technological expertise, which should help them help more people who really deserve the help! The employees who go not only get an incredible opportunity to make a real difference in the world, but they get to travel, be immersed in a new culture, and get some great leadership experience to boot. Here's a recent article in the New York Times about it:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/26/technology/26blue.html?ref=worldbusiness
For me, it was a no-brainer to apply as this program brings together every single one of my passions (the enthusiasm and belief that I can make the world a better place, travel, new languages, cultures, technology, and leadership - nice job to the team that invented and pitched this idea - it's incredible).
The problem with the program is the application part. You had to have had good yearly ratings for the last two years, volunteer experience, leadership experience, and a stellar personal statement. Oh, and by the way, this was only open to IBM employees. Even with those criteria, the program became EXTREMELY competitive. They ended up getting 5500 applications from around the world, 3200 of which were eligible. Of those only 110 people - 110! were chosen. When I heard about the shear numbers of applicants a couple weeks ago, I pretty much lost all hope of being accepted. I've only been with the company for 3 years...there's no way they would pick me.
Then the most surreal thing happened. I got a phone call from the director of the program and he said, "Congratulations, you've been accepted into the program". Words can't really express how I felt at that moment. Shock, excitement, relief, wonder, extreme happiness - those all sound good, but don't do the moment any justice. That moment was only surpassed by the one in which I found out where I was going: Arusha, Tanzania.
Arusha, as it turns out is on the border of Tanzania and Kenya, about 30 miles from the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. Also not far from Lake Victoria, the second-largest lake in the world. My program runs from August 23rd - September 20th. (The only problem with that being that the trip I had planned with my parents to Glacier National Park had to be canceled. Luckily my wonderful parents are pretty understanding about why I needed to ditch them!) I'll be working with two non-governmental organizations: FINCA International (which distributes microloans of about $50-$300 to small entrepreneurs, many of them women, to help them lift themselves out of poverty) and KickStart (which designs and sells technologies like their "Super MoneyMaker Pump", which is an irrigation system that allows small farmers to produce enough to feed their families and afford health care and education costs).
Are you in shock? Because I'm pretty sure I still am! There is a downside. I won't be living in Glacier this summer because the cost of internet and the hassle for only two months just isn't going to be worth it. Also, I need a slew of shots ranging from Yellow Fever to a Polio booster and even Rabies if I intend to be outside (which I will be if I'm lucky enough to stay a couple extra weeks to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and go on a photo safari).
Anyway, again, I am incredibly honored and excited to be in this program. I'm proud to work for a company that has given this opportunity both to its employees and the world (I know that sounds like I'm sucking up, but I really mean it)! I'm incredibly thankful to all of the people in my life and career that have gotten me to this point (too numerous to list for sure). Stay tuned, you will be hearing every juicy detail as the program moves forward!
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Scrabulous
I've been playing too much Scrabulous lately. Never more than five games at once, but I do find myself adjusting my schedule somewhat so I can log into Facebook before work, during lunch, and at least once at night to play a round. Thank goodness someone came up with a good Scrabulous parody that accurately reflects the world's Scrabumania.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0_LpjJfd20
I do want to comment on the pending law suit from Hasbro and Mattel. I already own the board game Scrabble, so you are not losing any money from me. What Scrabble doesn't give me is the chance to play with all of my friends (and in my case, my husband) scattered across the planet. It doesn't easily fit into my schedule. Finally, it never gives me that rush of excitement from logging on and seeing that beautiful bold phrase beside each game: "Your Turn"! Even though this is an addiction, it's one that brings families and friends together instead of tearing them apart. So what's the harm?
Working for a large coporation that thrives on its intellectual property, I understand why the makers of Scrabulous are being sued. I even agree that Mattel should be making money off of this, but why add to the bad publicity they've already gotten this year via the lead paint recalls? Slap a few free ads/propaganda on the Scrabulous page and keep it up there. You'll be heros. That's h-e-r-o-s or h-e-r-o-e-s, whatever gets you the most points.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0_LpjJfd20
I do want to comment on the pending law suit from Hasbro and Mattel. I already own the board game Scrabble, so you are not losing any money from me. What Scrabble doesn't give me is the chance to play with all of my friends (and in my case, my husband) scattered across the planet. It doesn't easily fit into my schedule. Finally, it never gives me that rush of excitement from logging on and seeing that beautiful bold phrase beside each game: "Your Turn"! Even though this is an addiction, it's one that brings families and friends together instead of tearing them apart. So what's the harm?
Working for a large coporation that thrives on its intellectual property, I understand why the makers of Scrabulous are being sued. I even agree that Mattel should be making money off of this, but why add to the bad publicity they've already gotten this year via the lead paint recalls? Slap a few free ads/propaganda on the Scrabulous page and keep it up there. You'll be heros. That's h-e-r-o-s or h-e-r-o-e-s, whatever gets you the most points.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
National Eagle Center
I visited the National Eagle Center in Wabasha, MN today for the Soar with the Eagles Festival. This time of year, Wabasha is a great place to see Bald Eagles because the rapids from the Chippewa River in Wisconsin converge with the Mississippi, hampering ice formation and providing plenty of food for the eagles during their mating season. I've been told that you can see 10's or even 100's of eagles in Wabasha if you're lucky.
Unfortunately, this year the La Nina effect has allowed more ice formation and has forced the eagles to look for food in other locations, like Red Wing, MN. I did see two wild eagles, though. One sitting in a tree about 1/2 mile away and one that flew at eye-level about 20 feet from the car as we were leaving. That right there made the trip worth it.
Aside from the eagle sitings, the National Eagle Center has some great indoor exhibits and several injured eagles on display.
There were also three rooms packed with presentations. We went to two: one by an eagle photographer who admitted to feeding wild animals Poptarts(R) and one Eagle Feeding. The Eagle Feeding was my favorite, because, let's face it, watching a gigantic bird rip apart a large, dead rat is so much more exciting than anything else I could have done in Rochester. The bird we watched devour a rat tail like a piece of spaghetti is actually a famous bird named Harriet, who has appeared on the MN Veteran License plates, the Today Show, and the Colbert Report:
http://blueskybroadcast.com/Client/NEC/colbert/
The Eagle Center also had a special guest - a Harpy Eagle (a.k.a. The Monkey-Eater Eagle) from South America. This is one of the top two largest eagles in the world and can grow to be 20 lbs. It's an extraordinarily beautiful bird, unlike anything I've ever seen here in the United States. Unfortunately, it's very much endangered, so if you ever see one in the wild - please don't shoot it! Thanks in advance for your cooperation. :)
Unfortunately, this year the La Nina effect has allowed more ice formation and has forced the eagles to look for food in other locations, like Red Wing, MN. I did see two wild eagles, though. One sitting in a tree about 1/2 mile away and one that flew at eye-level about 20 feet from the car as we were leaving. That right there made the trip worth it.
Aside from the eagle sitings, the National Eagle Center has some great indoor exhibits and several injured eagles on display.
There were also three rooms packed with presentations. We went to two: one by an eagle photographer who admitted to feeding wild animals Poptarts(R) and one Eagle Feeding. The Eagle Feeding was my favorite, because, let's face it, watching a gigantic bird rip apart a large, dead rat is so much more exciting than anything else I could have done in Rochester. The bird we watched devour a rat tail like a piece of spaghetti is actually a famous bird named Harriet, who has appeared on the MN Veteran License plates, the Today Show, and the Colbert Report:
http://blueskybroadcast.com/Client/NEC/colbert/
The Eagle Center also had a special guest - a Harpy Eagle (a.k.a. The Monkey-Eater Eagle) from South America. This is one of the top two largest eagles in the world and can grow to be 20 lbs. It's an extraordinarily beautiful bird, unlike anything I've ever seen here in the United States. Unfortunately, it's very much endangered, so if you ever see one in the wild - please don't shoot it! Thanks in advance for your cooperation. :)
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