3.5 Perform competently in a professional setting.
It is very important to be able to perform in a professional setting, and to be able to adapt from a laid back lecture class setting. In several experiences at Longwood, I have had to play a more professional role in order to be successful in research or teaching assistantships. This is a great way to practice for real like scenarios of the professional world.
In my sophomore year, I participated in a research project with Dr.Henkanaththegedara. I did field research and collaborated with a research group to compile all of our data. In order for this to be successful, we had to be punctual, organized, and professional. This behavior helped us be more efficient and successful.
In the fall semester of my senior year, I was the Introduction to Genetics and Cell Biology teaching assistant. There was one week where Dr. Shanle, the professor of the course, was not available for lecture. I stood in for a lecture and taught a lesson to thirty students. I got to play the role of professor, and dressed professionally and asserted myself into the position of leader even though I was teaching to people only a few years younger. I taught a lecture on translation, and it gave me an experience similar to one that a graduate teaching assistant may have. I can use this in my graduate school interviews and talk about how I have had the chance to teach before. I enjoyed this greatly.
I am currently the teaching assistant for microbiology. This is a very different teaching assistantship, because it is more like being a lab technician. I have to prepare all of the materials for the lab sections for the course, which includes great quantities of plates, tubes, slants, and organisms. This is a different type of professional setting, because although I do not need to dress professionally, I need to make deadlines and have people counting on me to do things correctly and promptly. This will prepare me for future jobs in industry or in graduate school labs.