Individual reflections about the event
Nahomi Alvarado: This subject helped me to learn and know about all the processes that are behind an event or conference. I could experience organizing an academic event with my classmates, which I had never done. I also consider that the conference motivated me a lot. Even though I am studying translation, I am a teacher and teaching is something that I enjoy too. The speaker told us many interesting things which I felt identified with. For me, it was a professional gesture to ask about the public's careers because that makes the people feel more involved and welcome. Besides, it is very important to ask about the target public at speaking in public, in order to know how address to them and the things they might be interested in. Finally, I consider these types of events to be fundamental for students or graduates who can feel curious about things that maybe are not always told in a classroom like culture and experimental aspects. As well, it is useful for receiving advice from wise people and getting contacts that are helpful for our careers.
Marcela Bermúdez: At the end of this event, I could conclude that communication and teamwork are very important. Throughout our professional careers, we have been trained to work as a team as well as to listen to different opinions, etc. Today, I think that during this event and during the organization, we used those tools, besides that we always took into account the personality types of each person in the group. In addition, I realized that we all have different abilities and aptitudes and in this case, they were reflected. Now I know that we still have a lot to learn, but now in our work environment.
Namik Espinosa: Through the organization of this event, I could develop some skills regarding conferences, which is something that I had never done before. Taking part of this project was very interesting for me, as I would always attend years prior to different conferences that my senior classmates would organize, and now being part of the staff felt surreal in a way, like the culmination of my career. I realize now that a lot of people are needed in order to arrange an event of this scale, the group was divided in many teams in which we would have specific activities, and that made the teamwork more efficient and less demanding for just a few people. The conference was engaging, and I could learn a lot about the topic, which was compelling to know that we chose a great spokesperson that could clear doubts regarding the field work. Overall, I enjoyed taking part in the organization of the event, as much as I liked being there in the audience learning more about what the future has in store for all of us.
Nadia Gonzalez: The event exceeded my expectations, the way the speaker developed from the beginning to the end, made me realize that you need to work so hard to achieve your goals, she also started without having any knowledge of the language, that you have to be strong even if you are a foreign, they will try to humiliate you, that you don't deserve stay there, but at the end of the day, you help then with their economy paying taxes, and enrich their country, the English is a beautiful language and we, as futures teachers or translators are the connection for the people who don't speak the language, so it's important, teachers and translators will be needed.
Arturo García: This event made me realize that it is not simple to organize an activity like this. It requires an effective division of labor so that each of the people assigned can do their "bit" to make the event go well. In addition, I realized that there were more tasks to divide the work into than I had previously thought. For example, I had not thought about the need for a group of people in charge of overseeing the event in its online transmission. This is necessary because unusual vicissitudes can occur. Finally, I believe that the topic discussed at the event helped the attendees and, why not, the organizers, to build a broader perspective on the field of work and the job possibilities to which we can aspire. I believe that the attendees were able to dispel their doubts about teaching in the United States and that this will help them to form a more united community of English translators and teachers.
Rebeca Rodríguez: This event made me understand that holding events like this takes a lot more effort than I thought. Also, students' passion for getting more knowledge can be transmitted in events like this because if the event is planned with a lot of passion with the whole purpose of sharing more information that is beneficial for students, it will be more enjoyable for the organization, the speakers and most importantly the audience. However, it did also show how important it is to work in teams since the success of the event was due to groups communicating all the time which helped this big group to know which tasks were supposed to be carried by certain team or person inside the team.
Sol Torres: This event made me realize that students are always willing to learn more about the future of their careers. There was a lot of attendance and I could see that most of them were very interested in the speaker and her topic as it related to their future, so I was happy that the topic chosen, foremost, was helpful to them. Another thing is that these events require a lot of organization, dissemination, and work. Having a big group eased the process as we could divide the work into small tasks, but it still required coordination and teamwork. Teamwork is something I could see that we excel at now as a group as it was simple to communicate and coordinate this great event.
Carlos Velazquez: After the realization of this event, I was able to realize that an event like this needs to be developed with great logistics in a matter of who is going to be the speaker(s), the place where is going to take place, the required thematic and technical issues such as microphone operation and live event by any platform, but with the help of the teacher and each classmate was successfully completed. Also, after the speaker’s speech, I realized how underrated is reverse culture shock and I consider if we are going to apply for academic exchange, it is important to take into account this when students and teachers come back to their hometown and know and respect what native citizens think and do and their customs and traditions as well.
Nelida Urdiales: This event thought me a lot about the realization of something bigger than your average task in collaboration of others. Working as a team is most of the times not easy, at least for me, but ironically is what we must do in almost all contexts, especially in a working environment. This experience made me feel confident about my ability of work in a team thanks to the teammates I got by my side. About the conference, the topic was close to me and I bet to all my classmates as well since is a glimpse of what our future can be. I see our speaker as an example of how your abilities in a second language can put you in great positions.
