1st Weekly Reflection
As the first week of Senior Project is winding down, I believe that the experience so far has been an overall success. Laura Foose is a great person who has given up some of her time to help Henry and I dive into a curiosity about money specifically how it managed by citizens globally. As Laura specializes in the international side of microfinance, a lot of our research has been focused on organizations, people, and issues from around the globe, but more specifically women in underdeveloped countries. After a couple reiterations from Laura, I can proudly state that microfinance is a tool for poor individuals to help manage their complex financial lives. Specifically, it works with people that have never had access to formal financial services because they have no collateral or credit history.
To go along with our new definition of microfinance, one of the most interesting things we did all week was sitting in on Laura’s graduate class at Georgetown and hearing them give pitches for four different global microfinance organizations. The days before her class, we did our own research on the organizations (Pro Mujer, BRAC, JUMO, and Equity Bank of Kenya), and learned what their missions were and how they were going to achieve it. People previously believed microfinance was the key to eradicating poverty for good, but now the goal has been updated to a significant improvement, and these companies understand the importance of helping people reach financial stability.
I would say that everything I did this week, work related, was expected coming in to this project, although there was a good amount in the first couple days so we weren’t completely lost during her graduate class. The only thing I did not expect to happen was being able to sit in on her class and listen to the students give their final presentations as they ended the semester of her class. I believe I will benefit tremendously from my experiences from the first week, and I believe these benefits tie right into my goals I set for my project. I have been able to build an understanding of research for work related activities, which is different from studying at school because the is no written test in the work field, but you have to know the information in order to succeed at the assignment given. Doing this research with Henry, building my knowledge of the subject, and meeting new people all satisfy my goals of practicing potential future work behaviors, gaining an understanding of a potential career path, and establishing a professional network. Exploring the D.C. community has also helped me with the these goals as I am meeting awesome people as well as learning the ins and outs of living in a city. Overall, it has been nice being away from school, getting out of the dorm, and living in a city where I could find enjoyment at any hour of the day.
To go along with our new definition of microfinance, one of the most interesting things we did all week was sitting in on Laura’s graduate class at Georgetown and hearing them give pitches for four different global microfinance organizations. The days before her class, we did our own research on the organizations (Pro Mujer, BRAC, JUMO, and Equity Bank of Kenya), and learned what their missions were and how they were going to achieve it. People previously believed microfinance was the key to eradicating poverty for good, but now the goal has been updated to a significant improvement, and these companies understand the importance of helping people reach financial stability.
I would say that everything I did this week, work related, was expected coming in to this project, although there was a good amount in the first couple days so we weren’t completely lost during her graduate class. The only thing I did not expect to happen was being able to sit in on her class and listen to the students give their final presentations as they ended the semester of her class. I believe I will benefit tremendously from my experiences from the first week, and I believe these benefits tie right into my goals I set for my project. I have been able to build an understanding of research for work related activities, which is different from studying at school because the is no written test in the work field, but you have to know the information in order to succeed at the assignment given. Doing this research with Henry, building my knowledge of the subject, and meeting new people all satisfy my goals of practicing potential future work behaviors, gaining an understanding of a potential career path, and establishing a professional network. Exploring the D.C. community has also helped me with the these goals as I am meeting awesome people as well as learning the ins and outs of living in a city. Overall, it has been nice being away from school, getting out of the dorm, and living in a city where I could find enjoyment at any hour of the day.
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