Unwavering Voice

Everyone has strengths and weaknesses and we all bring something different to the table, no matter where that table may be.  I bring what I call an unwavering voice, for I do not take things at face value and have no problem stating what I believe.  You never have to guess where I stand on an issue, I will always let you know where I stand and will want to see where you stand on something or what your thoughts are about something.  I love to talk about things with people and go back and contemplate what it was that we have discussed.  Sometimes I change my opinion completely and sometimes I do not, but I always have a reason for my stance that I will take on a situation.  I believe that this is a strength that I particularly bring to the table.  Not everybody questions everything that they read.  In the political science field, I have found this to be very advantageous, for with differing ideas about things, it brings about differing perspectives and can lead to discussions that bring about new questions and different ideas that may have not been uprooted before.  Although this has been a strength, it has also been a weakness at times for me.  It has been a weakness, because some people see me as very opinionated and argumentative and feel that I am too assertive in my opinions.  Once someone feels this way the conversation ends and they avoid me and all of the knowledge that could have been gained has been lost.  This is something that I have to be aware of and take time to be more tactful in my discussions.  Overall though, I believe this is a strength that leads me to many new ideas that I find very intriguing.
Along with my firm stance, I also bring a wealth of experience to the table.  This I believe is one of my greatest assets and one of the reasons that I stand so firm in my beliefs.  I have had the opportunity to be in many differing situations in my life that have given me many of my strong beliefs and insights.  I have been in situations where I have been very uncomfortable and have made it through.  I have also faced much adversity in critical situations.  With these experiences has come some knowledge about myself that not all people may have.  For I know that when a situation becomes critical I can take charge and will remain calm and in control.  I can take the lead and will not hesitate to make a decision or take the consequence for that decision.  Many of my experience have helped me to gain that knowledge of myself and what my capabilities are in certain situations.  This can be a very valuable strength that I bring to the table also.
With this firm stance and experience I bring a passion for finding things out and passing them on to others.  I love to share my experiences with people and I love fighting for what I believe in.  I desire to share with people that knowledge that I have gained and gain the knowledge that they have obtained.   I love going to conferences and talking to people about their research and seeing how it connects with mine and how I may be able to take their knowledge and expand mine.  I live for these conversations and cannot wait to be in a position where I can share ideas every day with people.  The passionate search for knowledge and sharing of knowledge is the greatest strength that I bring to the table.  It is what makes me who I am.  I want to debate and share ideas with everyone who will debate with me, it is what makes me who I am. 

Globalization and the Michigan working class

At the present time I am researching the economic effects of globalization on the working class in the state of Michigan.  In order to collect the data that is relevant to the research, I have to and have had to define, select and determine differing characteristics of what globalization is, when did it begin, what is the working class, how do you measure globalization and what are the variables that need to be considered to measure its effects?   Once I answered these questions I started collecting secondary data to do a quantitative analysis of how the working class have been effected since the 1980s.  Since it is a longitudinal study, collecting secondary data is the only feasible way to conduct the research that I am doing.  The heterogeneousness of what globalization and its effects are has escalated my curiosity of globalization and its effects on people to a passion to expand the research in the future to the national and international levels.
My curiosity of globalization stems from growing up in a working class home and being a part of the working class for many years before continuing my education later in life.  It was blamed for the loss of jobs, the decrease of benefits and raises.  It was spoke of in a derogatory way in many of the places where I worked and within the social group that I associated with.  Upon going back to school though it was not always talked about in such a negative way, there were theories that supported it and it was seen as something that was a part of progress and inevitable by some.  Out of this diverse view, I came up with a my research question, How does globalization economically effect the working class?
 Since most of the discussions that I encountered  while was working in the factories and other job sites consisted of economic effects, this would be the most appropriate place to begin my research.  Looking at the economic effects is beneficial for a few reasons.  One is that there is an abundant amount of economic data that one can find within the government data.  Another is that much economic data has been compiled over many years, which supports my longitudinal research.  It will also allow me to see if globalization has caused the loss of jobs and reduction in pay.  This research will look to find out if the economic perceptions of the working class are supported by quantitative analysis.
No matter what the results of this research are, I believe that there are many other research opportunities that can branch off from it.  One is to do a qualitative research on the perceptions that people have on the globalization.  In doing this, a researcher may be able to see if there is a difference between the social classes and there perceptions on the phenomenon.  There can also be a research done on the differing political systems and which ones are more supportive of economic globalization.  There are numerous ways in which one can research such a phenomenon as globalization and I believe that it is just begun and will only continue to grow in the future.  My curiosity has become my passion and I have a desire to keep digging deeper and deeper into this world wide phenomenon that is here to stay.

Scholars and Opportunities

    

My fellow scholars.  I would like to say that you all inspire me and push me to be more than I have ever thought I could be.  You push me physically and mentally, with the workouts and the conversations that we have.  There have been times in my life that I always wondered what the next generation would bring.  You have all shown me that you are life changers and going to go where nobody has yet been.  The conversations that I have had with all of you have been very refreshing and thought provoking.  You have changed my beliefs in what the future will bring.  If there was one thing that I could give any of you, it would be this little piece of advice, when given opportunities, make sure that you do not turn them down without thinking them through and make the most of them.

I say this from many personal experiences that I have had over the years.  There have been many opportunities that I have had in my life to do things and have not taken them.  For instance, when I was getting ready to get out of the Marine Corp, I was afforded the opportunity to stay in and they would send me to college and pay for it.  I would have had my education already when I had fulfilled my obligation to the service.  I did not take advantage of this opportunity, because I did not think it completely through.  All that was on my mind was the present and not the consequences of my decision at the time and how it would affect my future.

From this experience and others I have learned that you have to evaluate every opportunity that you can obtain and think them through completely before deciding whether or not to take them.  Once you have taken the opportunity, you also have to give it everything that you have.  I say this, for if you do not give it everything that you have, you may not receive everything from it that you can.

The opportunity that has been afforded us with McNair is one that we should give everything that we have.  There is no going back and doing a do over.  It is much the same with life.  We cannot go back and do something over.  We have all worked hard to secure this opportunity, but we must work harder yet to get all that we can out of it.  For some opportunities only come around once in a lifetime.  I believe that this in one of those.  Together we can make this opportunity become a lifetime of friendships and collaborations that could lead to something big.  I am honored to be a part of this opportunity with the rest of you future world changers.  Thanks for taking this opportunity with me.