Lights Academy has been blessed to have a number of different speakers from different walks of life come and speak to the class. They shared both about their work experience and personal qualities they felt were important to have. These reflections follow a general format for most speakers:
1. Speaker and position
2. Summarize their main points and ideas
3. What have I learned? What can I apply to my life and work?
Mr. Ness: Personalities and Strengths in Excess
Monday, August 18, 2014
1. Mr. Ness, Principal of Lutheran High School
2. Everyone has their own gifts, talents, and personalities; strengths in excess can become weaknesses very easily
3. I learned that other people have differing personalities, and that learning their personalities is valuable in order to cooperate with them. I also learned that having a strength can become a weakness, and it is important to be aware of that.
Mrs. Soderquist: Finance, Organization and Prioritization
Friday, August 29, 2014
1. Speaker was Mrs. Soderquist, VP of Operations at Great West Financial
2. Her main point of interest was that of all good things there are to spend time on, one has to choose which are the best.
3. I learned many of the skills that are looked at for Mrs. Soderquist's profession, including research, intellectual curiosity, logical thinking skills, and a can-do mindset. I also learned that organizational and prioritizational skills are important not only in the world of finance and business, but also in the rest of the world. People who are able to develop those skills are those who are most likely to succeed in the future.
Mr. Gager: Overcoming Adversity
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
1. Speaker was Mr. Gager, Business Manager at Lutheran High School
2. He had multiple main points about how he and his wife faced adversity together over the last few years. In June of 2009, his wife went in for a surgery, and cancer was found in her stomach. She had multiple surgeries to try and remove the cancerous cells, and was eventually cleared as cancer free. Just last year, her cancer reappeared in the same area, and she had to go to the American Cancer Research Center in Chicago in order to receive treatment. On the way there, however, the two of them were involved in a hit-and-run accident, leaving his wife with multiple broken vertebrae. She had to have two major surgeries to reconstruct her back, plus the treatments that were necessary for her cancer once they were able to finish the trip to Chicago. Today, Mr. Gager stated that her back is nearly 100% better, her chemotherapy treatments have stopped as her cancer is almost completely gone, and she has been able to resume teaching her second grade class in the fall of 2014. When asked how he was able to make it through the tremendous adversity, Mr. Gager said that he had faith in God that he would get through it. He found himself asking how anyone could face adversity without faith. No one can say that they truly make it through adversity on their own. He also brought up the point that God never will give us more than we can handle; He will push us but not overwhelm us.
3. I learned that while I may never face the type or level of adversity that Mr. Gager and his wife did these past few years, I will struggle in both the work area and my personal life in the future. Mr. Gager also taught that no challenge God sets before me will be too much for me to handle, and I should have faith in Him and His Word. I can also apply this concept to myself and my work both in school and in my career: I should strive to push myself but not create a workload that is unbearable and overwhelms me. I also need to realize that support from other people on the outside is crucial for me to survive through the adversity.
Interview Reflection
Having the opportunity to interview people from different walks of life was excellent and taught me how other people go about solving problems in their work. The occupations of those I interviewed were a physical therapist, a youth pastor, an employee within the Veterans' Administration, and an emergency room doctor. While the PT and ER doctors both work in the medical field, I considered their occupations to differ because a PT interacts with people and their personalities much more. All of the people I talked to recommended a positive attitude. They all agreed that being understanding of not only your coworkers but also the clients you are serving is important because it helps to realize what their problems are and how to go about solving them more effectively. Here's the link to the questions I asked, their responses, and a reflection to each individual interview: link
Mr. Budnack: Service
Tuesday, November 3, 2014
1. The speaker was Mr. Steve Budnack, who is the head of volunteering at the Parker Task Force
2. The Parker Task Force is not only a food bank but provides financial assistance to families in need
There are 100 families in Parker who do not have water or power
They work closely with the schools and churches in Parker
The task force took on a project where for one year, they fed 24 kids who were considered as having no hope in school. A year later 22 of the 24 graduated.
One of the most important skills for running an organization is listening
Even in a non profit must have policies, budgeting and structure. They should be consistent, financially sound and have accountability
One of the biggest issues is awareness, as there are no employees, only volunteers
The average volunteer stays with the Parker Task Force for 5.9 years
3. Mr. Budnack had a lot of insight about how a non-profit works as well as ideas that can be applied to my life. The importance of being a good listener was stressed, as this can be what makes you successful and listening is a skill needed everywhere. Working with people well is also an opportunity to witness to them and show Christ to those you work with. Knowing what you want to do and how you need to get there is key.
Republic Financial
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
1. The speakers were Bob Pohsell, Chuck Singleton, and Edmund Tatar
2. Their main points described what the work of Republic Financial Corporation involves. Bob Pohsell, the CEO, said that their portfolio company buys struggling companies with hopes of turning them into successful ones. GMT Global has been around for 22 years and buys planes, leasing them to commercial airlines. Clean Coal Solutions looks into ways to use coal in a more environmentally safe way. They have 28 machines around the country and have partnerships in pollution reduction technologies. Mr. Pohsell then talked about the values of Republic Financial, which set out expectations for employers and employee alike:
3. This trip to Financial Republic was very interesting to me. While I have little to no interest in the business world, it was unique to see people who have such a passion for it and have formed a company out of that passion. I learned that the majority of their values and principles as a company are the same as what we have in Lights Academy. Creativity, long term results, and the other values listed above are all engrained in the image. While the type of business is not one that I wish to enter in my working career, it gave me a great idea of the skills that I will need to have to excel in any type of workspace.
Todd Sievers: United Launch Alliance
Friday, November 21, 2014
1. The speaker was Todd Sievers from United Launch Alliance.
2. Todd talked mostly about his business and the basic science behind how a rocket works. Todd is the Propulsion System Design Senior Manager for ULA. He manages a group of about 40 individuals in his department. United Launch Alliance is headquartered in Denver and is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA is the largest, most experienced, and reliable launching service in the United States; they have launched over 1300 missions, ranging from mapping to weather information to astronomical purposes. Todd uses a lot of math applications as well as physics in his work. He described how a specific shape of nozzle must be used in order for a rocket to achieve a certain height and distance from earth, and there was a lot of math that went into determining that. He also noted that ULA is responsible for the fastest man made machine, a rocket called Atlas V that travelled at speeds of 47,000 miles per hour. It launched in 2006 and is slated to pass Pluto in 2015.
3. I learned a lot about rockets and aerospace in this presentation. While it is not what I would like to do with my career, it is still an area that interests me and I feel I have gained knowledge because of Todd Sievers' presentation to us. He talked about skills he looks for in a potential employee: ethical, having the ability to unite a team, investing in others and delivering the right results. In his profession, the latter is especially important. If he or the company doesn't perform and a mission fails, a tremendous amount of money is lost and it could put his future with the company at risk. He said one thing to keep in mind is always wanting to be successful at everything, but also to understand that it may not always work out that way. That is one thing that I can carry with me to whatever job I end up taking; I need to be aware that not everything will end up the way I had originally planned.
Doug Campbell: Water Conservation
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
1. The speaker was Doug Campbell, Consultant at South Metro Water Supply Authority
2. Doug spoke about how he works for SMWSA as a side job of sorts. His message was a lot about speaking to students and young adults and the importance of water conservation and the need for water. He mentioned that in order to spread his presentation to younger elementary students, it is often more effective to use high school students to pitch the idea. Doug described the water cycle, the watershed concept, and the idea of an acre foot--three concepts that should be understood as a part of water conversation. He provided several interesting statistics to go along with the basic cliche of "don't waste water."
3. In this presentation, I learned even more about the importance of water conversation than before. Doug used several activities and hands-on visuals that really helped him relate to an audience and carried his point effectively, an idea that can take with me as I go about my own presentations. He also showed that turning a passion into a part-time job can be a reality. If I find a hobby or other interest beside my career, I can still take advantage of that opportunity, just like Doug Campbell has done with water conservation at SMWSA.
Don Griffin: Chick-Fil-A and Christian Service
1. The speaker was Don Griffin, the owner of the Parker Chick-Fil-A
2. Mr. Griffin spoke a lot about the history of Chick-Fil-A and how the business as a whole is run as well. He talked about the values of the restaurant and what he believes makes it stand out from other fast food chains. Chick-Fil-A was founded on Christian principles--hence the "closed on Sundays" concept they have become synonymous with--and how he carries them out in his daily job. Don preached three values at Chick-Fil-A: operational excellence, second mile service, and emotional connections. Operational service pertains to the standard food preparation, clean environment, courteous employees, and other things that are standard at most other restaurants. Second mile service is a concept coming from Matthew 4, where Jesus said if anyone asks you to carry their pack for a mile, carry it for a second mile as a courtesy. Don said that doing things for customers that they might not expect, like clearing their food or carrying it out to their car for them. Employees are also trained to respond with "my pleasure," because it truly is their pleasure to serve their customers.
Don Griffin also explained to us how to conduct a job interview in a Christian manner. He explained that a lot of bosses like someone with a firm handshake and the ability to look someone in the eye with a smile and laugh. He also stressed the importance of speaking clearly and giving relatable answers to the job. Don told our class that one question he likes to ask is, "Tell me about yourself, Daniel." I learned very quickly that I needed to be able to think quickly and give answers that were pertinent and honest.
3. I was able to take away things like how to excel in a job interview and how to act like a Christian servant. Two days after his visit to our class, I went and ate at Mr. Griffin's restaurant and witnessed how well he acts out his values to his customers. He took my order behind the counter and eventually delivered my food to my table as well. He greeted me with a smile when I walked in and welcomed me to his store. Without knowing who he was, I never would have assumed he was the owner of the store because of how he treated his customers and took such an interest in them.
Dan Gehrke:
1. The speaker was Dan Gehrke, the Chief Executive Officer at Lutheran High School
2. He summarized his job in three points: raise the vision; raise the people; raise the funds. The first sets the groundwork for the idea and the future of the school. The second involves putting the right people in place to help carry out this vision (principal, staff, administrators, etc.), and the third step involves fundraising and is what puts the plan into action. He talked about what he wants and asks himself, What can I do to make this idea financially viable? He said that asking this question over and over is what keeps Lutheran High School open, growing, and successful.
3. I learned a lot more about the specifics of Lutheran High School and what goes on behind the scenes. Mr. Gehrke described that running Lutheran High School is a lot like running a small business--income and revenue may not always be steady and can be described as a not for profit industry. To me, it meant a lot to learn some of the finances of the school and what goes into making decisions. So much you hear, "We have debt and can't do this or build that" and I wonder how much debt there exactly is or where it came from. Mr Gehrke said he believes this administrative staff is 100 percent transparent and was very willing to share about this process.
1. Speaker and position
2. Summarize their main points and ideas
3. What have I learned? What can I apply to my life and work?
Mr. Ness: Personalities and Strengths in Excess
Monday, August 18, 2014
1. Mr. Ness, Principal of Lutheran High School
2. Everyone has their own gifts, talents, and personalities; strengths in excess can become weaknesses very easily
3. I learned that other people have differing personalities, and that learning their personalities is valuable in order to cooperate with them. I also learned that having a strength can become a weakness, and it is important to be aware of that.
Mrs. Soderquist: Finance, Organization and Prioritization
Friday, August 29, 2014
1. Speaker was Mrs. Soderquist, VP of Operations at Great West Financial
2. Her main point of interest was that of all good things there are to spend time on, one has to choose which are the best.
3. I learned many of the skills that are looked at for Mrs. Soderquist's profession, including research, intellectual curiosity, logical thinking skills, and a can-do mindset. I also learned that organizational and prioritizational skills are important not only in the world of finance and business, but also in the rest of the world. People who are able to develop those skills are those who are most likely to succeed in the future.
Mr. Gager: Overcoming Adversity
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
1. Speaker was Mr. Gager, Business Manager at Lutheran High School
2. He had multiple main points about how he and his wife faced adversity together over the last few years. In June of 2009, his wife went in for a surgery, and cancer was found in her stomach. She had multiple surgeries to try and remove the cancerous cells, and was eventually cleared as cancer free. Just last year, her cancer reappeared in the same area, and she had to go to the American Cancer Research Center in Chicago in order to receive treatment. On the way there, however, the two of them were involved in a hit-and-run accident, leaving his wife with multiple broken vertebrae. She had to have two major surgeries to reconstruct her back, plus the treatments that were necessary for her cancer once they were able to finish the trip to Chicago. Today, Mr. Gager stated that her back is nearly 100% better, her chemotherapy treatments have stopped as her cancer is almost completely gone, and she has been able to resume teaching her second grade class in the fall of 2014. When asked how he was able to make it through the tremendous adversity, Mr. Gager said that he had faith in God that he would get through it. He found himself asking how anyone could face adversity without faith. No one can say that they truly make it through adversity on their own. He also brought up the point that God never will give us more than we can handle; He will push us but not overwhelm us.
3. I learned that while I may never face the type or level of adversity that Mr. Gager and his wife did these past few years, I will struggle in both the work area and my personal life in the future. Mr. Gager also taught that no challenge God sets before me will be too much for me to handle, and I should have faith in Him and His Word. I can also apply this concept to myself and my work both in school and in my career: I should strive to push myself but not create a workload that is unbearable and overwhelms me. I also need to realize that support from other people on the outside is crucial for me to survive through the adversity.
Interview Reflection
Having the opportunity to interview people from different walks of life was excellent and taught me how other people go about solving problems in their work. The occupations of those I interviewed were a physical therapist, a youth pastor, an employee within the Veterans' Administration, and an emergency room doctor. While the PT and ER doctors both work in the medical field, I considered their occupations to differ because a PT interacts with people and their personalities much more. All of the people I talked to recommended a positive attitude. They all agreed that being understanding of not only your coworkers but also the clients you are serving is important because it helps to realize what their problems are and how to go about solving them more effectively. Here's the link to the questions I asked, their responses, and a reflection to each individual interview: link
Mr. Budnack: Service
Tuesday, November 3, 2014
1. The speaker was Mr. Steve Budnack, who is the head of volunteering at the Parker Task Force
2. The Parker Task Force is not only a food bank but provides financial assistance to families in need
There are 100 families in Parker who do not have water or power
They work closely with the schools and churches in Parker
The task force took on a project where for one year, they fed 24 kids who were considered as having no hope in school. A year later 22 of the 24 graduated.
One of the most important skills for running an organization is listening
Even in a non profit must have policies, budgeting and structure. They should be consistent, financially sound and have accountability
One of the biggest issues is awareness, as there are no employees, only volunteers
The average volunteer stays with the Parker Task Force for 5.9 years
3. Mr. Budnack had a lot of insight about how a non-profit works as well as ideas that can be applied to my life. The importance of being a good listener was stressed, as this can be what makes you successful and listening is a skill needed everywhere. Working with people well is also an opportunity to witness to them and show Christ to those you work with. Knowing what you want to do and how you need to get there is key.
Republic Financial
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
1. The speakers were Bob Pohsell, Chuck Singleton, and Edmund Tatar
2. Their main points described what the work of Republic Financial Corporation involves. Bob Pohsell, the CEO, said that their portfolio company buys struggling companies with hopes of turning them into successful ones. GMT Global has been around for 22 years and buys planes, leasing them to commercial airlines. Clean Coal Solutions looks into ways to use coal in a more environmentally safe way. They have 28 machines around the country and have partnerships in pollution reduction technologies. Mr. Pohsell then talked about the values of Republic Financial, which set out expectations for employers and employee alike:
- Do the right thing
- Long term results
- Creativity
- Constantly under construction
- Caring
- Teamstorming
- Tenacity
3. This trip to Financial Republic was very interesting to me. While I have little to no interest in the business world, it was unique to see people who have such a passion for it and have formed a company out of that passion. I learned that the majority of their values and principles as a company are the same as what we have in Lights Academy. Creativity, long term results, and the other values listed above are all engrained in the image. While the type of business is not one that I wish to enter in my working career, it gave me a great idea of the skills that I will need to have to excel in any type of workspace.
Todd Sievers: United Launch Alliance
Friday, November 21, 2014
1. The speaker was Todd Sievers from United Launch Alliance.
2. Todd talked mostly about his business and the basic science behind how a rocket works. Todd is the Propulsion System Design Senior Manager for ULA. He manages a group of about 40 individuals in his department. United Launch Alliance is headquartered in Denver and is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and Boeing. ULA is the largest, most experienced, and reliable launching service in the United States; they have launched over 1300 missions, ranging from mapping to weather information to astronomical purposes. Todd uses a lot of math applications as well as physics in his work. He described how a specific shape of nozzle must be used in order for a rocket to achieve a certain height and distance from earth, and there was a lot of math that went into determining that. He also noted that ULA is responsible for the fastest man made machine, a rocket called Atlas V that travelled at speeds of 47,000 miles per hour. It launched in 2006 and is slated to pass Pluto in 2015.
3. I learned a lot about rockets and aerospace in this presentation. While it is not what I would like to do with my career, it is still an area that interests me and I feel I have gained knowledge because of Todd Sievers' presentation to us. He talked about skills he looks for in a potential employee: ethical, having the ability to unite a team, investing in others and delivering the right results. In his profession, the latter is especially important. If he or the company doesn't perform and a mission fails, a tremendous amount of money is lost and it could put his future with the company at risk. He said one thing to keep in mind is always wanting to be successful at everything, but also to understand that it may not always work out that way. That is one thing that I can carry with me to whatever job I end up taking; I need to be aware that not everything will end up the way I had originally planned.
Doug Campbell: Water Conservation
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
1. The speaker was Doug Campbell, Consultant at South Metro Water Supply Authority
2. Doug spoke about how he works for SMWSA as a side job of sorts. His message was a lot about speaking to students and young adults and the importance of water conservation and the need for water. He mentioned that in order to spread his presentation to younger elementary students, it is often more effective to use high school students to pitch the idea. Doug described the water cycle, the watershed concept, and the idea of an acre foot--three concepts that should be understood as a part of water conversation. He provided several interesting statistics to go along with the basic cliche of "don't waste water."
3. In this presentation, I learned even more about the importance of water conversation than before. Doug used several activities and hands-on visuals that really helped him relate to an audience and carried his point effectively, an idea that can take with me as I go about my own presentations. He also showed that turning a passion into a part-time job can be a reality. If I find a hobby or other interest beside my career, I can still take advantage of that opportunity, just like Doug Campbell has done with water conservation at SMWSA.
Don Griffin: Chick-Fil-A and Christian Service
1. The speaker was Don Griffin, the owner of the Parker Chick-Fil-A
2. Mr. Griffin spoke a lot about the history of Chick-Fil-A and how the business as a whole is run as well. He talked about the values of the restaurant and what he believes makes it stand out from other fast food chains. Chick-Fil-A was founded on Christian principles--hence the "closed on Sundays" concept they have become synonymous with--and how he carries them out in his daily job. Don preached three values at Chick-Fil-A: operational excellence, second mile service, and emotional connections. Operational service pertains to the standard food preparation, clean environment, courteous employees, and other things that are standard at most other restaurants. Second mile service is a concept coming from Matthew 4, where Jesus said if anyone asks you to carry their pack for a mile, carry it for a second mile as a courtesy. Don said that doing things for customers that they might not expect, like clearing their food or carrying it out to their car for them. Employees are also trained to respond with "my pleasure," because it truly is their pleasure to serve their customers.
Don Griffin also explained to us how to conduct a job interview in a Christian manner. He explained that a lot of bosses like someone with a firm handshake and the ability to look someone in the eye with a smile and laugh. He also stressed the importance of speaking clearly and giving relatable answers to the job. Don told our class that one question he likes to ask is, "Tell me about yourself, Daniel." I learned very quickly that I needed to be able to think quickly and give answers that were pertinent and honest.
3. I was able to take away things like how to excel in a job interview and how to act like a Christian servant. Two days after his visit to our class, I went and ate at Mr. Griffin's restaurant and witnessed how well he acts out his values to his customers. He took my order behind the counter and eventually delivered my food to my table as well. He greeted me with a smile when I walked in and welcomed me to his store. Without knowing who he was, I never would have assumed he was the owner of the store because of how he treated his customers and took such an interest in them.
Dan Gehrke:
1. The speaker was Dan Gehrke, the Chief Executive Officer at Lutheran High School
2. He summarized his job in three points: raise the vision; raise the people; raise the funds. The first sets the groundwork for the idea and the future of the school. The second involves putting the right people in place to help carry out this vision (principal, staff, administrators, etc.), and the third step involves fundraising and is what puts the plan into action. He talked about what he wants and asks himself, What can I do to make this idea financially viable? He said that asking this question over and over is what keeps Lutheran High School open, growing, and successful.
3. I learned a lot more about the specifics of Lutheran High School and what goes on behind the scenes. Mr. Gehrke described that running Lutheran High School is a lot like running a small business--income and revenue may not always be steady and can be described as a not for profit industry. To me, it meant a lot to learn some of the finances of the school and what goes into making decisions. So much you hear, "We have debt and can't do this or build that" and I wonder how much debt there exactly is or where it came from. Mr Gehrke said he believes this administrative staff is 100 percent transparent and was very willing to share about this process.