Interviews--feedback and reflection

Community member: Mark Takefman

I was fortunate to get the chance to catch up with Mark over Skype. He was the leader of the Shui Tian Ping Village health survey project that I worked on over the summer, not to mention a good friend as well. When I first asked whether he would be willing to offer an evaluation of me over email, he made the valid point that his ability to do so was limited given that he had only known me for a summer. Nevertheless, he was more than willing to offer feedback based on my time with CURA. During our Skype call, I asked fairly straightforward questions about what changes he saw in me during the summer, and my strengths and weaknesses. He joked that the only change he saw from me was my change of clothes. Overall, he noted that I had an open, extroverted personality and was willing to take initiative but also able to work well with others. He liked that I wasn’t afraid to ‘put myself out there’ and had the confidence to use self-deprecating humor. He did also comment on my being a foodie of sorts—with a suggestion that I share what I buy more (though I would contest that this was a misperception when I saved some items I had purchased for my host family). His other suggestions included continuing to build and develop my leadership, as there’s always more to be learned, not to mention the value of working alongside different people. Despite his kind words, I brought up some instances when I thought I had been quite subpar—i.e. some communication mishaps that left him in the dark. I thanked him for how forgiving he had been in those moments, and how I had learned from them. His reply was that the mishaps were not entirely my fault, but were also due to the situation as well. Towards the end of the interview, I got to see some of the other CURA members as they arrived in the office, which was such a joy. I am definitely looking forward to visiting again in the future.

Family member: Mother

While I was in Chengdu over the summer, my family actually came to visit me for a few days as a part of the ‘vacation time’ they had set aside from the rest of the two weeks they had to visit family. Perhaps it was then that my mother observed how well-versed I was in Chengdu eats. She remarked that I was even more of a foodie since my fellowship and that my Chinese proficiency had certainly improved. Aside from the more surface level qualities, my mother was quick to also list that I was more positive, mature, open-minded, independent and better with communication. Although she didn’t give as many specific examples for each as I would have liked (so I could agree/disagree with her from a more objective view), I trust her judgment.

Faculty member: Dr. Qilin Li

She is currently out of office; I will be meeting with her next week after she has returned.  During our meeting, I intend to share about my experiences and learn how that might relate to hers. I would also like to ask what suggestions she might have for me in terms of incorporating this experience into my future career trajectory. This summer, I would like to do some sort of internship before medical school, and would appreciate insights she might have.

Self-evaluation/reflection

This assignment was quite interesting, and I appreciate the chance it gave me to actively seek feedback from others and see my experience in another light. Overall, I would say there were no big ‘surprises’ with respect to the feedback, though perhaps the lack of surprises was actually a surprise to me. I was expecting to be made aware of my blind spots and had prepared accordingly, reflecting over the shortcomings I was aware of in anticipation. Ultimately, I was told mostly good things; nevertheless, I still learned a lot from these conversations. Mark’s comment on my openness and initiative as something different from other volunteers he’d worked got me thinking that it could be something beyond my own personality, but rather is reflective of the social background I come from. Both my personal experiences as well as the environment at Rice as a whole have made taking initiative almost second nature to me. On the other hand, students my age in China may not have been immersed in a similar academic/extracurricular environment that places emphasis on the same set of core values. Along these lines, I feel very grateful to have worked with CURA and with such an awesome project leader that really made it a point to let me take initiative with the project. I imagine it could have been possible for me to have worked in a different setting that was not conducive towards individual initiative. A theoretical interview from someone in this setting might have resulted in an entirely different evaluation of the same qualities I exhibit. This points out that others’ evaluations are not necessarily absolute; just because your skill set didn’t match one endeavor does not mean it is no longer suitable for any.

            Prior to my meeting with Mark, I thought about potential shortcomings he might address. To me, I thought my communication could have been stronger, as there had been times when my failure to communicate left him in the dark about group plans. When I brought this up, Mark, being the graciously forgiving person he is, was quick to say those events had been more due to circumstance than to my character. Nevertheless, having the chance to reflect about it was spurred in anticipation of the meeting, and is something I am more conscious about now as a result.

            As for my mother’s feedback, I could definitely agree with most of my mother’s ‘superficial’ observations. My Chinese did improve, as did my repertoire of Chengdu eats. But beyond the superficial, it was interesting to learn which changes or characteristics stood out to her the most. My mother felt that the trip made me more open-minded, which I had not consciously thought about. Prior to the trip, my mother had mentioned from time to time how stubborn I could be. She also made the point that this was not a desirable trait of a leader or of a team member. I kept her advice in mind and definitely strove to improve. Perhaps the inherent open-mindedness I had going into the fellowship towards a new environment carried over into my ‘regular’ personality. It was certainly encouraging to hear from her that I had made progress.