Hi, I’m Raigan Novotny. I am 20 years old and a sophomore at Grand Valley State University. I am studying Advertising and Public Relations with a concentration on Public Relations! I enjoy walking my dogs, listening to music, watching sunsets, and hanging out with my friends and family.
If I were to describe myself in 5 words, I’d say that I’m friendly, understanding, compassionate, goofy, and positive. I believe that these words represent me well, as I am someone who enjoys making people happy and spreading my positivity around as much as possible. I express these characteristics in many different ways. For example, I show my friendliness when I am meeting new people. When doing so, I always try to make everyone feel included in the conversation or comfortable. This can also go along with my ability to be understanding. I believe that I am someone that allows people to feel comfortable because I am very judgement-free. This is mostly thanks to my goofiness, since I am always trying to make someone laugh to break the ice! My goofiness varies between telling jokes that make people smile or just doing silly things in order to brighten somebody’s day. Lastly, I show my compassion in situations that I feel need it the most. I try to make myself someone that will listen if anybody ever needs it, no matter what the situation may be.
Those 5 traits are a big contributor when it comes to how I interact with others. When communicating with people, I like to make myself as very approachable. I am able to do so by using my goofiness to make people feel more comfortable when talking to me (as mentioned above) and showing them the support that they may need. This works well and I believe that actually feel comfortable enough to express problems they may be having. I believe that being approachable is a very important aspect in maintaining a healthy personal and professional life. Another way that I am able to make myself approachable is by showing off my positive attitude. I believe that there is always something to be smiling about, even something as small as how the clouds look in the sky. I always try to express my positive energy to others, whether that means smiling at them in the halls or simply asking them how their day has been going. No matter what, I believe that people find it easier to talk to you when you give off this energy. So, I think that my friendly and positive energy allows for people to view me in a way that makes them feel comfortable communicating with me. Another way that I am able to communicate with others is through my ability to listen. I find that listening one of the most important skills to have in the professional life. It’s one thing to hear someone, but another to actually understand what they’re saying. I am able to use this skill when working with others and also with friends and family. I believe that being a good listener is important in order to show that you truly care about the topic at hand.
The biggest factor that shaped me to be who I am today was being on sports teams growing up. I played soccer, volleyball, and basketball throughout my entire life. Doing this has taught me skills that can be applied in both my personal and professional life. One of my biggest takeaways from playing sports is my ability to work well with others. I have had to deal with many different types of people and how to approach them when being on a sports team. I understand the idea of teamwork and have seen firsthand where it leads you. I know that teamwork is an important part of any team, even if you feel like you’d do better on your own. I also learned that positivity is a huge part of being on a team. The goal is to lift each other up so that you can all succeed, not tear people down so that you can succeed. This is very important in my professional life because I am able to work well with coworkers, which allows for me to be more efficient. Besides working with others, being on a sports team also shows you the advantages of hard work and determination. I learned that I was only going to get better if I practiced and put extra work in. I knew that I would have to work hard in order to help my team win. This dedication and motivation is something that I am able to bring to the workplace as well.
When it comes to my goals, I can confidently say that I don’t know exactly where I’d like to be in the future. Currently, I am a busy college student who’s balancing work, school, and a sorority. I am constantly wondering if what I am doing is the right move and wondering where I will end up. In the future, I am hoping that this will change. I want to become a person who is doing something that she is 100% sure of. I want to grow up to love my job, where I live, and everything in between. So, in short, I am hoping that in the future I will be confident in whatever I decide to do!
With all of this being said, my personal mission is to make the world a better place. I know that that’s a very broad mission, but I think that’s what I like about it. It’s very open to interpretation! In my case, I think that something that will always help to make the world a better place is the spread of kindness and positivity. Many people around the world are going through something that is hard and one small act of kindness can be the thing to change how they feel! I’ve always tried to be someone who brightens people’s day in some way and that’s why I’d like to continue to do so. In my eyes, there is no way to hurt someone when doing something out of the kindness of your heart. As I continue to impact people, I hope that my efforts are able to rub off on at least a few people on the way, so that I can make the world a happier place!
Raigan Novotny 