HAYLEE MATECKO

Communicate: Getting an idea from point A to point B, using one or more of a variety of medium.

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Criteria

• Clarity

• Understanding of your own idea

• Patience

• Effective body language and/or facial expressions

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Evidence: Study Abroad in Southern Africa

Studying abroad is a cliché when it comes to personal growth, but it's one of the most accurate clichés

out there. When I went to Southern Africa in the winter of 2016, I was faced with new challenges that

I had never seen before- one of which is in this photo. We fell backwards off a cliff that was 1000 feet

high, and had to climb out backwards, in tandem, onto a platform above the African forest. Talk about

a horrifying experience clothed in the most immense amount of nervous sweat, adrenaline, and fear.

You can see all of that (and more) on my face as we fell off the cliff. 

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Aside from this specific moment in time, being in Africa taught me more about how to be independent, how to let go and have fun, how to make new friends and be more open, and how to be more emotionally self-aware. We were required to keep a journal of reflections every day, and while most people groaned at that, I really appreciated it. It allowed me to recognize what I was feeling, process it, and leave it behind. Instead of pining over things by overanalyzing them in my head, the journal was a "brain dump" of my thoughts, which cleared my brain. 

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While normally communication is considered to be verbal dialogue between two people, it's also incredibly important to consider all the aspects of communication. Body language and facial expressions, as evidenced by this photo, and internal dialogue/reflection are essential components to communication and understanding how people think.