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Lawrence Washington

CMT 330

Mr. Sing

Visual Identity

My name is Lawrence Washington and currently I’m a senior at Robert Morris

University majoring in allied health sciences. After earning a bachelor degree from

Robert Morris University in the spring of 2015 I plan to pursue a career in the United

States Army Reserves. My goal is to become a commissioned officer and work in the

Army’s medical corps. Serving in the military has been a big part of my life. I first

enlisted in the military following high school in 2002. The journey I originally embarked

upon in the service has afforded me an education that could not be earned anywhere

else. This experience is the driving force behind my decision to pursue a career in the

Army.

While completing the StrengthsFinder exercise I learned of 5 skills that resonate

with who I am. Five professional strengths that describe me are Strategic, Restorative,

Input, Ideation, and Context. Being a strategic thinker is a skill that cannot be taught.

This is a very distinct way of thinking and processing information. Strategy is a special

prospective that allows us to visualize specific patterns. See things from this prospective

makes us ask lots of what if questions. This allows us to come up with multiple solutions

for a variety of potential problems. I use this skill constantly in both my careers. As a

soldier I run multiple scenarios for combat situations to ensure all possible hazards are

covered. No matter what happens I can always have a reaction, because I’ve thought

through every possible situation.

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Being restorative relates to problem solving ability. Being presented with a

challenge that others cannot solve or don’t want to touch. This involves a plan of action.

Identify the problem at hand. This includes figuring out why the current plan in p0lace

doesn’t work effectively. Next, eliminate the issue, and replace with a more efficient

alternative. I go through this process on a daily basis while negotiating tasks in the

office, or managing school, work, and military schedules.

Input is a strength that involves having a general curiosity for things. If I can’t

answer a question I research to seek answers. One can never know too much

information. In my professional life this relates to me in a supervisory capacity. I often

find myself in a mentorship role. Having a wealth of knowledge and experience helps

me guide people in a positive direction.

Ideation relates to the ability to breakdown sometimes complex concepts. Finding

an angle is finding a way to connect two totally different things that have a common

factor. Thinking outside the box, and finding alternative ways to approach well known

ideas, are all related to this professional strength. I tend to use this when working on

group projects in school.

Context allows us to put things in prospective. Every failure or success is an

equal learning experience. No one can get where they’re trying to go unless there is an

understanding of where one has been. Reflection is always important. We have to learn

from past actions. Putting things in context allows us to make better decisions. In the

workplace I can always refer back to a situation that went wrong, to ensure I don’t

duplicate the same actions and get a similar negative result.

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Becoming a commissioned officer in the United States Army has been my

biggest professional goal for the last ten years. Through the completion of my bachelor

degree from Robert Morris University, I have been taking steps to prepare for a career

in the real world. With an understanding of my professional strengths and how they can

aid me in my goal to become an army officer I will undoubtedly become successful. I

have been taking steps to prepare for a career in the real world.