Stem Academy: An Experience of a Lifetime

William Young

Earlier this summer, I worked as a counselor at a summer camp called Stem Academy at The University of Memphis. The memories that I made while at the camp are some that I will carry with me forever. I met so many amazing people with awesome personalities. If given the chance, I would do it again with no hesitation. 

Stem Academy is a two-week summer camp where high school students who are interested in science, technology, engineering and math come to the U of M and experience college life. The students are provided with mentors and participate in many activities along with going to class. The students stayed in the dorms and were lectured by college professors.

My role as a counselor was to guide the students through the college experience. I also was a resource for the students whenever they needed someone to confide in. I was on duty 24 hours a day for two weeks. I was in charge of 50 students, and it really taught me how to have tolerance. Through this experience, I gained a new respect for people who work in the education field!

Upon arrival, I was very excited to be a counselor to a group of bright high school students. My passion is mentoring kids, and I wanted to use my positive attitude and energy to uplift them. I’m not that many years removed from high school, so I can remember how it was to be young, wild and free. 

At times, the kids got a little rowdy but never to the point to where I couldn’t handle them. They respected us counselors because we showed the kids respect. It was our goal to show them that school is not only about excelling academically but also having fun, as well.

I had tons of fun with the students.  One of the funniest moments of camp happened while I was resting my eyes one night. The kids caught me slipping! I was minding my business and sleeping with the door unlocked. Then all of a sudden, I was greeted with ice and lotion. I jumped out of bed and chased the kids down the hallway! I couldn’t believe that I had been pranked. 

The two weeks of camp went by quickly. I created some lasting bonds with people, and I look forward to keeping in touch with them. I was honored to be a part of the camp, and it has been one of the highlights of my career!

Dos and Don’ts for Twitter

William Young

While tweeting on behalf of a company, there are a few things that I’d like to highlight for you to keep in mind. Social media can be a great tool when used to represent a company in a positive light. However, it is important to recognize the power of a tweet and how 140 characters can shape how the public perceives your brand.  Here we go!
1. Unprofessional tweets can hurt your public perception. Before tweeting about an issue or releasing a statement, you should think about how this represents the company and how it would make you feel about the company if you were a customer. If the tweet requires you to question whether or not you should post it, then there’s a good chance that you should not tweet it.

2. Tweets regarding successes of the company can be beneficial in the public’s eye. Record-breaking numbers and office expansion in new areas are good things to announce. Also, if your company gets ranked at the top of a list, tweeting about it could help show the customer that you are well-known and respected and that the customer can trust your performance.

3. Never get too personal when tweeting from the account of a company. It is good to show customers that you are human and that the brand has a personality. But tweets shouldn’t reflect your individual personality, opinions or biases. I’m sure you want people to take your company seriously, so think about that when you tweet to the public.

Keeping these few key things in mind is essential to the success of your company on this particular platform. Here’s something simple for you to remember, positive tweets can help you and unprofessional tweets can hurt you. Simple as that!