WELCOME

Hello, My Name is Ashley Pichardo and Welcome to my blog! I am currently a freshman at Rider University, Double Majoring in International Business and Business Administration with a Minor in Global and Multinational Studies. I am involved in various club and organizations on campus such as: Latin American Student Organization, Multicultural Student Leadership Institute, Rider SERVES, Rider Community Scholars/ Bonner Leader Program, Emerging Leaders, Residence Hall Association, and I am Conover Residence Hall President! Helping others is my passion and I have volunteered at the Clara Maass Cerebral Palsy Center, Belleville Fire House, Housing Authority of East Orange, Madison Square Garden Finance Facilities department, and I currently volunteer at Home Front: Family Preservation Center. My Career goals are to one-day work for the United Nations and start a non-profit organization. Along the right side of this blog are lists of the scholarships and awards I have received, my hobbies, clubs and organizations I am apart of, and links to websites to where if you were to "Google" me you would find this information, go take a look! Thank you for stopping by!

Objective

The objective of this blog is to advertise my professional attributes to perspective employers. I hope to gain an internship in the field of Foreign Affairs, and or International Business, where I can utilize my strong organizational skills, educational background, and ability to work well with people. My career goal is to work for the United Nations in the Humanitarian Affairs Department and to start my own non-profit organization, type still yet to be determined. Here is the link to my Resume if interested in reviewing.

Biography

My name is Ashley Pichardo and I am 18 years old. I was born in New York City, NY, grew up in Glen Ridge, NJ , and currently reside in Belleville, NJ. Since I was a child I was an entrepreneur trying to sell everything I had my hands on. I always sold the most when it came to fundraisers for school, and I even had my own lemonade and ice tea stands in front of my house. Also as a child I volunteered at various places around town, I remember it being one of the most life fulfilling experiences of my life. I currently still am an entrepreneur and serve my community extensively. Realization of my tendencies as a child and as a teenager has made me discover that I am meant to help people, and a way I can incorporate these to traits is to my starting my own non-profit organization and working for the United Nations in the Humanitarian Affairs Department.

"Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile" -Albert Einstein

I am an extremely hard working person with great work ethics. I have worked really hard to get to where I am today at Rider University. Through my life experiences I have learned that nothing is a piece of cake you need to work hard in order to receive.

How I Got My Way To Rider University

When I was a junior in high school I started looking at colleges, throughout my research and evaluations Rider University became my top choice. I applied and was ecstatic when I was accepted however, money was a big issue because Rider University is a private university and it's tuition is a little over $40,000. I applied for financial aid and was granted an award that would lead me to $21,000 in debt and that was unacceptable for my parents and I because we did not have the money. So this began my quest to seek as many scholarships as possible to cover this unpleasant amount. I applied to all the scholarships that pertained to me that my school offered and sought scholarships and programs that can help me pay my way to college. The result of quest concluded with me winning 5 scholarships and 1 Financial Aid Program. Awards received from Belleville High School are: The Belleville Business and Technology Scholarship, Belleville Board of Education Scholarship, Belleville Woman's Club Scholarship, and the Eleanor E. Arthur Scholarship. And at Rider University, the Maurice E. Palmer Scholarship. I was also granted the pleasure of becoming a member of the Educational Opportunity Program at Rider University. I reached my goals and ended up with a surplus in financial aid rather than in debt. I am now currently a freshman at Rider University. I am very proud of my self, this is proof that you can make things possible if you try hard enough.

Clubs/ Organizations

I am involved in various clubs and organizations at Rider University. I do not expect you to know their meaning or purposes so that's why I am here to explain it to you! Here is a Link the explanation of the Clubs/ Organizations I am apart on campus.

Communication Skills

I was given an assignment in my Introduction to Speech Communications course to create a persuasive speech about a Presidential Issue concerning Americans. The topic I chose was Universal Health Care. The following links are to my Outline, Slide Show and My Speech of this assignment.

Outline
Slide Show
Speech

Through this you will able to view my power point, writing, and speaking skills, that are essential for any Internship/ Job.

Reading for Junot Diaz

The Pulitzer Prize winning Dominican-American author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Diaz came to Rider University for the Educational Opportunity Program Distinguished Writer's Series. In was given an assignment in my Introduction to Expository Writing to write a paper about the novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. After extensive revising of my paper I was given the honor of reading my paper to Junot Diaz. Students Share Work With Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Junot Diaz , This is an article that was featured on the Rider University website about this event. This is an experience I will never forget, here is a copy of my paper, and I hope you enjoy it.

Home Front: Family Preservation Center Mentor/ Tutor

Helping others is my PASSION! I serve at Home Front: Family Preservation Center in Ewing, New Jersey through the Rider Community Scholars/ Bonner Leader Program. I serve Monday through Thursdays, 3 hours a day, every week. Working at Home Front has changed my life, it has made me realize that I am very fortunate and I can make a difference in a child's life just by playing with them for one day. I feel as though I am very blessed and the only way I can give back by helping others. At Home Front I am a mentor and a tutor to young children, I help them with their homework and distract them from the struggles of everyday life. When you are down and blue and feel like life is worthless the children at Home Front make your day so much better, it is like an escape of reality for both of us. Home Front has made a great difference in my life!!

Community Service

This Video Shows all the Community Service I have done thus far at Rider University, to this date I have completed over 100 hours of community service. My PASSION is helping others and I hope that you can see passion through this video!

A Letter of Gratitude

Dear Reviewer,

I would like to express the honor and gratitude I undergo for your visit to my blog. My journey has just begun at Rider University where I am double majoring in International Business and Business Administration with a minor in Global and Multinational Studies. I am inquisitive and eager to see what future beholds for me.

As previously stated in past blog posts, I am an extremely hard working person who has accomplished quite a lot at such a young age. I have great leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills which is very resourceful for numerous jobs and internships. I am also bilingual in English and Spanish, I understand basic Portuguese, and I am planning to minor in Chinese. I have also traveled to Spain, Germany, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador. I plan on studying abroad to Asia, Europe and Latin America to further my exploration of the cultures and customs in the different areas of the globe. I will be traveling to Costa Rica this summer of 2009 for an international service trip. All of these qualities are resourceful in the field of foreign affairs and international business, in which I would love to work in.

Thank you again for stopping by and taking the time to peak into The Wondrous Life Of Ashley Pichardo. I would like to give a special thank you to my family and friends who have supported me in all of my endeavors. I hope you come visit again!

Sincerely yours,

Ashley Pichardo