The following experiences led to development of Critical Thinking skills:
Jobs / Internships
Defense Intelligence Agency,
Washington, DC;
IO;
07/2004-04/2006
I was responsible for maintaining a situational awareness of world events. I performed a wide variety of tasks that all required critical thinking and sound judgment. I analyzed incoming reports for validity and importance, assisted other analysts in regional and topical research, and was responsible for ensuring that documents were given the correct classification marking prior to worldwide dissemination to the intelligence community.
This experience provided me with the skills to effectively and efficiently perform intelligence analysis. I learned how to sift through the heavy paperwork to determine which information was important, valid, and timely.
Courses
CPO2002
INTRO COMPARATV GOVT
; FSU
; Spring 2002
3.0 credit hours
This course contributed to my critical thinking skills by providing an introduction to the political structures of several different countries.
It was interesting to take a glimpse into the similarities and differences between the United States and Western Europe. Critical thinking was necessary in order to understand the reasons for these differences in structure.
Service / Volunteer Work
American Red Cross,
Herndon, VA;
Volunteer;
09/01/2006-01/01/2007
I volunteered at the Red Cross headquarters just outside of Washington, DC. I answered calls from Katrina hurricane victims and assisted them with finding shelters, food, clothing, and applying for emergency hurricane funding.
This was a very challenging position for me. Each caller was a person who had just survived a major catastrophe and they were expecting me to have the answers and resources that they needed. I used critical thinking skills to give them the best answers as quickly as possible and used my best judgment to determine which callers needed to speak to a mental health nurse.
It was a difficult but highly rewarding experience.
