jan kartusek - cci greenheart ambassador scholarship portfolio

Work and Travel Program Summer 2014 Ambassador Scholarship

Before

Before

Host Community

Volunteering

Ján Kartusek

American Life

Workplace

Host Community

2

Ambassador Scholar — Ján Kartusek

Alaska Travel SRO and CCI Greenheart

Ambassador Scholarship | WT | 2014 | ccigreenheart.org

Table of Contents

Before Application 3

First Submission (Video) - Leaving Home for the U.S. 3

During Second Submission (Video) - Working in the U.S. 3

Third Submission (Blog post) - Working in the U.S. 4

Fourth Submission (Video) - Host Community 5

Fifth Submission (Blog post) - Host Community 6

Sixth Submission (Video) – Volunteering in the U.S. 7

Seventh Submission (Blog post) – Volunteering in the U.S. 8

Eighth Submission (Video) - Traveling in the U.S. 9

Ninth Submission (Blog post) - Traveling in the U.S. 10

After Tenth Submission (Video) - Reflection of Experience 11

What Others Have to Say 12

Reflection 13

What struck me the most as the best thing out of all is that you can experience the U.S. culture and U.S. workplace, you can find new friends, and you can travel to places that you have only seen in the movies.

- Ján Kartusek

3




Application http://youtu.be/CSQ5oEv_90k

First Submission Leaving Home for the U.S. (video)

http://youtu.be/pmScH9rnkbQ

Second Submission Working in the U.S. (video post)

http://youtu.be/9MD7Ot0XZnM

In his video post, Ján gave a tour of his work location and shared about his duties, such as how to roll silverware, stack chairs, clean counters, and serve customers. He also talked about how every day after work he plays some golf.

In his application video, Ján talked about why he was a great candidate for an Ambassador Scholar. He shared his volunteer experiences in which he has been participant in his home country of Slovakia.

In his first official submission as an Ambassador Scholar, Ján talked about who he is and what he would be doing during the summer while in Alaska. It was his third time in the U.S. and he intended to spend a lot of time traveling. He also showed all the places he has been to on a map.

4




Third Submission Working in the U.S. (blog post)

http://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/working-and-golfing-in-alaska/

In his first blog post, Ján shared how he combined work with fun by enjoying “some free time at the golf course. I usually end the day by playing golf or chatting with friends that work there.”

5




Fourth Submission Host Community (video post)

http://youtu.be/wtPI_pLV6ko

In his video, Ján showed life in his host community. A big part of his day was shopping. He spent a lot of his time on the many bike trails and hiking in Alaska. In his video, he showed footage of a moose and talked about a Fourth of July fair and a road trip to Seward where he had a bear encounter.

6




Fifth Submission Host Community (blog post)

http://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/bears-moose-buffalo-oh-my/

Ján talked about how he spent his free time in Alaska playing golf, spending time with his friends, and volunteering once a week at the Anchorage Pioneer’s Home.



7




Sixth Submission Volunteering in the U.S. (video)

http://youtu.be/5ngrzTIJ_sw

When he was not working or playing golf, Ján volunteered at the Anchorage Pioneer Home in Alaska. In this video, he explained how meaningful it was to spend time there. He said “Every time you don’t know what to do, you should volunteer.”

8




Seventh Submission Volunteering in the U.S. (blog post)

https://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/the-anchorage-pioneer-home/

In his blog post, Ján talked about his time volunteering at the Anchorage Pioneer Home in Alaska. He said that it “gives me a great opportunity to help others and to also learn many new things.”

9




Eighth Submission Traveling in the U.S. (video)

http://youtu.be/R3bDbqLopkw

Ján had been on the Work and Travel program three times previously. In this video, he talked about how this year he took the opportunity to travel coast to coast, literally.

10




Ninth Submission Traveling in the U.S. (blog post)

http://greenheartcci.wordpress.com/2014/11/03/seeing-true-beauty-across-the-u-s-and-canada/

In this blog post, Ján shared about his travel adventures in Vancouver, Seattle, and New York City. It was his first time traveling to Canada, and he had this to say “I had never been to Canada before and I could see the differences in architecture between Vancouver and other American cities. All the buildings were made of glass and the cleanliness of the city was just amazing.”

11




Tenth Submission Reflection of Experience (video)

http://youtu.be/oORcHeZ3Mk8

Having arrived back home to Slovakia, Ján reflected on his time spent in the U.S. In his video, he gave positive feedback and provides recommendations for others considering the Work and Travel program.

12




What others have to say about Ján: Second employer, Once in a Blue Moose I can say though that the manager was very happy to have him in her store and that he did exceptionally well with customers… But is co-workers I know were very happy to work alongside him.”

- Once in a Blue Moose, Alaska

13




CCI Greenheart’s Reflection on Ján: Through his professional and independent demeanor, Ján Kartusek, was a wonderful addition to the roster of Ambassador Scholars in Summer 2014. During his third time working and living in the United States on the Work and Travel program with CCI Greenheart, Ján was not afraid to share his culture with others and embrace American life, as well. Ján successfully completed the Ambassador Scholarship program by providing four blog posts with various themes describing his Work and Travel adventure in Anchorage, Alaska. He also completed a total of six videos throughout his program that are all featured on YouTube. Ján also was able to complete eight hours of volunteering by contributing time at a local senior center and spending time with the elderly in the area. It was a pleasure to have Ján on the Ambassador Scholarship in its second year. Throughout his submissions and participation on the program, Ján demonstrated a curiosity of American culture that was encouraging. CCI Greenheart hopes that Ján continues to be a leader in his community in Slovakia and proactively develops his ability to inspire others. We would recommend Ján to any future employers, community organizations and/or institutions that he may want to be active in. CCI Greenheart wishes the best of luck to Ján in his personal and professional goals.

Haldis Toppen Work and Travel Cultural Outreach Manager CCI Greenheart 746 N LaSalle Drive, 2nd Floor | Chicago, IL | 60654 Tel: 312-264-1683 | Toll Free: 866-684-9675 ccigreenheart.org | greenhearttravel.org | greenheartshop.org

jan kartusek - cci greenheart ambassador scholarship portfolio

Documents