My Definition: Acting ethically goes with one's core values. It means knowing right from wrong and making the best decisions based on personal core values.

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My Criteria: Fair, honest, responsible, respectful, integrity, and loyal.   

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Reflection: Internship at Texas Retailers Association

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During the first week of my internship at the Texas Retailers Association, my main task was to clear out two boxes of paper files and digitally upload them to a secure folder on the desktop. These files ranged from pay stubs, financial reports, employee contracts, and much more confidential information. Not knowing me very well, my bosses trusted me to not provide anyone with information found in the papers and to shred everything immediately after the documents had been uploaded. Just one wrong decision could lead to financial loss, client loss, and me getting terminated.

 

Being ethical was the most important step of uploading those confidential documents into the secure folder. While this task may have seemed boring and repetitive at first, it was an important task to make the whole company run smoother. At the click of a button they can find a much needed paper versus their method of searching through boxes before. I felt that my work was appreciated and needed, which made the task much more doable.  

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Another way I made ethical decisions with my team was being completely honest in what my skills were. While I knew how to utilize Microsoft Excel, Word, and Publisher, there were other programs I had never touched before. These programs consisted of Outlook, Mail Chimp, and Photo Shop. While I could have lied to try and impress my coworkers, that would have been wrong and in turn would have hurt the company and how they perceive me. It was better to be honest on what I had learned previously in school and what I was good at.

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It feels good that my future company saw me for who I was early on and trusted me to do a task with so much risk. I remained true to my core values and Texas A&M's core values during this internship and I am proud because of it. After showing my trustworthiness, I was allowed to participate in many other meetings and discussions. One of these meetings was with a state representative to talk about important legislation that was being brought up soon. I have attached a picture of myself that day after the meeting. It was a great internship and I am so excited to continue my journey with the Texas Retailers Association.