My Italian Blog
In taking language classes as part of higher education requirements at Muhlenberg College, I was able to develop an even more diverse perspective on the world. Over the two semesters of Italian courses, we worked on periodic entries to a website called “Il Blog”, or “The Blog”. These blog entries consisted of various cultural pieces of Italian life, whether that was simply words or phrases, or more specific pieces to Italian heritage such as our favorite recipes, as well as favorite songs.
Through this project, I was able to learn much more about my own heritage, and about the life that many of my own ancestors lived many years in the past. Learning and understanding different cultures, especially those in Europe, can only help individuals diversify their own world views, allowing them to be more understanding of the reasons why people do what they do. Below is a link to my work.
Il Blog: https://joerepetti.bergbuilds.domains
10 Year Narrative Project (CUE: Business Policy and Strategy)
Throughout studies in this Culminating Undergraduate Experience (CUE), the class each worked individually on a company, really taking a deep dive into their respective business’ policy, as well as strategy. This project and research was conducted over the entire semester, and based its information off of the company’s last 5 years, as well as requires students to make a prediction about where the company will be in the coming 5 years, hence, the 10 year narrative. This time frame is a unique one, as it encapsulates the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a major election decision in 2024 leading to tariffs being imposed across many nations. These are some of the things that businesses must account for in future years, and the ones that poorly forecast, plan, and strategize, are those that fall through the cracks and go out of business in times of trouble.
The company I worked with and analyzed was Deere & Company, known as John Deere. As someone who loves the outdoors and heavy machinery alike, it felt like a company I would enjoy taking a deeper dive within. Deere is an extremely successful company who continuously adapts to changing demographics and trends to perennially compete at the top of the agricultural machinery industry, as well as compete within the top few in the construction equipment industry. Throughout many economic downturns and fluctuations, Deere has remained relatively stable as they know their product, and they absolutely know their customers. As for the future, nobody exactly knows what will happen to many companies both domestically and internationally. With that being said, it is pivotal that a large, established company like Deere stays on their toes and is consistently strategizing for different future scenarios. Below is a link to my final paper.
10 Year Narrative: (Coming Soon)
Learn and Teach Presentation (Organizational Behavior)
As one of my business classes during my time at Muhlenberg, I studied organizational behavior and how people work together within companies, including emotions, teamwork, and various other topics. In class, we were each able to choose topics to present on and teach the class for an entire class period. The topic I ended up choosing was motivation. I figured motivation was a solid choice as for my entire life, I have been very driven, whether that be in the sports I play, or in an academic setting. Being able to relate and apply this topic to my personal life, the motivation topic was a no brainer.
I have never had the opportunity to lead a class for an entire class period, and this seemed like a tough task to be able to provide meaningful information for the whole time. In working through meetings with professor Michael London, it became clear to me that I was more than capable of offering an informative session. I was able to learn a ton about myself, as well as about the few people in which I interviewed throughout the process, gaining an understanding of how and why other people are motivated in both the workplace and the real world. I was able to learn from the words of both experienced and inexperienced members of the workforce, and ultimately provide the class with an lesson on how they should go about finding motivation in their futures. See my presentation slides below:
