Thinking about the definition of a problem solver, I needed to look for context.
The
official definition is "A problem solver is someone skilled at identifying, analyzing, and finding
solutions to problems, often demonstrating traits like critical thinking, creativity, and the ability
to implement effective strategies. " I can say that I do believe solving problems provides
opportunities for learning and growth from personal experience, however, oftentimes we must
reach out and not be afraid to ask for help when we feel as if it's necessary. Phillip J Patino High
School is an environment where I am fully confident in my ability to solve problems that come
along with the entrepreneurship mindset.
The first example where this skill was exercised was in the individual assignment given to me
while navigating the Financial Model. I am currently the Chief Financial Officer meaning I am
constantly dealing with numbers and business models. Finding the total addressable market,
serviceable obtainable market, and the serviceable addressable market was a challenge due to the
many factors within the industry of our product. However, I stayed during lunch and after school
to receive the extra help I needed with Mr. Mason in order to ensure my numbers were
completely accurate and defendable while still understanding the reasoning as to why I would
have a 1.05 billion dollar total addressable market.
The second example where this skill was exercised was in the individual assignment given to me
titled “Skin Tone Data” for Data Science. This assignment consisted of going through my camera
roll, advertisements , and models shown in the magazine variations. After having your 30+ more
photos you then needed to pinpoint 3 skin tone colors of each person individually. After this you
needed to insert that data into a visual scatterplot. This proved to be a challenge due to the many
tedious steps and the fact that if a single number was incorrect, then the entire presentation lost
its credibility. This was an area of coding I was unfamiliar with but after looking at different
examples shown to me and following tutorials on youtube, I was able to finish the assignment
with full credit as well as findings that suggested systematic racism when it comes to targeting
audiences of a fairer or darker complexion.
The third example where this skill was exercised was on the team assignment given to us where
we needed to show the line between manipulation and persuasion assigned to us by our English
teacher after we had finished reading the crucible. My team felt almost unmotivated to complete
this project to the best of their abilities, which proved to be a problem for me. Despite this, I
stayed persistent and we were able to create a series of videos with a historical background and
an attempt at humor. By being a team member that provided everyone with scripts while still
involving everyone in the process of creation, I was able to encourage motivation and ultimately
display that we understood the line between manipulation and persuasion.
My final example where this skill was exercised was on the junior business teams. Although this
is most likely a problem solving artifact for most students, it doesn’t discredit its impact. Our
team found a real need and addressed it by creating a product that works for everyone. By
combining our problem solving skills, we ideated and went through many stages of trial and
error before finally creating a product we were proud of. This was a process I couldn’t have done
alone even if the issue is something that affects me everyday, tying back to my thesis statement
of being dependent on help when necessary to solve a problem.