Samuel Foglesong

Since graduating in November of 2023 I have been pursuing a career in writing and freelance journalism. Writing mostly about politics and foreign affairs I have also been working on a book about hunting and conservation in the United States.

As a bartender at The Medley I efficiently prepared and served a number of cocktails and beverages maintaining prompt bar service during peak business hours. I also checked ID to maintain licensing law compliance, refusing drinks service to guests without appropriate proof of age. I greeted customers by name, remembering drinks selections and special requests to provide attentive, personalized service.

As an English language assistant at Lycée Lamarck and Collège Jean Moulin I worked collaboratively with other teachers to administer lessons that aimed to improve the oral expression of students between the ages of 11 and 20. I also planned and independently carried out lessons, discussions and activities with small groups of students. When I was not working with the students I communicated with colleagues in French in order to perfect French language skills.

As a research assistant on the Ruth First in the North project I researched and scanned relevant articles for the research team and organized and indexed a large collection of archived letters and journals. I also participated in the planning of a conference held at the conclusion of the project. I spent the majority of my time, however, doing extensive reading about Mozambican history and politics and of Ruth First's research on migrant labour in Mozambique. I regularly updated the research team in meetings and in the form of written briefs and essays on a variety of subjects.

At Sainsburys my primary responsibilities were to ensure that the introduction of deliveroo at the store was handled smoothly. This meant ensuring customer's orders from the Deliveroo app were properly and promptly received, packaged and delivered. I also trained new and existing employees on the use of the Deliveroo system so that the whole store was proficient in its use. In addition to these duties I performed more typical roles of stocking shelves, cleaning, and assisting customers.

As a cashier at Whole Foods Market I helped customers pay for their groceries and assisted them in finding items and making informed culinary decisions about the best food and drinks. The majority of my time working at Whole Foods was spent during the first stage of the COVID-19 pandemic so I had many other irregular duties like surface disinfection, temperature checks, line monitoring and crowd control. I learned valuable lessons about customer service at this position that will serve me well in a wide variety of future work environments.

As a waiter at this Mexican inspired restaurant I assisted customers with food and drink selection, offering knowledge of current specials and possible menu adaptations. This was a fast-paced, high-stress environment that necessitated multi-tasking and time management skills as well as the ability to adjust rapidly to new situations. I was forced to leave this job after only 6 weeks when our restaurant closed down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As an intern at Africare I helped to translate negotiations and discussions between French speaking Africare personnel and visiting English speakers. My primary role, however, was that of a researcher. I created and implemented a qualitative study investigating the role of men in maternal health in southern Senegal. I created sample groups and an expansive questionnaire and spent three weeks interviewing couples in rural villages across the Casamance region. At the end of the project I generated a written report of my findings and gave an oral presentation to the extended staff of Africare in Dakar.

During my first summer at Soul Garden I performed manual tasks such as weeding, pruning, raking leaves and all other aspects of garden maintenance. The following summer I was promoted to the position of Crew Lead and my responsibilities were expanded. As a Crew Lead I organized the distribution of materials and labor for the day and frequently picked up shipments of soil, mulch and plant material from regional distributors. On site, I would assign tasks to workers and ensure that the project remained on schedule, on budget and up to company standards.

As an intern at CARITAS I welcomed refugees and migrants coming into the office and recorded their personal information. I also assisted in data entry and file organization. I participated in and acted as translator in long form interviews with refugees and migrants as they recounted their stories and lodged appeals for small business loans and medical and housing assistance. In addition to these duties I often accompanied full-time employees as they made follow up visits to aid recipients, collected prescriptions or payed bills at the hospital.

As an opinion writer for the University of Utah Chronicle I wrote two short articles a week focusing primarily on Philosophy and Politics. This was a formative experience that allowed me to hone my writing skills. This job also gave me the opportunity to write creatively about subjects that I did not have the chance to address in my courses at university.