Sammy Huynh

One of the topics discussed in my Ecology and Evolution class (BIOL 301) was ecosystems. Ecosystems can be defined as a community of organisms and their physical environment interacting through a one-way flow of energy and cycling of materials. All of the components play an important role in keeping the system alive and disruption of any one piece could lead to total failure of the ecosystem. The components are connected because energy flows through divisions called trophic levels. The dependence of pieces of an ecosystem can be compared to collaboration when working in a team. At the bottom of this page, you will find a visual that I created of an ecosystem and its connectivity.

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Collaboration is key to generating ideas and turning them into reality. I have found that the best way to achieve results is through teamwork. One of my most fulfilling beyond the classroom experiences at USC was serving as Chapter President of Alpha Epsilon Delta, a pre-health organization on campus. As part of this role, I managed an executive board of 16 members, including myself, to serve 184 active pre-professional students. To cater to such a large organization, it would require the efforts and contributions of all board members in their respective positions. However, it was made clear from the start that the board would work best as a fluid model, such that tasks diffuse throughout the entire team. The board worked as one unit. Each one of our individual roles contributed to the overall production of the organization, and the work of one member directly impacted the others. Just as the disruption of one component in an ecosystem can lead to total failure, the success of the organization depended on the work of every team member. At first, this was a difficult concept for me to grasp. I had a vision for the organization and was afraid that the interference of others would steer away from my initial plans. It was not until I realized that even though I could take control of everything myself, managing challenges alone would not produce favorable outcomes. The best results came from collective brainstorming, debating ideas, and executing plans as a team.

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Working on a team is like putting together a puzzle. Each piece has a unique shape that fits together and makes up the overall picture. Similar minds working on a project may see similar solutions. However, this generates only one solution, and although it may be correct, it may not be the best solution. Different minds will promote creative thinking to reach a desired outcome. It allows a platform to bounce ideas and challenge propositions. This ultimately leads to the best solution and a plan that the entire team can invest in. Collaboration must be practiced if I wish to be successful in my professional goals. In a dental office, the dentist must rely on his entire staff: hygienists, assistants, and administrative workers. It takes the efforts and dependability of everyone to provide service properly. For example, without administrative workers, scheduling patients and handling paperwork would be chaos, disrupting the functionality of the team. On a larger scale, healthcare as a whole is becoming more and more integrated. Dentists and physicians are being trained to work together because oral health directly impacts overall health. Collaboration with all factions of medicine is important to ensure the best quality of care for patients. 

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