In one of my first major courses at Cal Poly SLO I wrote this Personal Philosophy Paper.

1. Charlotte Proulx, RPTA 221, Professional Philosophy Paper
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RPTA 221
Professional Philosophy Paper
Charlotte Proulx
March 10, 2016

2. Charlotte Proulx, RPTA 221, Professional Philosophy Paper
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Dreaming Up A Pep Rally
Entering my junior year in high school, I had already attended eight campus-wide pep
rallies, but at the start of each year those were the events I looked forward to most. I still miss the
days where my high school crammed all 2,400 students into our small gymnasium, because I
loved being able to see each student that went to my school in the same place at the same time.
Gathering together evoked a sense of community amongst the student body and served as a
reminder that we all had something in common, some reason to relate to one another. It gave
each individual the chance to communicate and bond with a friend, fellow classmate, or
complete stranger. Junior year is known for being a turning point in life, forcing most students to
make extraordinarily difficult decisions. Decisions including if or where to attend college, what
course of study to pursue, or even more importantly, what one plans to do with their future. It
was at the second pep rally of my junior year in high school that my career aspirations began to
come into focus. Surrounded by all of the unique personalities and individuals from distinct
backgrounds uniting over this particular experience, I realized that I would enjoy planning events
that provide others with opportunities to interact in organized and constructive ways and develop
meaningful relationships.
This aspiration stemmed from personal reflection and the recognition that socializing and
establishing relationships heavily contributed to my individual happiness. Since then, I have
found that research supports this concept and further claims that through positive experiences,
people can achieve optimal well being or the “good life,” a term originally coined by philosopher
Aristotle (Howell, 2013). For example, a study spanning 75 years reported that wealth, fame, and
hard work are irrelevant factors in terms of reaching the good life, and instead concluded that it
is good relationships that keep people happier and healthier (Waldinger, 2015). I plan to utilize
this knowledge to help strengthen the lives of those whom I work with in the industry. The
primary individuals I wish to create a lasting impact on are my direct customers or clients and
my coworkers.
Cal Poly’s Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration (RPTA) department displays
its mission as, “to facilitate life-enhancing experiences for individuals, communities, and the
global society” (Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration, 2016). In other words, RPTA
graduates can contribute to the good life of others by applying ourselves in ways that create
beneficial opportunities that impact a wide range of people. As my concentration in RPTA is

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Event Planning and Management, I aim to pursue a career in which I have the rewarding ability
to design and engage public and private groups in organized, meaningful activities that foster
social interaction and healthy relationships. Ultimately, I hope to provide my clients or external
customers with a rewarding experience, the means to find purpose, and have a positive affect on
customers achieving the best life possible. In addition to cliental, I believe I can increase the
quality of life amongst my coworkers or internal customers.
I firmly believe that company culture and respectful relationships within a business are
crucial to the success of the organization, therefore I wish to influence the individuals within the
organizational system where I might work. My goal is to encourage and nurture positive
interactions amongst my colleagues and establish lasting connections with my coworkers,
because motivated employees and delighted coworkers should translate to better service and an
increased quality of life for each of us. I am already dreaming up a company pep rally.
To conclude, I’ve come to realize through my studies that there is more to planning
events than organizational details. I have both the opportunity and obligation to enhance the
good life of participants, as well as my coworkers, and in doing so will in turn help myself attain
a sense of well being and pure happiness, or the good life.

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Works Cited
Howell, R. T. (2013, August 1). How Do People Define the "Good Life"? Retrieved March 9,
2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/cant-buy-happiness/201308/how-do
people-define-the-good-life
Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration. (2016). Retrieved February 6, 2016, from
http://rpta.calpoly.edu/our-values-and-mission
Waldinger, R. (2015, Nov. 1). What Makes A Life Good? Lessons From the Longest Study on
Happiness. Lecture.