The Ad Labbers of 2018.

Gerard&MyAdLabClass

It was a warm, fall day in 2017. I was sitting in my consumer behavior class at UC. A professor with whom I had class with previously entered and huge smile gleamed across my face. I knew I was in for a treat. That professor, Gretchen, walked towards the front of my class to give a short presentation about a new class she had created called Ad Lab. The way she described the course was enticing and exciting. I felt energized after the presentation and immediately emailed Gretchen to add me into the course. I had no shame.

Fast forward to January 2018. I was sitting in room 218 of the College of Business on the first day of Spring Semester, anxiously waiting for Gretchen to arrive to start my Ad Lab experience. Months passed and yet I was still as excited for this opportunity as I was during the initial hearing. She walked in moments later and welcomed my classmates by saying, "Hello and welcome Ad Labbers!" In hearing that, I felt apart of something bigger than myself. I believed that in being an Ad Lab student, I was about to make an impact not only at the university but in the community as well.

Being the first day, Gretchen removed tensions and anxieties from the room through improv exercises. I glanced over the room to read my peers' expressions and could tell most had been in class with Gretchen before as they were unafraid to step up to the challenges presented. From those exercises, she had us choose groups to work with the rest of the semester. I chose peers based off whomever made eye contact with me, a very methodical process.

Classes were every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. When I wasn't absent, my team and I worked together to not only strengthen our bonds but worked together to re-position a brand. A legitimate, functioning brand. The company that partnered with Gretchen was from Newark, New Jersey. The company was undergoing a re-launch, changing the service provided and brand completely. I knew nothing about re-positioning, re-launching, Newark or New Jersey so obviously I was the ideal person to help.

I felt overwhelmed by the influx of information needed for the deliverables throughout the semester. I feared the outcome from my work since I was inexperienced and confused. Yet that was just me being stuck within the realms of my mind. Not everything I tell myself is reality. Once I released those feelings, I saw clarity in the objectives and was able to work better with my team. I was very fortunate to have a team of individuals that related to my feelings and motivated me to keep moving forward, even though the results were unknown.

That was the biggest lesson I learned from this experience: to not let the fear of the unknown consume me. I have the tendency to try to micromanage many aspects in my life. I want to know what I'm getting into, how long it will take, when it should be completed, etc. In wanting to know the ifs, ands and buts, I lose sight of the whys. Why am I feeling anxious? Why am I here? Why are we working on these projects? This re-navigation of my thought process will turn my fears into joy. In figuring out the root of my feelings, I am taking control of the major aspect in my life that holds me back: fear.