Blog 5 – Interview 1 Reflection

~Government procurement, also known as public procurement or public tendering, is the act of obtaining goods or services for a public agency. This form of federal government contracting is the same as private contracting, with the latter being more heavily regulated.

1. What is the most important thing I learned from the interview?  Is there anything I would do differently for other interviews?
• Prior to this interview, I always thought that finding a mentorship/internship opportunity was impossible for a high school student; however, Kristina Lopez actually told me about how Aerospace companies are always looking for high school and college students who are interested in learning about the Aerospace field. For my other interviews, I would definitely try to be more prepared with more questions. Although I do like how my interview went, I still wish that I was able to ask her more questions.
2. Did I get additional resources and contacts?  What is the most useful?  Why?
• Kristina Lopez, my interviewee, was able to help me find a potential mentor for my senior topic. Although not part of the sound file provided, Kristina also talked about trying to help me find people and places I can approach that will help me with my senior project. Getting additional contacts is probably the most useful because it will greatly help me in finding the necessary resources for my senior project.
3. What makes my interviewee qualified to help me?
• Kristina Lopez works at Northrop Grumman to buy aircraft parts for the government. I wasn’t able to ask about her college education or her previous experiences in the aerospace industry because I didn’t know how to ask it in a way that wouldn’t be awkward. I think that she is qualified to help me because she can give me an insight into the military aspect of the aerospace field.

Interview 1 Audio

Interview 1 Text