by Oriana Mejia

More than 1,000 women leaders tuned in Nov. 5-6 for workshops focused on this year’s theme, “Leadership for a Lifetime”. The event provided networking opportunities, panel discussions, and workshops for current military leaders and veterans from around the world. The speakers ranged from leaders in the military to leaders in the public and private sectors who offered their support and advice for advancing their careers. Shellee Smith, executive director of the USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking and Executive Education led a presentation titled, “Third Space Thinking: Building Soft Skills Critical for Leading in Today’s World”. Smith covered the center’s five core attributes of Adaptability, Cultural Competency, Empathy, Intellectual Curiosity and 360-Degree Thinking and how women can utilize these soft skills to become better leaders and colleagues.

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by Oriana Mejia

While the topic of death carries feelings of sorrow and loss, some cultures have found ways of making peace with this final stage of life and honoring those who have passed on. One particular tradition which is celebrated in Central America is Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). You may have heard of Dia de los Muertos from the popular Disney movie “Coco,” which takes place during this holiday. Dia de los Muertos  is a two-day festival held on November 1st and 2nd, however despite being situated so close to Halloween, the two are actually unrelated in origin. During this Latin holiday, people pay tribute to those who have died and look at death with an optimistic lens, not as something to be afraid of.  Dia de Los Muertos is frequently associated with Mexico, however, it is observed widely throughout Central America and even in the U.S in places where there are large Latino populations such as Los Angeles. There are so many traditions and customs related to this holiday. For example, families generally create altars for their deceased family members. They fill them with photos, Marigold flowers, food offerings, candles and some of the favorite items of […]

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by Oriana Mejia

“Soft skills” is a term that gets thrown around quite often these days. It is one that most people have come to understand. Soft skills encompass “ interpersonal, analytical, and communication skills” which are necessary for working effectively in teams and independently (Hypolite, 2020). Soft skills have been increasingly highlighted by employers as the most essential skills that they look for in new hires. However, while most people now grasp the importance of these skills, what they may not understand is how to improve them. Here at the USC Annenberg Center for Third Space Thinking, we are committed to helping others learn and develop the five core soft skills which our research has shown are most valuable to employers and employees. (Adaptability, Cultural Competency, Empathy, Intellectual Curiosity, 360 Degree Thinking).  While we love sharing our knowledge with students of all ages who are eager to grow their soft skills, we also want to teach our model to educators so that our efforts to prepare youth for success in all of their future endeavors may be compounded.   Dr. Liane Hypolite, a research fellow at the Center, recently published a paper where she discusses how Third Space Thinking offers a useful paradigm […]

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by Oriana Mejia

We have always believed the five attributes that make up our ACE-IT model are essential for any leader to master no matter what your profession. Recently we were able to share how those five attributes can be used to solve problems and navigate challenges, even in the military.

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by Oriana Mejia

The Center for Third Space Thinking took our communication-based methodology online this summer during the Annenberg Youth Academy (AYA), a four-week course designed to give students a greater understanding of media, journalism, and essential competencies required for excellence in and out of the classroom.

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by Oriana Mejia

Student’s have had to deal with some major shifts in their learning and work environments as everything is transitioned to home environments. During this time, it is even more important than ever to master soft skills such as empathy, 360 degree thinking, and adaptability.

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