This is the final blog of this graduation series and it will elaborate on my final expedition. You
have read about my approach, lessons and project in the previous five blogs. I enjoyed writing
them because it helped me to take a step back and reflect and evaluate. This is why this very last
blog will be a final reflection of my final expedition and graduation project. Moreover, what I have
learned and what insights it has given me.

Firstly, I notice my expertise and confidence have been growing throughout this education. At
first, I did not know what I was doing, how I should approach challenges and projects and how I
can facilitate groups, processes and change. But, each project has taught me new things and has
helped me grow into the professional that I am today. Still, I was quite nervous during my first
assessment, which I had earlier this week. Not because I was not proud of my work but because
there was this small voice in me saying: ‘what if this is still not good enough?’ Luckily, I received a
seven for my first assessment and teachers mentioned I should not be nervous anymore and
trust myself and my expertise. Looking back, I am proud of myself and my personal and
professional growth. I have come a long way and I feel more confident than ever.

Something else that I found striking during my final expedition was that teachers doubted my
choice of graduation company. I had chosen to collaborate with a recruitment agency, which is
not an ordinary pick within The Performatory. Why not? Because we normally focus on non-profit
organisations, NGOs, governmental organisations and good causes. A recruitment agency does
not fit in this list, for me, this makes it interesting. The way I see it, we should also put our focus
on these types of companies, to truly start a change. Otherwise, we would say: oh let’s not
collaborate with them because normally, they don’t make an impact. If we were to think like that,
change would not happen, anywhere.

My ambition to make a change is big, this is why I could collaborate with an enormous amount of
companies and organisations. I experienced my graduation project as challenging because I do
understand my teacher’s comments about the recruitment agency. The company wants to make
a profit, it is its core business. So how can I guide them in making a positive impact? The answer
is to show the effect of creative and innovative ideas and what they can mean for the company.
During my first assessment, we discussed I can be naive at times. In the way of having big
dreams and not always being critical, however, I think having a fair share of being naive and
realistic is the best approach.

Being naive allows me to dream and think out of the box and later on in the process, a concept
can be realised by having a critical view. But I experienced that by always being critical, creative
ideas will be easily turned down. This also happened during my graduation project because I
tended to say: no this idea is not possible because… or no the company would never do this
because… But then I presented my findings and advice to the company and they got curious and
want to explore it and invest. This taught me that allowing yourself to think out of the box brings
more creative and meaningful ideas to the table. After doing so, you can put together a team
that focuses on being critical and making it more realistic. I do not believe it has to be one way or
another.

This final expedition has taught me so much and I cannot wait to continue developing myself as
a professional. I will never be done learning and growing. I am curious about what the world has
to offer and how I can continue creating a positive impact. I look forward to meeting new and
inspiring practices, organisations and people. Thank you for reading these blogs, I hope you
found them interesting and inspiring. It sure has helped me put my thoughts into words. Thank
you Social Innovation and thank you Performatory for repeatedly motivating me to do better and
discover my professional career.