Michael Grove GEB 3035 Autobiography Family Background

I was born on November 5, 1988, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to my wonderful parents,

Patricia and John Grove. I was their first son and only child, as well as the center of their

universes. My parents have both played different roles in who I have developed into as a

person. My parents divorced when I was very young, and it was through their unconditional

love that I was able to have the normal childhood. Although my parents were divorced, they

made the effort and were able to raise me as if they had not split up.

My mother was the one who took the most responsibility in raising me. She gave me

structure and set the rules for me to follow. I learned my work ethic and pride from her. She

was a single mom who did what she had to do in order to provide for me. She took great pride

in what she did and was not ashamed for it. Her only goal was making sure that I was taken

care of and provided for. It was through her unselfish actions, structure, and guidance that I

was able to become who I am.

Although my mother took on most of the responsibility of raising me, my father was a

big part of my life. He was there for all of the important moments: school functions, birthdays,

and baseball games. My father taught me the importance of accepting others and treating

them the way you wanted to be treated. He also introduced me to the arts, took me to

museums, and allowed me to express my creativity. My father tried to show me that there was

more to life than what there appears to be. I am able today to appreciate and live life to the

fullest because of the time I spent with my dad.

My parents provided me with two different takes on how to raise a child. I am

happy with the way they did it, because without them, I would not be the person that I am

today.

Educational Experience

School has always been an important part of my life. From an early age, my parents

stressed how important it was for me to do well in school in order to get a good job. School

came fairly easy for me; my parents placed me in Montessori School when I was three. I then

went to Holy Name Catholic School, where I attended form kindergarten through middle

school. During middle school at Holy Name, I was placed in advanced classes, did very well with

the curriculum, and consistently made the honor roll. I especially did well in math and history

and finished third in my graduating middle school class.

I continued my Catholic education by attending Cardinal Newman High School, a well

know college prep school. Once again, I was placed in advanced courses, which I excelled in,

and made the honor roll. MY father passed away during the second semester of my freshman

year. I was devastated on all levels. I reacted as any 15 year old boy would. For the first time

in my academic career, school slipped away from me. Dealing with the loss of my father was

especially hard for me, and took me a while to get back to my “regular self.” I was able to pull

my academics up during my junior year and finished high school strong, graduating in the top

15% of my class.

I decided to attend Florida Atlantic University and pursue political science; I was always

interested in the political environment and I had aspirations of becoming a lawyer. I created a

four plan to graduate and attend law school. My plan came to a halt half way through my

degree. I was cocky and lost interest in the classes, stopped attending classes, and was

eventually expelled from FAU. I was lost, confused, depressed, and had no idea what to do. I

had never dealt with academic failure before and did not know what to do.

Three years ago, my girlfriend Angela, came to my academic rescue. With her help, I

was able to enroll at Palm Beach State College and started a course to finish my Associate’s

degree. It was during my time at PBSC I fell in love with business. The business courses came

naturally to me and I was once again able to excel in my course work. I made the dean’s list all

three semesters I attended, and was selected into Phi Theta Kappa, an honor fraternity. For the

first time, I was enjoying the classes I was taking, I especially liked accounting. I felt that

business would be something I could do as a career.

I found the UF On-line business program and instantly fell in love with it. It was

everything I was looking for to be able to get a degree. UF On-line provided me the opportunity

the attend one of the greatest universities, receive a well-rounded business education, and

allow me to take classes around my busy work schedule. I am in my last semester of the

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration majoring in General Business. I have done very

well during my time at UF and I am very grateful for the opportunity that the University of

Florida has given me. Upon completion at UF, I am planning to enroll at Auburn University and

pursue a Master’s in Accounting. I fell in love with the accounting classes I took at PBSC and

want to continue my growth in the discipline at Auburn.

Work Experience

Ever since I was old enough to have a job, I have had one. Whether it was paid or

unpaid, work has always been a part of my daily activities.

Volunteering was my first experience with work. I joined the Boy Scouts when I was in

eight grade and became heavily involved. I was able to hold different leadership positions in

my troop and was able to advance quickly through the ranks. Through the different leadership

positions I held, I was able to build working relationships with my peers and learn how to be

part of/lead a team. My troop was very involved in the community that we were a part of: food

drives during the holidays, to providing service at local community events. These skills are vital

and crucial in today’s business world. I was able to earn the rank of Eagle Scout and create

great memories.

My first job was at a Chinese restaurant called Star River. During my sophomore year in

high school, my friend Aaron came into homeroom and told me about a job he just got. He said

it was in a Chinese restaurant and that they needed more help. After school that day I called

the restaurant and asked if I could come and work; I worked for the family who owned the

restaurant for 5 years. Working at the restaurant gave me first-hand experience of having to be

on time, doing a set of duties during a shit, and the value of a dollar. Learning the value of a

dollar was the best lesson I took away from the restaurant. Working and earning my own

money gave me a feeling of self-satisfaction and left me wanting to better myself.

My greatest work experience has come over the last five years at Lowe’s Home

Improvement. I started as a cashier who was looking for a part time job while going to school; I

did not think it would evolve into what it has become. I quickly learned how to properly use the

registers and was promoted to customer service within my first month. My quick learning

ability as well as my interactions with customers and fellow associates made me a good fit.

Over my first year, I was given extra responsibility and tasks to carry out throughout the day.

Within a year of being hired, I was promoted to a customer service supervisor and given full

time employment status. I was a good fit because of the relationships I built with my fellow

employees as well as my natural leadership and team building skills.

The customer service supervisor position allowed me to: work closely with

management, put a team in place and lead, and help resolve customer issues. Being able to

work with store management on day to day activities was a great experience. It allowed me to

see and have a role in how managers plan out the operations of the store. Being able to

balance the needs of the store and the employees are critical to the store’s overall productivity.

Teamwork is vital to any organization, and I was able to formulate and lead my team. I learned

that each person is as important as the next person, and it helps the team be more efficient if

all ideas are heard and taken into consideration. Dealing with customer issues is the best

experience that Lowe’s has given me. I have been able to learn how to handle issues in a

courteous and professional manner. Being able to deal with customer concerns is a major piece

of running a successful business, and I feel that I have an advantage thanks to Lowe’s.

Lowe’s has given the real world experience that I need to be able to come out of college

and be successful in the business world. I feel that because of my work experience, especially

the skills I was able to learn at Lowe’s, I will have a competitive advantage compared to my

fellow graduates.

Strong Interest Inventory/MBTI Career Report

The MBTI assessment of me could not be any closer to the truth. I was classified as

having a personality type of ESTJ. ESTJ classification identifies people, like myself, who are

decisive and logical in decision making, are able to organize groups to complete projects, and is

seen as a dependable person. I believe that I have all of these attributes and use them in my

daily activities. These attributes will help me in my career interviews as I will be able to show

future employers my strengths. My strengths of logically analyzing situations, organizing and

leading groups, and being a dependable person will set me apart from other candidates. I

believe that these characteristics will also attract the right employer in the career field that is

suited for me.

The career fields in which I was placed in are suited for me, as they are the ones I am

interested in becoming a part of. I can see myself as an accountant or as an auditor. I am

pleased that I matched with these areas of business, because it shows that my interests and

ambitions are leading me in the right direction. I would also be happy with the other career

fields I was matched with: credit manager, buyer, purchasing agent, and financial manager. I

could see myself being able to succeed in any of these business areas.

Current Life/Career Goals

Three main career goals that I have right now are: to graduate from the University of

Florida, achieve a Master’s in Accounting and pass the CPA exam, and marrying the woman of

my dreams.

Graduating from the University of Florida will complete a goal and a dream that was

started three years ago. It is the culmination of all of my hard work, determination, and family

support coming together to form a degree. Graduating will give me a sense of relief and

accomplishment; I have come a long way from being kicked out of FAU, finishing my AA at

PBSC, to graduating from UF. Graduation will be one of the best days of my life, and I cannot

wait!

Ever since my intro to financial accounting class, I fell in love with accounting. From that

moment I knew I wanted to be an accountant. After graduation from UF, I plan to enroll at

Auburn University and pursue a Master’s in accounting degree. According to the MBTI

assessment, accounting is a very strong career match for me; accounting was the number one

interest area in the Strong Interest Inventory assessment. I look at situations and try to put

logic to them. Accounting runs on being able to use logic and applying it to find alternative

solutions to problems. Auburn’s curriculum and platform will once again allow me to pursue a

degree that will work around my work schedule. Receiving a master’s degree will allow sit for

the CPA exam and fulfill my goal of becoming an accountant.

Luckily for me, I have found the woman of my dreams. My girlfriend Angela and I have

been together since high school. We had a long distance relationship for five years. We were

able to beat the odds of long distance, and were able to grow closer together. We have been

living with each other for the last two years and things have been great. Angela has help me

grow as a person and has shown nothing but support for me. In the next couple of months, I

would like to ask her to spend the rest of our lives together, and be married in the next year or

so. I have been working hard towards this important goal, and cannot wait for it to be

completed.