This morning I had the Division of Student Affairs orientation at ISU. I was mostly indifferent about attending this today--orientations are usually somewhat interesting, but mostly monotonous. I must say that I loved this orientation. I so wish that I could have done it last year. The part that really stood out for me was the history of the institution. I love history anyway, but it felt particularly relevant to me since I'm from here. I am beginning to love where I'm from more and more. For a long time I thought it was really lame to go to ISU, but this presentation made me feel proud to be here and be from here. I will definitely have more school spirit from now on. It was also awesome because I got an official picture with Reggie Redbird (I think he was trying to look pensive in that photo?), I "won" a Division of Student Affairs backpack, an ISU clock/calculator/pencil holder, and Bone Student Center pen, we got a free Bird Shirt, AND we had Mexican food f
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I'm a helping person. I like helping people. The thing about helping people is that it may not be a great idea to do so when they are your competition for something. Especially something as important as a job. I may have mentioned before that the thing I absolutely hate about this graduate program is that it constantly feels competitive. At first it was who came into the program with tons of student leadership experiences. I was definitely not at the top of that list. Then it was the practicum experiences this summer. Luckily I didn't have to partake in that process. Now as a full-timer I'm starting to feel the effects of needing to gather all of these experiences under my belt in an effort to cram my resume full of more skills and abilities. I must say, it is exhausting just thinking about it. And then I remember that everyone in the program is doing the same and in a roundabout way, they're doing the same so that they can outdo me. Granted, we will not all be ap
A few days ago I started to write this post about how it seems like three issues are constantly being blasted everywhere lately. (And when I say everywhere, I mean on facebook.) I was going to talk about how I think those who dislike Spanish-speakers and those who are fanatical about having guns and those who oppose the mosque near ground zero are all fearful bigots who essentially dislike anyone who is different from them and are generally mistrusting of other human beings. I'm over it, though, for now. I realize those words are strong and I may or may not feel that way, but the passion's gone, so I'm not going to pursue it. Life is semi-crazy right now, as I predicted. I survived the first week of being a full-time grad student and it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The schedule is nuts--don't get me wrong--but the content is actually fun and interesting. Work at the Accommodations Office is going well. I'm doing lots of student training which makes
I just got done scouring my head for gray hairs. I do this every once in a while. It really freaks me out how quickly they can appear--literally out of nowhere. It also scares me how many I find and how often I find them. I started seeing them when I turned 24. 24!!! I really need to come to terms with the fact that I will continue to get older. It'll do not good things to my body and my mind if I keep fighting it. In other news, today I met my "CSPA buddy," Sarah. She's great. Ryan did a good job matching us up, I think, because it seems like we have similar personalities. I felt kind of idiotic, though, after I left. I think that when I meet new people, especially those who are close to me in age, I feel pressure because I want them to like me. I realize how silly it is to feel that way at this age, but I was just saying things that sounded stupid and I wish that I would take a moment to choose my words more wisely in situations like that. I'll have to kee
Yesterday I went and saw a movie with my friend, Julie, that I have been eagerly anticipating for months-- Eat Pray Love . Though I was excited to see how they would adapt it from the book and enjoyed it for this reason, I have to say that, overall, I was fairly disappointed. Tons of things were left out. The story was changed at the end and, although it wasn't all that drastic of a change, I was annoyed that they did it just so that it was like a typical movie plot. I don't think the characters were explored as deeply as they should have been and I felt no real connection to them because of this. The first ten minutes of the film were narrated, while the rest of it wasn't and probably could've been better if it was. Surprisingly, I don't think Julia Roberts was a good choice to play Liz, though I do think she's a good actress. The movie felt long even though they didn't include things they should have. Overall, it felt very "Hollywood," proba
Incredible news! When I met with Cecilia on Friday, she let me know that I would get paid for the work I'm doing at Heartland. I am officially a "graduate intern" in academic advising and can work up to 15 hours a week. I'm so excited about it because I was going to do the work anyway for the experience and this way I won't have to get a second job to make ends meet. So, yes... awesome news! Essentially I'm there to shadow the current advisers, learn more about the programs and classes, work on a couple of projects (an advising lab and a transfer day), and eventually advise students. I'll be there for the entire academic year and I can do my practicum there in the spring. The other fantastic part is that I'll be able to work there 30 hours over the summer if I need to--for example, if I'm unable to find a job right away. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity and I'm glad that I got in touch with Cecilia when I did. The mug is my f
I have never seen companionship as strong as what my boyfriend, Philip, and his doggie, Abby, had together. Today he had to say goodbye to her. She was such a great pooch. It is tough for me to put into words how unique she was. She was loving to anyone she met and could always put a smile on your face. She was very special and will be missed.
Well, I've officially begun my graduate assistantship. I was so excited to get this name tag! It represents me being a second-year grad student AND being full-time... things that I've been so ready for. I've been looking forward to feeling as though I'm a part of my cohort group for a long time, and I'm closer to that now. I've had three days of learning the ins and outs of the Accommodations Office so far. It seems fairly easy, but right at the beginning when everything is new, it's always overwhelming. My supervisor, Brady, seems really nice and easygoing. I've been so lucky to have the best supervisors and I think Brady will be no different. I got an email back from Cecilia at Heartland. I'm going to try to intern a little in the advisement center there over the next year and do a practicum there in the spring; I'm just trying to get as much experience as possible. Hopefully I'll be able to actually do some advising since that&#