Takin' Care of Business #17

When I was in the processes of finding an internship, I kept telling myself to get out there and find a new area of work that I had never encountered. That's the whole reason why I applied to work in Summer Orientation. However, I had the awesome surprise of picking out a university that conducts summer orientation for families. This was a foreign concept to me as I always thought Orientation was for the students...but as our millennials continue to tie the umbilical cord tighter to mom and/or dad...mom and dad have to attend orientation. Seriously? You can't leave Junior at school for two days?

When I arrived at my internship two weeks ago, I was full of energy....roaring to start. I kept asking my two supervisors "What projects do you have for me?" But they didn't have anything special for me to do. However, they kept encouraging me to make this MY experience. This meant WHAT did I want to get out of this?

So after a long session of self reflecting this Spring I identified areas that I really needed to work on. These are areas I noticed that employers would be looking for when I get out into the field next year. During my assistantship this Spring, I had the opportunity to sit in on campus interviews with candidates we were hiring for new positions in my unit. They are entry level positions, and so the people applying were men and women just getting out of grad school...weeks shy of receiving their degrees. Through that process, I understood that budgeting experience is a transferable skill that I could utilize to my benefit. I hate numbers and seem to have issues with money (because there never seems to be enough)...but I thought budgeting experience would be something new to learn. I also idetified supervisory skills as an area that I have had knowledge about by working in different Executive Boards with student organizations I have been involved with. Being the authority figure has always been something I have struggled with because I don't enjoy telling people what to do, how to do it, or just flat out being the boss. Though I don't like it, I have to learn. Another area I wanted to improve on is the ability to research. It's different stories to research for a class project than to research for the sake of imparting knowledge into the world. Presenting professionally this research, is my last component of areas I want to work on.

Parent Summer Orientation...interesting concept. My supervisors took seriously what I wanted to learn and designed some projects for me. These involve: researching different types of families/parents and their needs (i.e. transfers, first generation, Spanish-speaking, commuters); if the research I find seems to be of significance to the future of the office and their programming for parents/families I may have the opportunity to present to the VP of Student Development (really exciting yet nerve wracking); being able to learn how our Parent Association (PTA for college parents) gets funding (i.e through selling merchandise, Parent Orientation fees, etc.); supervising the Parent Orientation Leaders (by creating a Performance Evaluation for the Orientation Leaders, assisting with their training process, and guiding them through Orientation duties)...alot of work for a 150 hour internship...which by now I am half way done with my hours--yikes!

I have to admit...I didn't think that Parent Orientation was a big deal. However, after preparing for the first Freshman Orientation session (which was today...and I amazingly worked through a 12 hour day) I realized that parents do play an integral role in their students life.

Today I had some Spanish speaking parents who were confused on where to go or how to pay and what to do...and so I talked them through the process and explained how when a student needs help the first person they will likely call for advice would be their mom and dad. I told them that the institution encouraged parents to attend this orientation (which is optional). The look on their faces was priceless...and I have never felt more rewarded with my job. The fact that I spoke Spanish and was able to interpret information for them and make them feel a part of this university---and that I made a point that their student was important to us and that as parents they were also important, not just for us, but the collegiate experience of their student. They seemed so grateful that I could talk to them as people and understand their situation (they drove HOURS to get here today, and with the economy being as it is--they didn't have much resources for them to attend this optional gathering). I was able to get both of the parents' fees' waived. And I made a family very happy today :) The father kept shaking my head and saying "Thank You" to me. He seemed so happy to know that someone cared about his family. Even if it was a stranger such as me. I met a family's needs today...and I'm never forgetting that moment when I connected with this family.

Studies show that students perform better and have a positive collegiate experience when their parents are involved in the collegiate experience. And today...I think I am responsible for some freshman having a successful first year. Hopefully, with the information these parents will get during Orientation they will motivate their student to pursue their dreams, and their kid will no longer be a statistic of Latinos who don't graduate (an important aspect of my life since I am Latina who faced obstacles in the way to get where I'm at now).

I did good. Stressful long day...but in the end, the hard work was worth it. I made someone's family a bit happier. All this on the first day of Orientation!!!!

I'm really happy at the place that I'm at this summer...I have the most amazing supervisor ever, the school is a perfect fit to my personality, and it's all in a small town setting. What more could an intern ask for? (Funny story: I told my supervisor on the first day when she took me out to lunch to get to know me better that it had been the best first day ever at anything. She was so proud. She kept trying to hold up to that standard all week. And it was--it was the best first week ever. And I think it will continue to be one of the best experiences I have ever had).

It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 19

Goodbye first year of grad school. Hello summer internship!

Finals week has come and gone. I closed my monstrous building, moved to a new apartment, cleaned out my office, finished up paperwork, wrote a bunch of reports, said goodbye to my friends, and boarded a plane to Florida. After three months of waiting, I was finally on my way to my summer internship.

I was so excited but nervous. How in the world was I going to help run orientation for a university I don’t even attend? What would my student staff think of me? What if my professional staff didn’t like me? What was I going to do without a car? Would I make any friends?

Someone came to pick me up from the airport and we waited together for the other NODA intern. When he arrived, he flashed a bright smile and I knew right away that I was going to like him. My roommate was already home when I showed up at the on-campus apartment we’re sharing for the summer. We have a mutual friend (Student Affairs really is a small world after all) and had already connected on Facebook. She gave me a hug and I knew right away we were going to be friends, too. About fifteen minutes later, I heard loud cheering coming from the hallway outside of our apartment. A bunch of the Orientation Leaders came to welcome me with a cheer in the hallway and all twenty of them came into my apartment to say hello. So far, everything was looking great. This is when I typically expect everything to take a turn for the worse. Wrong.

Sure, it took me several days to adjust to being in a new environment. I missed my friends and my boyfriend. For the first time in a long time, I felt nervous and reserved in a large, energetic group. Now, three weeks into the internship, I already feel like I belong here.

This is the third time I’ve had a summer internship and by far the best experience I’ve had. My supervisor has given me trust and responsibility and I cannot thank her enough for that. The office staff and students have been incredibly welcoming and even after a 19-hour orientation day, I’m in a good mood. I’m still trying to be more comfortable and build stronger relationships with my students but I think this will come with time.

I’m disappointed that my university doesn’t encourage many of the grad students to look for internships. Only about half of my cohort is completing internships but I think everyone can benefit from a good (or bad) experience in a new place. Besides, no matter how much you love a place it can be refreshing to spend a summer somewhere else.

There are quite a few interns working here this summer including several grad interns in other offices who work at universities with well-renowned graduate programs but do not seem professional or well prepared. I’m not saying that these programs are necessarily better or worse than any others, but it is nice to know that you do not have to attend Harvard or College Park to have a great experience and find wonderful mentors. So much of the job in this field depends on attitude, effort, and as cliché as it sounds, fit. I truly believe that the type of university and the personalities of the people and students there can effect your job performance, success, and happiness. I’m so happy to have an internship at a university that is a great fit for me.

It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 18

There's mistakes that I have made,
Some chances I just threw away,
Some roads,
I never should've taken,
Been some signs I didn't see,
Hearts that I hurt needlessly,
Some wounds,
That I wish I could have one more chance to mend,
But it don't make no difference,
The past can't be rewritten,
You get the life you're given,
Oh, some pages turned,
Some bridges burned,
But there were,
Lessons learned.

It seems like so long ago that I started this blog with a little insight from Carrie Underwood. Nine months later, while her songs still have a lot of the answers, I realize all the lessons I have learned on my own in my first year of grad school.

My awesome, crazy, motley crew of a cohort has taught me that there is great wisdom in diversity. Also, that I don’t have to be great friends with everyone. That it can be more meaningful to have close relationships with just a handful of people.

I’ve learned that the most challenging things are usually the ones that make me grow the most. I’ve learned so much about being an advisor, supervisor, employee, student, girlfriend, and friend. And I’ve learned that I have way too much left to learn. If you’ve followed this blog at all, I won’t rehash everything I’ve written. Instead, I’ll leave you with some lessons from the Vice Provost of my university which I think are both awesome and beneficial.

Prepare an Elevator Speech
Think of how you could explain your job, or Student Affairs in general, to a stranger in a short elevator ride. I’ve heard many variations of Student Affairs elevator speeches—both on and off elevators. Recently, a Higher Education professor explained Student Affairs as working in “talent development;” preparing students to use their talents to successfully accomplish their dreams. Others say something about student affairs being the non-academic side of higher education. I’m still working on my elevator speech, which currently goes something like, “I just wanna stay in college forever.” A lot of thought should go into the speech. Student Affairs is academic and supports the academic mission of institutions. And my speech doesn’t exactly scream professionalism. Elevator speeches come in really handy when people ask things like “What exactly do you do?” It’s also important to understand your own beliefs and philosophies and tie those into the speech.

Create a Go-to-Hell Fund (or GTFO Fund)
A go-to-hell fund is kind of like a savings account except instead of using the money on car repairs, dental work, or tropical vacations, it’s used in case you need to quit your job and stick it to the man. Now, a GTH fund should not be used just because you’re tired of working and want to spend some time in the Caribbean. Instead, a GTH fund should be used if you have any ethical, philosophical, or other large-scale disagreements or problems with your job and feel there is not way to stick it out. The fund should be large enough to keep you afloat while searching for a new job.

We’re Here For the Students
I know this one isn’t really witty but it’s the most important. For a long time, I thought all Student Affairs professionals were the crème de la crème—friendly, sincere student advocates. However, there are some Student Affairs professionals who start to forget the students. They get caught up in making as many connections as possible or focus on the prestige of administration positions and become like my power hungry manager the summer I worked at Sonic. They focus on what is easiest or cheapest rather than what is best for the students. In the past year, I’ve learned that it is important to speak your mind about what you think is best and sometimes remind those who have forgotten.

Ok, so I guess I didn’t mention things like Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory or tight and loose coupling (which, c’mon sounds like something from Karma Sutra). I have learned a lot from textbooks this year, but I think what will stick with me the most are lessons learned from experience and from the wonderful (and less wonderful) people around me.

Takin' Care of Business #16

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade...

When life gives you noisemakers, have a party...

When life gives you the opportunity to learn, make the most out of it to share your knowledge with others...

I sit here before my laptop thinking how much has changed in a year. I made a surprise visit to Iowa this past weekend for a sorority sister's wedding. She used to be an RA with me last year. It's surprising how much we have both changed since the end of Senior Year. As I think of this the song "Seasons of Love" is playing through my head. 525, 600 minutes...that is alot of time...time that has past....time that will be coming up soon. What a year...

Throughout the course of this past year, I moved, I changed my attitude about life, I learned to live alone and cope with my problems by myself, I loved, I lost, I fought, I hurt, I complained and whined, I got my act together...I can say I'm not the same girl who I used to be. If anything, this year has been one of much growth for me and my becoming an adult.

It's weird to think to think that sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you make a change. I think it definitely worked for me. Last semester was rough, but the Spring had better things in store for me. And I admit that I am happy where I am at with my life. I mean...think of it...I just completed my first year of grad school. What an accomplishment! I really didn't think back in October that I would make it this far...but I'm here...done with year number one and holding a 3.86 GPA (my highest GPA ever). I was so happy when I got my grades last week. After a super rough semester I ended up with all A's. I forgot how that felt. It feels great!!!!!

If I had to give a word of advice to the new grad students for next year on the things I learned, I would say that make the most out of your situation. Give the institution you are at, if it is different from your undergrad, a chance. Some schools have different ways of doing things...but the point is, you are there to study and to learn. Not just about Student Affairs, but I honestly think you will gain some awesome life skills through grad school. Because hey...you got to grow up sometime, right? What better chance to learn about life? What you're made of?

A year has passed...I still can't believe it. I can't even start to think that I have a year left. It baffles me. I survived the first year...whoa!

Dear friends who read our blogs on the site...thank you so much for becoming part of the first year graduate experience. Being a Student Affairs professional is not something you think about becoming when you're a little kid. But I am so glad that I'm in this field. I really want to help other students make their dreams come true. I want to help students find their way. I want to be the one they can come to with their issues. I want to help them have a voice. It is for people like my academic advisor in undergrad, my hall coordinator, my supervisor at my undergrad's Recreation Center...it's for people like them I wanted to be in this field because they believed in me that I could do my best. I want to help students reach their potential. That I am someone who believes in them.

I know it sounds like I'm trying to give the big statement of my career here, but it's all true. A person's life can change in one year, one month, one week...and in my case 525,600 minutes...

Good luck with all your endeavours future graduate students and those who graduated this past Spring. I can't wait to have you all as my colleagues someday.

And remember always to be "takin' care of business" the best way you can...do your best, give your best, receive the best :)

It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 17

Sometimes, like now, it can seem like this job sucks. Moving a thousand people out of a building can be slightly overwhelming. Not to mention working with RAs who are stressed out about finals. And custodial staff that is stressed out about the building falling apart around us. And students who are partying their way through finals week. So—I can’t believe I’m saying this—I just have to keep reminding myself that I have the best job ever.

Seriously, when I think about how much I love this job, I know I’ve made the right career choice. At least five hours of my work week are spent in one-on-ones. That’s right, I get to spend almost 15 percent of my time at work chatting and having fun with my student staff. Not only do I get to, I’m expected to. This year during one-on-ones, I’ve explored new restaurants, gone for walks, rollerskated, gone shopping, gone swinging at a park, worked out at the rec center, visited an on-campus museum, played a mean game of Guess Who?, and much more. Much of the rest of my time is spent meeting (not always for good purposes) with residents in the building. I am so lucky that one of my job expectations is to get to know such incredible students.

Not only do I have incredible students, I have wonderful colleagues. I have found the most amazing mentors and friends. There is just something special about Student Affairs professionals. I even receive professional development funds to network with more of these amazing people at professional conferences.

One of my favorite things I’ve gotten to do this year is work with my building’s hall government. In April, we put on our huge, traditional Battle of the Bands program and it was such a blast. As part of set-up I got to order a bunch of food, create some sweet t-shirts, listen to great demos, find amazing student talent, and order a moon bounce. The day of the event, there was a lot of on-the-spot trouble shooting and although a lot of things went wrong, it only brought us closer together. After we finally set up, right before the event began, we all put our arms around each other and sang the alma mater. I’ll never forget that moment or that day. I even get to attend all kinds of programs that I don’t have to plan—campus programs, organizational programs, individual floor programs—and there’s usually a lot of new people to meet, a lot of great food to eat, and sometimes even something to learn. Don’t even get me started on the free shirts.

OK, I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, we have the best stories in Student Affairs. Like the time I walked into the elevator and a guy was sitting in a chair playing his guitar. He just looked at me and said “elevator music.” Or the time a student started a protest about giving away fish at a program. He hung posters all over the building and even started a Facebook group about animal cruelty. It turns out it really is illegal in our state to give fish away as prizes.

Perhaps best of all, I get to be a part of an incredible university. It’s like having a huge family that always has something going on. Last weekend, I helped an intramural softball team win the championship, stayed up all night walking in Relay for Life, and went to a BBQ planned by my RA staff. When you work at a university, there is always something to do, something to learn, and some way to help. Sure, making movies and stuff sounds exciting, but I wouldn’t trade this job for anything.

It's a residence hall NOT a dormitory - 16

I live in one of those big, dirty, loud, in-your-face residence halls. Recently, when I was interviewing a candidate for a desk position, he described my building as the bottom deck in the Titanic. The rooms are cheaper, the people are diverse, and there's always a party. One of the other grads in my building recently referred to our building as the center of the universe. I lovingly refer to the building as my beautiful mansion on the hill. And for the 1,000 students who live here, it is simply home.

It has been a tough month in my building. Seven of the 18 fire alarms we’ve had this year happened in April. We had one student assaulted and robbed and another mugged at gunpoint in our back parking lot. We’ve had flooding, vandalism, and lots and lots of noise. I’ve had more than 30 judicial hearings in the past two weeks.

Unfortunately, many students, staff, and administrators will only remember that these things happen in my building. They will not remember the outstanding staff that does a lot of its bonding at 3 a.m. fire alarms but has a crazy amount of spirit, dedication, and pride for this building we live in. They will not remember the outstanding programs in our building including the traditional program in April that more than 450 people attended. They will not understand that our staff works harder than any staff on campus.

Last week, we had an end-of-the-year banquet and awards ceremony for housing. Of course, because of budget cuts and limited resources, dinner was not served at this year’s award’s ceremony. Still, all 31 staff members dressed up and attended the event. We carpooled to the Union and sat for an hour and a half while we received zero awards. None. For the second year in a row.

I was completely surprised, disappointed, and well, pretty furious that the department would let an entire building go unrecognized. Surely the largest staff on campus must have some outstanding employees, right? It was even more disappointing that at the end of a long, hard year my staff was unrecognized. A night that was supposed to be celebratory ended in disappointment.

There’s a big part of me that wants to have a we-don’t-need-no-stinking-badges attitude but it’s really tough. I hate to be a sore loser but I don’t understand how you can require a building to attend an awards ceremony in which they are completely ignored. So, our senior staff is working it’s hardest to make our own futile attempt at recognition.

All year, I’ve been hearing that our building has a bad reputation and is never praised by the department. I guess I’ve just never really understood until this month. I’ve never had so much pride in something that’s greatness has been so invisible to others. And it’s tough. But we’ll keep fighting the good fight in our building because I know that despite what anyone on the outside says, there are many people who have called and will continue to call this big, dirty, loud, in-your-face building, home.

Takin' Care of Business #15

So those of you who have been following the blog know that I've been the new girl in town for the past year, and that last semester, I was struggling alot to fit in and adjust to life in Illinois. As much as I have been wearing my institution's colors this year and learning the fight song in two days right in time for Homecoming, I never really saw myself as part of this campus. Here's the deal...I don't care if you went somewhere else for graduate school, but deep down in your heart you will always remain faithful to your undergrad. It's the place you spend 4+ years of your life: eating, sleeping, partying, studying, socializing...it's home to you. Maybe a part of my transition to IL was to let my undergrad go, and maybe I didn't want to because, in some sense, I may have thought that I was being unfaithful to the undergrad. I was cheating on my school with another school...how silly does that sound? But that was the truth.

Attempting to become part of this new community was a hard and extensive process. Every time I had to work a new program and had to go attend some developmental student affairs meeting or whatnot...I have to work the room and talk to as many people as possible and try to remember people's names. I even participated in a campus tradition called "Ringing of the Bell". We have this bell on campus that sued to be rung before the football games, but the bell is now cracked and so it is on display on our Quad area. There is a "Ringing of the bell" ceremony, but it's held in our student center and mostly faculty and staff students attend it. They get to ring a small bell to symbolize the big old one outside. Well, this year, they allowed those who wanted to participate, to go outside in a "very chilly February morning in IL" weather, to ring the big old bell on the Quad. And I was first in line!

There was something very exciting about the 10 rings I gave to that bell...something very solemn. This was the bell that Presidents and students alike had rang 50+ years ago. What an honor! Both of my hands clasped around the rope, wearing a smile on my face, and with every "dong" the bell made the stars in my eyes grew brighter and brighter. My shrieks of delight filled the air as other administrators, staff, and students, just looked on and smiled or laughed at me. Who knew this girl would be so excited to be a part of the community?

This weekend, my campus threw our annual "Relay for Life" cancer fundraiser, and I had the opportunity to sit and relax with some of the stduents that I work with. There was a conversation exchanged between me and one of the Executive Board members of one of the student groups I help with, and he asked me why wasn't I in charge of a certain program my office promotes? So I told him that the other grad who works with me is in charge of it. He went on to tell me he didn't like the other grad too much because she seemed mean when she conducts this program. I explained that she wasn't mean, but that she has a different work style than I do. I also came to believe that the only reason this student was saying that he liked me better was because I look like him. I know my fellow blogger from "It's a Residence Hall, not a dorm" just wrote a piece recently about diversity and its impact on people's behavior. It is so true! I think the only reason this students seems to like talking to me is because we're both Hispanic. I think that he feels like he can identify with me (that's a good thing, in my book).

On Sunday, my office gave a training session to all of next year's new Executive Board members of the four cultural student groups we work closely with. One of the students came up to me and asked if I was going to stay after graduation next year. I told her that I honestly didn't know. So far, my plan after graduation doesn't entail staying in Illinois but at this rate who knows what may happen? Despite my internal debate of wanting to go home to take care of my parents, a part of me wants to go somewhere new, and another part of me wants to just wander around for a bit and see which offers come along. I'm a tumbleweed, I go where ever the wind takes me...it's the story of my life. Sometimes your life circumstances take you places you may or may not want to be. Anyways...this student had a special interest in my staying, as she also tells me that she is thinking of going to graduate school and study in the Student Affairs program in a few years. Such young hopes and dreams :) But for real...it seems like I became this student's role model (and we don't look like each other).

And this morning, the coordinator of my office asked me about a program that occured last week that I arranged, and asked me who attended. I told her that one of the people present was one of the Directors from another office (who is characterized by his booming deep voice). I said something about him, but was imitating his voice, and she laughed at me and said "Oh! You bit the apple". And I asked her what that meant, and she said "You've done "the voice". You have been here long enough to pick up on it". Apparently, when any body speaks of this Director, everyone imitates his booming deep voice. So...this made me realize I had become part of the Student Affairs circle at my institution... :) hahaha.

This weekend I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my students as we engaged in some campus activities. I learned something this weekend about myself...something I wasn't expecting to find out...something very surreal to me...I became one with the campus. I have finally understood that I became someone that students can relate to, that students from underrepresented groups can look up to, that I'm the peppy and cheerful staff member that likes to motivate everyone, and that I am FINALLY a part of this community as much as it is now a part of me.

It's just odd to see how the tables have turned on me...and that the inevitable happened--I like being at this institution (...and I'm not cheating on my undergrad, I will always love that place with all my heart...but now I have a new love, and that is this place).