Graduation, Job Interviews, and Reflection

Wow! Have I been MIA. I think I have a good excuse though...I have been traveling, interviewing, graduating and celebrating! With all of that, my weight loss has kinda gotten off track. But nothing crazy- so just gotta get remotivated :) 

  

Let me do a re-cap of everything that has happened in the past few weeks. 

Warning: Long Post Ahead

My cohort and I started celebrating graduation a week ahead..

 I love these girls so much!

Our ADIOS GREENSBORO party!

A few weeks ago I was having a regular Monday at work...I was scheduled to meet one on one with my supervisor at 11...I gchatted her to check that we were still on to meet and she said she would come get me at 11:30. When she came and got me,  I grabbed my notepad and we started to walk into the conference room- the blinds were shut and I remember thinking "Am I doing a presentation?" 

I walked in and about 15-20 of my students were there to surprise me!! There was pizza (duh) and presents! 

 

Some of my students had been sending out emails to all of the scholars several weeks prior asking them to write me notes/letters as I will be leaving in June. They put the notes together in a scrapbook that I could hold onto(pictured above). It was the one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me! I felt so special, humbled and grateful to have had the opportunity to work with these students. Its so easy to get caught up in the every day administrative duties and to-do lists...but I absolutely adore my work with college students- especially ones like my scholars- who have faced really tough obstacles in their life and have persevered. Their words were so thoughtful and when I'm feeling grumpy about work I can always look back at that for a reminder. Ah I love my work!

 

 Later that week I headed on a short trip across the country for an interview! 

 It went really well! More about that later :)

I then came back on Thursday, just in time for my parents to arrive in NC for graduation on Friday. Friday morning we woke up and my mom declared I needed a new dress for graduation..so we went to Belk! I love Belk's dresses so much, and I got mine below for 50% off! 

My balloons! Dress: Belk

 We ate at Mellow Mushroom before the ceremony...my fave! 

 

 My beautiful sister and I. Of course we're matching! 

One of my best friends, Michelle, came all the way from Richmond to my graduation. This girl is one of those friends that you can go months without talking to, but when you pick up the phone its like no time has passed. I have a few friends like that and I know they are my forever friends. 

Soon it was time to head to the ceremony. Getting a Master's degree is strange, at least for me.  I  felt more like I was a part of a team working to get our degrees and not just a singular person (obviously the point of a cohort lol) All in all, I was so excited to be graduating with these amazing people that will always be my colleagues and that I am lucky enough to call friends. 

Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education Class of 2013!

 Those silly sleeves for Master's candidates...that also doubled as pockets! 

 Co-workers and friends

 Waiting our turn!

 UNCG...can't you see it? Love these girls

 Woo hoo!! Yes! 

Wouldn't have been able to do it without Erin and Allison. We always said how thankful we were for one another through the really tough times. I'm so grateful to have had them to bitch with, celebrate with, drink with, study with, and talk through life with during the many ups and downs of the past two years. They're amazing student affairs pros that I call some of my closest friends!

 My family, love them.

Saturday some people in my cohort and I hosted a cookout for our families and friends. We ate and drank and played cornhole! It was glorious.

 Some grads! (Sorry its so dark)

My friend Holly- another huge support for me over the past two years! When I was looking for assistantships, she called me about the one I have now, and the first thing she said to me was "You go to VCU? I have been rooting for the Rams through the entire tournament!!" (When VCU went to the Final 4 in 2011) I knew at that moment we would be friends, but I never knew how great of a friend she would be! 

 I never really got a chance to think about how much this Master's program and the people I have met have effected me. This experience taught me so much about myself and redefined the work I want to do and why I want to do it. When I decided that I wanted to work in student affairs with college students back in my junior year of undergrad, it was because I believed I had a less-than-satisfactory experience as a college student and wanted to help others not have to go through what I did. Now I look back on my experiences and realize that without them, I wouldn't have the empathy that I have now for those students who are lost in their careers as students and as young adults.  Because of this program and experience, I know what I want and don't want from a position, a supervisor, a school, relationships and myself. It truly has changed me and caused me to grow beyond, wayyy beyond the work place and the field. I don't expect to always inspire change, and I don't believe that I will be the sole cause of change in a student's life. But I am passionate about planting the seed...planting the seed that a student is not defined by their weaknesses, but by their strengths, and with just a little guidance and positive conversation, I want to help them see those strengths as I do.

Besides my passion for working with students, I know that I have become more confident, and more sure of my values and desires as an adult. And I have also come to question so many things in my life and belief system that I have never really taken the time to examine and question before. Whether or not this happened as a result of the program or just as a result of me getting older, I know that without some of the courses I took and really tough situations I went through, I wouldn't be able to identify some of the things that are so important to me now.

I see that I have become a better version of myself, but there is still so much room to grow. As tough, aggravating, exciting and emotional this experience was, I wouldn't change it (or any of the events that transpired) for the world, because it has built who I am now- like any significant life experience. I am so grateful to have found a career path I am so passionate about; being that fortunate is not lost on me- but I am also open to the idea that this may or may not be my only path, which I think is important. I'm just taking it one step at a time, in the pursuit of my contentedness in the life that I have.

In the ever wise words of Ms. Elle Woods:

 "It is with passion, courage of conviction, and strong sense of self that we take our next steps into the world, remembering that first impressions are not always correct. You must always have faith in people. And most importantly, you must always have faith in yourself."