1 quarter down, 5 to go!

My first visitors! Washington, Oregon & Canada all in 5 days!

In true Jesuit spirit, I have used the last couple of days to reflect on my experience during my first quarter of grad school. I first want to point out that my last post was three days before the quarter started. Clearly I have had a very busy quarter.

This quarter has been a whirlwind of emotions, activities, and experiences. I am still in awe that I have been living in Seattle for the last four months. Who would have ever thought I would move 2 states away from everyone I know and love? When I began the quarter I thought this move would be simple and everything would be amazing, but I was wrong. I had a hard time coping with being away from family and the home I've created for myself. I thought I was just experiencing a case of homesickness, but it was much more about what I was holding on to. I wasn't ready to let go of experiences and memories I had which was stopping me from enjoying my experiences in Seattle. It wasn't until my friend, Lexi, asked me "What do you need from these people at home and can you find that in people in Seattle?" that I realized I need to let myself give into the relationships I've formed in Seattle. Those two questions were advantageous for me and have helped me enjoy my time here so much more.

Trip home for Thanksgiving: Got to see Bre!

Aside from my overall experience, I am most reflective on my experience as an ARD thus far. I continue to learn more and more about the professional I want to be as I interact with  my RAs and the amazing Senior Team members. I've learned what I do not want in future jobs and what things I must have. I never thought there were things that I would not love about my work so much so that I do not want them in my day to day. I've learned to dig deeper with students and with myself to find out underlying affects. I've learned to tailor my interactions with students to best fit them and what they need from me. I hope I have done some great work and affected just one student in a positive way this fall. Throughout the quarter there has been many mistakes made, but I know that grad school is the time for these mistakes. I hope to see how I can change these things in the coming quarters. I will continue to learn and grow while leaning on my mentors for guidance and support. I could not  have do any of this without those who have shaped how I do this work: Danielle, Amber, Kristen, Travis, Chaz, Dr. Smith, Veronica, my USF RA family, and of course my mom. I continue to hold the lessons learned from you all near and see them playing out in much of the work I do. Thank you!

SUSDA Holiday Party

On the academic side of things, I am doing just fine. For those who know me well, you know I never seem like I'm doing any work for school. I continue to wake up early to do homework and set deadlines so that I am always ahead in class. Even with those deadlines, I pulled more all-nighters this quarter than I did in my entire 4 years of undergrad! Not happening next quarter! Sleep will be a priority. This quarter academically has made me a better writer and I even read for class each week! With Law next quarter, we'll see if I continue reading so hard considering all the tips and tricks I know for reading cases. Basically school is school and I will keep doing things the way I always have until it doesn't work anymore.

Only some of the great people in my year!

My first quarter is over and I am in awe. Me: a girl raised in a single parent home where my mom worked two jobs and could barely pay for undergrad, has made it to graduate school and completed her first quarter. There are 5 more quarters to go before I can make my mother proud again as she watches me walk across the stage for the 3rd time! I am proud of myself for making it this far despite all of the people who told me that  there was no way I would be doing this. As someone who loves to plan out her life, I am now debating whether I will get an Ed.D or go to law school. But I'll go into that in a blog over break as I dive further into that discernment process. For now, I'm one-sixth of the way done and can't wait to see what the rest of my time will be like!