Not Abandoning Y'all...

I promise!

I'm currently at the Republican National Convention working for CNN and reporting for BSU...no posting until it's over!

The Grad School Chronicles: Part I {The Applications}

The time has come. I'm applying to grad school for my masters in higher education and student affairs. Finally. 

For the past year or so, I have poured over graduate program databases, talked with people from different institutions, sought advice from mentors at my own institution, researched the type of degree/program/assistantship hiring process, studied for the GRE, and looked up ideal locations (including nearby ultimate frisbee leagues) in order to find the right fits for me. My ideal schools took up one Google spreadsheet and I had a complex ranking system in place to help me decide which schools are the best to apply to.     

My year's worth of research led me to my final three (in no particular order)...drum roll, please: 

1. University of Maryland - College Park
2. Arizona State University
3. University of Arizona

Now that I know where I'm applying, I can put the majority of my energy into writing my personal statements, updating my resume/CV, and taking the GRE. 

Be on the lookout for more tales from my Grad School Chronicles (GSC) as the process unfolds! 

The Beginning of the End

September will mark the beginning of my final year at Bridgewater State. Honestly, it's weird to type out those words and see them on my computer screen. I can't believe how fast four years flew by! Not only does September mark the beginning of the end of some really great things, it also marks the beginning of some even greater things.

The End of:

• My research. Yesterday marked the one year mark for my thesis project on rhetoric and immigration, and come May it will be all over. I've put a very large part of myself into this project and am excited to finally see the end result. 
• My time with the Social Justice League. I joined SJL the second week of my freshman year and never looked back. It's going to be sad to leave an organization that has helped me grow so much, but I'm excited to end my time with SJL as the chief point person. 
• My job at the RCC. I've been truly blessed by my tenure at the RCC. I've been given so many opportunities, worked with and for some of the best people on campus, and found a real passion for the Student Affairs Field. 

The Beginning of:

• My journey to grad school . I've put tons of energy into researching the right type of program, location, school, and studying for the GRE for over a year. Now, I finally get to put all of that energy into applying to my "final four" (schools to be revealed at a later date). 
• Living on my own. I'm moving into the guest room of two of my really great friends' house to be closer to school and take my long overdue crack at true independence. This is good practice for my big relocation to wherever I'm going for grad school next summer.  
• An adventure with someone I really care about. I've recently entered a relationship with a pretty awesome guy, and I'm really happy. Right now we're separated by a pretty steep distance, but I'm excited to see how we grow, both in our relationship and as individuals, over the course of the next few months. 

The stories on this blog are going to get more exciting as time goes on, so be sure to stick around! 

Two Months in Arizona: A Tale Through Instagram

I spent the last two months in Arizona working on research for my thesis and spending time on summer staff at Andre House. There's a lot of stories to tell, but pictures say a thousand words, so here's some of my best Instagram shots: 

4.5 layover in Dallas to start my trip | spending time with my housemates | the craziness of Monday nights | and my keys to the building. 

new Chacos I found in the basement | my love for Americano grew | I baked a lot of yummy things | RAIN

After a year and a half of researching and reading, I finally made it to the Sonoran border. 

Goodwill 50% off Saturdays | Dutch Brothers | caught up on some reading | Shirley, my favorite Monday night volunteer

I hiked the Maxwell Trail at the Mogollon Rim. 

And last, but certainly not least, I met someone and we're pretty happy. 

The Semester in Instagram Photos

The semester is spiraling its way to summer. Finals end May 8th and I'm so excited to finish up and start preparing for my trip to Phoenix.

Here's an overview of my semester through Instagram:

We brought Campus MovieFest to Campus again: 

There were over 29 films submitted, and 16 films made it to our Finale. 

 I traveled to Minneapolis for the National Service Learning Conference. 

 SJL sponsored and co-sponsored events:

Spring Homelessness Forum, Genocide Survivor Panel + the Just Trade Fair

A semester full of projects, letters from friends, tea and thesis. 

An Introvert's Tale of Conference Travel

A month late is better than never at all...enjoy. 

I am an introvert, there is no question about that. I always have been, and attending conferences, conventions, or other large-scale events just exacerbate that fact. However, in order to make any kind of connections and enjoy yourself at these kinds of things, you have to step out of your comfort zone every now and then.

I had the very exciting opportunity to attend the 2012 ACUI Annual Conference in Boston this past March (THANK YOU, Region 1). Being the only student, both undergrad and graduate, in my delegation it was imperative (strong term here, but it mattered) to shake myself of this introverted-ness. As exhausting as it was to constantly be the butterfly out of the cocoon, I can honestly say that I had the best time. I loved getting to know my fellow Region 1 colleagues better and in a different setting. Per usual, I took away a lot of new ideas from ed sessions, and got some new ideas about how to better incorporate and integrate social media into our regional conference in November.

Overall, #ACUI12 was a great experience and I was so grateful for the opportunity to attend.

Beginnings

After many failed attempts at blogging, I'm going to try again....for real this time. I'm not quite sure where I want this to go yet, but I'm excited at the prospects of a building a space of my own to reflect and share the happenings of my life, my interests, and my travels.

Expect the unexpected. But I can guarantee honesty, recipes, stories from my time spent in Arizona, and fun.

-K