Ponderings

So as I sit here in my Ayesha Face Mask from Lush (love!), hoping no one can see in my windows for fear of embarrassment, I am reflecting on my week at the University of Georgia.  I was chosen to participate in an institute for professionals in the field of University Housing.  We learned about what it takes to be a Chief Housing Officer.  The majority of the institute involved planning my future and mapping out my professional development to achieve my goals.  This has left me very reflective and introspective, and so I thought I would share what's been rattling around in my head lately. 

I started The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz upon returning and am currently almost halfway through.  (This is also helping me with my 11 in '11).  Here are some things to ponder from the book:

"We are so afraid that somebody else will notice that we are not what we pretend to be.  We judge others according to our image of perfection as well, and naturally they fall short of our expectations." (p. 18)

"Every human mind is fertile, but only for those kinds of seeds it is prepared for.  What is important is to see which kind of seeds our mind is fertile for, and to prepare it to receive the seeds of love." (p. 28)

"Gossiping has become the main form of communication in human society." (p. 38)

These nuggets of wisdom made me reflect on myself and my actions.  Namely: how authentic am I, and how harshly do I judge others?  Truth: pretty harshly.  In reality all this does is cause stress and conflict.  I should focus on myself and doing good and let others worry about themselves.  This leads into the second two quotes.  If I let my mind be fertile for animosity or negativity I will absorb those traits.  By gossipping I am spreading those seeds to others and causing pain.  Does the fleeting joy of a juicy tidbit really warrant the possible negative consequences.  I'm going to go with no. 

So part of my professional development plan, is also to be personally better.  A better friend, a better colleague, and a better citizen overall. 

What have you reflected on recently?

Georgia on my mind

I am leaving early tomorrow morning for The University of Georgia where I'll be participating in a professional institute.  I'm thrilled for the opportunity, and looking forward to meeting new friends and colleagues. 

The University is in Athens, GA and aside from driving through on Florida roadtrips, I've never actually visited the state so famous for its peaches and bulldogs. 



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I've been told to expect lots of heat and humidity, with a heap of southern hospitality.

I've scheduled some posts, and have some great guest posts lined up so you won't need to cry at night from missing me.

Any of you been to Georgia?  I'd love to hear your travel tips. 

Have a lovely week!

Take Your Blogger to Work

Today I am linking up with the blog Hiya Luv  for her Take Your Blogger to Work Event.  So, here, you can get to know me a little better....

The first career I ever remember really wanting as a kid was to be an astronaut. 

I even got the "free video" for space camp and everything.  I must have watched it a hundred times.  I think it's a good thing that never panned out given my motion sickness...I can only imagine that getting sick inside that bubble helmet would pretty much be terrible. 

After that, I wanted to be a doctor.  My parents and I were all in and out of doctor's offices and hospitals as I was growing up and met many wonderful doctors in the process.  I thought that helping people would be wonderful, and hey, doctors get paid a lot right?!  That's before I knew about things like malpractice insurance, and the necessity of passing Calculus in order to get into med school.

Then at Seton Hall University (GO SHU!) I became a Resident Assistant.  I always held leadership positions throughout High School, and knew it would be a good fit for me.  Plus, free room and board didn't hurt.

I loved being an RA, and the summer after my sophomore year I became one of the department's Training Interns.  MARISOL was my boss, and not only did I meet someone who would become a mentor and friend for life, but she is the person who urged me to go into Student Affairs.  That woman is pretty much always right...just don't tell her I said that.

So I ended up working as an Area Coordinator at one University while getting my Master's Degree in Education from another.  I worked for a very small Residence Life Department and so not only did I run a residence hall and supervise a staff, I also planned RA Training, ran RA selection, saw judicial cases, and a whole host of other things that others in my field at the same level would never have the opportunity to experience.  I got paid pretty well, and loved working with students, although the University itself was never a great fit for me.

This past July I did a horrendously stressful job search.  Sean is still in grad school and so we were pretty much stuck in Philadelphia, and we have a dog.  That did not leave a whole lot of options for jobs considering my job is a live-in position.  Yep--I live in a residence hall.  While that can be a little crazy (lack of privacy, noisy students, etc.) the commute, and the FREE-ness of it all really can't be beat.  But my job search wasn't just for a paycheck, but a roof over our heads as well.  Talk about a lot of pressure!

I was beyond ecstatic, (and exceptionally lucky) to get the job at my current University.  I am able to have my furball, and my husband, and still live in Philadelphia so Sean is able to continue his grad work.  Not only that, but I actually work for a pretty great department.  My colleagues are smart and passionate, and we all get along...no real drama to speak of...imagine that!  My official title is Resident Director, and because the department is large, I actually get to focus on my staff and my residents rather than everything else under the sun.  I still have opportunities for professional development, and in fact I'm very excited to be attending THE NATIONAL HOUSING TRAINING INSTITUTE this June.  I love working in Higher Ed, and hope to be here for a long time.

The best part of my job is knowing that I am making a difference (however small) in the lives of students, and hopefully helping them to become better people in the long run.  I've also learned a ton from my students.  They teach me something every day--no two days in my job are ever the same.  And despite all the angry parents, the 3am crises, or the students who just aren't quite ready to receive the messages I'm sending, I genuinely love coming into work every day.

This is definitely not the career path I had originally intended for myself.  I never even knew that Student Affairs was a career path.  Now that I'm here, however, I am excited to see what will come of it.  Will I go back to school for a doctorate? Will I work in Res Life for ever? Will I wake up one day and decide to open my own cupcake bakery instead?  Who knows.  But I will continue blogging about all the adventures and twists and turns...I can't wait!