Reflections

I have defended my comprehensive exam, and sat in two other defenses. Everytime I have sat in a defense I am reminded of the reasons why I fell in love with this career. Student Affairs is more than just programming, which is what I have experience in. Student Affairs is about creating an environment conducive to learning, growing, maturing, and learning some more. One my cohort mates basically wrote a book for her comprehensive exam. She wrote a memoir to mentors. She collected stories from her own mentees and wrote about her own experiences as a mentee and a mentor. See, while we may not have the title "Student Mentor Coordinator", we are in a sence mentors to students. We are the first individuals they meet outside of their academics. Earlier on in my blog I wrote about my own mentors, my own lanterns. I credit them a lot for my successes. And in this field, we have to make sure we care about our students, there must be something greater than ourselves to keep us going. You see, there is something called "burnout" and it is something I fear as I enter this field. I do not want to lose focus and purpose as I navigate my career in this field. Oftentimes, we burnout because it is a constant 'drudge', but we must see beyond the same program, understand each of our students, acknowledge how students change generation to generation, and each year they need us to help them navigate their own career path and decisions. They are the next generation. As I was walking to the gym yesterday to release some much needed stress, I noticed how quite a lot of students were hanging out in the quad outside their residence halls. It was an amazing scene, one I cannot wait to ge my hands on as a professional. The sun was out, it was roughly 50degrees and that meant they could finally hang outside and enjoy the brisk New England air. Students were playing frisbee on the green, while others played basketball on half the court, on the other half a group of 4 men were playing field hockey on roller blades (that reminded me I need to get some). To my right, there was a group of young ladys basking in the sun and chatting, and next to them was a gathering of hool-a-hoop students. And all around me students were walking, running, biking, skipping, and enjoying life. Oh the joy of being a student. At that moment I was reminded about my own experiences as an undergraduate and how much community played an important role in my persistence to graduation. And that is why I am in this field, to help others find their community and succeed.