“Every great accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” I'm pretty sure Dawn and I found this quote way back in August of 2009, as we dared to decorate my brand new apartment in the “big city” of Raleigh, North Carolina. At that point, I had no idea how this quote would resonate with me time and time again, in the two years that spanned my graduate school experience.
On May 14th, my graduate school experience came to an end as I walked up the aisle and across the church (Our departmental graduation was held at Cary Church of Christ.) to receive my folder and say my regards. There in the audience was my immediate family, Dawn, and the “sisters in misery” who shared in my triumphs and sorrows for many long months. While I'd like to say that the day was a bittersweet one, it was really just sweet... Sweet to know that the big, daunting, uneasy decision to attend grad school at NCSU was one that might have cost me lots of tears and anger, but afforded me the greatest accomplishment of my life – an accomplishment I will never forget, and of which I will always be proud.
Okay – so I'm finally done with school. I know for a fact there are a few of you out there who are thinking, “Finally this girl is done with school,” and maybe even one or two who are a little bummed to know you can't tease me about homework and papers and projects anymore. But, now what?
Welp, I'm a big girl now, folks! ...or at least trying to be. After spending a few days at home in Louisiana, on May 21st, I loaded up the car again and headed north on I-49. Seven and a half hours later, I found myself in “The Natural State”...area code 501... zip code 72211...aka: Little Rock, Arkansas.
I moved into my very own apartment, a one-bedroom in West Little Rock, where I'm living...alone...for the first time in my life. As soon as I walked in the door, I thought, “Wow, I have an apartment and it's mine, all mine!” At this point, however, my sentiments are a little different considering I'm over a week into the experience still without furniture or any sort of connection with the outside world. (Hopefully, that will change soon, though.*crosses fingers*)
A week ago (May 23rd), I started working full-time at my “home away from home,” a place that is very special to me. (For sake of clarity and understanding, I'll go ahead and explain...I'm working as the Volunteer Coordinator at the camp for which I have spent the last three summers working.) I definitely have some big shoes to fill, but after a few days of training, I feel good about where things stand, and I am looking forward to a great summer. It sure helps to know that the camp family is a special one, and the supportive environment that exists here is perfect for a girl who is growing into her own.
I can't publish this entry without adding a caveat here. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine this opportunity would present itself. Working as the Volunteer Coordinator at an organization about which I feel passionate is something I hoped would happen, but didn't expect at all. I guess they're right when they say timing is everything and what is meant to be will be. “Que sera sera,” to quote Mrs. Johnson. ;) I am beyond honored for this opportunity and I hope that I will give it my all and make everyone proud in the process...
Now that school is over, and gone with it are the late nights writing or never-ending academic obligations, I'm hoping I'll be able to find more time for blogging. Then again, with the big move and new job is sure to come other supplements in the responsibility category. For now, though, I'm stuck without cable/internet (in addition to the whole furniture thing), so maybe I'll use this solitude to do some catch-up work on this blog of mine. Silence allots for reflective thinking, that's for sure...
In any case, thanks to all who provide support and understanding and I hope that this entry finds you alive and well. I can't wait to catch up with you again soon.
Love always,
-Lauren
**Note: This entry was written on May 30, 2011, and published at a later date.
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label graduation. Show all posts
Friday, June 17, 2011
Monday, January 31, 2011
Job Fever
It's the last day of January, and we all know what that means...blog-time! Feeling a little drowsy today, but wanting to be productive nonetheless, I thought, "Hey, today would be a good day for a blog!" Only then did I realize it's the last day of the month, which means I need to get on it if I want to keep my commitment to blogging twice a month.
Thankfully, I had an idea of what to write in this entry (several, actually), so that part wasn't too hard. Interestingly, I have ideas for two more blogs brewing in this little brain of mine, so you may be plesantly surprised over the next few weeks. However, don't expect too much, as we all know how those things go.
As usual, first comes the thesis (or "feces") update. I'm having a tough time getting back into the swing of all things school related. The minimum is done, but while I was once ahead of the pack on thesising, I'm falling farther behind daily. I really should finalize revisions and get on that formatting stuff, but ughh, there are just so many more interesting things to do with my time. Only 4 weeks til D-Day (defense)! ahhh.
And because these days I can't blog without including one of those fun comics, here's this entry's addition:
This particular comic is appropriate because I spent the first week of school performing daily revisions on a paper that was submitted for a research conference in Idaho this May. No word yet on whether it'll be accepted, but honestly, I'm perfectly okay if it doesn't get in. I'd really prefer to keep my post-graduation calendar as open as possible, and attending a research conference the week after isn't exactly in my list of highlights.
And after all that, I can finally get onto the "main course," if you will. As I'm sure you could gather from the title, this entry is all about the mooolahhhhh. Well, sort of. What I mean is that job fever is working itself through our office like the plague.
I'm not sure where it started, and I may have mentioned that several job "leads" were out for my friends and classmates in previous entries, but goodness the jobs have exploded! In the last month, there have been at least 8 job interviews among four of us, collectively. Two of the J's have received jobs in Extension, one as a 4-H Agent and one as a Livestock/Row Crops Agent. While it may not have been a heavenly set-up for either of them, I think they will both find happiness in their new endeavors, both short and long term. ;-)
The third J (Yes, we're surrounded by J's in NC too...reminds me of the Idaho J boys, haha!) received wonderful news today; she was offered a position as teacher a biotechnology teacher at a middle school about 45 minutes from Raleigh! Slated to start her student teaching practicum sometime this week, this last minute news is great, since this offer will be a permanent position, instead. Everyone's dreams are falling together, and it's so sweet to think back to when we all started out just a year and a half ago... Congratulations, yay!
In the midst of all this job-ness, I started to feel left out. So, uh, I *gasp* decided to apply for a job, too. WHAT, you say? Yeah, I know. What happened to not wanting a job 'til August? Well, I don't, really...but...like I said, I felt left out!
The dish, you want? In an effort to avoid thesising (story of my life, right?) I spent a Friday evening surfing the websites of hospitals in four states, scoping out openings for Child Life positions. In the process, I came across an opening in Greenville, South Carolina. After researching the program, and the hospital's website, I kept coming back to that program. So, on a whim, I threw together the application, without thinking too much, and before I could convince myself not to do it, I submitted the darn thing. This was around 8 p.m. on a Friday night, and by Monday morning (before 9 a.m.), I had an e-mail requesting a phone interview for the following afternoon. Whoaaa, talk about fast moving...especially for something I did on a whim! (Those of you who know me, realize this is sooo not a "Lauren thing" to do!)
In any case, the interview went okay. I feel like I represented myself fairly, and to the best that I could given my background and experiences. However, I think they may be hoping for someone with more experience, or just something other than what I have to offer. I've been watching the status of my application online, but I haven't seen anything of interest there yet. I'll be sure to share if I hear anything; either way, I'm content because for now I am still in school, and the future will take care of itself.
Needless to say, these next few months are sure to be interesting. We made a paper chain countdown to graduation in the office, and it's bittersweet to watch the links disappear daily. All in all, I'm really excited about the possibilities and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds.
As always, stay tuned.
-Lauren
PS: The title of this entry reminded me of this song. Enjoy. (And believe it or not, it's not country. Ha.)
Thankfully, I had an idea of what to write in this entry (several, actually), so that part wasn't too hard. Interestingly, I have ideas for two more blogs brewing in this little brain of mine, so you may be plesantly surprised over the next few weeks. However, don't expect too much, as we all know how those things go.
As usual, first comes the thesis (or "feces") update. I'm having a tough time getting back into the swing of all things school related. The minimum is done, but while I was once ahead of the pack on thesising, I'm falling farther behind daily. I really should finalize revisions and get on that formatting stuff, but ughh, there are just so many more interesting things to do with my time. Only 4 weeks til D-Day (defense)! ahhh.
And because these days I can't blog without including one of those fun comics, here's this entry's addition:
This particular comic is appropriate because I spent the first week of school performing daily revisions on a paper that was submitted for a research conference in Idaho this May. No word yet on whether it'll be accepted, but honestly, I'm perfectly okay if it doesn't get in. I'd really prefer to keep my post-graduation calendar as open as possible, and attending a research conference the week after isn't exactly in my list of highlights.
And after all that, I can finally get onto the "main course," if you will. As I'm sure you could gather from the title, this entry is all about the mooolahhhhh. Well, sort of. What I mean is that job fever is working itself through our office like the plague.
I'm not sure where it started, and I may have mentioned that several job "leads" were out for my friends and classmates in previous entries, but goodness the jobs have exploded! In the last month, there have been at least 8 job interviews among four of us, collectively. Two of the J's have received jobs in Extension, one as a 4-H Agent and one as a Livestock/Row Crops Agent. While it may not have been a heavenly set-up for either of them, I think they will both find happiness in their new endeavors, both short and long term. ;-)
The third J (Yes, we're surrounded by J's in NC too...reminds me of the Idaho J boys, haha!) received wonderful news today; she was offered a position as teacher a biotechnology teacher at a middle school about 45 minutes from Raleigh! Slated to start her student teaching practicum sometime this week, this last minute news is great, since this offer will be a permanent position, instead. Everyone's dreams are falling together, and it's so sweet to think back to when we all started out just a year and a half ago... Congratulations, yay!
In the midst of all this job-ness, I started to feel left out. So, uh, I *gasp* decided to apply for a job, too. WHAT, you say? Yeah, I know. What happened to not wanting a job 'til August? Well, I don't, really...but...like I said, I felt left out!
The dish, you want? In an effort to avoid thesising (story of my life, right?) I spent a Friday evening surfing the websites of hospitals in four states, scoping out openings for Child Life positions. In the process, I came across an opening in Greenville, South Carolina. After researching the program, and the hospital's website, I kept coming back to that program. So, on a whim, I threw together the application, without thinking too much, and before I could convince myself not to do it, I submitted the darn thing. This was around 8 p.m. on a Friday night, and by Monday morning (before 9 a.m.), I had an e-mail requesting a phone interview for the following afternoon. Whoaaa, talk about fast moving...especially for something I did on a whim! (Those of you who know me, realize this is sooo not a "Lauren thing" to do!)
In any case, the interview went okay. I feel like I represented myself fairly, and to the best that I could given my background and experiences. However, I think they may be hoping for someone with more experience, or just something other than what I have to offer. I've been watching the status of my application online, but I haven't seen anything of interest there yet. I'll be sure to share if I hear anything; either way, I'm content because for now I am still in school, and the future will take care of itself.
Needless to say, these next few months are sure to be interesting. We made a paper chain countdown to graduation in the office, and it's bittersweet to watch the links disappear daily. All in all, I'm really excited about the possibilities and I can't wait to see how everything unfolds.
As always, stay tuned.
-Lauren
PS: The title of this entry reminded me of this song. Enjoy. (And believe it or not, it's not country. Ha.)
Monday, December 15, 2008
It Flew By...
Wowsers. I can't believe it's been only a week (okay 8 days, again) since I've written! This last week has been such a whirlwind, that I'm not sure I'll be able to remember it all. I shall try, however...
Picking up from where I left off last, I skipped my last opportunity to attend a Shenanigans soccer game in return for finishing my disease paper about Spina Bifida on Monday. Gina and I had one of our infamous rant sessions, which was kind of nice. I really enjoy debriefing about things with her. [Speaking of which, I should call her and see how her last week is going so far...note to self.]
Tuesday was a regular work day, and I don't really remember much about it. Wednesday, however, I was given permission to leave early (not long after finishing our weekly meeting and turning in my paper) with full intentions to pack up my stuff. I wanted to buy some Idaho things to bring home with me, but had forgotten my walet at the apt, so Tesa met me downtown and we shopped at 'Taters briefly before heading home. I didn't get much done productivity-wise, before it was time to head out to the Wifebeaters soccer game. Unfortunately, they lost, but at least I got some Twilight reading done in the process, lol. And then, it was time to head back home to pack...
For a while, I was doing pretty good; I washed two loads of clothes and had packed most everything by 10 p.m. At that point, I decided to double check with Delta.com to make sure that the luggage requirements hadn't changed. Good thing I checked, too, because I found out they had changed, and (to make it simple) thus I would only be bringing home one bag of clothes. Because I was originally planning to take two suitcases, my clothing had been packed by genre (shirts, pants, jackets, etc.). With the sudden realization that I could only take one, I figured that I'd have to rearrange everything so I had a good mix of clothing, rather than leaving behind a few whole genres, and only come home with pants and t-shirts, for example. By then, I was really tired and stressed with everything going on, so I gave up and decided to sit back and read Twilight (well, Twilight # 4, Breaking Dawn) for the rest of the night, since I promised Haley (hospital school teacher) that I'd return the book before I left Boise. I resolved to finish packing Thursday afternoon, instead.
Thursday was kind of somber, with it being my last day and all. I spent a lot of time saying goodbyes (at least 8 at the hospital, and plenty more later). Gina and I just kind of sat and looked at each other for a while...in disbelief that it's all over and that I was leaving. It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone at the hospital; they were so wonderful to me and became a sort of surrogant family over the last few months. I've resolved to do my very best to keep in touch with everyone, or at the very least, keep them updated with where life takes me.
I rushed to finish packing that afternoon because we had plans to go eat at some Basque restaurant downtown to celebrate (?) my going away. The restaurant was much smaller than we imagined, so we decided to eat at Bardenay instead. Jesse, Tessa, Ashley, Mike, Jason, and Kim all came out to "celebrate" (I really don't think this term is appropriate, but I don't know what else to use) with me. Joey, Jeff, and Stew were all working, but met up with us later in the evening. After dinner, we all went over to The Front Door to meet up with more people (mostly Ashley's friends) to celebrate Ashley's 22nd birthday. As usual, the festivities were pretty low key and didn't go on very long. We left early, mostly because Kim and I had a very early morning the next day. I'm sure that some of the others had class and/or work in the morning, too.
I didn't finish packing until late that night, and then I had some notes to write before I could go to sleep. By the time I was done with all of that stuff, I decided to lay down on the couch and try to get some rest, but before I could fall asleep, Stew showed up (after getting off of work and going out to see everyone, but I wasn't there) to tell me goodbye. He hung out for a while, and for this reason, I didn't go to sleep until 3 a.m...
Friday, my day began at 4:30 a.m., with final touches on packing, or better said--unpacking--as I knew my luggage was overweight so I kept shifting things and taking more and more out of it. Kim drove me to the airport, and I did curbside check in. Thank goodness she stayed with me 'til after I checked my luggage, because I ended up having to take out four more pounds of clothing so that it wasn't over weight. Bah.
Because I'd only had an hour and a half worth of sleep the night before, I slept for the entirety of all three of my flights. My layover in Salt Lake City, though technically 40 minutes, turned into only enough time for me to potty and jump on the next plane. No complaints, though, because the gates were really close to each other and I made the second flight just fine. In Atlanta, it seemed like it took foreverrrr for everything. Since there were about 300 people on my flight, it took ages for everyone to get off of the plane. Then there were a buttload of people in the airport, so I had to wait a while in line to potty and to get food. Food was an issue in itself, also, since I refused to pay ten bucks for a 50 cent sandwhich that I could make at home. Grr. I did end up with a tasty buffalo chicken sub for only six dollars though. Woot.
In New Orleans, Nannie Lois and Uncle Ray (my great aunt and uncle) picked me up from the airport. We then met Annie (former roommate from Lulling) and Brian (her boyfriend) at the Shoney's in front of Hahnville High to pick up my graduation cap and gown, and then continued heading westward toward Morgan City. In Morgan City, I sat back and relaxed for a while...it was soo nice. My mom, dad, and brother arrived around 7:30 p.m., and we all enjoyed a delicious gumbo dinner, with some yummyyyy (Idaho) potato salad. [Ironic that the potatoes were from Idaho Falls, eh?] Everyone did random things for the rest of the evening--Momma and Nannie ironing our clothes for the following day, and the guys chatting about hunting things. I passed out (in a bed for the first time in ages) soon after dinner, lol.
Saturday was a fairly early morning, for I had to be at the Houma Civic Center by 9:15 a.m., which is 45 minutes (give or take) from Morgan City. Nanna and Poppa met us at Nannie's house to ride with us to Houma. It was soooooooo nice to finally see them, ahhh, I missed them SO much. Due to a wreck along the way, I was nearly late to arrive, but it all worked out. I even had a chance see Jen, Annie, and Lauren (former roommates) and visit with some of the FACS graduates before the ceremony. I really enjoyed seeing everyone; I was really close to my roommates before, and fairly close to my classmates, too, so it was great to see everyone again.
The ceremony was only 2 hours long, despite the fact that we're the largest graduating class in Nicholls' history. Pretty sweet, eh? Bobby Jindal (current LA Govenor and future US President--you just wait!) was our guest speaker!! He's pretty much amazing, to say the least. ...Andddd, we even got to shake his hand!! Ahh!!
Afterwards, I took pictures with Jen, Annie, and Lauren before my family headed out to find some lunch to celebrate. I should also mention that Kyle, my bestest friend ever came to the ceremony. Kyle is in the seminary in Covington, and so happened to have finished school the day before, so I asked him to come to my graduation and told him that it would mean a whole dang lot to me if he came. Basically, Kyle's presence at graduation was about the greatest gift that anyone could have ever given me; it totally made my day.
After lunch at CiCi's pizza (yeah pretty much all the real restaurants had wayyy too long of a wait time), my family headed back to Morgan City for yummy homemade cherry cheesecake and celebration gifts. We hung out for a while, and then headed home to Abbeville (finally--my first time at home in 4 months) for an evening of relaxation.
Sunday was a pretty slow day. I unpacked a little, and didn't really do much else besides church with the family in the evening. Today, Monday, was slow again, minus the phone interview I had with Wonders of Washington. I feel pretty good about the interview, but won't know anything more until after January 1st. I'd write more about it but it's getting late and I'm getting drowsy, lol. In any case, the interview did a good job of getting me more excited about the prospect of the position. Lately, I've been in the Idaho mindset and not wanting to be anywhere else. I still do want to be in Idaho, but I also have to realize that I can't always get what I want, I suppose. So, therefore, I must open my mind to other possiblities...and see what happens.
And, no, I'm not done with the job hunt, or the school search. In fact, I'm on a mission to spend at least the next three weeks looking for jobs (here, there, and everywhere), and figuring out details concerning graduate school. Hopefully this time will allow for some productivity amongst the rest. I already feel like the biggest bum ever, even though I thought I just wanted to be lazy all day. Surprise, surprise, huh?
Anyhoo, I've gotta jet (unfortunately, not literally). Momma and I are running errands and shopping in Lafayette tomorrow. Joy. You alll know how much I love shopping, right? Heh. And, let's see if this whole having free time thing works in favor of more frequent blogging. We'll have to wait to find out. :)
See ya,
-Lauren
Picking up from where I left off last, I skipped my last opportunity to attend a Shenanigans soccer game in return for finishing my disease paper about Spina Bifida on Monday. Gina and I had one of our infamous rant sessions, which was kind of nice. I really enjoy debriefing about things with her. [Speaking of which, I should call her and see how her last week is going so far...note to self.]
Tuesday was a regular work day, and I don't really remember much about it. Wednesday, however, I was given permission to leave early (not long after finishing our weekly meeting and turning in my paper) with full intentions to pack up my stuff. I wanted to buy some Idaho things to bring home with me, but had forgotten my walet at the apt, so Tesa met me downtown and we shopped at 'Taters briefly before heading home. I didn't get much done productivity-wise, before it was time to head out to the Wifebeaters soccer game. Unfortunately, they lost, but at least I got some Twilight reading done in the process, lol. And then, it was time to head back home to pack...
For a while, I was doing pretty good; I washed two loads of clothes and had packed most everything by 10 p.m. At that point, I decided to double check with Delta.com to make sure that the luggage requirements hadn't changed. Good thing I checked, too, because I found out they had changed, and (to make it simple) thus I would only be bringing home one bag of clothes. Because I was originally planning to take two suitcases, my clothing had been packed by genre (shirts, pants, jackets, etc.). With the sudden realization that I could only take one, I figured that I'd have to rearrange everything so I had a good mix of clothing, rather than leaving behind a few whole genres, and only come home with pants and t-shirts, for example. By then, I was really tired and stressed with everything going on, so I gave up and decided to sit back and read Twilight (well, Twilight # 4, Breaking Dawn) for the rest of the night, since I promised Haley (hospital school teacher) that I'd return the book before I left Boise. I resolved to finish packing Thursday afternoon, instead.
Thursday was kind of somber, with it being my last day and all. I spent a lot of time saying goodbyes (at least 8 at the hospital, and plenty more later). Gina and I just kind of sat and looked at each other for a while...in disbelief that it's all over and that I was leaving. It was really hard to say goodbye to everyone at the hospital; they were so wonderful to me and became a sort of surrogant family over the last few months. I've resolved to do my very best to keep in touch with everyone, or at the very least, keep them updated with where life takes me.
I rushed to finish packing that afternoon because we had plans to go eat at some Basque restaurant downtown to celebrate (?) my going away. The restaurant was much smaller than we imagined, so we decided to eat at Bardenay instead. Jesse, Tessa, Ashley, Mike, Jason, and Kim all came out to "celebrate" (I really don't think this term is appropriate, but I don't know what else to use) with me. Joey, Jeff, and Stew were all working, but met up with us later in the evening. After dinner, we all went over to The Front Door to meet up with more people (mostly Ashley's friends) to celebrate Ashley's 22nd birthday. As usual, the festivities were pretty low key and didn't go on very long. We left early, mostly because Kim and I had a very early morning the next day. I'm sure that some of the others had class and/or work in the morning, too.
I didn't finish packing until late that night, and then I had some notes to write before I could go to sleep. By the time I was done with all of that stuff, I decided to lay down on the couch and try to get some rest, but before I could fall asleep, Stew showed up (after getting off of work and going out to see everyone, but I wasn't there) to tell me goodbye. He hung out for a while, and for this reason, I didn't go to sleep until 3 a.m...
Friday, my day began at 4:30 a.m., with final touches on packing, or better said--unpacking--as I knew my luggage was overweight so I kept shifting things and taking more and more out of it. Kim drove me to the airport, and I did curbside check in. Thank goodness she stayed with me 'til after I checked my luggage, because I ended up having to take out four more pounds of clothing so that it wasn't over weight. Bah.
Because I'd only had an hour and a half worth of sleep the night before, I slept for the entirety of all three of my flights. My layover in Salt Lake City, though technically 40 minutes, turned into only enough time for me to potty and jump on the next plane. No complaints, though, because the gates were really close to each other and I made the second flight just fine. In Atlanta, it seemed like it took foreverrrr for everything. Since there were about 300 people on my flight, it took ages for everyone to get off of the plane. Then there were a buttload of people in the airport, so I had to wait a while in line to potty and to get food. Food was an issue in itself, also, since I refused to pay ten bucks for a 50 cent sandwhich that I could make at home. Grr. I did end up with a tasty buffalo chicken sub for only six dollars though. Woot.
In New Orleans, Nannie Lois and Uncle Ray (my great aunt and uncle) picked me up from the airport. We then met Annie (former roommate from Lulling) and Brian (her boyfriend) at the Shoney's in front of Hahnville High to pick up my graduation cap and gown, and then continued heading westward toward Morgan City. In Morgan City, I sat back and relaxed for a while...it was soo nice. My mom, dad, and brother arrived around 7:30 p.m., and we all enjoyed a delicious gumbo dinner, with some yummyyyy (Idaho) potato salad. [Ironic that the potatoes were from Idaho Falls, eh?] Everyone did random things for the rest of the evening--Momma and Nannie ironing our clothes for the following day, and the guys chatting about hunting things. I passed out (in a bed for the first time in ages) soon after dinner, lol.
Saturday was a fairly early morning, for I had to be at the Houma Civic Center by 9:15 a.m., which is 45 minutes (give or take) from Morgan City. Nanna and Poppa met us at Nannie's house to ride with us to Houma. It was soooooooo nice to finally see them, ahhh, I missed them SO much. Due to a wreck along the way, I was nearly late to arrive, but it all worked out. I even had a chance see Jen, Annie, and Lauren (former roommates) and visit with some of the FACS graduates before the ceremony. I really enjoyed seeing everyone; I was really close to my roommates before, and fairly close to my classmates, too, so it was great to see everyone again.
The ceremony was only 2 hours long, despite the fact that we're the largest graduating class in Nicholls' history. Pretty sweet, eh? Bobby Jindal (current LA Govenor and future US President--you just wait!) was our guest speaker!! He's pretty much amazing, to say the least. ...Andddd, we even got to shake his hand!! Ahh!!
Afterwards, I took pictures with Jen, Annie, and Lauren before my family headed out to find some lunch to celebrate. I should also mention that Kyle, my bestest friend ever came to the ceremony. Kyle is in the seminary in Covington, and so happened to have finished school the day before, so I asked him to come to my graduation and told him that it would mean a whole dang lot to me if he came. Basically, Kyle's presence at graduation was about the greatest gift that anyone could have ever given me; it totally made my day.
After lunch at CiCi's pizza (yeah pretty much all the real restaurants had wayyy too long of a wait time), my family headed back to Morgan City for yummy homemade cherry cheesecake and celebration gifts. We hung out for a while, and then headed home to Abbeville (finally--my first time at home in 4 months) for an evening of relaxation.
Sunday was a pretty slow day. I unpacked a little, and didn't really do much else besides church with the family in the evening. Today, Monday, was slow again, minus the phone interview I had with Wonders of Washington. I feel pretty good about the interview, but won't know anything more until after January 1st. I'd write more about it but it's getting late and I'm getting drowsy, lol. In any case, the interview did a good job of getting me more excited about the prospect of the position. Lately, I've been in the Idaho mindset and not wanting to be anywhere else. I still do want to be in Idaho, but I also have to realize that I can't always get what I want, I suppose. So, therefore, I must open my mind to other possiblities...and see what happens.
And, no, I'm not done with the job hunt, or the school search. In fact, I'm on a mission to spend at least the next three weeks looking for jobs (here, there, and everywhere), and figuring out details concerning graduate school. Hopefully this time will allow for some productivity amongst the rest. I already feel like the biggest bum ever, even though I thought I just wanted to be lazy all day. Surprise, surprise, huh?
Anyhoo, I've gotta jet (unfortunately, not literally). Momma and I are running errands and shopping in Lafayette tomorrow. Joy. You alll know how much I love shopping, right? Heh. And, let's see if this whole having free time thing works in favor of more frequent blogging. We'll have to wait to find out. :)
See ya,
-Lauren
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Squeeze'n it In
I know, it's been a while again, but this time I am bound and determined to get another post out before December 1st. And thus...here it is!
As always, things have been busy. I just find it so hard to balance the blogging and photo-posting with school and work assignments, job applications, this new semblance of a social life, and exploring Boise with the little time I have left. I can't even imagine that I graduate in exactly two weeks from today. Ahh!
--
These last few weeks at work havnen't been overly interesting. Gina and I spent a lot of time practicing the puppet show for a school re-entry presentation. The show went pretty well, but we were both nervous, and I was slightly disappointed in my performance. At least the students seemed to enjoy it, and they were all very well behaved, which was nice. I really enjoyed the opportunity to finally spend some time with Gina, since we never work the same schedule. She's really a cool girl and I'd love to get to know her better sometime.
Oo! For all you CBC staffers out there, you will appreciate this... I got to a see a cardiac cath lab procedure for the first time ever. woot!! I've heard about the cath lab for the past three years at camp and in conversations with my heart defected friends (:-p), but never had much idea what they were talking about. As it turned out, procedure was a few hours long and rather complicated, but I did stay for a good while, so now I finally have some general idea of the cath lab stuff. Soo exciting!! ...Especially considered that this was practically the first and only cardiac patient I've seen since starting the internship. My heart will always have a special place for heart kids, though! :-p
--
Last weekend (Nov. 21-23), Chris Nowicki, my 4-H friend from Georgia came to visit. (Yes, this is the guy who works miracles with Delta Airlines and flight arrangments...and yes, I love him for it. Seriously, if you want to get something done in life, being friends with Chris is the way to go.) Chris is also friends with Jeff (my first Idaho friend, whom I also met through 4-H), so he stayed at Jeff's house for the weekend, considering my apartment is already pretty cramped...and he's a guy. lol.
Friday, I made some Cajun spaghetti with the yummy sauce that Nanna mailed me last month. Jeff came over to eat and hang out before we picked Chris up from the airport at 8:30 p.m. We hung out at Jeff's for a bit, and then met up with a lot of the soccer team guys (and Tessa) at The Front Door downtown. It was one of the soccer guys' 21st birthdays so the guys were out celebrating. The festivities were pretty low-key and didn't last very long.
Saturday, Jeff and Chris came over to eat left over Cajun yumminess, then Tessa and I joined them to explore Boise for most of the day. Our most memorable stop was Table Rock, my absolute favorite place in all of Boise. It was pretty chilly out and very overcast, but the cool thing was that we could see the storm/cloud system moving across the city from where we were standing. Earlier, I'd heard from Kim that it was sleeting in Nampa, so I joked about how awesome it would be if it started snowing. Well, low and behold, we watched the clouds move some more, and suddenly IT WAS SNOWING!! Oh em gee. It was just the coolest thing ever, that it happened all of a sudden. We took some pictures for a bit and then headed down to explore more of the city. Amongst the other sites were an outdoor nature center, Simplot Hill, the Boise Depot, and Lucky Peak Reservoir. Then we returned to my apartment to play Wii for most of the afternoon, and finally went out to dinner at a hole-in-the-wall hamburger establishment called Big Judd's (sounds appropriate, right? lol.). That evening, a small group of Jeff's friends hung out at his house to watch WallE and play cards. Chris and I had some time to catch up with each other, too, which was nice.
On Sunday, the boys went out shooting with Joey and one of Joey's friends. I spent the day doing homework (my NSU assignments were due Monday) and cooking a good-bye/thanks-thanks-for-coming gumbo. Jeff and Chris came over to eat some dinner before Chris headed out to his red-eye flight home (leaving at 7 pm MST, arriving Monday at 9:30 EST--crazy). I had a lot of gumbo left, and wasn't really interested in eating it, so I invited what remained of the boys house over for dinner...so Kim, Tessa, Joey, his friend, and Stew all ate some of my yummy gumbo. Woot. I decided I'm really starting to enjoy cooking...or at least keeping my ties to Cajun food and home. :)
Originally, Chris was supposed to visit over his Fall Break in October, but when that fell through, I was really sad about the change in plans. However, he figured things out and was finally able ot visit in November. I truly enjoyed his visit, and hope he did too. Now, it's time that he visit Dawn and I in Louisiana. ;0)
--
As for the Thanksgiving holiday, I worked every day this week. This was SUCH an adjustment to me, as I've always been off of work/school for the entire holiday week. At first, it wasn't so bad because it kept me busy and my mind off of missing home (not that that's a real problem lately). Later in the week, though, it became annoying because everyone else was off of school, having fun, and taking vacations. I was super jealous, to put it simply. It was slow at work, though, so I guess that was good.
Because I was scheduled to work every day, I didn't really plan on celebrating the holiday. However, as the days passed, it began to seem like I might have gotten off early enough to do something somewhat fun, at least. Thus, I accepted Nathan's invite to eat dinner with his family, so that I wouldn't be alone on such a family-oriented day. (Later, I was also invited to spend the day with my supervisor's family, as well as Jeff's. Thanks to you both!)
Fortunately, I got off on Thursday after only an hour of working--we checked on all the kids and there wasn't much going on at the hospital, so we left. hehe. Getting off super early was really helpful because it gave me the opportunity to get a lot of work done on the job applications I have been doing. Nathan picked me up around 12:30 p.m. and we headed to his parents' house in Nampa for lunch. One of his brothers' and his sister-in-law and their daughter were there, as well as his grandparents. Everyone was really nice and welcoming, and I am very grateful to have been able to spend the day with a loving family such as this one. Afterwards, we came back to my apartment because Nathan had to work (from his computer) until 7pm, but since it was slow we just watched movies for the rest of the evening, basically.
I got off an hour early yesterday (Friday), too, which was super nice. Again, it gave me more time to get some things done with my job applications. Then it was time for relaxation and more movies. Today, I've been doing most of the same--relaxing and job application details. It's soo nice that my recommendation forms finally came in, so now I can mail them...just as soon as someone with a car comes around sometime soon.
I guess I should explain the job applications in more detail, since I've mentioned them a few times in this post. For a while I've been planning to apply for the Program Assistant position with Wonders of Washington in DC. That application is due on Monday, and it's taken me forever to get things ready for it because the recommendation forms took a long time to come in the mail, and it required three essays, as well. The other job I found was a part-time position working with the 4-H Operation Military Kids program here in Idaho. I'm super pumped about that one because I'd get to stay in Boise, and with the part-time flexibility I'm hoping I would have more time to travel to cool places in the region, since I haven't gotten to do any of that these last few months. It'd be really great, too, if I could go to National 4-H Conference again...
Regardless, I am going home to graduate in ...less time than I want to remember... and I'm not sure where I'll be going from there. The good news is that you all can continue reading the blog if you're interested in keeping up with my cross-country adventures. Hehe.
Until next time,
-Lauren
P.S. Wishing everyone at National 4-H Congress the best of times this week...have fun and stay warm!
As always, things have been busy. I just find it so hard to balance the blogging and photo-posting with school and work assignments, job applications, this new semblance of a social life, and exploring Boise with the little time I have left. I can't even imagine that I graduate in exactly two weeks from today. Ahh!
--
These last few weeks at work havnen't been overly interesting. Gina and I spent a lot of time practicing the puppet show for a school re-entry presentation. The show went pretty well, but we were both nervous, and I was slightly disappointed in my performance. At least the students seemed to enjoy it, and they were all very well behaved, which was nice. I really enjoyed the opportunity to finally spend some time with Gina, since we never work the same schedule. She's really a cool girl and I'd love to get to know her better sometime.
Oo! For all you CBC staffers out there, you will appreciate this... I got to a see a cardiac cath lab procedure for the first time ever. woot!! I've heard about the cath lab for the past three years at camp and in conversations with my heart defected friends (:-p), but never had much idea what they were talking about. As it turned out, procedure was a few hours long and rather complicated, but I did stay for a good while, so now I finally have some general idea of the cath lab stuff. Soo exciting!! ...Especially considered that this was practically the first and only cardiac patient I've seen since starting the internship. My heart will always have a special place for heart kids, though! :-p
--
Last weekend (Nov. 21-23), Chris Nowicki, my 4-H friend from Georgia came to visit. (Yes, this is the guy who works miracles with Delta Airlines and flight arrangments...and yes, I love him for it. Seriously, if you want to get something done in life, being friends with Chris is the way to go.) Chris is also friends with Jeff (my first Idaho friend, whom I also met through 4-H), so he stayed at Jeff's house for the weekend, considering my apartment is already pretty cramped...and he's a guy. lol.
Friday, I made some Cajun spaghetti with the yummy sauce that Nanna mailed me last month. Jeff came over to eat and hang out before we picked Chris up from the airport at 8:30 p.m. We hung out at Jeff's for a bit, and then met up with a lot of the soccer team guys (and Tessa) at The Front Door downtown. It was one of the soccer guys' 21st birthdays so the guys were out celebrating. The festivities were pretty low-key and didn't last very long.
Saturday, Jeff and Chris came over to eat left over Cajun yumminess, then Tessa and I joined them to explore Boise for most of the day. Our most memorable stop was Table Rock, my absolute favorite place in all of Boise. It was pretty chilly out and very overcast, but the cool thing was that we could see the storm/cloud system moving across the city from where we were standing. Earlier, I'd heard from Kim that it was sleeting in Nampa, so I joked about how awesome it would be if it started snowing. Well, low and behold, we watched the clouds move some more, and suddenly IT WAS SNOWING!! Oh em gee. It was just the coolest thing ever, that it happened all of a sudden. We took some pictures for a bit and then headed down to explore more of the city. Amongst the other sites were an outdoor nature center, Simplot Hill, the Boise Depot, and Lucky Peak Reservoir. Then we returned to my apartment to play Wii for most of the afternoon, and finally went out to dinner at a hole-in-the-wall hamburger establishment called Big Judd's (sounds appropriate, right? lol.). That evening, a small group of Jeff's friends hung out at his house to watch WallE and play cards. Chris and I had some time to catch up with each other, too, which was nice.
On Sunday, the boys went out shooting with Joey and one of Joey's friends. I spent the day doing homework (my NSU assignments were due Monday) and cooking a good-bye/thanks-thanks-for-coming gumbo. Jeff and Chris came over to eat some dinner before Chris headed out to his red-eye flight home (leaving at 7 pm MST, arriving Monday at 9:30 EST--crazy). I had a lot of gumbo left, and wasn't really interested in eating it, so I invited what remained of the boys house over for dinner...so Kim, Tessa, Joey, his friend, and Stew all ate some of my yummy gumbo. Woot. I decided I'm really starting to enjoy cooking...or at least keeping my ties to Cajun food and home. :)
Originally, Chris was supposed to visit over his Fall Break in October, but when that fell through, I was really sad about the change in plans. However, he figured things out and was finally able ot visit in November. I truly enjoyed his visit, and hope he did too. Now, it's time that he visit Dawn and I in Louisiana. ;0)
--
As for the Thanksgiving holiday, I worked every day this week. This was SUCH an adjustment to me, as I've always been off of work/school for the entire holiday week. At first, it wasn't so bad because it kept me busy and my mind off of missing home (not that that's a real problem lately). Later in the week, though, it became annoying because everyone else was off of school, having fun, and taking vacations. I was super jealous, to put it simply. It was slow at work, though, so I guess that was good.
Because I was scheduled to work every day, I didn't really plan on celebrating the holiday. However, as the days passed, it began to seem like I might have gotten off early enough to do something somewhat fun, at least. Thus, I accepted Nathan's invite to eat dinner with his family, so that I wouldn't be alone on such a family-oriented day. (Later, I was also invited to spend the day with my supervisor's family, as well as Jeff's. Thanks to you both!)
Fortunately, I got off on Thursday after only an hour of working--we checked on all the kids and there wasn't much going on at the hospital, so we left. hehe. Getting off super early was really helpful because it gave me the opportunity to get a lot of work done on the job applications I have been doing. Nathan picked me up around 12:30 p.m. and we headed to his parents' house in Nampa for lunch. One of his brothers' and his sister-in-law and their daughter were there, as well as his grandparents. Everyone was really nice and welcoming, and I am very grateful to have been able to spend the day with a loving family such as this one. Afterwards, we came back to my apartment because Nathan had to work (from his computer) until 7pm, but since it was slow we just watched movies for the rest of the evening, basically.
I got off an hour early yesterday (Friday), too, which was super nice. Again, it gave me more time to get some things done with my job applications. Then it was time for relaxation and more movies. Today, I've been doing most of the same--relaxing and job application details. It's soo nice that my recommendation forms finally came in, so now I can mail them...just as soon as someone with a car comes around sometime soon.
I guess I should explain the job applications in more detail, since I've mentioned them a few times in this post. For a while I've been planning to apply for the Program Assistant position with Wonders of Washington in DC. That application is due on Monday, and it's taken me forever to get things ready for it because the recommendation forms took a long time to come in the mail, and it required three essays, as well. The other job I found was a part-time position working with the 4-H Operation Military Kids program here in Idaho. I'm super pumped about that one because I'd get to stay in Boise, and with the part-time flexibility I'm hoping I would have more time to travel to cool places in the region, since I haven't gotten to do any of that these last few months. It'd be really great, too, if I could go to National 4-H Conference again...
Regardless, I am going home to graduate in ...less time than I want to remember... and I'm not sure where I'll be going from there. The good news is that you all can continue reading the blog if you're interested in keeping up with my cross-country adventures. Hehe.
Until next time,
-Lauren
P.S. Wishing everyone at National 4-H Congress the best of times this week...have fun and stay warm!
Friday, August 22, 2008
Bumin' around.
I know what you're thinking..."Even when Lauren's at home, she doesn't make time to give us updates." Yeah, yeah. I think the bigger issue here is that when Lauren's home, she doesn't do anything worth sharing.
So last week, I spent the night at Annie's (former roommate) in Luling. Dawn (my great Baton Rouge/LA Tech/4-H friend, Annie's best friend from childhood) also came to visit, which was wonderful. I hadn't seen Dawn since we worked at National 4-H Conference in DC in March, and Annie since we moved out of our apartment in May. We had a wonderful time watching the Olympics and playing Phase 10 (hehe). The buckeyes I made were a huge hit; I'll have to remember to bring more next time. ...And of course, we stayed up wayyy wayyy late talking. But that's okay, we missed each other, alright?
Graduate Day. It was sooo nice to see everyone back at school. The FACS department is such a special family for me, and everyone seemed really interested in hearing about my summer as well as sharing our internship plans. I could have stayed around forever just catching up with everyone. However, it was a day of business, afterall, and there was plenty to be done.
All 15 or so interns met with our teachers to go over the syllabus and explain the details of how to turn in paperwork, that sorta thing. Needless to say, I'm starting a month after everyone else and I really hope I remember everything I have to do. Then, we had to get signatures and turn in our application for graduation, buy our cap and gown, and see about other random, optional things. After all of that, I met up with Annie and Jen (other former roommate) for the assembly-type thing. There were speakers from the Alumni Federation and Career Services, cool door prizes (I won a Starbucks gift card--yay!), and tasty food and wine. It was really great to see Jen (and wish her luck on her recent engagement to Logan!); the three of us enjoyed our time together, the last little bit of it before graduation in December...
I've come to refer to last weekend as one filled with camp love. Mike B., the former CBC drama instructor who is currently working on his second graduate degre at Ohio State, came to Lafayette for a visit on Friday night. In honor of his visit, a group of local camp people went out to eat and played a rousing 2-hour game of Phase 10 at the pottery studio afterwards. (heh) It was great to see Mike; he didn't come to camp this year so it had been a year since we'd all seen him. Lucky for me, I'll be seeing Mike again in just a few days when I head up to Ohio for a visit of my own...more about that later.
Another camp friend was in town for the weekend, this one, however, from Camp Aldersgate! Yep, that's right, one of the Bostie Boys came down to Cajun Land for a visit. Allie Alligator (from Baton Rouge), of course, joined in on the fun. Kyle, Allie, and I had a great time hanging out, eating Cajun food (even though Kyle refused to try the gumbo at Prejean's--what a tragedy), and goofing around. We even dragged him with us to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (great movie, btw). I have to also say a very special thanks to Kyle for making Allie and I some sweet bracelets using the colors of the cabins at camp (Orange, Lime/Moss, Yellow/Khaki, Blue, and Eggplant)--they're great!
And alas, my week at home has been rather bum-like, but that's quite alright with me. Who says watching tv, reading, scrapbooking, and interneting is a bad thing? Not I. ;-) It's called "Lauren time," and I definitely need(ed) it.
Next week I'm going to Ohio to see camp and 4-H friends as well as visit two graduate schools and perhaps a child life hospital program. It should be fun. And, only 13 days 'til "I'm leaving, on a jet plane..." to Idaho! (Yeah, I just realized this is my last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Louisiana until December. eek!)
Until next time,
Lauren
So last week, I spent the night at Annie's (former roommate) in Luling. Dawn (my great Baton Rouge/LA Tech/4-H friend, Annie's best friend from childhood) also came to visit, which was wonderful. I hadn't seen Dawn since we worked at National 4-H Conference in DC in March, and Annie since we moved out of our apartment in May. We had a wonderful time watching the Olympics and playing Phase 10 (hehe). The buckeyes I made were a huge hit; I'll have to remember to bring more next time. ...And of course, we stayed up wayyy wayyy late talking. But that's okay, we missed each other, alright?
Graduate Day. It was sooo nice to see everyone back at school. The FACS department is such a special family for me, and everyone seemed really interested in hearing about my summer as well as sharing our internship plans. I could have stayed around forever just catching up with everyone. However, it was a day of business, afterall, and there was plenty to be done.
All 15 or so interns met with our teachers to go over the syllabus and explain the details of how to turn in paperwork, that sorta thing. Needless to say, I'm starting a month after everyone else and I really hope I remember everything I have to do. Then, we had to get signatures and turn in our application for graduation, buy our cap and gown, and see about other random, optional things. After all of that, I met up with Annie and Jen (other former roommate) for the assembly-type thing. There were speakers from the Alumni Federation and Career Services, cool door prizes (I won a Starbucks gift card--yay!), and tasty food and wine. It was really great to see Jen (and wish her luck on her recent engagement to Logan!); the three of us enjoyed our time together, the last little bit of it before graduation in December...
I've come to refer to last weekend as one filled with camp love. Mike B., the former CBC drama instructor who is currently working on his second graduate degre at Ohio State, came to Lafayette for a visit on Friday night. In honor of his visit, a group of local camp people went out to eat and played a rousing 2-hour game of Phase 10 at the pottery studio afterwards. (heh) It was great to see Mike; he didn't come to camp this year so it had been a year since we'd all seen him. Lucky for me, I'll be seeing Mike again in just a few days when I head up to Ohio for a visit of my own...more about that later.
Another camp friend was in town for the weekend, this one, however, from Camp Aldersgate! Yep, that's right, one of the Bostie Boys came down to Cajun Land for a visit. Allie Alligator (from Baton Rouge), of course, joined in on the fun. Kyle, Allie, and I had a great time hanging out, eating Cajun food (even though Kyle refused to try the gumbo at Prejean's--what a tragedy), and goofing around. We even dragged him with us to see Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (great movie, btw). I have to also say a very special thanks to Kyle for making Allie and I some sweet bracelets using the colors of the cabins at camp (Orange, Lime/Moss, Yellow/Khaki, Blue, and Eggplant)--they're great!
And alas, my week at home has been rather bum-like, but that's quite alright with me. Who says watching tv, reading, scrapbooking, and interneting is a bad thing? Not I. ;-) It's called "Lauren time," and I definitely need(ed) it.
Next week I'm going to Ohio to see camp and 4-H friends as well as visit two graduate schools and perhaps a child life hospital program. It should be fun. And, only 13 days 'til "I'm leaving, on a jet plane..." to Idaho! (Yeah, I just realized this is my last Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Louisiana until December. eek!)
Until next time,
Lauren
Monday, May 12, 2008
F.Y.I. (Yes, that means "for your information.")
Lately, I've been getting the same questions over and over again:
"What are you doing this summer?"
"When do you finish school?"
"Where are you interning/When are you going to find out...?"
For this reason, I've created a blog that I hope to update regularly over the summer and throughout my internship process. Please feel free to check back regularly to keep up with where life takes me. Leave comments/messages; I want to hear from everyone. :)
So, here goes.
Question 1: What are you doing this summer?
The Spring 2008 semester for Nicholls officially finished on May 9 (although I finished my work about a week before that). Technically, I graduate on December 13, 2008, but I am officially finished with my on-campus coursework (!). All I have left is to do my 480-hour internship in the Fall, and then I'm d-o-n-e (1 semester early, I might add).
Question 3: Where are you interning/When are you going to find out?
My goal is to intern with an established Child Life Program (mainly located in children's hospitals). In order to secure a position with such a program, one must complete an extensive application process which often includes phone or on-site interviews.
As it stands, I have applied to 10 internship sites (hospitals) in 7 different states. Each site has contacted me to say that my application has been received, and I am currently waiting for offers for phone interviews. So far, I have scheduled two phone interviews--Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock (5-13 @ 1 p.m. CST) and Inova Fairfax Children's Hospital in Falls Church, VA (5-20 @ 10 a.m. CST).
To prepare for the internship interviews and position, I have read a textbook that child life education programs use, as well as spoken with a Certified Child Life Specialist, and discussed the process with a good friend of mine who happens to be a child life student (I heart you, Sunshine!). Hopefully it all works out positively...Wish me luck; I'm nervous about tomorrow's interview!
Alrighty, there it is. I'll try to keep regular updates with this blog so that you can all have an idea of how my summer and internship selection process is going.
Best wishes to all,
Lauren
"What are you doing this summer?"
"When do you finish school?"
"Where are you interning/When are you going to find out...?"
For this reason, I've created a blog that I hope to update regularly over the summer and throughout my internship process. Please feel free to check back regularly to keep up with where life takes me. Leave comments/messages; I want to hear from everyone. :)
So, here goes.
Question 1: What are you doing this summer?
- May 9-31st...School will be over; I plan to divide my time between home and Thibodaux, realxing and enjoying my final days with The Beham crew. I may also visit a few friends in various parts of the state, time permitting. Phone interviews for internships and a special visit from my world-traveled Ohioan friend will occupy my time, as well as preparations for the rest of the summer.
- June 1-27...Allie (co-worker & friend from CBC) and I will be working at C.A. a special needs camp in Little Rock, Arkansas. We're both eagerly looking forward to this new and exciting experience.
- June 30-July 4...Potentially serving as an adult leader at 4-H Camp in Pollock, LA.
- July 5-13...The week is free, at this point. However, I'd love to travel (to say, Ohio, or Idaho?), instead. Perhaps I'll travel to check out housing near my internship site...
- July 14-19, 21-Aug 1...Heart Camp (CBC) staff training and camp session. <-- best="" ever.="" li="" place="">
- Aug 2-Unknown at this time...prepare for, pack, and move away for my Fall internship!
The Spring 2008 semester for Nicholls officially finished on May 9 (although I finished my work about a week before that). Technically, I graduate on December 13, 2008, but I am officially finished with my on-campus coursework (!). All I have left is to do my 480-hour internship in the Fall, and then I'm d-o-n-e (1 semester early, I might add).
Question 3: Where are you interning/When are you going to find out?
My goal is to intern with an established Child Life Program (mainly located in children's hospitals). In order to secure a position with such a program, one must complete an extensive application process which often includes phone or on-site interviews.
As it stands, I have applied to 10 internship sites (hospitals) in 7 different states. Each site has contacted me to say that my application has been received, and I am currently waiting for offers for phone interviews. So far, I have scheduled two phone interviews--Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock (5-13 @ 1 p.m. CST) and Inova Fairfax Children's Hospital in Falls Church, VA (5-20 @ 10 a.m. CST).
To prepare for the internship interviews and position, I have read a textbook that child life education programs use, as well as spoken with a Certified Child Life Specialist, and discussed the process with a good friend of mine who happens to be a child life student (I heart you, Sunshine!). Hopefully it all works out positively...Wish me luck; I'm nervous about tomorrow's interview!
Alrighty, there it is. I'll try to keep regular updates with this blog so that you can all have an idea of how my summer and internship selection process is going.
Best wishes to all,
Lauren
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