Let's.
Understand, I'm no Ambassador, no orientation leader that leads soon-to-be freshmen from session to session, playing ice breaker games and entertaining them. I'm certainly no session leader, who gets the students (or their parents) engaged enough to be excited about school in the fall. My role is almost entirely behind the scenes, and the only people I meet (or at least met today, at our first Advising/Registration session) were parents and the one student who was so excited about involvement that she came in to the office even though it wasn't on their schedule, but I love orientation.
I love it.
I love everything from stuffing folders to printing name tags to putting together signs for the Ambassadors. I love running errands, setting up lunch, sitting down in the office for five minutes just to jump up and run across campus, and I really, really love tabling. I love tabling so much.
"Hi! How was your tour?....Oh, I'm so glad. Well, we are the Office of Student Involvement, and we house all kinds of things. There are over 45 clubs on campus, and we work largely with them, but also do a lot of leadership programming and put on some great events. Plus, our recreation department is housed within our office, and they have intramural sports, all kinds of trips, and even run the fitness center, which is currently being remodeled but will be open in the fall."
AHH. I have never loved anything so much as I love tabling. I have tabled a lot, especially while I worked for ONE, but also while I was with our student government, and it just keeps getting better. You make that connection ("Oh, your student likes paintball? Our rec office does a paintball trip every year, and if he can find four other students and an advisor, he could start a paintball club.") and just chat with them. Most people will take something if you connect, and while I prefer to talk to students, parents are just as fun.
I felt so accomplished today. And I don't even know where my day went, which is a great feeling when it is because you have been doing so much. This whole week has been absolutely amazing. Busy, nerve-wracking, but amazing. I can't wait for the next Advising/Registration session, and I really can't wait for Orientation in August.
This entire internship is so perfect for me. I love every. single. second. I love my relationship with my boss, with the intern that I share a desk with, with the other staff in the office. I love what I am getting to do; the meetings that I get to be part of, the events that I am going to be putting on. I am on such a high from orientation today - is this what it is going to be like all year? God, I hope so.
6.19.2010
amazing.
It has been just over a week since I started my job, and I am SO IN LOVE. (Also it feels like I have been in this position forever. Has it really only been a week?)
I spent a large portion of that first week being really quiet; absorbing everything. The last three days, while hectic, have been probably the best so far.
Wednesday was my first one-on-one with my boss. I already love Michelle a lot, so I'm thrilled with the opportunity to be working for her. It was fun for me to be able to go through all of the things that I have been working on and hear "great," followed by advice on how to proceed. So far I think I'm doing good, but you would have to ask her I guess.
Thursday we were supposed to be in a meeting, but it unexpectedly got cancelled, so Michelle, our program coordinator, Rachel, and I colored for thirty minutes.
...Yeah, you totally read that correctly. I'm one of the founding members of the Coloring Club on our campus, so we already had all of the supplies, and the three of us sat down in the conference room and colored large Disney coloring pages and talked about ridiculous things. While the rest of the day was pretty low-key, I was pretty thrilled by that portion of my day.
Yesterday I finished a couple of projects, and then Rachel and I went to the end of the year party for the Garden Club on campus. Pizza, soda, cake, and plenty of flowers. I won the raffle for one of the hanging plants, but couldn't take it home on the bus, so gave it to Rachel. She picked out some gorgeous yellow flowers...I have no idea what they were, but they were pretty. And I snagged a plant for myself and some snap dragons for Michelle, who pulled one of the flowers off and started snapping it at me when I gave them to her. (I work for the biggest dork.)
While work has been hectic and interesting this week, next week is going to be my real test. Starting Tuesday, Michelle is in training with our ambassadors for three days, immediately followed by the first session of our orientation program, ROAR. Friday is the day that the freshmen participate in advising and registration, and it is also the first time they will meet the ambassadors and really get to know the campus. ROAR is a big deal, and there are a lot of things that I am being put in charge of because Michelle and her co-advisor for the ambassadors, Nelson, will be in training all day Tuesday-Thursday, and they are also in charge of prep for ROAR. So parts of it fall to me. It is scary, but I'm excited also.
This weekend, though, is crazy as well. Last night my sister Maggie graduated from high school, today I'm cleaning and my best friend Audrey will be arriving for the weekend, tomorrow Audrey and I are looking at apartments and I have a baccalaureate for my sister Victoria and a grad party for Maggie. Then Monday Audrey and I will be looking at more apartments, I've got meetings to attend about ROAR, and then Victoria graduates from high school. Crazy weekend immediately followed by a crazy week, but it's going to be totally worth it. Maybe I'll even go to work on Tuesday morning having signed a lease for an apartment!
Pretty much my life is amazing right now. It's like I finally hit the jackpot. :)
I spent a large portion of that first week being really quiet; absorbing everything. The last three days, while hectic, have been probably the best so far.
Wednesday was my first one-on-one with my boss. I already love Michelle a lot, so I'm thrilled with the opportunity to be working for her. It was fun for me to be able to go through all of the things that I have been working on and hear "great," followed by advice on how to proceed. So far I think I'm doing good, but you would have to ask her I guess.
Thursday we were supposed to be in a meeting, but it unexpectedly got cancelled, so Michelle, our program coordinator, Rachel, and I colored for thirty minutes.
...Yeah, you totally read that correctly. I'm one of the founding members of the Coloring Club on our campus, so we already had all of the supplies, and the three of us sat down in the conference room and colored large Disney coloring pages and talked about ridiculous things. While the rest of the day was pretty low-key, I was pretty thrilled by that portion of my day.
Yesterday I finished a couple of projects, and then Rachel and I went to the end of the year party for the Garden Club on campus. Pizza, soda, cake, and plenty of flowers. I won the raffle for one of the hanging plants, but couldn't take it home on the bus, so gave it to Rachel. She picked out some gorgeous yellow flowers...I have no idea what they were, but they were pretty. And I snagged a plant for myself and some snap dragons for Michelle, who pulled one of the flowers off and started snapping it at me when I gave them to her. (I work for the biggest dork.)
While work has been hectic and interesting this week, next week is going to be my real test. Starting Tuesday, Michelle is in training with our ambassadors for three days, immediately followed by the first session of our orientation program, ROAR. Friday is the day that the freshmen participate in advising and registration, and it is also the first time they will meet the ambassadors and really get to know the campus. ROAR is a big deal, and there are a lot of things that I am being put in charge of because Michelle and her co-advisor for the ambassadors, Nelson, will be in training all day Tuesday-Thursday, and they are also in charge of prep for ROAR. So parts of it fall to me. It is scary, but I'm excited also.
This weekend, though, is crazy as well. Last night my sister Maggie graduated from high school, today I'm cleaning and my best friend Audrey will be arriving for the weekend, tomorrow Audrey and I are looking at apartments and I have a baccalaureate for my sister Victoria and a grad party for Maggie. Then Monday Audrey and I will be looking at more apartments, I've got meetings to attend about ROAR, and then Victoria graduates from high school. Crazy weekend immediately followed by a crazy week, but it's going to be totally worth it. Maybe I'll even go to work on Tuesday morning having signed a lease for an apartment!
Pretty much my life is amazing right now. It's like I finally hit the jackpot. :)
6.12.2010
and so it begins.
Wednesday was the day that I actually started work. I spent the day researching Emerging Leader's Retreats and Programs at other universities. It was a day of phone calls and emails, printing agendas and other documents to read over later. I spent the next couple of days doing the same thing, adding in a few other projects here and there. I organized the desk, made more phone calls, looked through photos....and I loved every second of it.
Nose to the grindstone, I was quiet, enjoying myself. It sounds a little silly, I guess, but I liked it. I felt productive, like I was doing something important.
Oh, I know it sounds ridiculous. This has barely started, but I...well, I guess I don't care how silly it sounds. I've waited all semester for this position. I would work all day every day if I could, but I suppose I should save the work for my office hours. My boss can only come up with so many projects.
It's hard to imagine what the internship will look like in a few months. Busier, I'm sure. More to do. I'm still nervous about the big projects; there are going to be a lot of people watching me. I guess it's just a matter of having a little faith.
Nervous or not, I already love what I'm doing. I've got two big meetings next week, several projects to work on, and on top of everything else, my best friend and soon to be roommate will finally be returning to Vancouver from Albany, New York this week. We'll be looking at apartments when I'm not working, and hopefully we'll find a great one.
This summer, the internship, the next year; they're all going to be great. And everything is finally starting.
Nose to the grindstone, I was quiet, enjoying myself. It sounds a little silly, I guess, but I liked it. I felt productive, like I was doing something important.
Oh, I know it sounds ridiculous. This has barely started, but I...well, I guess I don't care how silly it sounds. I've waited all semester for this position. I would work all day every day if I could, but I suppose I should save the work for my office hours. My boss can only come up with so many projects.
It's hard to imagine what the internship will look like in a few months. Busier, I'm sure. More to do. I'm still nervous about the big projects; there are going to be a lot of people watching me. I guess it's just a matter of having a little faith.
Nervous or not, I already love what I'm doing. I've got two big meetings next week, several projects to work on, and on top of everything else, my best friend and soon to be roommate will finally be returning to Vancouver from Albany, New York this week. We'll be looking at apartments when I'm not working, and hopefully we'll find a great one.
This summer, the internship, the next year; they're all going to be great. And everything is finally starting.
6.03.2010
That thrilling terror.
Have you ever been both scared and excited at the same time? Have you ever imagined yourself succeeding and failing; pictured your boss' expression when both proud of and disappointed in you?
It is this terrible frenzy of emotions that is taking over my thoughts at the moment. The semester is over and turned out fine (except for that class I have to retake), and I got rave reviews from all of the people that I worked with on my last internship. Not to mention, on May 4, I was offered, and accepted, the Programming Internship in our Office of Student Involvement.
Excitement. Terror. The thought that I can do it. The thought that I can't. The unfulfillable desire to ask why; why did you hire me? Why did you hire me? Why did you hire me, knowing everything that you do?
I pestered and pestered to start my job. Part of it was because I was excited. I am excited. But part of it was also because I knew that the longer I had to wait, the more I would convince myself that I was going to screw up; that I was going to do something wrong or be unable to fulfill the duties of a position that I have coveted for months.
My boss has been out of town for the last week, which has pushed my start back further than what we discussed in the interview. That's fine, I would much rather her be in town when I start. I think.
Tuesday is the day. I will be sitting down with the two other interns and our boss to talk about the Office of Student Involvement, what we will each be working on, how we will work together; the big picture. And then I will be starting, most likely the next day. I have already sat down with my boss and the previous intern. I know what the job requires. Now it's just a matter of determining whether or not I know what the hell I'm doing.
I've never been this scared to start something. Or this excited.
It is this terrible frenzy of emotions that is taking over my thoughts at the moment. The semester is over and turned out fine (except for that class I have to retake), and I got rave reviews from all of the people that I worked with on my last internship. Not to mention, on May 4, I was offered, and accepted, the Programming Internship in our Office of Student Involvement.
Excitement. Terror. The thought that I can do it. The thought that I can't. The unfulfillable desire to ask why; why did you hire me? Why did you hire me? Why did you hire me, knowing everything that you do?
I pestered and pestered to start my job. Part of it was because I was excited. I am excited. But part of it was also because I knew that the longer I had to wait, the more I would convince myself that I was going to screw up; that I was going to do something wrong or be unable to fulfill the duties of a position that I have coveted for months.
My boss has been out of town for the last week, which has pushed my start back further than what we discussed in the interview. That's fine, I would much rather her be in town when I start. I think.
Tuesday is the day. I will be sitting down with the two other interns and our boss to talk about the Office of Student Involvement, what we will each be working on, how we will work together; the big picture. And then I will be starting, most likely the next day. I have already sat down with my boss and the previous intern. I know what the job requires. Now it's just a matter of determining whether or not I know what the hell I'm doing.
I've never been this scared to start something. Or this excited.
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