Posts tagged graduate school

Sometimes you just need to sigh and say phew. I cannot believe that after one and a half years, thousands of sheets of paper, countless lattes and more than a few sleepless nights I have officially finished graduate school. It has been a strange feeling—how did the time go by so fast? It has been a journey and I am so grateful for all those who helped me along the way.

So now I have nothing but free time (aside from work and volunteer obligations!) and am ready to enjoy the “good life”. I’m starting to read books for fun, attempting to cook more often and seeing friends more regularly. I can’t wait for a summer of fun!

I would being lying if I said I was not a procrastinator at times. I think we have all done it and have absolutely suffered its negative consequences. This quarter has been a constant craze between work, internship, and travel. Due to these exciting, fun and tiring commitments I have found myself in a “last minute Sally” situation more than once and this weekend was no different. Today I got a lot done but my to do list is a mile long.

In times like this it is really tempting to loose it and freak out about pending deadlines. However, I am trying to put a smile on and realize how lucky I am to have such a full life with wonderful friends, supportive family and a great place to live (even if it is still covered in boxes!). 

That all being said, I cannot wait for winter break—only a few more weeks!

In class yesterday evening, my professor had us watch a talk given by Esther Duflo, a french economist, during a TED event. If you are not familiar, TED is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to its tag line, “Ideas Worth Spreading”. I found this talk to be incredibly motivating. Ms. Duflo details the manner in which we can research and guide social spending to eradicate disease and death in children around the world by merely thinking logically.

Taking a moment to revisit the manner in which we go about our giving is important—we must know what we are doing makes an impact and truly test these measures to ensure that they do. I challenge you to watch this talk and take a moment to think about its implications. I promise you it will be worth it.

There is nothing like starting your weekend off knowing that your hours of hard work and dedication have paid off. Grades are up and so is my mood!

Class presentations and other speaking engagements make me miss teaching. I love getting people interested in a topic through information, activities and my sparkling personality. Our presentation on public health and volunteerism went well—we even got the group to get up and dance to a little Beyonce!

Its nice being reminded of a passion in the most unsuspecting place.

I realized this morning that I have talked a lot about school in the last few months but have never shared what I’m in school for! I am earning my Masters in Nonprofit Management from DePaul University’s School of Public Service. I chose this program because I truly want to make a difference in society in a meaningful way.

Right now I am taking a class on volunteer management. As a lifelong volunteer, I’m really interested in learning more about building a successful and useful volunteer program. We are looking at the manner in which volunteer labor can influence the success of programming and the completion of organizational missions.

In doing research for a presentation on the shared contributing factors to diabetes, heart disease and strokes and how volunteers can influence positive change I was so pleased to look further into the Let’s Move! campaign, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama. Encouraging children, families and communities to eat healthy and get up off the couch is just a small step that can make a difference!

Check out the program website and see how you (and your community) can get moving!

You know you are at Starbucks too much when the barista asks if you want a triple grande nonfat latte before you even open your mouth. Thank you, State and Ohio location, for supporting my finals related caffeine addiction. Hopefully my grades will show just how many hours I spent in you shop this week!