CSSA Blog @ Oregon State University

Leaves are falling, the wind is blowing and it has been almost a month since classes started for my second year in the CSSA program. I am only sharing one class with my cohort this term which is quite the departure from the identical schedules we all held at this time last year. So much has happened over this last year that on one hand it’s hard to believe it’s only been a year and on the other I can’t believe it’s been a year already. This time last year I was adjusting to a new program with all new people and a brand new assistantship. Now, a year later, I am going through the IRB process to have my Thesis research approved, I’m taking French (for fun – you can take classes for fun in this program ), and I am turning my mind towards my next big event – planning the Intercultural Career Development Conference that will be held in February (a week after the Campus Days Interviews for next years entering cohort).
In typical CSSA style, I’m already involved up to my nose in a variety of events and committees that take up my time and provide me with the thrilling variety of interactions that make every day a new and exciting one. This morning I met with the Student Life committee that links my office (New Student Programs & Family Outreach) with Student Conduct, Career Services and Disability Access Services. This afternoon I’ll be helping Career Services with their Career Conference they are holding and interspersing that with some time for web development for a new website I’m developing for New Student Programs. Somewhere between now and then I’ll be reviewing some documents for the Infectious Diseases Response Team and posting some information for Hillel, the Jewish Student group. All of this just goes to show that you can get involved in anything you want to at OSU, the hardest part is saying “no” to new experiences (it has to happen sometimes though).
But my life isn’t all work. This weekend I’ll be hanging out with three generations of CSSA cohort members to rock out to some quality Karaoke. I’ll spend some time with my new kitten, Tav. My partner and I will probably visit my parents who live close by for a home cooked meal and some time away from the books. Balance is an important part of this program and is one of the hardest and quickest lessons I learned a year ago. And with that, I must return to checking my inbox, paying bills, making friends, drinking coffee….

Best,
Tristen

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This entry was posted on Thursday, October 18th, 2007 at 11:05 am and is filed under Tristen - Distinguished. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.