CSSA Blog @ Oregon State University

I’m a bit late to the “Congratuations, first-years! We survived the first term!” party boat, but the sentiment remains the same. As it is, we’re almost halfway through the second term here, which is an accomplishment of which to be proud.

What’s my journey been like so far? Bumpy, at worst. However, at best, it’s one of those “Oh my goodness, I was meant to be here for a reason” type journeys.

I’m in the midst of what is called a “quarter-life crisis.” I’m in my mid-twenties, trying to reorient myself on a new path in life, all the while dealing with the pressures of every day life. It’s a real challenge, not a buzzword made up by some lazy Generation Y folks to explain why they were living in their parents’ basements. Have a look for yourself; the New York Times published an article called What is it About 20-Somethings? and quite a few parts of it ring true. (If you’re wanting to read more about this QLC of mine, though, I recommend you pop on over to Trains & Sunsets. That’s my person blog/diary/portfolio-in-the-making.)

Anyway, what I was saying is that joining CSSA was a step in the right direction for me. I finally have found a field I’m passionate about. One of my biggest pushes towards personal balance is making sure what I do as a job fits with me as a person, and I have a feeling that student affairs may fulfill that.

It’s not to say that pursuing a Master’s is easy, though. There are the odd assistantship hours, the evening classes, the I’m-hungry-but-I-forgot-to-go-grocery-shopping days, and the challenge of finding time to hit the gym and have a social life. However, in a way, what I do is teaching college students how to find their paths in life and their own personal balance– what kind of teacher would I be if I didn’t lead by example, in this case?

Overall, there is quite a bit I’ve learned in only one term and a half; I’m still looking forward to what the next year and a half or so will bring. In the meantime, stay tuned…

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Tags: balance, Class of 2012, Cohort 2010, CSSA, grad school, introductions, student affairs, winter term

This entry was posted on Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 10:16 am and is filed under Ardith - Class of 2012. 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.