Year In Review 2014-2015
Looking at this past year has made me realize how many incredible things one person can accomplish in a year. I was a 2014 Student Orientation Leader, spent a semester as a Resident Advisor to 72 freshmen, worked with the UC LGBTQ Center, discovered what I’m passionate about, moved to a new city, and completed my first co-op semester as a footwear and accessories designer at Lands' End. This was a year of learning, growing, and patience.
In addition to everything I’ve learned on campus and in class, I’ve learned a lot during my co-op term about living in New York City, the extensive world of footwear design, and how to bob and weave through the busy New Yorkers on the sidewalks. The most significant learning experience I’ve had this year though is learning how to live on my own in a large city. I was born in New Jersey, and I spent a summer living in Brooklyn, but this was my first time living in Midtown Manhattan. You would think that living in an apartment one block away from Penn Station would mean that I meet lots of people all the time and lead a very social life, but that wasn’t the case for me. I lived in a single room apartment by myself, and my building is primarily short-term living. So trying to make friends with my neighbor was like trying to make friends in a hotel. It doesn’t happen. In a city filled with thousands of people, I felt incredibly alone. For the first two months I would walk ten minutes to my office, work for eight hours, and then go home for the rest of the night. I had already done all of the tourist-y things that NYC has to offer, and January isn’t the most forgiving month for people who want to wander the city. It wasn’t until I started my volunteer position at a homeless shelter that I finally felt like I had something to do with my evenings. Clubs and bars aren’t my scene, and I wasn’t very close with the other DAAP students living throughout Manhattan. This taught me how to be happy with spending a night by myself. I’m the type of person that feels the need to be busy 24/7, and I rarely have moments of peace, alone in my own space. This year I learned how to be okay in a room with myself. From this semester alone, I get to take away my newfound knowledge of independence, self-awareness, and finding time for myself, which will most certainly serve me well when I return to the busy world of DAAP.
Picking the most significant event of this year is incredibly difficult. I moved to New York, I got to be a resident advisor after years of dreaming about that position, I worked New Student Orientation with 29 other amazing UC student leaders, and I even had a small run-in with NYPD. As I’m going through each event in my head, I keep going back to orientation. I wanted to be a SOL the minute that I began my journey as a UC student, and after four months of interviewing, I was hired. I couldn’t have been happier. The beginning of the position was a little bumpy, and I had some concerns, but I kept moving forward. Unfortunately, about halfway through the summer, I came to realize that I hadn’t been taking care of myself, and my health was declining as a result. Due to certain rules that deny SOLs the ability to leave during work hours (even for a doctor appointment), I was presented with an option to wait five weeks to see a doctor after orientation had concluded, or resign immediately so that I could see a doctor that day. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I made the decision to resign. Making that decision showed me that I am in control of my own future. No one is going to advocate for me unless I’m willing to advocate for myself. This event made me stronger and more resilient in the face of difficult circumstances. I have to realize that no job is more important than my well being, and I will use that knowledge for the rest of my life.
I have met so many incredible people this year who have helped me find my passions and supported me throughout the process of getting here. My supervisor at Lands’ End has taught me everything she knows, and has given me more advice than I could have ever hoped to gain. Her problem-solving and design skills have inspired me to continue on in my path in Industrial Design. My supervisor from the homeless shelter I volunteered in worked part time at the shelter, supervising the guests, training all volunteers, and keeping everything running smoothly. After a few weeks of working with her, she unfortunately had to leave her position in the shelter. I continued to follow her on social media and her blog, and I’m happy to see that she is doing incredibly well. I know that she enjoyed working with the shelter and knew the guys who lived there very well, which is why losing her as a supervisor was so upsetting. But she still serves as a role model to me as someone who can turn a bad event around into something better. Additionally, my project leader from my experience with Habitat for Humanity has made a lasting impact on me. On a very cold morning in February I got on the subway to make the hour-long trip to Coney Island to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and I met the happiest, most upbeat New Yorker I’ve ever seen. He used to work with the Red Cross as a first responder, and now leads all Habitat projects in Brooklyn. His optimism and encouragement is infectious. These three individuals have made an impact on my time here in New York and my year as a whole, and I will continue to keep them as role models.
Advice I’d like to give myself in the years to come is that I need to continue to take care of myself, and I shouldn’t feel bad about taking time for myself. This year has made me more independent. I make decisions quicker, and I stand behind them. I am a better listener, and I have a better understanding of how to manage crises. I am also a better leader. I have learned when to step up, and when to let someone else have the spotlight. For this upcoming year, since I am not continuing my position as an RA, my goal is to find more ways to be a leader on campus and create a better space for our students.
In addition to everything I’ve learned on campus and in class, I’ve learned a lot during my co-op term about living in New York City, the extensive world of footwear design, and how to bob and weave through the busy New Yorkers on the sidewalks. The most significant learning experience I’ve had this year though is learning how to live on my own in a large city. I was born in New Jersey, and I spent a summer living in Brooklyn, but this was my first time living in Midtown Manhattan. You would think that living in an apartment one block away from Penn Station would mean that I meet lots of people all the time and lead a very social life, but that wasn’t the case for me. I lived in a single room apartment by myself, and my building is primarily short-term living. So trying to make friends with my neighbor was like trying to make friends in a hotel. It doesn’t happen. In a city filled with thousands of people, I felt incredibly alone. For the first two months I would walk ten minutes to my office, work for eight hours, and then go home for the rest of the night. I had already done all of the tourist-y things that NYC has to offer, and January isn’t the most forgiving month for people who want to wander the city. It wasn’t until I started my volunteer position at a homeless shelter that I finally felt like I had something to do with my evenings. Clubs and bars aren’t my scene, and I wasn’t very close with the other DAAP students living throughout Manhattan. This taught me how to be happy with spending a night by myself. I’m the type of person that feels the need to be busy 24/7, and I rarely have moments of peace, alone in my own space. This year I learned how to be okay in a room with myself. From this semester alone, I get to take away my newfound knowledge of independence, self-awareness, and finding time for myself, which will most certainly serve me well when I return to the busy world of DAAP.
Picking the most significant event of this year is incredibly difficult. I moved to New York, I got to be a resident advisor after years of dreaming about that position, I worked New Student Orientation with 29 other amazing UC student leaders, and I even had a small run-in with NYPD. As I’m going through each event in my head, I keep going back to orientation. I wanted to be a SOL the minute that I began my journey as a UC student, and after four months of interviewing, I was hired. I couldn’t have been happier. The beginning of the position was a little bumpy, and I had some concerns, but I kept moving forward. Unfortunately, about halfway through the summer, I came to realize that I hadn’t been taking care of myself, and my health was declining as a result. Due to certain rules that deny SOLs the ability to leave during work hours (even for a doctor appointment), I was presented with an option to wait five weeks to see a doctor after orientation had concluded, or resign immediately so that I could see a doctor that day. It wasn’t something I wanted to do, but I made the decision to resign. Making that decision showed me that I am in control of my own future. No one is going to advocate for me unless I’m willing to advocate for myself. This event made me stronger and more resilient in the face of difficult circumstances. I have to realize that no job is more important than my well being, and I will use that knowledge for the rest of my life.
I have met so many incredible people this year who have helped me find my passions and supported me throughout the process of getting here. My supervisor at Lands’ End has taught me everything she knows, and has given me more advice than I could have ever hoped to gain. Her problem-solving and design skills have inspired me to continue on in my path in Industrial Design. My supervisor from the homeless shelter I volunteered in worked part time at the shelter, supervising the guests, training all volunteers, and keeping everything running smoothly. After a few weeks of working with her, she unfortunately had to leave her position in the shelter. I continued to follow her on social media and her blog, and I’m happy to see that she is doing incredibly well. I know that she enjoyed working with the shelter and knew the guys who lived there very well, which is why losing her as a supervisor was so upsetting. But she still serves as a role model to me as someone who can turn a bad event around into something better. Additionally, my project leader from my experience with Habitat for Humanity has made a lasting impact on me. On a very cold morning in February I got on the subway to make the hour-long trip to Coney Island to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and I met the happiest, most upbeat New Yorker I’ve ever seen. He used to work with the Red Cross as a first responder, and now leads all Habitat projects in Brooklyn. His optimism and encouragement is infectious. These three individuals have made an impact on my time here in New York and my year as a whole, and I will continue to keep them as role models.
Advice I’d like to give myself in the years to come is that I need to continue to take care of myself, and I shouldn’t feel bad about taking time for myself. This year has made me more independent. I make decisions quicker, and I stand behind them. I am a better listener, and I have a better understanding of how to manage crises. I am also a better leader. I have learned when to step up, and when to let someone else have the spotlight. For this upcoming year, since I am not continuing my position as an RA, my goal is to find more ways to be a leader on campus and create a better space for our students.