New Year, New School, New Major, Same Rube

New Year, New School, New Major, Same Rube

Hello loyal five of you that read (or at least open) this blog. It's been a wild summer to say the very least. In the span of about three months, we've relocated some 68.8 miles (I'd round up but this is a family blog), I left my amazing job at Linn Benton Community College, in which I helped incoming and existing students navigate the perils of college life, and took my skills to the University of Oregon.

As I mentioned in previous blogs, I truly fell in love with writing (as attested by the fact that I'm writing this on a Sunday night after homework and instead of watching football or playing video games), so much so that my new major and career path is Journalism. What better school to get a journalism degree than the best journalism school in the nation? So in early June, I applied at the direction of a faculty member at UO. After what felt like enough time for the newest Game Of Thrones book to be released but what was actually a week or so, I was accepted.

Once in, it was a matter of finding housing. I applied for family housing with UO but had heard the waitlist could take months. My amazing wife and I started budget planning and looking into apartments near campus we could afford. After a few weeks of stressing and planning and scrapping plans and then replanning and trying to think a million steps ahead, university housing sent us a barebones email with an address and a date to move in.

Like that, our housing worries were over.

Once we moved in and unpacked, thanks entirely to our amazing family, the next big hurdle was finding a job here to replace the one that was based 43 miles away. I loved my role at LBCC. It was amazing. The work was rewarding, the leadership was astounding, and my team was incredible. If I was able to stay on remote and I felt I could dedicate the effort it deserved, I would have stayed without a doubt. But alas, it was a student position, and having graduated in June (first Media to have ever graduated college NBD), I was no longer a student. So I began looking at roles here on campus. I applied for a lot, took interviews for a few, and accepted one that sounded innovative and interesting.

That took care of paying bills and rent, now to plan for the new term.

The new school year brought about a considerable amount of unknowns. How would I pay for classes? How will I pay for books? How will I find time to work enough to bring in enough income? How will I learn how to navigate this new campus? And most importantly, how will I enjoy my new career path?

Paying for things was challenging for sure, however, once I started looking, finding resources and support wasn't too hard. 

Side note - I don't want to derail my train of thought too much as I might never get it back on track again with my ADD riddled mind but, I have to say, for a large, state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar university, the lack of assistance they provide for incoming transfer students here is staggering. If not for my own dedication and desire, coupled with three years of experience in assisting students with navigating this stuff at OSU and LBCC, I'd be screwed (excuse my non-family-friendly language) going into this term. It's a topic for another day and one I intend to go deeper on so stay tuned.

With the school finances figured out (pretty much) for the term, my focus turned towards work. I spent hours crafting a perfect schedule that would fit my class schedule and homework schedule to a T. Then school started and I remembered how that first week actually goes. So, after a few classes dropped here and a few added there, I remade my schedule by the seat of my pants and by week's end had something that will work with the right amount of hours and at times that will actually work for me. In fact, I'll get to see my daughter off to Kindergarten every day, which I'm very stoked about!

So then, all that was left was how much will I or will I at all, enjoy my journalism courses?

As it turns out, I've never enjoyed sitting in a class more than I do in all four of my journalism courses. It's as though I'm in a room full of friends. I feel so comfortable and enthralled. Not to mention, walking Allen Hall feels simultaneously hallowed and familiar. Everything about being in and around journalism feels truly veracious. 

The last bit of my week I spent looking for more ways to get involved at UO. I auditioned (and was accepted) into Duck TV for both Media and Sports reporting. I was invited to a few intermural sports (both flag football and volleyball) which I might do. On top of that, I've begun laying the groundwork to get my foot in the door to be a college ambassador here at UO as I was at LBCC for so many years.

For a poor kid from some housing projects in Reno NV, this all seems unbelievable.

I'll keep grinding and putting myself in uncomfortable positions to continue pushing myself, not just for that kid from Reno, but for my brother who never got a chance to get to this place in life. For my daughter, so she'll grow up knowing that hard work and dedication can help you achieve your goals. I'll also do so other kids growing up with little to nothing like me and my siblings did, can see that just because you have less, doesn't mean you are lesser.

SCO DUCKS!