I don't believe I've done an update since before the AS elections...in April, I know. So this is probably going to be a long one considering that was almost 5 months ago.
In respect of your time and sanity I've done a nice little outline for the message so you could pick and choose the pieces that you'd like to read and keep your place if you want to.
1. Spring Quarter
a. AS elections and what I'm doing instead
b. Classes
c. UCSD Cares (picture to right)
d. Work
e. Exploring
Spring Quarter and AS elections
The spring started out with AS elections and a tumultuous two weeks of campaigning. To start you off, no, I didn't win the position of AS VP Student Life, but while I think I could have done great things with that role I am extremely happy that I won't be doing that next year. I think I realized during campaigning that my heart was not wholly into it and there are a LOT of other things I could be doing my final year in San Diego that do not include sitting on the 4th floor of the student center debating how much money to give to concerts. Now without AS, I am able to keep my role as Manager for the One Stop as a leadership consultant, Alumni Discovery Ambassador, Student Foundation Development Committee Chair, and Tourguide-along with time to take lots of trips around California whenever I can.
So while I think I could have done a lot of great things in a role with the student government, I'm excited to have the freedom to make changes around campus through my other involvement endeavors.
Classes
As far as classes are concerned, I had some okay classes during the spring though only one that I absolutely loved. In one class we watched American classic films and analyzed them, so it was fun watching movies but the professor didn't teach too well and I had a crazy professor who started every class by sitting cross-legged on the table in the front of the classroom and chimed a pocket-size bell to begin lecture every day. Hilarious in the least.
Then there was my favorite class that I think helped me figure out what I'd like to be doing the rest of my life! It was the Sociology of the Dynamics of Innovative Communities. Essentially we studied communities like Silicon Valley, and the biotechnology community around UCSD. We looked at questions such as what are the characteristics of an entrepreneur? and what type of communities were formed in Silicon Valley that made it acceptable for people to jump between jobs and firms so easily? For the first few weeks of the class we read Saxenian's Regional Advantage and a number of other essays on innovation. Then we were set loose on any subject we wanted that had to do with Innovation. I chose to study the training and benefits that innovative companies offer their employees to keep them happily innovating within the company, rather than moving to another or starting their own. With a list of contact information for CEO's of various start-ups and large innovative companies I set up interviews with a CEO for UCSD's Global Connect, a recruiter and a director from their Learning Center. Pretty much what this taught me was that I'd like to work in employee development and training and/or consulting.
UCSD Cares
...is a week of service and philanthropy at UCSD. In it's 8th year this year, I've been chairing a committee of 10 that worked all year to plan the event and make it it's best ever. Student organizations signed up with us to promote their community service/philanthropic causes by promoting their work or doing fundraisers. This year we partnered with a fraternity on their philanthropy, Derby Days, and with Student Foundation for their first ever Dance Marathon and ended up raising over $14,000 total for the Rady Children's Hospital! It was an incredibly successful event and it couldn't have gone any better. You can check out our website at ucsdcares.ucsd.edu!
Work
I LOVE my jobs! So very much that I am worried about my future job because it would be too incredible to find ANOTHER job that is as great as what I get to do now. Of course, that includes my leadership consulting for the center for student involvement, and my job 'discovering' alumni through the alumni association. The alumni job has really been great since school got out as I'm doing around 5 interviews a week-and I can't get over the fact that I get paid to go hang out with alumni and have them tell me stories about their experience. But it gets even better than that, because with the suggestions that alumni give us I've actually had the opportunity to write a few project proposals for the alumni office and am working on making them happen.
So work is great great and in my next little blog I can write all about the summer projects I'm working on!
Exploring
Since this is probably my last year in San Diego, I started spring quarter with the desire to start really exploring San Diego. That in part has been made easier because I have a car but also because I've turned 21 and can get access to many more concert halls and events than I could in the past. One trip that I went on was with a good friend Kat (suitemate from my freshman year and amazing lady) to the Anza Borrega desert and Salvation Mountain. I've also added some pictures of these to trips!
One other place is a beautiful winery in Ramona, Salerno Winery, at which a wonderful old Italian man is a
gracious host to all who attend their family Sunday's at Salerno. I've added a picture of him as well when he was teaching us
how to make pizza dough (while we ate DELICIOUS wood-oven pizza).
Those are just a few adventures. Summer has so many more to come!
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