Over the Thanksgiving holiday I gave a lot of thought to what I’m thankful for. Of course, I’m thankful to have been able to spend time with my family, to be at Scripps, and to have the amazing opportunities I’ve stumbled across in recent years. I’m thankful for modern medicine, my running shoes, the fact that I even have a job. If you count your blessings, you realize there’s a lot more to be thankful for than the things people usually say.

Most of all, I believe I should give all of my thanks to my mom. She has worked tirelessly to put me where I am today, and her dedicated and relentless efforts have definitely shown. We didn’t always get along (especially not in high school!) but she has always, always been there for me. So here’s a list of things I think she should be recognized for.

1. She put me through a private college preparatory school.

This alone is a huge accomplishment, and a privilege I’m lucky to have had. My high school was difficult. Often I hated it, because I felt that I did not belong there, or I didn’t have any friends. A few times, I begged to be transferred to a public school where I could be with people more like my socioeconomic class. But my mom never let me do that. And even though it was hard, I believe it was entirely, one hundred percent worth it. I’m at Scripps because I did well in high school, and I’m doing well academically because of what my school taught me about hard work and time management.

2. She taught me that hard work can help you, but efficient work is better.

My mom required a lot of me. She knew I was smart, she knew I had the capability to make A grades, and she made sure I knew that she knew! Even when I thought I was “trying” it always seemed like she felt I could do better. She worked with me to get myself organized- a feat that I am not sure a lesser woman could have accomplished. Once I was able to actually find my homework, I started getting better and better in school. Focusing became easier, and I stopped losing things all the time. Now I’m proud to say that a lot of my friends think I’m super organized- when the truth is it takes a lot of effort to stay that way.

3. She always wanted me to be happy.

It’s easy to forget that success doesn’t equal happiness. It sure helps, but my mother always encouraged me to try new things and pursue the activities I loved. When I decided I wanted to take on theatre, she wholeheartedly encouraged me to pursue it- not only as a pastime, but as a passion! Even now, she’s so supportive. I’m playing rugby now, which confounds the living daylights out of her (and she says she wishes I wouldn’t play), but she still gives me sound advice as a massage therapist- telling me that maybe I should try developing my back muscles, for example, or helping me on my form for squats. Now, I pursue my own happiness without a second glance- after all, if I’m happy, I have already succeeded.

4. She modeled what a strong, independent, resourceful woman looks like.

Through my childhood, my family had some hard times. My father’s business went through a rough period, we couldn’t support the lifestyle we wanted, and a whole host of other challenges followed us. But my mom was always optimistic, always strong, and always looking for opportunity. She has so many interests. Despite our challenges (every family has them) she kept pursuing her own hobbies- from making stained glass, to gardening, to painting- and tried to turn them into profitable opportunities. She worked for a few years as a florist, learning how to make gorgeous bouquets (she still makes all of the holiday arrangements for family gatherings). She worked at a bridal shop, fitting brides with their dream dress. She planned gardens for friends. She went to school for massage therapy, graduated, and now works as a therapeutic massage therapist with devoted clients who see her every week (though I avoid her massages because deep-tissue massage HURTS!!). I absolutely idolize the fact that she can turn an interest into something profitable, but still always seems to have time to spend with her family.

My mom with a turkey guy after the race!

5. She inspires me.
On Thursday before we had our gigantic Thanksgiving, my mom did something that surprised all of us. She had never run an entire mile in her life before she began training for a 5k, but eight weeks ago she decided to start. I would get weekly updates as to how long or fast she ran (up a hill, no less) and hung on her words. I was so proud of her that she was even attempting it. So when I flew home to celebrate the holiday, I didn’t really expect that she would successfully run a 5k Turkey Trot. I didn’t expect that she would finish under 40 minutes on her first one. I didn’t expect that she would do it all in below-freezing weather. But she did! And I ran it with her. We held hands crossing the finish line. It was a blast and reminded me that no matter what, nothing is impossible.

Just when I thought I could relax for a while, I realized. It’s almost Thanksgiving. Which means applications. Applications for internships, to be precise. And while last year I managed to slack off until April and still be fortunate enough to get hired on at the Company, I wouldn’t bet on lightning striking me twice.

Granted, the Company has asked me to come back again this coming summer. Though this is certainly something I am happy about, and something I may take advantage of, there are a few concerns I have with going back. Surprisingly enough to me, the conventional Silicon Valley wisdom is to get as many varied internships as possible during college, in startups, big companies, small but established firms, you name it. A varied resume is a  good one. At least that’s what I heard from many, many of my coworkers. On top of that seemingly relentless anthem of self-improvement and exploration is an addendum: If you want to move up in your career, never stay at a company for more than three years unless you’re exactly where you want to be.

See, to me, as a Midwesterner, that advice seemed odd. Every time I heard it, I kind of cringed a little inside. Whatever happened to loyalty? Back home, employees were rewarded for loyalty to a company, not for constant self-promotion. Moving around all the time could be seen as a lack of loyalty- something bad. Maybe it’s the culture, but doing too much of either seems like a risk.

My decision to apply elsewhere is not out of disloyalty, however. I truly value varied experiences, and the chance to work somewhere new, outside of California, is a tempting one.  Besides Silicon Valley corporations, I’ve looked at Johnson Controls, Northwestern Mutual (which is supposedly one of the best companies to work for, period), and Harley-Davidson. What do those three companies have in common?

They’re all in my hometown.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, y’all.

It feels weird, looking homeward after I swore up and down that I would never want to go back to the Midwest. But in the name of variation, I’m thinking that maybe going back home wouldn’t be such a bad career move. These companies are old and established. Surely they’ve been doing something right! And though the Company I worked for last summer was old for Silicon Valley (read: 25 years or so), these firms are even older. Maybe I can learn something valuable from them, something I wouldn’t ever see at a startup or fledgling empire like Google.

I left this girl back home 🙁

And, besides, I miss my cats.

Humans versus zombies is a popular and sometime controversial tag game that happens each semester. It is, in fact, the biggest non-alcoholic event in the 5C’s. Many students see all these people running around with Nerf blasters and bandanas and think, “What nerds” or, “How are people not upset about all these guns everywhere” or even,“Wow, they take this super seriously.” Well, I can tell you that HvZ is not just for nerds and that there are degrees of seriousness with which people play the game. For personal and political reasons I will not address the gun issue, which, while I would love to get on my NRA soapbox, I will abstain from.

 HvZ Highlights Reel (used with permission from HvZ player Graham)

As some of our readers may know, I am a moderator of HvZ. Most people don’t know what goes into moderating for the game, however. We mods put hours and hours of time into designing the plot, game mechanics, and missions for our players. We are unpaid, despite the fact that in non-game weeks it’s a part-time job at best and during game week we rarely sleep a full night. I’m not complaining, I’m just attempting to communicate the severity and importance of the role to us. We do it because we love the game, love our players, and believe strongly in the tradition of the game.

Last year, I was a zombie player. I enjoyed the hunt, the missions, the game in general. I may or may not have set a record for the most meals for any female player- but the fact that I had the most meals of a first year at Scripps in the history of the game is undisputed. Somehow, despite the fact that initially I had signed up to enjoy the game as a casual experience, that record led me to learn more about community than anything I ever did before. People started to follow me for none other than what seemed to be my athletic ability. Suddenly, as a first year, people seemed to look up to me. And I had no idea what I was doing, or why, or how. It felt strange but natural. I hadn’t really led anything or anybody before… And it was stressful but I enjoyed it.

I don’t write that to brag, though among serious players, HvZ war stories are a staple for post-game conversation. Instead I write it as a personal anecdote of the meaningful experiences people draw from the game. Though I wasn’t the primary zombie leader, just leading a group catalyzed something in me that I had never seen before. It made me more comfortable with leadership, networking and putting myself out there. And I think that goes for other players too.

See, among human players the game forces communication and grouping-up. Most people could not survive the zombie apocalypse if they did not find friends and experienced players to walk with to class. They defend each other against an increasingly powerful enemy, fostering strong friendships that last well outside game week.

Zombies also have their own social mechanics. In order to catch as many humans as possible, they also group up, hunting in packs for the elusive and ever-diminishing human population.

And during missions each side gets even closer. It is both a dire and fun situation. People work together to achieve objectives, communicating constantly to attain a common goal.

It’s that tight-knit, enthusiastic community that drew me to playing again and to becoming a mod. I learned more about working in a team from modding than from playing, and more from playing than any group project in high school. I made friends that lasted well past first semester. Modding has been stressful so far but the friends I’ve made within the team are some of the best I have. And, finally, HvZ has allowed me to express my inner geek. Running around with Nerf blasters has been fantastic and I intend to continue for years to come.