What Time Is It? ft. Chad Danforth

SPOILER ALERT: It’s summer time

don’t click that link, you know already know what it is.

Also, just to clarify, as much as I love Chad Danforth, Troy Bolton will always be my number #1 (or rather my #14)

hsmblog

so this is me and Troy Bolton basically twinning. if you can’t tell that my jersey number is 14, that might because I didn’t have a lot of middle school volleyball pics to choose from (for braces reasons mostly) enjoy that sweet 6th grade awkwardness fam

But we’re not talking about Troy because he had a pretty sweet constant influx of opportunities which is definitely not as relatable as Chad, and whatever problem he has that made this a thing:

homeboy must wear 3 watches for a reason, right?

homeboy must wear 3 watches for a reason, right?

So here’s the deal, I might have some stuff lined up for this summer. MIGHT. Which is weird, because normally, when people are like, “I’m not gonna have an internship, or a job, or a sense of purpose, or a chance at happiness”

I’m like

andimgonnaberighttherewithyou

but weirdly I may or may not be taking intro animation classes at my local Community College, and/or interning at this architecture and design firm back home.

And while I’m really excited about both of these opportunities, both are still a little up in the air, and interfere with my ideal summer plans which include sleeping in and chilling with my besties

sleepingin

the boys are back

this really was an amazing trilogy

But more importantly, if I want this internship (which I do) I have to do all that applying for an internship stuff. (>>>)                                foriegnterritory

So because I literally wandered into my only real world job, my resume is literally a series of questionable design choices designed to hide the fact that I had zero work experience.

I’m not going to include it because it’s even more embarrassing than that volleyball photo, so here’s a .gif that reflects pretty much exactly how i felt while making it. (vvv)

awkwardlyholdingflowers

that wilted bouquet represents my meager list of accomplishments

 

So this time I went to the professionals, by which I mean CP&R.

So it’s probably time to admit that, for a CP&R blogger, I don’t actually utilize their resources as much as I should, but they have drop-in hours from 10-4 on weekdays and I had zero ideas on resume writing so I figured it was probably time.

First of all, those magazine looking things by the door have sample resumes inside them which means if you feel really self-conscious about how bad/non-existent your resume is YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO TALK TO A PERSONastonished

But you probably should, i just found it useful to get started before having someone else look at it.

The super helpful/friendly people at CP&R can give you helpful tips like where to put numbers or how to use nifty action verbs to make your resume stand out (vvv)

making your resume stand out

So basically, the point of this Chad Danforth themed post is that you have a team to help you with summer things!

WHAT TEAM?   CP.. no, that’s actually sacrilegious, it’s the Wildcats, it’s always the Wildcats

 

And, when you have a team that has your back, there’s a lot of stuff you can do, like trying something really new!

like, reeeaaaaaaaaallly new

like, reeeaaaaaaaaallly new

Unfortunately, there’s one other thing I feel I should mention, and I really hate to end this post on a sour note, but this is important.

You can have all the support in the world, and all the experience a person could ask for. You could fill out all the petitions that Kelly has to offer, and still, I’m pretty sure, that despite all this effort and all the hope in the world, you still can’t major in vacation.

you filthy filthy liar

you filthy filthy liar

 

Family always knows best– right?

This past weekend I attended my cousin’s wedding in Atlanta after literally counting down days until the festivities for over six months. It was the most incredible and grand celebration– I come from a huge, crazy, and hilariously loud family, and I live for these rare occasions when we are all together. Being close to my family is one of the most enriching and defining parts of who I am, and I feel incredibly fortunate to share those strong bonds. That being said, having such personal relationships with my family means two things are always in abundance: food, and advice. My family LOVES to eat, but I would venture to say they enjoy sharing their opinions even more.

A small preview of my family’s craziness

I realized last weekend that I have matured out of the “What are you studying?” phase and into the “What are you doing with your life?” epoch. Very, very terrifying. It is easy to field those questions with curious peers and acquaintances because I can just smile and offer a vague “something related to public health…” before redirecting the conversation. That technique is a complete and utter fail with my family. They want the specifics, the exact details about my elaborate plans from now until a career. And they don’t just want to hear it—they want to add their own commentary, critiques, and suggestions. While my parents are wonderfully supportive and encouraging in all respects, my decision not to pursue med school was less than favorably received by my extended family. When I tried to explain my excitement and interest in global health and human rights, the responses I got ranged from “there is no better field than medicine” to “you will never make money.” My family is so well intentioned, but I quickly grew frustrated and vulnerable from having to defend my choices. It took several months for me to feel comfortable in my decision to steer away from medicine onto a different path, and I did not appreciate the resurfacing feelings of doubt and insecurity.

Me, my parents, and my brother at the reception!

These past few days since being back through, several small occurrences have reaffirmed my confidence and reminded me of why I am passionate about public health. Today, for instance, I took a career values assessment that allows you to rank what you value as important in a job. My top five were:

1) Help society

2) Diversity

3) Influence people

4) Public contact

5) Moral fulfillment

Looking at the list, I realized that I am drawn to the fields of global health/ social justice/ international development/ human rights because the work so perfectly aligns with what I fundamentally value in a career. Being engaged in the community and making a difference is a reoccurring theme throughout the rankings, and I recognize that a personally fulfilling and satisfying career must highlight those elements. For me, the values on this list are realized through public health. I know with time and action my family will come to accept, respect and understand my decisions. Familial pressures can at times be hard to manage, but I am grateful for their ability to challenge and question me because it keeps me honest with myself. As one of the youngest members of my family, establishing a voice for myself will be an on-going process, but in the meantime, I am thrilled to continue with public health and show them where it leads me next.

Dear Scripps students, do you ever face similar experiences or reactions regarding your school/major/ career choice? How do you deal with and address the situation?