If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m counting down the days until my residents leave, and I can close my building. They have taught me some interesting things this school year, but man, do I need a break! Here are the top 10 things I’m looking forward to this summer:
Sleep!
Dash, my dog, wakes up to every noise the residents make in the hallways. A quiet building makes for a happy #SAPro and a happy #SADog
Driving with no traffic!
There’s something about a town without many people that makes me excited to drive. I appreciate that everything is actually only 10 minutes away when the population of the town is lower.
3. Parking!
Oh my gosh—even though I have a reserved parking spot, the students still park in it. So I’m definitely looking forward to actually parking in the spot I’ve been paying a lot of money for all year.
4. Starting my Ed.D program!
It started this week, and I am in awe. It’s crazy to think that in 3.5 years, people will know me as Dr. Fig!
5. Working with New Student Orientation for my summer project.
It will be an awesome experience; I’m excited for the opportunity to work with a different office! I was an Orientation Assistant in Undergrad (shoutout to JumpStart at Concordia Chicago!), and I loved the experience. As such, I’m excited to interact with a handful of students prior to school starting.
6. Traveling!
I’ll get a chance to go home for a week to visit my family. Additionally, I’ll be exploring other parts of North Carolina and getting in some much need beach time!
7. The opportunity to get some professional development!
I was chosen to attend the Regional Entry Level Institute (RELI)—an intensive professional development opportunity for entry-level housing professionals within the Southeastern Region. Because of the faculty/participant engagement required and involved, the region only accepts 32 participants…and I was one of them! Talk about an amazing opportunity! There, I will learn from other colleagues and mentors within my region!
8. Reflection time!
I tend to work well when I can reflect on past events. Following reflection, I make changes and improvements for the coming year. I also plan to sit down and look at my goals/thoughts and develop a professional development plan for myself so I can utilize my time at East Carolina to the best of my ability and think about the next steps for me professionally.
9. Me time!
This year has been special to me, as I have had some interesting experiences. I am hoping to truly take some time for myself this summer to gain more self-confidence and focus on my mental health
10. And of course, counting down the days until the RAs come back and everything starts all over again!
It’s crazy to think my First Year as an #SAPro is coming to an end! The past year has been a complete whirlwind, but I’m excited to continue this rollercoaster ride!
This post is part of the Emerging SA Pro series following 4 awesome people: Aracelis, Emalie, Felicia, and Patrick, as they blog monthly about 1 year of their journey as either a new SA Pro or SA grad student. We are proud to help them share their stories as they break into our field.
