Update from Nadia Engelbrecht

Posted on September 7, 2011 by ebyers

Nadia Engelbrecht, alumna (class of ’11), Hanoi, Vietnam

Greetings from Vietnam –

I am not much of a blog writer but I have really enjoyed reading the updates posted and figured that the more people write the more I get to read!

So here goes –

Just a few weeks after graduation I packed up all I own into three suitcases and caught a plane to the one place I consider “home” at least for now – Hanoi, Vietnam. The day after I arrived, I started my new job. It was quite a shock to my body starting work so soon, considering I had to recover from jet lag, reaclimate to the weather (it’s very hot here and extremely humid!) and at the same time finish off writing one last research paper that I had yet to complete. In short, I had plenty to do! Fortunately, I also got to spend the first few weeks with my parents, hanging out and doing all of our favorite things. A few weeks after returning, I took a week off work and flew down to central Vietnam for a beach vacation with my mother and younger brother! This was much needed!

By the first of July I had settled into my new job and moved into my very own place, a sweet studio on the second floor, right on a lake – one of the best views in town! I feel quite lucky! I live just upstairs from two of my closest friends and only five minutes away from work! Work – what do I do? Well, I got a job at a small international school teaching part time and working as the office manager. It’s quite a lot of work, but I’m loving it! I learn something new everyday. There are just over 50 children at our school and over 25 different nationalities! Pretty diverse 🙂 We have children from Vietnam, Spain, USA, UK, Holland, Germany, China, Guatamala and many more countries! I love working in such a multi cultural setting!

Aside from work, I also joined a local theater troupe known as the Hanoi International Theater Society. This summer along with a few members from the group we put on a production of one acts called Summer Shorts! It was a complete success and a whole lot of fun! It was a 90 minute show with over 18 actors, 3 directors, 5 one acts and a monologue! I love that at this point in my life I am involved in two projects related to two areas that I am extremely passionate about – the theater and education!

As far as my long term plans are concerned – I am planning on staying in Vietnam for at least two more years (COME VISIT!!) ! I love it here – I am always happiest in tropical countries, plus there is an abundance of jobs, amazing people and opportunities here! Eventually I see my self going back to school to continue studying, I’d love to get a degree in educational psychology and work with international schools around the world! But for now I am definitely enjoying NOT being a student and making plenty of money, most of which I am saving to travel around the world with 🙂

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Is it a transition? Or is it just life? Deep…I know…thank you UPS.

Posted on September 7, 2011 by ebyers

Liz Bird, alumna (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA

UPS (well actually, my professors) taught me to question and analyze everything and so I have been thinking a lot about life. Specifically, the stability and prestige of college, of learning, of spending our days writing papers, TALKING, THINKING. I heard a lot of complaining during college, but you know what? College students (especially the students at UPS) have it made. There is a lot of talk about how this time after graduation is “a transition period.” And in a sense, it definitely is, but I think that there is room for argument, at least on a philosophical level. When we talk about a transition, we tend to think of an awkward time, a stagnant time, a time where we aren’t reaaallly living “real” life. Like our real life is behind us, and our real life is in front of us, but right now, well…its just a transition in between. I don’t like thinking of it this way. Life is right now. This is real. Whatever we are doing, whether it is graduate school, working, traveling, planning for the future, couch surfing, or something else, we are succeeding because we are learning and we are on our own path.

I got a job as a Case Manager at Comprehensive Mental Health, where I had my internship for practicum with Jill Nealey-Moore. Well, HR still needs to call me to officially offer me the job…so that would be awkward if something went wrong…but there’s no reason it shouldn’t go through 🙂 They know that I am leaving at the end of the semester, but since they need someone, because I can start right away, and because they know me, they are okay with my limited amount of available time. I am definitely nervous to start my first big girl job, but am excited that it is in a familiar agency with familiar people and familiar clients. I had a babysitting job that I needed to quit to take this job, so if anyone knows someone in Tacoma who wants to babysit Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9am-1pm for a cute 7 month old boy…let me know!!

I also got my business license! I will be a vendor in the SUB this semester selling my earrings, necklaces, and bracelets! I am SO excited to be visible on campus and to sell more of my stuff so that I can make more and buy more beads!!! I love beads…..

My summer was awesome, I lived in Vermont with my boyfriends family for a month and a half and worked as a house-keeper. It wasn’t my favorite thing to do…BUT I also got to go Kayaking, play with my boyfriends nephews, hike, cook, hot tub, drink wine, picnic, explore, and just get to know Vermont and New Hampshire. I also had an internship at a place called West Central Behavioral Health, where I met with participants in their InSHAPE program to interview them about their eating habits and fit forms with the info. I also walked weekly with a couple participants as a support. InSHAPE aims to improve the health behaviors and health status of participants who have mood and thought disorders. I had my own little office, where I would bring clients after meeting them in the waiting room (just like a real adult person!). I really enjoyed working there and both the staff and clients were interesting and great!

Then, I went home for a couple of weeks and was in my friends wedding. It was beautiful and traditional, and I cried SO HARD in front of everyone. The bride said that she could hear me crying…and i was second to last in line behind her….oops haha. Then, I went to family camp with my parents and boyfriend and we had a blast. My boyfriend and I performed Lean on Me at our talent night and we played games, did tie dye, swam, hiked, and took many naps. Then my boyfriend and I drove from the bay area to tacoma over three days and stopped in Mount Shasta City, California, and Yachats, Oregon. I would highly recommend both places, they were small towns and super cute and awesome. I had some struggle days while everyone I knew was doing orientation training and I had no job and little to do…BUT life is coming together!! I have been babysitting and selling jewelry and applying to jobs and studying for the GRE and auditing my class (Narratives of Race with Dextor Gordon) aaannnddd I knew that I would not sit idle for long.

I stayed busy during college and I should expect nothing else from myself as a graduate….

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Life after UPS is… a lot like UPS!

Posted on September 6, 2011 by ebyers

Molly Gibson, alumna (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA

As far as the happenings in my life, after graduation I had a wonderful summer filled with trips to Maui, Boise, and Lake Chelan amidst summer classes for the School of Education at Puget Sound. I am working towards earning my Masters in Education and I took two classes to fulfill the requirements for the program which I began last week!! It’s bizarre to be around campus without seeing all your smiling faces but I’m still loving it. The changes that have been done around campus over the summer (commencement walkway completed, new benches and plazas, Weyerhauser Hall finished, outdoor amphitheater completed…just to name a few!) make the campus look AMAZING!! I’m jealous and bitter at the same time, though, because the psychology department has now moved into the beautiful new building but oh well. As far as my program goes, I’m loving it so far because it feels just slightly removed from the UPS feeling. It’s a small program with only about 10 people in my specific certification area (K-8 Education) so that’s awesome. I’m completing student observations this fall in two different schools for six weeks each. Right now I’m at Grant Elementary off of Prospect street in a 4th grade classroom and I’m LOVING it! It’s totally opening my eyes to the power of education and the possibilities that lie with earlier education. (Exhibit A: While doing an art project, one student approached me and said, “Ms. Gibson? I feel sortof uncomfortable drawing my name in red and green (which she was assigned) because I don’t celebrate Christmas…” After I told her that they were just colors for an art project and had nothing to do with religions or holidays, she was SUPER excited about it!)  After this stay and after Fall Break, I will hopefully sit in on a middle school classroom to see how they’re different. I observe in the mornings and take classes on campus in the afternoons and have seminars with the whole cohort on Fridays. Looking ahead to next semester, I will student teach from January through April and I’ll graduate (again…) in May! Come see me!! Then I’ll have about a month off before returning to campus for a sort of capstone class and to write me thesis (again…). Haha! But all in all, I’m loving the program so far and UPS is just as good as it’s ever been. I miss you all and hope your travels, studies, or whatever it may be you’re doing is going successfully!!

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Update from Suzanne Taylor

Posted on September 3, 2011 by ebyers

Suzanne Taylor, alumna (class of ’11), Boulder Junction, WI

I happened to be on the psychology department website and was startled to see the address for the Psych department listed as Weyerhauser 307. It’s weird to think that school at UPS is actually still going on without us, isn’t it?

I wanted to write a blog entry so that other people are more encouraged to post things on here – I figure the more people who contribute, the more it will take off because other alumni will perceive that it’s a common thing to do. (That is what I learned from studying Psychology, all you prospective Psych majors!) It’s awesome to read all the updates on here; I want to hear more!

After graduation, I drove home alone to Wisconsin (2200 miles, I wouldn’t recommend it) and have been working at the same YMCA camp where I have worked for 5 years. My job there consists of working with high school students who come with their school or other program to develop their leadership and teamwork skills. The groups are soooo diverse and it’s never boring, and anyone who has ever worked with 14 year olds will understand how much I use Psychology knowledge every day. I spend a lot of my days either on canoe trips or the high ropes course – the job goes through October, and it’s really fun, so I feel lucky. If you’re looking for a sweet outdoorsy summer gig next year, let me know, I can hook you up!

Currently I’m at my parents’ house trying to figure out What I’m Doing After College. I’m on crutches recovering from a stress fracture so it’s good timing to spend hours on the computer researching jobs, housing, plane tickets, etc. My plan right now is to live out of a backpack for a while – visiting friends and then heading south. I am hopefully spending six weeks in Guatemala this fall volunteering in a daycare at the only domestic abuse shelter in Guatemala and finding other opportunities there as well – just trying to soak up whatever learning I can.

I woke up this morning with the realization that I think Tacoma just feels like home for me and I really want to move back there in January, at least for the spring – so if anyone has housing to sublet or knows of any good short-term jobs, let me know! It will be great to get back to the drizzle and mountains. I miss it more than I thought I would.

I’d love to hear more about how and what everyone is doing! Best wishes to you all. Here is my current favorite quote, I think it’s pretty applicable to post-college life.

‘“But what,” badgers a relentless voice, “exactly are you doing here? What are you accomplishing? What are you getting out of it? And what, oh especially what are you going to do with your life?
The voice usually stops me. Knocks me down, kicks sand in my face. But this time, finally, I tell the voice to shut up. It’s a stupid question, what are you doing with your life. Setting out to do something with your life is like sitting down to eat a moose. Nobody ever did anything successfully with their life. Instead they did something with their day. Each day.
Sunrise is birth. Sleep is death. Each day is your life.
Let the moose run. Eat some blueberries.”

-Douglas Wood

From the book Paddle Whispers

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Update from Chris Brennan

Posted on August 22, 2011 by ebyers

Chris Brennan, alumnus (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA

As new students arrive on campus, I am reminded of where I was four years ago. Little knowledge of whom I would become or what I wanted to pursue. I sit here now on this gorgeous Sunday afternoon and am thrilled at where I have ended up after graduation. I am currently a behavioral interventionist with an organization located here in Tacoma that services over 90 clients in the area. What’s fascinating is that this organization started here in 2010 and has quickly built itself up, serving primarily military families.

Last semester I began my interest in Autism Spectrum Disorder by writing my final thesis on play therapy and its various effects on children with ASD.  I had no idea that my research or interest with ASD would take me to the place I am at now. I originally started the summer by working at a café and bakery in Seattle, as well as dancing with a small company. After a few weeks, I began to realize that I wanted to find something more fulfilling. Using the resources of CES, I stumbled upon the position I currently have and immediately began creating my cover letter in the hopes that my limited experience in the psychological field would not hinder my application. Within a few days I received a call and set up my interview the following week. I had no idea what to expect, but I was lucky enough to be offered the job on the spot and was told training would begin in August. With a feeling of great relief, I carried on working and dancing in Seattle and in July moved back down to Tacoma in anticipation for my new job.

At the start of August I underwent a week long intensive training for six days, learning the ins and outs of ABA and various other programs such as DTT, TEACCH, PRT, PECS, and Sensory Integration. My head was literally jam-packed with information. After a shadowing session on our last day of training, I was sent on my merry way and began the following week by subbing 4 different cases. I will confess to being incredibly intimidated by the prospect of being on my own, but felt prepared to tackle what was thrown at me.

Last week was my second week of work and I began working with two of my own clients, who I will most likely have until the end of the year. The challenging part about my experience thus far is that each client varies greatly across the spectrum; no two clients are a like. Therefore each session is individualized and each BI must adjust accordingly. That being said, I think one of the strengths of this organization is that it allows for me, as an interventionist, to experience and assist a variety of clients. I’ve even gotten the experience of opening my own case with a client who has never worked with the organization or experienced ABA!

I’ve certainly already had my highs and lows with this job, but I’m so excited to see where this experience will take me. I plan on going to graduate school after this year and hope to pursue child development or perhaps clinical psychology. I honestly have no idea what I’ll end up doing to that end, but I’m happy taking things one-step at a time. I feel so fortunate to have this experience right now and it is everything I could have hoped for, especially after graduation!

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Update from Elisabeth Meinig

Posted on August 8, 2011 by ebyers

Elisabeth Meinig, alumna (class of ’11), Colorado Springs, CO

Well hello!

As with most everyone else, I am currently trying to adjust to being a “post grad” and am beginning to experience the sadness that I, for the first time ever, will not be returning to school this fall! My summer has been filled with some little adventures! I went to Burn Camp to be a camp counselor for Arizona Foundation for Burns and Trauma. Probably one of the coolest things I experienced was one of my campers was extremely traumatized from a recent fire and was so quiet (I mean, QUIET. She talked to NO ONE and would only nod her head in response to yes/no questions). I found out that she liked horses and using my thesis research (on animal assisted therapy for children), we set up a little program for her to spend time with the camp horses every day, which turned out to be incredibly successful! By the end of the week, although she didn’t get completely verbal, she did form short sentences, smiled a lot more and would actively participate in camp activities! So neat!

I am currently working on applications for grad school (my dream is to become a teacher!) and studying for the GRE. I also am traveling to Nepal in September for 3 months and am preparing for that! Lots of vaccines and a huge packing list, but I am super excited! My boyfriend (who I am totally dragging along and who is somewhat apprehensive) and I will be working for a foundation called the Nepali Youth Foundation, a foundation that rescues children from child slavery and houses them in a safe place, gives them medical care, and educates them. I am not exactly sure what I’ll be doing specifically, but I think I will be teaching English, but we will see when we get there!

Sounds like you all are doing great and it’s comforting knowing we are all in similar places and experiencing similar pangs for the student life! Best best best!

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The Transition Period

Posted on August 6, 2011 by ebyers

Liz Bird, alumna (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA

Haallloo! I am currently sitting in my apartment in Tacoma near the mall, staring at more boxes that need to be unpacked. I am living in Tacoma until January, when I will move to Vermont to do research at the University of Vermont. I think I talked about that in my last blog post. In the mean time…I am looking for a job…cooking…doing errands…and trying to get my jewelry business going! I am making jewelry and selling it, and you know, I think it is kind of keeping me sane and feeling productive. It is definitely odd being in Tacoma without all my classmates and friends around (I do have my boyfriend and some friends who are still at UPS). I actually have quite a few friends in Seattle, so I will need to venture up there a lot this semester.

I recently sent my Gender Studies thesis (secretly a second psychology thesis) to the woman that I will be working for in the Spring. Sending it was nerve wracking, and of course, she sent back some constructive criticisms straight away. Thus begins my life as the lowest on the totem pole…until I graduate from graduate school…and then I’m the newbie in the work force…I suppose life is full of being the newbie, and no one is ever all-knowing. But it still makes me nervous! So for anyone else who is feeling this way, I am right there with you.

I am thinking of auditing a class this fall if my work schedule allows. I may be babysitting almost full time, and I actually have an interview this afternoon with a family who have a 7 month old girl. Obviously I will let you know how this goes. I also have another babysitting possibility, and I might be doing skills coaching where I interned last semester. Hopefully I will get it all worked out soon.

Here is a shameless plug for my jewelry making endeavors 🙂 Check out my blog!! http://birdiesbijou.blogspot.com/

Missing all of you, Liz

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Update from Gina Scarsella

Posted on July 1, 2011 by ebyers

Gina Scarsella, alumna (class of ’11), Auburn, WA

After the long and anxiety-inducing graduate school application process last school year, filled with GREs, personal statements, recommendations, interviews, and all that fun stuff, I will be living in Seattle next year to attend Seattle Pacific’s Clinical Psychology (PhD) program!  It will start in late September, so I am in the middle of enjoying quite a long summer in which I hope to do everything and anything before the next five or more years (which I’m pretty sure will not be filled with relaxing breaks here and there…there are a few puny ones, at least).  I’m anxious and excited to live in Queen Anne, meet more new people, and spend even more of my time ruminating about psychology-related things!  I am set up to have two mentors when I get there, Dr. Marcia Webb and Dr. Thane Erickson.  Dr. Webb studies trauma, especially in women, and the stigmatization of many disorders from a spiritual lense; she has also created a scale to measure whether religion helps/hurts a person to cope through sufferings.  She has a lot of experience being a Christian clinical psychologist, so I look forward to learning from her.  As for Dr. Erickson, what attracted me to his studies was his focus on anxiety, as well as positive psychology.  I wrote my thesis on these two topics and am excited to see how the ideas from positive psychology can be applied towards people with anxiety, particularly social anxiety.  He just emailed me today in fact, to meet sometime at the end of the summer to talk over things for the fall!  This makes me feel a bit better, and I have heard that they are all very supportive in SPU’s program; they want us to do well.  I don’t know why that is a surprise, probably because I am so intimidated to do this program.  But I got in for a reason!  So I should focus on that a move forward boldly!

As for the rest of my life, I am hoping to go on a road trip in a few weeks, to the Grand Canyon and through the midwest, then up to Wisconsin and back this way through Yellowstone and stuff, should be chaos, but fun!  I’m also trying to get to Peru with my best friend in late August…now that would be amazing!

Anyways, that’s where I’m at now!  Hope you all are well!  🙂

Gina

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Update from Stephanie Baugh

Posted on June 30, 2011 by ebyers

Stephanie Baugh, alumna (class of ’11), Tacoma, WA

The realization that I am now a “real adult” hit me the other night when I was calling our campus security office to request a ride home from a friend’s house. It was late and dark, and my friends offered to walk me home but I didn’t want to inconvenience them. However, upon calling the security office, I was informed that graduated students are not eligible for rides in the campus security cars. No longer am I under the protection of a school; my life is in my own hands.

This thought is both terrifying and exciting; thankfully, I have a three-year plan. Because I want a year off before graduate school and have never been abroad, I am planning a trip to New Zealand for six months. I am doing a homestay arrangement in which I work 3-5 hours/day for a host in exchange for free room and board. In my spare time, I get to explore the region!

I just confirmed my first homestay and am planning my subsequent stops. Although it is intimidating to head into an unknown region, I am preparing by reading travel guides and blogs about the process. I’m trying to plan ahead as much as possible, yet be flexible if needed. This trip is a big step for me. I am normally organized, detail-oriented, and uncomfortable leaving things to chance. I think this journey will help me become even more independent and comfortable taking whatever life throws at me. These skills will undoubtedly help me in my eventual job search, so I’m going to hang on and enjoy the ride!

In between Googling pictures of New Zealand’s coastline, discovering that I could work at a horseback riding camp, and learning about zorbing (seriously, check it out!: http://www.zorb.com/zorb/about-us/), I am also applying for graduate school in student affairs. While I had initially considered using my business and psychology degrees to explore small business ownership or human relations, I had not found a business area about which I was passionate. When brainstorming possible senior business thesis topics last year, I started to consider the student affairs profession. I was involved in campus leadership positions and had worked closely with campus administrators, so I decided to write my thesis about the profession to see if I was interested enough in it to purse it as a career.

As I researched and wrote, I realized that working in higher education not only connects aspects of business and psychology, but also fulfills all my personal and professional goals. I can apply my management, finance, and leadership knowledge to the administrative tasks required of student affairs professionals, and I can use my experience in psychology and research to counsel students and understand theories of student development. My campus involvement helped me to gain and strengthen many personal qualities and talents, and I want to ensure that other students have the same opportunities for growth that I did. I can give back to others while using the skills I have gained in college. Perfect!

I am overjoyed to have found a career that truly excites me, especially so early in life. I have read about various programs that colleges implement to help their students develop intellectually, morally, and socially. Students at the University of Puget Sound are fortunate to have many of these programs available to them, but not all colleges offer such opportunities. I hope to be able to explore this discrepancy further during my graduate coursework. I am interested in learning more about how colleges encourage their students to develop leadership skills, how college cultures can be transformed from negative to nurturing, and how colleges can offer student support services yet also encourage students to become independent adults.

But first I need to apply! I have exactly eight weeks to take the GRE (for which I should probably start studying…), narrow down my list of schools to apply to (at least I’ve already pulled a solid eight favorites from my list of twenty-something possibilities!), write strong, concise, and informative personal statements, and sort through all the other application requirements. I am looking forward to finishing all the planning and actually commencing life. Best of luck to all graduates as you do the same!

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Rachel Kakach: Interventionist for the Early Steps Study at the UW Autism Center

Posted on May 16, 2011 by ebyers

Rachel Kakach, alumna (class of ’10), Seattle, WA

It is hard for me to believe that this time a year ago, I was scrambling to finish my thesis, find a job, and soak up my final days as a student at Puget Sound. I can remember back to freshman year, registering for classes for the first time without a clue as to what I wanted to major in, and it took me until the spring semester of my sophomore year to declare myself as a double major in psychology and French literature. That semester, I took a developmental psychopathology class, which is where my interest in autism really began. And, thanks to that professor, I found a summer job working with children on the spectrum. I had a lot of previous experience working with kids through summer camps and babysitting, but I had never worked with children with autism until that summer. Each day was very different and challenging, but being able to teach these kiddos and witness their progress was extremely rewarding. I worked with this organization for two summers as a paraprofessional and had the option of continuing my summer job with them following graduation.

During finals week of my senior year, however, I found out about an opportunity at the University of Washington Autism Center to do early intervention with toddlers with autism for a research study. Around this time I also discovered that a fellow UPS alum and Psychology major had worked in the UW Autism Center for several years, and so we met up to discuss this opportunity and how she got to where she is now. This connection helped me get my foot in the door, or rather, my name to be noticed out of the many applications that were received, and I had an interview the last week of May. Long story short, I got the job and started training full time at the end of June. I have been working on the Early Steps Study intervention team for almost a year now and am still loving it.

The intervention follows the Early Start Denver Model, which embeds curriculum within a framework of play. Each child receives 20 hours of in-home intervention a week for two years, and the parents receive ongoing parent coaching. Basically, I spend my day playing with two and three-year-olds with autism and teaching them skills in various domains, such as expressive, social interaction, fine/gross motor, personal independence, etc., while we play. I am constantly trying to come up with new activity ideas, update my lesson plans, and communicate with the other interventionists and my supervisor about the six kids that our team works with. Each day has its high and low points, but the progress that I see these kiddos making is a constant reminder of why I chose this field.

As for my future, well, the research study will be ending in the next couple years, so I have started thinking about graduate school. Currently, I am leaning toward a program in early childhood special education, but I know that that’s bound to change. Luckily, I have a few months until application season starts up again to decide what kind of program I want to do, and thanks to my background in psychology, there are so many paths that I could take.

I would be more than happy to meet and discuss with any student my experiences so far. My connections to faculty and alumni at Puget Sound have been invaluable. Once a Logger…Always a Logger!

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