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!