My name is Derin, I was a hospitality professional who decided to leave that career behind and return to school in hopes to become a Student Affairs professional. I am about to enter my second and final year of graduate school. Here is my journey and how I ended up at Ball State University for a second time. Entering Higher Education from High School Higher education was highly recommended growing up. Your options were:
Ball State – Part 1 I attended Ball State University. I was elected to be Hall Council President of the Brayton/Clevenger Hall my first year. I became an Academic Peer Mentor (APM) to help offset the cost of living on-campus, out of necessity. Being an APM changed me for the best. I became so much more confident in myself and proud of the work I accomplished. It was very fulfilling to help others in my hall and fun to plan events to help them grow. I felt like a cheerleader. My junior year, I found that my work/life balance was not what I wanted, so I switched my major to Hospitality and Food Management. I graduated cum laude and as the Hospitality and Food Management program’s Outstanding Senior. French Lick Resort I worked at French Lick Resort, located in Southern Indiana, for three years. It was there I met my now fiancé, Lucas. He has changed my world for the best and is a huge reason I was able to come back to school. My chapter at French Lick was wild. I worked at weddings, special events, and Thanksgiving. When the pandemic hit, I was furloughed and was brought back to an ever-changing schedule. I was everything from being a barista to putting up Christmas decorations. Working many different jobs at weird hours was a low point. I started therapy and was able to transition into the Guest Experience Team. In this role, I was able to help guests plan their stay by making reservations and helped earn the resort more revenue. The job felt monotonous to me, and I found that I was not satisfied with the type of work I was doing. Ball State – Part 2 I decided to return to graduate school and study student affairs because of how much I enjoyed serving others in my role as an Academic Peer Mentor (APM). The Student Affairs Administration and Higher Education (SAAHE) program has brought so many wonderful people into my life and has challenged my perception. My assistantship, Living-Learning Community Coordinator in Housing and Residence Life has allowed me to participate in so many fruitful experiences. I have had the opportunity to put theory to practice through teaching a course, developing training, and serving in the on-duty call rotation. I have found a passion area, working with Living-Learning Communities. Today, I am working on my two summer courses. Finale I have much to look forward to this upcoming year. Over the summer, I was awarded an internal grant to support pregnant & parenting students and organized the LLC makerspaces. Lucas and I will tie the knot in January. I am planning on attending my first conference and will be job searching. Over the next year, I am setting a goal for myself to blog bi-weekly and to publish my children’s book I wrote for my EDCC 640 course. Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this. Not every blog will look like a traditional blog, I much prefer more creative avenues like lists and infographics… stay tuned.
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