Onwards...

So I realized the other day how long it had been since I posted something... so here I am posting something.

Last time I was here I was anticipating the end of an era, now I'm here to say that the era has finished and a new one has begun.
For a minute there I thought I was going to have to change the title of my blog... eliminate the "college" part, but lucky for me that's not the case.

So yes, all my worries about the future and what would happen next have, for the time being, been resolved.

Now, with a Bachelor's degree in hand (two if I want to be specific and since I worked my ass off for that double major, I usually do) I am now facing the world in a new capacity:  Grad Student.



I have hung up my hat (or tassel?) with UCSD and joined the ranks at the University of San Diego (USD).  Not much of a leap as far as scenery goes but in terms of culture its a big change.  USD, for those of you who don't know, is a private Catholic university and is a much smaller school on a whole.  It's a very good one too so...  I continue to be very proud of the education I have received and am receiving... but I digress... It's also a positively gorgeous campus.  If you are unfamiliar with it Google it, I promise you'll say "wow! look at that".

I am pursing a Master of Education (M. Ed. <--- fancy initials I will get to put after my name someday) in TESOL, Literacy and Culture.  For those of you familiar with my blog and my previous academic adventures you must be wondering how a History & Sociology major ended up here... or you are like "what the heck is TESOL"?  Well, first TESOL stands for Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.  Secondly, this was not a path I initially considered.  My original plan was to enter a PhD program in History and immediately purse a path to a professorship... but... as it tends to go, life happened.  I was rejected from all 5 schools I applied to for PhD programs (though I still maintain that I was on the table until the last possible moment with NYU) and because I knew how hard it was to go back to school and how easy it is to fall in to the rhythm of a life filled by work and responsibility I searched for other options.  Thankfully USD still had applications open so I applied... but I applied to the MAT program (Master of Arts in Teaching) because it had an emphasis in History and Social Science.  But, a couple weeks after sending my application in I got an email from USD asking me if the MAT program was the way I wanted to go because it is designed for current teachers who are looking to deepen their understanding and teaching expertise.  They suggested a Masters Single Subject Credential program or TESOL... looking at the differences in the curriculum I decided that the TESOL program fit my ambitions better.  Since my end goal is to be a professor and to teach at the university level and hopefully at a good school I figure having the M.Ed. and experience with teaching non-English speakers would benefit me in the end.  Besides the fact that at this point I do not want to pigeon -hole myself in a single subject.  So the TESOL program is my new home for the next 2 years and so far so good.  It really appeals to my inner Sociologist... perhaps my crazy-mad-scientist-Sociologist, but I have yet to see that come out again... yet... ;)

So that's where I'm at right now.  A new adventure!  And of course like most adventures, it has been wrought with challenges already.  Mostly financial so I'm not going to go into it but also in a shift from the structure of undergraduate work to graduate work.  Personally I think this is what excites and terrifies me the most.  Part of the reason I "rushed" through my undergrad work was because I so wanted to get on to graduate level learning.  It is important to me that I make an impact in this world.  I want to contribute to the greater body of knowledge and be an agent of change.  What my journey in this life has shown me is that what the world needs more of is compassionate, positive and passionate people.  We should all find out niche in the world and follow it wholeheartedly.  This is what I tell anyone who I've talked to about goals or the future or what they want out of life.  So the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree of any kind is an opportunity to add to the body of knowledge.

Someone once told me "find your passion and follow it"... it took me 26 years to realize that that passion lay in the world of academia and it has taken me 30 years to be comfortable enough in who I am to pursue what I want.  Yes its difficult to live this day in and day out.  There will be days ahead where I want to curl up in a ball and hide from the world.  Days where I'm so frustrated I want to quit, but since the sun will still rise in the morning I must remember to finish what I start.  It's only when we are uncomfortable and pushed to our limits that we grow.  When we grow we have the potential to amaze ourselves and others.  I want to be someone that others can look up to, someone who inspires others to follow their dreams.  Mostly I want my children to learn from my choices, my stuggles and my accomplishments.  The world does not owe any of us a damned thing, but it will provide for you if you seek it out.

So that's a brief update as to where I am these days.  Still following the road I set out on and seeing where it leads me.  And still as starry-eyed and idealistic as ever.  But hey, the world needs idealists and I am happy to oblige.