Too many things to think about
So this week has been interesting.
My first week as the official PR and Marketing Director of the United Way of Mason County has been very eventful, and I have to say, full of achievements and some good feelings about myself. Considering when I first saw the job listed, I didn't think I really wanted to apply, because there was NO WAY I was going to get the job in the first place. But now that I do have the job, I'm really excited and just feel good in general about it. After working at Mason County Literacy last year as a GED/ABE intstructor/tutor and front desk/office help, I got a sense of both teaching in a real environment, and of non-profits in general. Working now at United Way, I can only further my reach to help continue my goal of spreading education and getting out the word about social justice within education. Not only that, but I've learned so much in just a week of working there! I learned enough HTML codes and PR/Marketing skills to edit and update our website, create our Facebook and Twitter pages, and promote our mission of unanimous Education, Income, and Health within our country.
And I'm REALLY proud of myself for figuring out HTML enough to edit our website. :) What really gets me about this job is the INSANE amount of trust that United Way has put in me. Not that I think it's unfounded, I don't believe I'd ever do anything to betray that trust, but the fact that they gave it so willingly and QUICKLY is sort of astounding. Flabbergasting, actually. They gave me home and in-office access to ALL of their files. Every last one, AND complete access to every account they've had for the company and individually. Not only that, but gave me keys to the office AND the building, and left me to work alone on my second day of work, to close for them and work by myself for a few more hours. I guess it might not seem like much, but the fact that they gave me so much trust all of a sudden just kinda gasts my flabbers.
On a side note- I've been filling out my application for Teach for America, and have been having a rough time of it. I feel like I have all of the attributes they're looking for, but not necessarily the means to prove it for them. According to their website, last year they had 48,000 applicants and only accepted 4,500. This makes me very nervous. I don't know of analogous programs, either.
And then there's always class. I know I'm back in the world of academia when I've got five things going at once and no time to do any of them. I'm working on a short, 10 page paper synthesizing Proust with some other articles by Pierre Nora, Paul Celan, and Portelli on Memory and History as defined within writing, due next Thursday. I'm also working on a group project to create a memorial around the WWII women shipyard workers in Portland, OR, which includes 3 20-page group papers and an actual scale model of the memorial, to be completed throughout the next 5 weeks, as well as weekly group meeting and the research and artwork involved in completing it. I'm also working on the pre-research for my senior thesis, which I'm starting in January, on Education in Britain in the 19th c. which means I'm spending lots of time in the library looking for sources of all kinds. I'm also holding weekly Salons on the reading of Proust for two hours a week OUTSIDE of class, which means about 300 more pages of reading a week and preparation time, plus the actual salon time. And then of course, there's also the actual reading required for class, about 500 pages this week, some easy enough (Marguerite Duras's "The War" for example) and some not so easy to get through. (Pierre Nora's "Between Memory and History") Not to mention actual class time and seminars. *shakes head*
I've also been looking at this. And to be honest, it's a really great opportunity... but I can't help but feel I need to give it a miss. If nothing else, so I can finish my senior year as well as possible, and without overloading myself with too many options and possibilities.
*shrug* Who knows anymore? All I know for certain is that I'm finishing my senior thesis this year, and want to go to grad school with a fellowship. How I get between here and there is ridiculously uncertain at this point.
My first week as the official PR and Marketing Director of the United Way of Mason County has been very eventful, and I have to say, full of achievements and some good feelings about myself. Considering when I first saw the job listed, I didn't think I really wanted to apply, because there was NO WAY I was going to get the job in the first place. But now that I do have the job, I'm really excited and just feel good in general about it. After working at Mason County Literacy last year as a GED/ABE intstructor/tutor and front desk/office help, I got a sense of both teaching in a real environment, and of non-profits in general. Working now at United Way, I can only further my reach to help continue my goal of spreading education and getting out the word about social justice within education. Not only that, but I've learned so much in just a week of working there! I learned enough HTML codes and PR/Marketing skills to edit and update our website, create our Facebook and Twitter pages, and promote our mission of unanimous Education, Income, and Health within our country.
And I'm REALLY proud of myself for figuring out HTML enough to edit our website. :) What really gets me about this job is the INSANE amount of trust that United Way has put in me. Not that I think it's unfounded, I don't believe I'd ever do anything to betray that trust, but the fact that they gave it so willingly and QUICKLY is sort of astounding. Flabbergasting, actually. They gave me home and in-office access to ALL of their files. Every last one, AND complete access to every account they've had for the company and individually. Not only that, but gave me keys to the office AND the building, and left me to work alone on my second day of work, to close for them and work by myself for a few more hours. I guess it might not seem like much, but the fact that they gave me so much trust all of a sudden just kinda gasts my flabbers.
On a side note- I've been filling out my application for Teach for America, and have been having a rough time of it. I feel like I have all of the attributes they're looking for, but not necessarily the means to prove it for them. According to their website, last year they had 48,000 applicants and only accepted 4,500. This makes me very nervous. I don't know of analogous programs, either.
And then there's always class. I know I'm back in the world of academia when I've got five things going at once and no time to do any of them. I'm working on a short, 10 page paper synthesizing Proust with some other articles by Pierre Nora, Paul Celan, and Portelli on Memory and History as defined within writing, due next Thursday. I'm also working on a group project to create a memorial around the WWII women shipyard workers in Portland, OR, which includes 3 20-page group papers and an actual scale model of the memorial, to be completed throughout the next 5 weeks, as well as weekly group meeting and the research and artwork involved in completing it. I'm also working on the pre-research for my senior thesis, which I'm starting in January, on Education in Britain in the 19th c. which means I'm spending lots of time in the library looking for sources of all kinds. I'm also holding weekly Salons on the reading of Proust for two hours a week OUTSIDE of class, which means about 300 more pages of reading a week and preparation time, plus the actual salon time. And then of course, there's also the actual reading required for class, about 500 pages this week, some easy enough (Marguerite Duras's "The War" for example) and some not so easy to get through. (Pierre Nora's "Between Memory and History") Not to mention actual class time and seminars. *shakes head*
I've also been looking at this. And to be honest, it's a really great opportunity... but I can't help but feel I need to give it a miss. If nothing else, so I can finish my senior year as well as possible, and without overloading myself with too many options and possibilities.
*shrug* Who knows anymore? All I know for certain is that I'm finishing my senior thesis this year, and want to go to grad school with a fellowship. How I get between here and there is ridiculously uncertain at this point.