Steph's blog
Class of 2009, Political Science Major, from Sturgeon Bay, WI

Well, this will be my final post as the school year is coming to a close. It's finals week this week and then all the Seniors are graduating on Sunday. I can't believe my Junior year is complete and I will soon be calling myself a Senior. Wow!

I'm finding that I'm still thinking about life after SNC and what type of job I am interested in. My parents asked me this weekend what I plan to do after St. Norbert. I'm still contemplating between working for a year or going to graduate school right away. If graduate school, for what area of study? Hopefully this summer I can do a lot of thinking and research and have a better idea of what all my options are.

Being as this is my last posting, I wish you all a safe and wonderful summer. Perhaps I'll be able to share with you in the future what my new career and school interests are. Until then, all the best.

Wow, I've just realized it's been some time since I've posted on the blog. Well, the semester is winding down and we are almost finished with classes and then finals week. I've made the decision to take a Maymester course, Biotechnology in a Global Society. Also, I've made arrangements to stay on campus this summer and work at the Survey Center and hopefully find another job. I figured that working at the Survey Center would be a smart move as I am a Political Science major. I've been talking with a lot of my friends who are Seniors and I know they are starting to get nervous about graduating. I can't blame them, soon they'll be on their own in the "real" world. Having seen them think about life after college, the best piece of advice I think I can take away from them is to start the job search early. At least I have the summer to do some more thinking...

Well, now that I am back after a very relaxing spring break I have to switch my gears back into school mode. Advisement is coming up and I've already started to think about where I hope to be for the summer.

I'm planning on taking a summer class for the first few weeks just to get ahead on my required courses. I am one class away from finishing my major which is really exciting! I think taking a summer class will be a nice way to focus on one topic and really put all my energy into it.

As I continue to explore where my interest lies for a career after St. Norbert I keep finding my heart going towards disability rights/awareness. With this in mind, I've applied for a summer program through Mobility International USA for students with disabilities. It is 16 days long and takes place in Costa Rica! The application was mailed last week and I am really hoping to hear from the program soon!

If I get into the program, I feel that I will be able to further my experience and knowledge in disability rights/awareness and it will prove useful in my future career. It's so exciting and daunting at the same time to think about all the possibilities that are ahead of me. The future is mine! :-)

Wow, I can't believe it is already spring break in a couple of days. It is amazing how fast this semester has gone already. I'm looking forward to some time for being with my family, relaxing and engaging in some personal reflection.

Things have gone a little bit slower the past couple of weeks with my internship as my two big projects are over. Right now, I'm putting together the bulletin board outside the Peace and Justice Center with the theme being Spring. Also, I'm trying to collaborate with the Environmental Club about getting a group of students together to participate in a day of cleaning up litter along the Fox River trail as a part of Earth Day. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

I wish everyone a very Happy Easter! Take care!

Hello again,

It's good to be writing to you all once more. We've gotten a lot of snow last week and the temperatures are still very cold so I'm hoping things begin to warm up soon! The lunar eclipse last night was amazing, for those of you who weren't able to see it.

Anyways, on to what's happening with my internship. This past Monday was the last event planned as a part of the Get InFORUMed: WI Presidential Primary series that I put together with another intern. The series was three evenings where guest speakers came in to talk about timely issues before the WI Primary Election.

Our 3 topics were:
1.) Immigration
2.) Health care
3.) The economy

Unfourtanetly, due to the weather, one of our two panelists for the health care forum wasn't able to come and the entire event had to be postponed which unfourtanetly had a somewhat negative impact on the audience turnout. Our immigration forum had three panelists on it and was very well-attended. I believe the count was somewhere near 100 people. Our final forum on the economy was more of a presentation since we decided to have only one person speak. Our guest speaker was Mr. Daniel Griwsold from the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. Like the other forums, it was highly informative. Despite the challenges with the weather, the series went pretty well overall.

Looking back over the past few weeks, I definently have learned the value of being able to improvise, be flexible and just "go with the flow" of things. Sometimes, that's all we really can do. Since planning for these forums began months in advance, now that they are over is a bit of relief.

So, that's what has been happening with my internship. I'll be sure to keep you updated as to what else is happening. For now I'm working on my article for the PJC newsletter.

My next blog post will be more focused on my career goals and plans for after St. Norbert. I've been doing a lot of thinking, talking and some research and I can't wait to share it with you all. Until then, take care! PEACE!