That’s Dominican.
That’s Dominican. The Dominican Office of Marketing and Communication held a Branding Expo last week to reveal our new brand campaign, which is, “That’s Dominican.” The new brand is all about the Dominican community, it’s about what Dominican means to us. So, for this blog post, I thought I would talk about what Dominican means to me.
To be honest, when I think of Dominican I think of more than a school, I think of more than what I’ve written on in these blogs. As I approach the end of my freshman year, there’s a lot for me to reflect on. Nothing can replace the time I spent with my friends hanging out in the quad, just sitting out in the sun, and the countless hours I spent reading in the Ministry Center and getting to talk with others about God and spirituality. In my first year of college I encountered some strange, funny, awesome, and downright amazing people—including a group of friends that accepted me and made me feel like part of a family.
It’s a whirlwind, really. I got my first job here, and excelled at it, succumbed to coffee addiction, and really grown into a more independent adult. I’m still tied to home, sure, and I still take away a lot from my experiences there, but Dominican has really opened me up me in terms of growth as a leader. I think of all the new responsibilities and challenges I’ve had to overcome and face as a student, and as a person, and I know I’ve grown exponentially in one measly year. Being a math education major is difficult,, but the course load never got me down, while always challenging and stretching me to new heights. Somehow in all the busyness and craziness of life, Dominican still managed to shine through as more than a school. It’s a home away from home, it’s Hogwarts, it’s beautiful, it’s full of wonderful people, it’s a place of opportunity, it’s a place of creativity and diversity.
I’m going to miss this place over the summer while I’m off doing my own thing, pursuing my own growth, but I know I’m coming back next semester excited and anticipating a new season of challenge and opportunity.
That’s Dominican.
Getting Things In Order
I entered the lottery! Or at least the work lottery, you see, I’m trying to shore up plans for the summer to make sure it’s active and productive. The great thing about having my job at the Welcome and Information Desk (WID) at Dominican is that I’m allowed to work over the summer. Other than my very short stint at Tropical Sno I have no work experience so I’m grateful to the WID.
My life has been fairly uneventful recently, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing considering how busy things at Dominican get. I applied and worked out my application to the Teacher Education Program, which is a good process to get out of the way quickly. I need it to register for classes past the 310 level. My advice to anyone wanting to go into education is to study like heck for the Illinois Basic Skills Test and pass it quickly. Illinois has some of the most rigorous standards for teachers, and combined with DU’s stellar program, there is a lot of challenge in making sure everything lines up.
This semester I have been getting general education required classes (gen-eds) out of the way. Next year I am taking two education classes and two math classes, along with honors seminar, which equates to 17 credit hours. Oh well, a little stretching and challenge never hurt, and it is why I came here. I’m using Dominican to keep my summer full and accomplish some of my goals with work and keeping busy.
To manage my cash flow and my financial future I signed up for Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace University.” Finances are important, especially now more than ever, and this guy is one of the top financial advisers in the world. One good piece of advice I’ve taken from him is to not spend with my debit card (which I LOVE) and to make sure I’m paying with cash so I feel the purchase and understand that I’m losing money when I buy that extra frosty at Wendy’s. That, combined with a gym membership at Charter Fitness and I’m well on my way to a good summer. I’ve lost 13 pounds so far (though I’m sure I gained some over Easter), and my goal is to lose 20 by the end of August. I think it’s possible, and I’m excited.
I am also really excited to see Night of the Iguana, my friend Brian Manjarez’15 is in it, can’t wait to see him perform.
Hunger Games
I’m sure if you’re reading this and you haven’t been living under a rock for the past week then you know about the huge blockbuster mega release that took theaters by storm last week. Jeez, with that kind of language I should write advertisements. Anyway, yes I’m talking about the Hunger Games, and yes I went to see it at midnight. It was my first midnight movie showing!
A little bit about the movie; apparently it cost $78 Million to make and in its first weekend has taken over $150 million. I guess in the movie industry that’s pretty good, actually record breaking. It beat Twilight so that makes me happy regardless.
I read the first two books last summer, and went through them in about three days. I tried the third one, but the introduction was depressing and 50 pages in I was bored with the characters. That being said, I’m not a huge fan of author Suzanne Collin’s writing because throughout the books I never got a clear picture of who these people were or even what the world was like. She mainly spent her pages describing food, which made me very hungry. That being said, I love the story—one about a girl, Katniss, living in a poverty stricken District 12, one of twelve districts ruled by the Capitol. Each year the Capitol chooses two kids from each district to compete in a gladiator death match called the Hunger Games. It makes for a lot of tension and an exciting story.
Overall I’d say I prefer the movie to the book. A lot of friends have gotten on me about this one, but I’m serious when I say it. The movie expanded on the rich uniqueness of the Capitol and its people, and was able to better draw out the atmosphere and what exactly was going on during the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins created the world of Hunger Games, but the movie brought it to life for me. It seemed like a believable future where villains have beards etched like flames and strange little insects called Tracker Jackers and birds called Mockingjays actually make sense. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m a writer and I picked apart every bit of Collins’ writing, but I enjoyed the movie more.
Going to the Lake Street Cinema and being in Downtown Oak Park so late at night was awesome too. Almost ran down to Five Guys Burgers for a snack but then the line started moving. I would have gotten a nice student discount from there if I had… Oh well. I was exhausted at work the next day, having an eight hour shift on Fridays, but it’s college, I have to live a little.
Volunteer Prankster
Volunteering is easily where I feel the most at home. For as long as I can remember, and even as I go into my teaching career I know I love to help others. I didn’t go on one of the awesome service trips offered by Dominican over Spring Break. However, I did spend a majority of my time doing the two things I do best, serving others and being a general menace to society.
It was nice to have a break, and to have the weather be so cooperative (it was 50-60 degrees all week). As I walked to and from work the few days I was at Dominican this week, I realized how serene the campus gets, when it’s empty. My break, however, consisted of a lot of work.
One of my favorite ways to make an impact, since I’m not the adventurous type is to help out at my church, and help out I did., after being a general menace of course.
It was a Sunday night and the basketball group at church had just cleared out. A few friends and I were loitering when we realized our Youth Pastor’s office was open. Obviously, we had to prank him. The next day, he was surprised to see his office covered in sequins and several items missing.
Thus began a week of prank wars. In between watching Lord of the Rings and preparing curriculum for the Jr. High at our church, I spent the week antagonizing my favorite people. We ended up glitter bombing the Pastor’s office twice. Then, one of my accomplices sabotaged me and post-it-noted my car, I should have taken a picture! Furthermore, the following day, we were told we had two invoices waiting for us—one claiming our sequins shenanigans destroyed a vacuum cleaner (who cleans sequins with a vacuum?) and another claiming we damaged one of the office laptops.
I walked in defiantly with a check in hand, to the office to pay for the damaged items only to learn it was another prank. I swore revenge. Oddly enough, however, that was only the first half of my week, and the rest was rather calm.
I will leave you with one of the best all-time pranks, Jim’s murder scene fiasco on Dwight from The Office.
http://www.nbc.com/the-office/video/early-birds/1385797
The Welcome Desk
I currently work for the Dominican University Welcome Desk. I’m very fortunate to work under Auxiliary Services. My bosses are pretty awesome, and no, that was not me sucking up, I’m being serious. My job at the Welcome Desk (WID) as we call it, is satisfying and challenging.
College jobs generally get a bad rap for being just that, college jobs. However, working at the WID is no simple office work. Sure it’s secretarial, but there are a lot of things to be learned from that, especially when it comes to basic job skills that will be vital in the future. The most integral part of my job is working with all the people who come by the desk. It’s unique and interesting to see the variety of people who come in, which is of course due to how close we are to the city. Growing up in the suburbs, I didn’t get to see a lot of people from different cultures. The variety of people I meet at the Welcome Desk makes me appreciate the area around here.
More than that cultural appreciation, my job has taught me several cool things that will probably be skills needed for future jobs. I guess the biggest one I learned was improvisation. I mean, I knew how to improvise in front of people from when I was a teacher’s intern, however, I had never needed to think on the spot. The rapid fire questions I get about the university really keep me on my toes. Thankfully, my boss has provided me with many resources, but as the Welcome Desk man of information, I’m expected to be a walking, talking, encyclopedia. Furthermore, I’ve had to learn to talk on the phone… yeah… that skill. Haha, most people don’t think of it anymore, but talking on the phone is a skill. My policy is to smile even on the phone, and talk as if I’m talking to my best friend (minus the playful insults and jabs). I want to provide the best kind of service possible.
Apart from that, I’m given a project once a week, which is generally restock inventory for the staff lounge over at the Priory. They need coffee just about as much as I do! I love my job because of its quick pace and the challenge. It’s difficult some days, but it never leaves me bored or dissatisfied. There’s always something to do at the Welcome Desk.
Stretch Yourself
I’ve found lately that I’m being stretched. Not literally but, in all the leadership material I’ve been reading it talks of a fine balance between comfort and complacency. In other words, it means if you’re not growing, or feeling a little bit of discomfort, chances are it’s time to re-access what you’re doing. That’s what I like about Dominican. My classes expose me to a variety of things, and it really does keep me on my toes. I think the only way I got through my calculus exam today was because a friend treated me to Starbucks before I left my house.
One of the coolest ways I’m growing, is in my duty to service. My youth pastor has asked me to run an outreach team. Back in high school I was president of the school’s branch of the Interact Club. It required me schedule meetings, plan events, work for the community and serve others.
I live a pretty good life, and one of the things I enjoy about DU is the wealth of service opportunities. There are so many events through Catholic Charities throughout the city, and more involving helping to tutor kids on the west side. By volunteering in these outreach programs, I expand my contacts and look for various opportunities. Last night we wrote cards to women being ministered to in prison, in a few weeks we’ll make blankets for kids, and after we’ll work with the Red Cross. I’m open to anything, because I believe service is one of the most eye opening things you can do. When I volunteer I can see the impact a small group of people can make. It’s almost mind blowing.
Becoming a Teacher
I am in the Teacher Education program here at Dominican, and I will say that the first week in the program is stressful. The 200 level course is designed to test and reveal whether you really want to become a teacher, because education it’s actually a double major, and you have to get yourself together and have a solid battle plan and goal.
I’ve been talking battle plans a lot, haven’t I? It’s true, because in preparing us to be educators, Dominican goes the extra mile, partly because of state regulations, to make sure we’re more than well equipped to deal with anything. Therefore, I have to take all the education courses, and in my case, I’m a math major. Talk about a lot of work! Teachers can get a bad rap, “if you can’t do, teach,” and all that. But teachers face issues that many skilled workers can’t even imagine. Not to knock others jobs, but education is a challenging and versatile field that is totally worth it in the end.
The biggest hurdle for most freshman is taking and passing the Basic Skills Test. All states require a series of tests to be taken to determine whether aspiring teachers are competent enough to have the job, but Illinois has separate and special tests. The Basic Skills was a lot like the ACT when I took it, and thankfully I passed, but its still a challenge, and its necessary for applying to the Teacher Education program.
What’s the big hurry to apply? Well, it locks me in so I can contact mentor teachers about internships. Talk about a lot of pressure, but the challenge is worth it, and I’m glad Dominican offers a challenging program.
Here’s a cool video Dr. Sarvis showed in our 310 course.
Make a Battle Plan
I used to make resolutions for every year, but they always ended up falling short or I’d just fail at them. This time, I made a battle plan, and believe me there is a difference.
Elliptical
The most obvious one is weight loss. This year, I killed two birds with one stone. I pitched in with my Mom to get my Dad to get an elliptical for Christmas. I put in a half an hour on the elliptical everyday, or if I’m too busy, ten minutes at the beginning of the day. I set a goal to lose 20 pounds, that’s specific and clear-cut, I found the means to do it, and then I cleared time in my schedule to make it a process.
Another part of my battle plan has to do with a book I’m reading called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John Maxwell. It is a cool book, and I totally recommend it to anyone who’s bored or needs a new read.
Another resolution of mine was to read more often. I hate reading, but I am totally into this book. It goes over 21 Laws that can be applied to your life that are used by some of the greatest leaders out there. One of them was the Law of Process, which states that big things do not happen over night, but making them a process makes them attainable. It’s about growing as a leader behind the scenes so when it comes right down to the test you’re ready to ace it. I love the book, and it’s part of a book list that I’ve developed to better improve myself.
Each one of my battle plans consists of something I can do every day to make it happen. They’re big tasks, but big things don’t happen overnight. The big things start with the little, and I want to build up for all the great stuff I want to do in 2012.
Time Management is not Just a Crucial College Skill
More studying. Gee, I certainly did not expect this. Literally. I’m not being sarcastic when I say it. Through my amazing to-do-list time schedule, I knocked out tons of work that would otherwise need doing now. In fact, writing this blog is on tomorrow’s to-do-list, but after an awesome time at Elevate Youth Ministries, I feel compelled to do something productive with my time. Regardless of how well I plan, I have quite a few pitfalls when it comes to getting my work done. After feeling focused and complete with my work last week, I realized come the weekend that I had even more work for this weekend.
My biggest pitfall, when it comes to scheduling, is working on weekends. I believe the routine is that I return from church at two in the afternoon on Sunday and proceed to say, “Okay, I’m going to do homework after just a little bit of Skyrim.” Well, one hour of Skyrim easily turns into three, and by the time I’m ready to start homework, it’s bedtime. It’s funny regardless how I plan, procrastination gets the best of me.
I’ve been taking a lot of leadership courses at my church. It sounds cheesy, but learning about faith and religion, which there are lots of at Dominican, translates into leadership ability, which there is also a lot of at Dominican. In leadership, I’ve learned important lessons like encouraging others, making sure I am filled up before filling others, and detaching myself from a lot of temptations. Yeah, college is filled with temptations, but looking around Dominican, seeing things like the retreats offered by UMC and the Alternative Break Immersions, there are a lot of alternative ways to have fun and not do anything morally wrong. In leadership, though, the most important thing I’ve learned is related to time. College has also reinforced this.
Time management is not just a crucial college skill. It helps a ton, but at the end of the day, time management is my life. Dominican offers so many opportunities in service, and not taking advantage of them is a crime. By managing my time, I can not only get my work done, but also serve others as well as work on writing my book, a project that I fully suspect will be a part of my future. Sure, procrastination hits everyone, but the point is to keep improving and to keep managing time better.
