Just One More Year

 

Polaroid taken from 2008 RAppin' Conference at Colorado Mesa University

Just One More Year

When I was growing up, I thought colleges were like gas stations—they were all the same just in different locations. I could not tell you the difference between, public vs. private schools, land grant vs. ivy league schools, commuter vs. residential schools and so on. As a first-generation college student, I thought I could never afford college. As I was finishing high school, I was encouraged to apply for scholarship after scholarship. That was a good thing, but words and phrases such as “Pell Grant” and “Financial Aid” were never explained to me. I thought my mother would have to work a second job in order for me to afford college. I had no idea how attending college and paying for it worked. I ended-up getting scholarships and different types of financial aid. I finished my bachelor’s degree in the summer of 2007. Yes. In the time of cargo shorts and bootcut jeans.

One year later in the summer of 2008, I received a random phone call from an unknown number. Like a typical Millennial, I let the phone call go to voicemail. When, I listened to the message, it was an offer to help run some off campus residence halls at CSU-Pueblo where I attended undergrad (look at me using scholar lingo). At the time, an ambitious new university president brought the institution’s football team back after 22 years. This was a big deal in Pueblo, Colorado and enrollment increased at the small university for the first time in a long while. When the school’s one residence hall—where I had lived and worked as an RA—exceeded occupancy, the school had to house the additional students somewhere. Somewhere ended-up being two local motels a couple of miles away from the main campus. No one in their right mind with a master’s degree would take that gig. Enter: me. With only a bachelor’s degree in tow and a lot of naivety, I signed-on to be on off-site hall director to meet the school’s needs. The students partied a lot and the WiFi frequently crashed due to numerous people using the internet all at once. At the time, I told myself I would do this for just one more year. “This isn’t really what I want to do. I am just buying time until my real career comes along. Something in TV production or media relations. One more year.” That was 14 years ago. 14 years, 6 jobs and 5 states ago.

To go from the Howard Johnson Inn off of Highway 50 in Pueblo, Colorado to the pomp and circumstance of Stanford is not lost on me. I still have much to learn and I remain open to navigating new challenges.

As I reflect on my career today, I still center the needs of the most vulnerable. I try not to take anything for granted while being the mentor I never had. Along the way, I met some fascinating people. I also met people who refuse to allow me to grow up and mature in their eyes. I believe this is because people often choose to remember the version of you where they had the most power over you. That’s their problem, not mine. I know the best is yet to come.