New Man on Campus

"Be a student as long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life." – Henry L. Doherty

Hello friends, family, and psychology enthusiasts. Welcome to my new and first-ever blog. There are a few reasons that I have decided to start this blog. One of them being that I want to share the incredibly interesting bits of information that I am learning in my Graduate Program in Psychology. I think that the topic I am studying is applicable to all of our lives, whether directly or indirectly. For some reason, this information remains esoteric and the general population does not learn of the most current findings in studies and experiments. So, be prepared for some truly superb Psychology posts.

Another reason for starting this blog, is that I have recently had this feeling of being disconnected from friends and family that I do not get the privilege to see often. The superficial way that other social media outlets are set-up may contribute to this feeling. A blog seemed like an ideal way to get detailed information about my life, what is on my mind, what I'm learning in grad school, and what I truly care about to my loved ones; an avenue in which to be honest and genuine.

Lastly, the written word is my favorite form of communication. I highly value the skill of generating thoughts and organizing them into written words. We should invest some of our time to be creative in this way, as it is an essential skill in this world.

In this first post, I'd like to catch everyone up on my life. At this time a year ago, I was in the middle of my Student Teaching Experience. It was a great experience and I learned so much from those 3-4 months. I'm grateful that I had the privilege to do that and I was fortunate to have such exceptional mentors and teachers. That said, I realized that teaching was not something that I could see myself doing for the rest of my life, or even a year or two. If I'm going to do something, I need to be fully invested and completely enjoy it.

There were several aspects of teaching that I did not enjoy. I did not enjoy being around 20-30 children almost all day, 5 days a week. I respect and admire the current teachers that can do that, like my Dad and his Kindergarten students. Dad, you are awesome and your students love you so much, as do I.

As someone that has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, I also did not enjoy teaching students information that I had already learned and mastered. I desire and enjoy learning new information or taking ideas and theories to a deeper level. I could not see myself teaching sports and fitness to children for the rest of my life. When I chose my major, I was very into fitness. I think I realized that I had reached the end of what I could learn in that field and soon got tired of the topic.

In 2010, when I chose my major of study, I believe that I did not know much about myself or what I wanted. I think this could be partly contributed by being so closeted and secretive about my sexuality. I believe that carried into my life in general. I did not take the time to think about what I wanted to accomplish in life, and instead I preoccupied myself with attempts to hide my true self from the world. After 2 semesters I felt pressure to settle on a major of study and I chose teaching after insufficient introspective thought. I see that pressure as a major problem in today's higher education system.

Fortunately, I had a substantial amount of time after graduation in December to think about what I truly desired in life. I finally had the time to attempt to truly know myself. It was the opportune time for me to do this in the first 4-5 months after I moved to Billings in January. I honestly do not think I ever took the time to do this during my undergraduate experience. I just pushed on, not giving a second thought to whether I truly enjoyed teaching or not. In life, sometimes we just do what we need to survive. Thankfully, I had the courage to pursue something different, something I am passionate about, and I did not have to remain "boxed in" to a career path.

Other than that, I truly have some issues with the way the school system is in the U.S. I think that we can do much better. I can affect more lives, more change by the route I have now decided to pursue. I much prefer the thought of influencing individuals one on one, rather than 20-30 students at a time.

That said, I'll explain the graduate program, my goals, and aspirations. The MSU-Billings M.S. Psychology program is set up for approximately 2 years. Each semester we take 9-12 graduate credits which is the equivalent of 3 classes, give or take an internship experience. The classes I am taking this semester are Human Neuropsychology, Intro to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Abnormal Psychology. Neuropsychology (though absolutely fascinating) is proving to be the most challenging class for me this semester. Intro to PTSD is probably my favorite class. In this seminar format class, we are reading "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel A. Van Der Kolk. In future posts I will be sharing more details one what we have been learning.

Upon Graduation, I will be applying for further schooling out of state in order to pursue my goal of a PhD. In the broad subject of Psychology, I would like to pursue the area of Industrial-Organizational Psychology. Here is a quick description of an Industrial-Organizational Psychologist: http://psychology.about.com/od/iopsychology/f/organizational.htm

In this niche, I see myself enjoying a career employed by a large business or university as a researcher. The job outlook for this career is growing according to a few sites, and the salary is decent. This career would satisfy my need for constant learning and inquiry.

Other than graduate school, I am working on campus about 20 hours a week. I am the Graduate Student Coordinator of the Diversity Center and Student Union. I am currently updating the website, as it was outdated when I stepped into this position. Here is a link to myself and the 4 wonderful undergraduate peer mentors that I coordinate. http://www.msubillings.edu/diversity/PMPTeam.htm
Here is what the Diversity Center does on campus: http://www.msubillings.edu/diversity/PMPServices.htm

Currently, I am working on planning a Day of the Dead Celebration for next Monday. Additionally, I am on the team for planning Power of One Week on the MSU Billings Campus. This week is the first week that students are back for Spring Semester in January. At this event, we will have some amazing events that I will write about later. The topic will be LGBT issues, gender equality, and other important subjects. Below is a bulletin board that I created recently. It is designed to be a reminder for using inclusive language and staying away from language that stereotypes, stigmatizes, or excludes groups of people.

If you're still reading, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. Time is finite for everyone and to give of your time is to give of yourself. That is about all I have for now. I shall now get back to studying for my Mid-Term exam in Neuropsychology, as I should be doing. I have to try my best not to get distracted by the adorable group of elderly women having a book club next to me in the coffee shop. Have a great week and feel free to reach out and connect with me if you so desire. I am always happy when I can hear about from my friends and family. Have a great Halloween and/or El Dia De Los Muertos!