Hi all :)
Like Andrew mentioned in a previous blog post, a day in the life of a CSAA student never looks the same. What each of our days look like really depend on where we work, the time of year (whether it’s busy or not for your functional area), and how many assignments we have due that week. With that said, I’ll go ahead and tell you a little bit about what this past Wednesday looked like for me. “Typical” Wednesdays are a blend of class and assistantship work for me. We sit in our Theories II class with Dr. Dunn in the mornings (she’s the bomb diggity), and then I run on over to my assistantship site to finish out the day.
So, our classes each take place once a week and are generally three hours long. This semester, the first years have class on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In Dr. Dunn’s class we generally spend the first half of class discussing where we saw theory this past week as well as discussing any current events or issues that we have got going on. Then, we have a break and discuss the week’s readings in small groups and then with the larger group. This week’s class wasn’t any different—we discussed theory, talked a lot about language, and then broke up into small groups to discuss our readings on multiracial identity development.
After class, I hopped on a campus bus with some other awesome CSAA people to head over to the Tate Student Center where we all have our assistantships. Even though we’ve got some delicious food options in Tate (shoutout to Barbs!), I try to bring my lunch as much as I can. On Wednesday, I had my life together so I warmed up my food and joined the solid group of CSAA folk gathered around a table in the Center for Leadership and Service for lunch.
Now 1pm is rolling around, so it’s about that time for me to actually make it to my desk. Since we have class all day on Tuesdays, this was the first time I sat down at work since Monday afternoon (2,000 unread emails). Okay, maybe not 2,000 but definitely feels never-ending. I had to follow up on several action points from my meetings with students on Monday, so I sent some emails out to Campus Reservations for some upcoming new member trainings for The Arch Society (we are dead in the middle of our selection process). I analyzed the responses to a Doodle (the struggle) and decided on a date for a graduation dinner for Leadership UGA, the other program I work with.
After sifting through my emails (responding to some, categorizing others, and making notes for future meetings), I had a student come visit me in my office (which is always the most exciting part of life—yay student affairs!). We chatted about meaning of life for a little while. Just kidding, not really. Talking to this student was definitely the highlight of my day, and every time I have a student drop by to visit, I’m reminded why I want to pursue student affairs in the first place.
Before I know it, it’s 6pm and it’s time for me to trek over to my car. We had an Arch Society Exec dinner at 6:30 downtown. It was a chance for the four executive board members, myself, and my supervisor to all get together in a less formalized setting to chat and thank them for all of their service to the organization and institution so far. We ate at Southern Kitchen + Bar—delicious.
Finally, it’s time for me to go home to sit on my couch and watch Netflix with my roommate. We’re watching season 9 right now. So good. Highly recommend. After a few episodes, I head to sleep and prep for Thursday.
I hope that gives you another little glimpse of what a day in the life of a CSAA student looks like.
Much love,
Lorena
Hi y’all! My name is Lorena Guardia and I am a first year Masters student in the College Student Affairs Administration program at the University of Georgia. My family is originally from Panamá, but I was born and raised in Miami, FL. I decided I wasn’t a big girl yet, so I stayed close to home and did my undergraduate work at The University of Miami (GO CANES!) where I majored in Human Resources Management. My assistantship at UGA is in the Center for Leadership and Service working with The Arch Society and Leadership UGA. My professional interests include orientation, multicultural student programs, and college access. Outside of all the work and school stuff, I absolutely love traveling, socializing (preferably over a delicious meal), and binge watching TV shows.