MATT NAZARIO-MILLER

The direction of this WordPress blog is changing. I haven’t posted on here in about a full calendar year, mostly because this WordPress was, in all honesty, made for the purposes of a class assignment that terminated last Spring.

A lot has changed since then…

Last Spring, I was a junior in university with big dreams of studying abroad. Now, I’m laying in my bed in London, grinning with pride at my ability to make my aspirations come true. I’m a month away from returning to the United States for my final semester of undergraduate coursework before receiving my BA in May. The last four years of university have been incredible—I’ve achieved more than I ever thought myself capable of. With a head full of fantastic experiences and a slightly damaged wallet, I’ll return to my city by the Bay ready for one last hurrah.

Of course, being the planner that I am, my mind has already travelled beyond graduation in May.

Before coming to study in London, a solitary question began taking root in my mind: Where am I going? I continued to ask myself this question even after I arrived at Heathrow Airport. After studying here for a couple of weeks, I felt like something was terribly missing, like a piece of my being had been taken away from me while I was sleeping. I knew what it was, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself for a bit because I was afraid of what it might mean for my future.

That thing I was missing was all my involvement in student leadership positions I left behind to come abroad, particularly those in student housing as a Resident Advisor. I had previously toyed with the idea of going into Student Affairs after graduation, but I hadn’t looked into the process seriously because I was so busy juggling 5-6 jobs and a full-time course load. The late nights on-duty, the staff meetings, the programs, the residents, even training (yes, even that) all made me feel so…fulfilled? I’m still searching for a word big enough to encompass the way my time as an RA made me feel. What I do know is that I have found something I’m passionate about.

Now that I’m abroad, I have more time than I’m used to for reflection. Thanks to having the space to think through what I’ve loved learning most during my undergraduate career, I realize that my passions lie in a future of working as a Student Affairs professional. Being an RA was the most fulfilling period of my young adult life.

By the end of September, I had pulled together enough gumption to seriously look into HESA/SDA MA programs, eventually settling on applying to four universities across the USA for the Fall 2015 semester. Now it’s November, three of my four applications have been submitted, and my mind races every day with the potential I have to make a positive influence on students in the higher education setting. I want this so much more than I ever thought I would.

Something tells me I’m on the right path. I feel it in my bones. I’m also a nervous wreck and wish I could just receive admissions decisions already, even though I know I have to wait until late January / early February for results. I hope universities will give me a chance to dedicate my full time, attention, and energy to something so impactful and personally meaningful.

Until then, I’ll be writing on this blog to get these thoughts out of my head instead of spamming my Tumblr.

I wonder where I’ll find myself less than a year from now; will I be stepping onto a new campus in a new city, embarking on a new adventure?