I arrived at Seattle on Sunday, August 9th. The sky was clear, the freeway was busy, and my stomach was fluttering with the possibilities. What will this adventure be like?
With little time to settle and move in, I did the best I could before training the following morning. Things got very real very quickly. I was introduced to my new apartment (way bigger than I imagined), my office space (which is huge!), and, of course, the members of my Housing and Residence Life team.
So far, training has been a ball. I think I’m still riding the high of this exciting life change, which makes me thrilled about everything in doing. Another part of this, though, is the fact that Seattle University was and is my dream school. When I was accepted for undergrad and couldn’t attend because of financial hardship, my spirit was broken for a while. This is where I’ve wanted to be. Because of that, every day I wake up here, I’m overcome with the sense that I’m incredibly lucky to finally be living my dream.
This has changed the way I approach training sessions. As an RA, I was less than happy about waking up every day for a long training session. Now, I feel fortunate to be a part of it all and look forward to learning what I need to know to best serve my students when they arrive in September. There have been small bumps, however. Because I’m used to knowing the ins and outs of everything, it’s a little frustrating not to immediately grasp how to use different res life computer applications or procedures just yet.
I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to welcome discomfort this year. Resisting the inevitable feeling of being uncomfortable will hold me back from learning and growing into my best self as a student affairs professional.
We’ve got a little over a week left of pro staff training, then some prep time before the RAs come back for RA training. Lots to do, and I’m just getting started!
MATT NAZARIO-MILLER 