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The Final Months of National Urban Fellows

My previous post, written in March, left off with me having four months left in the program. Today, September 15, just a month and a half after graduating from the program and five days shy of my 30th birthday,  I am providing an overview of the last four months of the program. Mentorship and Capstone Project The last two months of mentorship was ridiculously hectic for me. I was barely getting 3 hours of sleep a night and was at my site 12-17 hours a day. Classes were continued to kick my butt and I didn't start working on my capstone project (really a graduate thesis) until nine days before it was due (I know, my time management, or lack thereof, was atrocious). However, I was able to get everything done.  Regarding mentorship and capstone, three pieces of advice:  Know when to speak up. My mentorship was understaffed in my department and I was the only full-time non-management staff, so a lot of work got pushed off on me - it wasn't hard work, but it was ...
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NUF Classes and Mentorship Update

Hey Folks! For those who are interested in National Urban Fellows, this update is for you :) By now, you have already submitted your NUF application or are in the process of submitting it (congrats, it's a lengthy application process).  Here is a program update thus far. Fall and Spring Semester Classes Each cohort has a class schedule that is slightly different from the previous year, so class of 2016 may not have the exact same schedule as my cohort (we still take the same classes, but the time of year you take the class may vary). That being said, all fellows will have a unique class schedule in comparison to all of the other students enrolled in the MPA program. On paper (when looking at your official schedule on the Baruch website), we follow a traditional semester schedule/timeline. However, our classes have staggered start dates and classes are completed at an accelerated pace. Example: On paper, our fall class schedule  has us registered for two classes, but ...

Surviving the First Summer of NUF

Hey folks! It has been a while since my last post so I figured I should give an update about my first summer in New York and NUF. Moving Cross-country (again) Moving to NYC was a pain. I was fortunate enough to have a friend from college who was renting a room in Brooklyn and his landlord took me in and let me have his room when he moved out a week later. Though I paid a good price for my room, I had a long walk to my train and then a long train commute to the school. I was able to lose 20 pounds during my time in NYC, but I highly suggest you find a place that is close to school (if you can afford it, find a place in midtown...but be prepared to spend $2,000+ for a small room. Cohort and Classes: I have 24 amazing classmates in my cohort (our ages range from mid-twenties to mid-forties) and we spent our lives at Baruch Newman Vertical Campus. All of our classes took place in the same room and professors rotate out. The schedule is intense! 12 units in less than two months. I...

NUF Semi-Finals Interview

When I first applied to National Urban Fellows, I searched the internet far and wide, trying to gain some insight on what the semi-finals process would be like. I came across one blog (forever Jung) and she discussed her interview process. Her post was a life-saver, because I had no clue what the structure would be like.  For the first time in NUF history, they decided to have regional semi-finals instead of flying everyone to New York. I believe they had interviews in Los Angeles for the West coast folks (I lucked out because I live in LA), Chicago for the Midwest, and New York for the East coast. There were only 5 people (including myself) selected for the West coast interviews. Below is the breakdown of our interview process which was held on Monday, March 10, 2014. Ice Breaker : 60 second personal presentation to the judges panel and the other semi-finalists about a item of personal significance to your professional development. I chose my AmeriCorps lapel pin as my ...

34 Days Until the Big Move

In just 34 days I will be living in New York City...pretty crazy. I have so much to do before then and so much uncertainly still exists. I have no clue who else was accepted to the program, and I haven't found out how long we will be in class (since our semester does not start with the rest of school). We are supposed to have a conference call to discuss all of these details, but the date and time for this conference call has not been revealed as of yet.  What scares me the most is finding a place to live. I have started looking at potential places to live, but I can't make any decisions until I find out more details (which are forthcoming, but I need to know now so I can have enough time to plan how this move is going to go).  I don't like that I will have to sublet an apartment (or house) and won't be able to see it until the day I move in. Also, I don't know how the random roommate situation will work out either. I'm going to pray about it and try to prep...

I did it! Grad School Here I Come!

I am so excited! I found out on Monday (April 14) that I was selected to become a fellow with National Urban Fellows, Class of 2015. I honestly did not think I would be chosen, but I am so grateful for the opportunity. The application process was long, the interview was intense (but fun), and after 8 months since submitting my application to the program, I got in. I prayed about it and it came true (my GOD is good). I am so thankful to my friends, family, and co-workers for their prayers and support. They kept me motivated when I doubted myself. My biggest shout out goes to my amazing boyfriend, Chris for his support. I love that guy. It was a surreal experience to submit my letter of resignation to HR at work and to see my position posted within hours of me announcing I was leaving (life must go on, I suppose). As much as I like living in LA, I'm ready to move. I'm nervous about moving to New York and finding a place to live (and being able to afford it). Going back to an A...