Counting down!

So great news from the office today!

We just got an operations grant that will expand  our project from 16 to 20 VISTAs, and potentially up to 25 in the future. This is a huge deal because our project will receive money directly from CNCS and distribute it to VISTA members directly, and will have more money for trainings and other events.  It’s sad that I’m not going to get to experience the impact of that (I got to struggle through the nonexistent budget for trainings and events this year), but this is great for the project moving forward.  VISTAs have really helped students throughout New Haven achieve this year, and more VISTAs will only help to improve education access in the city.  I’m so proud of my work this year, and I’m so proud that we got this grant to continue the work we’ve been doing for years to come.

In any case, we got word today that Representative Rosa DeLauro will be able to attend our announcement event next week! Rosa DeLauro has been our district representative to Congress for over 20 years, and her family is big in New Haven. Press like that is big for our project’s publicity. We’ll be at New Haven Reads, one of our amazing host sites, and Mary Strasser, the national VISTA director, may also be there.  In short, pretty great.

Plus, I think Rosa DeLauro is awesome. She beats to the sound of her own drum and tenaciously fights for her constituency. I saw her (and Nancy Pelosi) speak about women’s success last week, and I was really blown away by her passion for improving women’s salary, access to sick days, and access to childcare. She rocks. And so does her wardrobe.

Transitions

I got my graduate assistant paperwork in the mail yesterday, and filled out my first 1-9 and W-4 in almost 3 years–since I filled out my last Kimball forms. I’m official, bitch!

It finally started to hit me that I’ll be leaving NHEAVP soon.  This year has really flown by, and I’ve grown so much both professionally and personally. Part of me wants to stay on for another year to see the great plans we developed this year come to fruition. The other part of me knows that I need to move on to this next adventure.  I finally got used to waking up early and spending 8 hours in an office, and I have to prepare myself for schoolwork.

It helps that I have plans moving forward, and that I don’t have too much to worry about financially because my graduate assistantship gives me a stipend and tuition waiver (plus, 2 ed awards). I also just used a chunk of ed award to pay my fee bill and dropped $400 on textbook purchases and rentals. That’s basically all I have to spend this semester for school.

Things are definitely changing for the better, and i’m so excited to start school!

UNRELATED: Check the new layout!

Miss me?

Yes, I went off the grid there for awhile. Between recruiting at work, suffering some serious anxiety, and attempting to amp up my fitness routine, my blog fell by the wayside.  Here’s some quick updates as to what’s been going on with me:

• Interviewed over 50 candidates and selected 15 VISTAs for our 7 host sites!
• Selected my two successors as VISTA Leader! 
• Watched way too many episodes of the Real Housewives (New Jersey and OC)
• Got way too in to Instagram
• Became addicted to Candy Crush Saga (I’m stuck on level 201)
• Facilitated an orientation
• Made a sweet tie dye t shirt at our end of service event
• Celebrated a 100th birthday!
• Registered for grad school classes (best registration ever–did it during the middle of the day and got all my classes with no freezing or cursing)
• Cried about how awful the Mets are 
• VISTA missed my pay day
• VISTA finally paid me 
• Overheard a hostage situation in my neighborhood (Well, from far away)
• Watched my sister graduate college and my brother graduate high school
• Got a flat tire and purchased a whole new set of tires!
• Went to a German dancing festival 
• Marathoned the Office on Netflix.

Now you’re caught up.  Feel better?