1st Day Back

So today was the 1st day back in the office after training is Seattle.  Surprisingly enough, there's a certain comfort that comes with the approaching start of classes.  I don't find myself sitting in my chair looking for something to do.  In the midst of working on one project, an email will come through or a the phone will ring and suddenly there's something else on the plate.  Somehow I feel like this is a pattern that's going to consistently repeat itself in the fall.  The good thing is, I'm at a point where I can see what needs to be done ahead of time which for me characterizes comfort in what I'm supposed to be doing. 

I got the experience of dealing with my 1st frustrated parent.  HA! I definitely wasn't expecting that one.  All in all I feel like I handled the situation pretty well.  I liken it to trying to cross the street...only that street is actually a freeway and you don't find out till there's a Semi barreling your way.  I definitely found myself reverting back to those CRM Jedi-Mind tricks skills I learned from my old job.  Listen...verbalize checks (uh huh, yes, exactly)...repeat for understanding and assurance...craft a response that conveys your point and incorporates their message...reiterate that response in as many ways as possible.  Considering I walked into a potential level-5 cluster and the parent hung-up with his questions answered and in good mood, I'd chalk it up as a job well done. 

The Pathways program kicked off today.  This translates into meeting more faculty and free lasagna.  Yea, life could definitely be worse.  The afternoon went by uneventfully.  Debbie (the Assistant Director) and I met and crafted a bit of an action plan for the next few days.  It was good having that time to debrief and map out next steps. 

Tomorrow is the start of BRIDGES.  I'm actually really excited to be apart of this one.  It'll only be an hour but I think that getting a change to meet some of the parents of the incoming freshmen and mingle with other departments will be good.  Sounds like the set-up is going to be WorldCafe which will also make observing the Q&A pretty interesting...

The Intro...

So....

I feel like I should start this Blog by sharing exactly what it is that I do and what the College Retention Project is.  

..."The Retention Project is a college-based mentoring program that utilizes service-learning as a strategy to reduce the dropout rates of disadvantaged and non-traditional students at the middle and high school level, improve the retention and academic advancement of college students, and support college access and success efforts by creating a pipeline to higher education."

 And just how is it that I do this?  Through my work in the Academic Services office coordinating two program: Coaching for Academic Success and Tutoring for Academic Success.  

The Coaching for Academic Success Program connects students to certified academic coaches for guidance, weekly check-ins, and academic skills development.  Students work with coaches on academic achievement, personal organization, goal setting, motivation, academic focus, fast tracking academic and co-curricular activities, or any other activity where having a partner and guide helps. The Tutoring for Academic Success Program connects students to a course specific peer tutor for weekly one-on-one tutorial sessions.  Tutoring sessions can cover anything from preparing for a big test to developing a students study skills and habits. 

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I feel like this is going to be a pretty interesting year.  Between running both of these programs, coordinating my service-learning projects AND taking 4 classes for Grad School, I doubt I'll have anything even close to a social life.  :-(

My goal behind this blog is to capture my life, my struggles, my failures and my accomplishments as an AmeriCorps volunteer.  I have absolutely AMAZING predecessors, who left me with a host of resources and materials.  They've also left me with enormous shoes to fill.  Hopefully this will serve as a valuable resource for my successor.  When all is said and done, they can look back over the history of this project and see 1st-hand what this life is like.  This will serve you better than any transition manual could ever hope to.  And on that note, let the journey begin...