St. Patrick's Day... a religious holiday to celebrate the Saint, Patrick, but taken over by green-clothed university students who need an excuse to skip classes, drink the day away, and make fools of themselves.
If you think I disagree with this behaviour, you're wrong... I straight-up miss it.
Don't get me wrong, I wasn't entirely miserable yesterday, but I did spend a bunch of the day reminiscing on the epic St. Patrick's Days I experienced throughout my 5-year stint at WLU. 1st year my roommate and I drove to London to party with our friends at Western, 2nd year we threw an enormous party at our student house..... Each and every one of them was so fun!
Yesterday I worked on investment reports, tidied my office, and typed up meeting minutes.
There's no question about it, my life has changed.
But it's not about questions like, has it changed for the better or worse? It's just about reflecting on the great days I had in university, and the different, but equally (if not more) great days I'm having now that I've graduated. Okay, so I didn't drink a drop of alcohol yesterday... bummer. But I also didn't wake up this morning and feel the stress/anxiety of upcoming exams, essay due dates, or any of that other stuff. I'm glad I had those experiences, that fun, that anxiety, that craziness... but I'm also glad it's over.
It's a transition period... and I'm figuring out a way to make it work. It's not always easy, but it's inevitable.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Philanthropy
I was just checking my Facebook newsfeed and saw the following link posted by one of my former colleagues at Laurier: http://www.wlu.ca/tagday
You can click the link for more info, but here's the gist of it: Tag Day aims to raise awareness among current students on how philanthropy impacts your Laurier experience. Impact isn't even a big enough word... Laurier wouldn't exist as it does without philanthropy. If alumni, parents, students, foundations, corporations, and friends of WLU weren't donating money to the school, the Laurier experience would be extremely different. You would likely still learn and get an education and a degree, but your experience wouldn't be enhanced beyond that. I'm sure that's okay with some of you, but for those of us who did the bulk of our learning outside the classroom, we should be darn grateful for the donors who improved our campus, activities, opportunities, and so on...
I have spent most of my time blogging about work since I started this blog, but there's more to Life After WLU than just work... there's perspective, for one thing. Graduating offers you a chance to look back at your experience, and (in my case) think: "Damn, that was a good time." Not just because of the parties and free-time and less responsibility (although that was great), but because of things like chilling in the concourse, going to a student service group meeting, engaging in a great discussion, applying to sit on a board, taking part in a campaign, etc. That was what made my university experience great.
Now, I have an advantage... I worked in the Development department when I was a student at WLU, and I've continued to work in fundraising since I graduated. I completely understand the need for and impact of philanthropy in educational institutions. I also recognize the importance of current students at those institutions understanding how philanthropy impacts them while they're there. Otherwise, students graduate, become alumni, and feel no obligation to give back.
It's important to give back. Think about what you've been given, and then when you have the resources to return the favour, do it. Even if it's a small amount, it makes a difference.
Yes, I'm preaching, but I really believe in this. Students will jump on an opportunity to criticize the way the university spends its money, and that's fine, but when you graduate - put your money where your mouth is.
You can click the link for more info, but here's the gist of it: Tag Day aims to raise awareness among current students on how philanthropy impacts your Laurier experience. Impact isn't even a big enough word... Laurier wouldn't exist as it does without philanthropy. If alumni, parents, students, foundations, corporations, and friends of WLU weren't donating money to the school, the Laurier experience would be extremely different. You would likely still learn and get an education and a degree, but your experience wouldn't be enhanced beyond that. I'm sure that's okay with some of you, but for those of us who did the bulk of our learning outside the classroom, we should be darn grateful for the donors who improved our campus, activities, opportunities, and so on...
I have spent most of my time blogging about work since I started this blog, but there's more to Life After WLU than just work... there's perspective, for one thing. Graduating offers you a chance to look back at your experience, and (in my case) think: "Damn, that was a good time." Not just because of the parties and free-time and less responsibility (although that was great), but because of things like chilling in the concourse, going to a student service group meeting, engaging in a great discussion, applying to sit on a board, taking part in a campaign, etc. That was what made my university experience great.
Now, I have an advantage... I worked in the Development department when I was a student at WLU, and I've continued to work in fundraising since I graduated. I completely understand the need for and impact of philanthropy in educational institutions. I also recognize the importance of current students at those institutions understanding how philanthropy impacts them while they're there. Otherwise, students graduate, become alumni, and feel no obligation to give back.
It's important to give back. Think about what you've been given, and then when you have the resources to return the favour, do it. Even if it's a small amount, it makes a difference.
Yes, I'm preaching, but I really believe in this. Students will jump on an opportunity to criticize the way the university spends its money, and that's fine, but when you graduate - put your money where your mouth is.
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