Alot has changed and could be changing more soon...

Well a lot has changed since I last blogged. I fully recovered from Fall thanks to therapy, medicine and my wonderful family. I'm feeling a lot better and back to my old self. What a wonderful feeling it is to be back to normal. I missed myself and was afraid i'd never feel normal again. Welcome back Andrea.

I graduated college! Woo! With a BA in Environmental Studies. I feel so blessed to have an education and degree. The last semester was rough but I made it. Now just looking for work.

I am in a new relationship, with Matt. I've known him for a few years. He is a wonderful caring nerdy guy who treats me right and I love him dearly. He is amazing.

On another note: I may be moving to Korea for a year. I would be teaching English to students after their regular classes. It would be such an amazing opportunity and I should hear back soon. I would absolutely love to go but i know everything about my life would change. My boyfriend and I would separate. I would live on my own. I would be working full time. I would be very sad to leave my family and friends and Matt. He thinks I would be a different person. Maybe. But I'm certain I'll love him all the same. We will just have to wait ans see. Till next time.

I am an architect of change because...

The tour to Detroit was amazing. Absolutely amazing. I thought I knew about Detroit because I've been to a few concerts & sporting events, but this tour totally changed my perspective on the city & all the amazing potential it has.

So on to my topic:

I am an architect of change because I know I can make a difference. I've seen it. I know that many people in my life sometimes get annoyed with me for nagging on them about using plastic bags or buying bottled water, but eventually, when I'm not expecting it people will come up to me and tell me how they went out of their way to recycle something instead of throwing it away, or how they were at the store and said "No thanks, I don't need a bag!" I know it seems like something little & insignificant but to me that's a start. It's proof that I will be able to see some real change in my lifetime. I'm often told that just because I don't do something doesn't mean someone else won't do it. Well every little bit adds up. And I'm a firm believer that we must lead by example.

Some days I get really frustrated with people for not caring more about the environment, but then I think about some things that maybe I'm not super passionate about even though they are important. It wasn't until yesterday that I realized we all need people to follow their passions in order for the world to function. I am an architect of change because I will remember my passion and not let anyone steer me away from it no matter how discouraging.

My Story

So now once a week I will be blogging in response to a new Leadership program I am involved in at school, Blueprints. It is a comprehensive program focused on building upon the skills we've learned so far through readings, discussions & real examples. It is somethig I'm looking forward to!

So Andrea, what brought you to Blueprints?

This is something I've wanted to do for a couple years now, but never made the time for, and since this is my senior year, I wanted to make sure I didn't miss out on anything during college. I'm also looking to enhance my leadership skills. I've held a lot of leadership positions during my time at UMD but I've never had any professional training.

What's your story?

Abridged version: 22 years old. Sister of Delta Phi Epsilon. Avid Tree Hugger. Addicted to email. Loves volunteering. Works at Friends of the Rouge. 1 brother. A dog, Duke! Obsessed with college life. Huge fan of John Mayer. Purple is my color, of course. Family oriented. Born again Catholic. Excited & scared to graduate. Twitter is my favorite distraction.


What are you hoping to gain from the program?

A better understanding of how to lead effectively. I've never really been taught how to lead, I've just been doing what I thought was leading, but who knows if I'm doing a good job at it or not? I'm interested in leading because the field I want to go into requires people to be very proactive and requires a lot of good leadership skills. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited to hang out with @akaraban all year, my month working in the Student Activities office was the best job. I wouldn't want to make a career out of it, I'm pretty set on my Environmental path but if that doesn't work out, I would consider Student Affairs for sure- college for rest of my life? Who wouldn't want to do that?!

Overall I'm very excited to work with everyone & excited for the journey that is ahead of me this year. Join. Grow. Lead. Let's do this.