Truman Interview Part Dos

On the drive back to Kansas City to catch my flight, I called my family and some friends to tell them about my interview. The route to my aunt’s house is permanently etched in my brain from four years of attending school in the area. As I turned South on I-35, a beautiful feeling washed over me, similar to that which I feel when I pull onto my street in Oregon after being gone awhile or driving those last few miles before camp on winding mountain roads. The Midwest feels like home to me.

For most of the way I was jabbering on (to whoever I could find that would pick up the phone at 6:30am) about the newly renovated residence halls, or how the guy sitting next to me on the plane had told me Truman has been dubbed “the little Harvard of the Midwest”, or that every native tree of Missouri is planted around campus, or that they have over 100 intramural sports (even including things like poker!), or how I had laughed so hard at dinner with the Res. Life team that I had tears in my eyes (which is surely a sign of awesome-ness).

I had talked Zach’s ear off the night before, after my full day with all the Truman people, and he said, “You know we have to go there, right?” and I said, “But what about Northern? I loved it there too and Bo (my brother who is a senior in high school this year) already applied, got accepted, and is totally stoked about going there!” So Zach says, “Allie. I wish I could have recorded the conversation we had after you had spent all day at Northern and the one we just had. I don’t know if you realize this but your current enthusiasm is so far beyond what I heard in your voice that other day. You just talked for 30 minutes straight and I only got a couple words in. When we talked about Northern, I was probing you with questions the whole time. Truman is the right place for us.” I could feel the truth of what he said but my brother is a big factor in our decision.

I spoke with Bo in the airport later in the day. I don’t think I did a very good job of selling Truman because I focused on all the things that would be awesome about my job, how great the classes will be, how hard it is to get in (hence a higher caliber of student population), and then the campus and buildings. I’m pretty sure he ended up thinking it was school for nerdy over-achievers (which isn’t him) but also isn’t who I think Truman students are either. I called the assistant director of Res. Life at Truman the next day and she brainstormed with me to create a list of awesome programs and things he would be interested in.

The end, or maybe beginning of this story, is that I got the job at Truman! Ten thousand smiles later, a bunch of silent screaming (with joy of course) during the phone call when they offered me the job (the same phone call in which Zach and I were literally jumping up and down with happiness and a framed photo fell off the wall and broke), and many other phone calls to those I love- we’re going to Truman! I start July 1^st and we really couldn’t be happier. Well, unless Bo decides to come too! He has agreed to apply and do a campus visit to see if it will be a good fit for him.

Not that it really matters (now that I have the job!) but I spent 15 hours over the weekend hand crafting a fleet of thank-you cards for Truman people. I told Zach, “If I get the job at Truman, it will only be because of these mind-blowing thank-you cards.” But turns out, they like me for me because I got the job even before they got their thank-you notes. J

Needless to say, the Petrie/Velkinburg household is abounding with joy, happiness, excitement, and love.

Interview #2

Forty-five minutes before my flight took off from the Buffalo Airport (which is 20 minutes from our apartment in downtown) I was in the shower, thinking I had plenty of time to get ready. Zach bursting in, demanding that I get out immediately and dress, came as nasty shock. Apparently we (and by we, I of course mean I) had mis-read the departure time so I was minutes away from missing an impending flight to an extremely important interview!

Long story short: I arrived at the airport 12 minutes before my flight, got my boarding pass printed, whipped through security, ran to my gate, then ran back to security to retrieve my license (which I had dropped after the x-ray machine), and finally made it onto my plane just in time. What a way to start a trip! It didn’t help that I had worked the night before 5pm-10:30pm at Merge, then at the Holiday Inn 11pm to 7am that morning, and only slept for two hours before getting up to get ready. Being that I took three days off for my interview in Michigan and then three more the next week for an interview in Missouri, all my missed shifts got crammed in to the few days I was actually here.

Anyway, the real reason I’m blogging (other than the strangely unexplainable joy that seeps into my soul every time I do), is to report on my interview at Truman State University. Which I’ll risk spoiling this entire post and by giving it away and tell you went really well! But before I get to the jump-up-and-down exciting part…

I flew in to Kansas City on Tuesday evening and my friend Myles picked me up at the airport. We gathered a few other friends and met for dinner at Chipotle. As I sat around the table in the setting sun (it was actually warm enough to eat outside!), happiness wrapped me in a big bear hug. I looked around at Hollie, Tehau, Diana, Heather, Jurgen (who was visiting all the way from The Netherlands!), Myles, Cory, and Celeste and felt lucky to just be sitting in their presence.

After a time not nearly long enough, I squeezed goodbyes out of them and headed to my aunt’s house to borrow her car for the road-trip I had yet to make that evening. I was scheduled for a full day interview on Wednesday and Truman had booked me at a local bed and breakfast for the night before. Since Kirksville is three hours from Independence, I definitely had to put my game face on. No room for tiredness!

After a very large coffee drink and four times through a great Dixie Chicks CD (which was one of the two options my aunt’s car offered), I arrived safe and sound, in time to crash into bed just before midnight. What a trip.

One of Truman’s current Hall Directors picked me up the next morning. I saw what appeared to be the outline of Oregon on his water-bottle but I didn’t want to seem like a doof for not knowing the shape of the state I was currently in, so I asked, “Oh, is that a sticker of Missouri?” Turns out I seemed like an even bigger doof because he’s from Oregon and, apparently, I can’t even confidently recognize the shape of the state I have lived the majority of my life in…

My first official interview involved a few (current and future) student leaders called “Community Coordinators”. I really enjoyed meeting the students and getting a feel for what it would be like to interact with them in this new role. Being intentional with relationships is something I try to put a lot of energy into; how nice will it be for that to be part of my job? Focus on students. Laugh with them. Listen to them. Support them in any and every way you know how. What a great job!

The day consisted of a series of interviews with different people around campus, tours of buildings, campus, and the surrounding town, and getting to know people. I met with the Dean of Students, all the Hall Directors, the Res. Life staff, many students, and even the President of Truman! When I met just the few people from Truman who came to OPE to interview candidates, I got a really good vibe from them. After meeting so many more wonderful people, I felt even more sure that it’s a place I would love to live and work!

At the end of the day, I sat down with the Interim Director of the Res. Life program and he asked me if I was willing to share about any other on-campus interviews or prospects. I told him I had no problem being completely open and honest with him. I mentioned my visit to Northern Michigan the week before, how it went pretty well, and that I was expecting to hear from them within a couple days. He told me they are flying three more people to Truman next week (which is this week) but “…everyone that met you today loved you. So, if we need to speed up our process for you: we will.” This is definitely the part where I felt jump-up-and-down happy but had to pretend like I belonged in that expensive suit I’d paraded around in all day. So, I showed complete composure and waited until an hour later when I was alone in my room at the bed and breakfast and then I let those floorboards have it!

TO BE CONTINUED…

(as much as I hate to do this, I have to work right now but if I have a break, I’ll finish the rest soon!)

me in MI

The name of the man interviewing me was Andrew and I karate chopped him in the neck with full force. Don’t mistakenly assume this is some folly that occurred years ago, of which I have had appropriate time to recover; this highly embarrassing moment just happened a few hours ago.

But first: let’s rewind. In January, I began preparing me for a job fair called OPE (Oshkosh Placement Exchange). Universities come from 39 different states to interview candidates for open positions in Residence Life. Zach and I thoroughly filtered through the almost 250 job postings and came up with a list of top jobs and universities. I sent cover letters, resumes, lists of references (all rivitingly exciting things of course), and requested interviews for during the job fair. I landed interviews with all of our top pick schools. Yahoo!

The job fair occurred a few weeks ago, during the last weekend in February, and I ended up having seventeen interviews in two days. Talk about exhaustion! I loved meeting all the people there in Oshkosh and experiencing the energy and passion everyone seems to have for Residence Life. Also, the way that I felt about each university changed dramatically as well. Some schools that I had felt super excited about before, didn’t end up being that cool. Some others that I thought were just filler interviews turned out to be at the top of my list of favorite schools. The people I met made such a difference.

After those million interviews (and by that of course I mean seventeen), I went home and continued working my two jobs. I did this until I got two calls from universities wanting to fly me to their campuses for full day interviewing with about 30 different on-campus staff and some students.

To finish the story, I’m currently in Marquette, Michigan and I’ve just finished a full day interview at Northern Michigan University. From what I can tell it is a fantastic place with great programs and a huge focus on community. Also, it’s surrounded by 95% wilderness and has sweet things like kayaking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking, trails for roller blading, an Olympic sized ice skating rink, racquetball courts, indoor rock climbing gym, etc, etc, etc! I really can’t say enough wonderful things about Northern.

 Everything went well except of course the part I mentioned earlier, where I chopped one of my interviewers in the neck while he was driving because I spotted a gigantic spider running across his collar. Well, and also the part where they took me to breakfast and I mis-heard the diner’s name “Coach Light” as “Roach Leg”. Which also left me slightly embarrassed but in a very funny sort of way.

All in all, if I were to guess I would say they will offer me the job but then, who knows? I do know I am the last one of three they flew here. I’m sure they wouldn’t offer to pay for the plane ticket and hotel costs of someone unless it was for a person highly qualified and with an awesome personality so my competition is tough.

Well, that’s pretty much where I’m at and as the waiting game begins, I’ll make sure and keep posting. Oh, and I have my other on-campus interview with Truman State University next week. Part of me wants to squeal with excitement and the other part says calmy, “Que sera, sera.” (What will be, will be.) I want to choose peaceful waiting instead of the anxious kind but I don’t know yet what part of me will win.

My two best friends.

Zach and delicious, mostly-sugar-and-milk coffee drinks.

I'm a workin' girl

I had thought nights only getting 3 hours of sleep were over when I graduated from university last May but, tragically, I thought wrong. I suppose with two full-time jobs, a person can’t expect to get that much sleep.

Honestly, it feels good to work. The angst I experienced last fall (with way too much time and not enough meaningful, challenging, engaging, or exciting things to fill up my days with) has vanished. I recognize the difference in the quality of my life: when I have short and long term goals and when I don’t.  It’s amazing how much happier I feel working with intention and destination in mind; much like the difference between riding 30 miles on the open road or the same distance on a stationary bike. There’s just something exhilarating about physically moving closer to a place I want to be.

I just recently noticed when I make conversation with the guests whom I drive to the airport in the shuttle bus, I like to tell them very specific things about myself. I usually make it clear that I’m working my jobs temporarily, that I have other plans for the fall like working as a hall director, that I’ve been to a job fair, I want to go to grad school for Spanish, and eventually become a Spanish professor. As if I couldn’t stand the thought that they might think I’m pedaling this hard on a stationary bike not going anywhere.

I felt embarrassed when I realized this. I felt like a snooty, fancy pants who doesn’t think the jobs of a waitress or a hotel receptionist are…dare I say, good enough for me? Who do I think I am?!?!!

Upon examination, I have realized the truth: I have different plans for my life.

My life isn’t about trading my energy, talents, time, and resources for money. I could care less about the money. I want to use myself to produce some serious good in this world. I want to do something I feel passionate about and that will positively impact others.

Neither of the jobs I hold now fit the criteria so I know I’m not there yet but I feel like I will be soon. Now that I’ve hopped on my Extreme Mountain Bike 720X, I’m happily enjoying the passing scenery as I wipe the sweat out of my eyes. It feels so good to be going somewhere.