CEHD Student Success BlogAttention GSE Students! Take advantage of these upcoming recruiting opportunities:
Fairfax County Public Schools is hosting an Instructional Job Fair on Saturday, February 3, 2018.
More information may be found here.
Roanoke City Public Schools is hosting an Instructional Job Fair on February 17, 2018. Details are in the flyer below.
As we prepare to close out and move into a new calendar year, my challenge to you, and quite frankly to myself, is to make 2018 our year of “yes”, but more specifically, the year of saying “yes” to ourselves.
Producer extraordinaire and creator of ABC’s Scandal and Grey’s Anatomy, Shonda Rhimes, released a book in 2015 called Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person. The book is a reflection of Shonda’s life during a time in which she challenged herself to say “yes” to everything that scared her. Shonda, an introvert in its truest form, was often criticized by her family for never saying “yes” to anything. She took the criticism to heart and decided to use it as a wakeup call to not be afraid to live, accept she doesn’t have to be in control, and to open herself up to opportunities and risks that have the potential to take her personally and professionally to places unimagined and unexplored.
As we prepare to close out and move into a new calendar year, my challenge to you, and quite frankly to myself, is to make 2018 our year of “yes”, but more specifically, the year of saying “yes” to ourselves. I recall a few years ago when I was preparing to graduate from undergrad and was gearing up for graduate studies, I received a lesson in learning that I was not in control and that if I wanted the most for me, I needed to say “yes” to some things that were either scary or unknown. More specifically, I had been accepted to pursue graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 700 miles away from my home in Louisiana, and was considering declining the offer in order to continue working with the McNair Scholars program at my undergraduate institution, Southern University and A&M College. The irony is that I was a McNair Scholar, too, and the purpose of the program is to prepare promising first-generation, underrepresented students for doctoral studies. I was so focused on preparing “my” scholars for doctoral study that I had not given myself the attention I needed to get myself together. Further, I didn’t want to leave my friends, family, and culture. I was comfortable with life the way it was…even though I was broke! However, I soon learned that part of choosing “you” is growing comfortable with being uncomfortable. As such, with the support of my family, friends, and faculty mentors, I ultimately decided to choose me.
I packed whatever could fit in my car, printed out directions to Illinois via MapQuest, and rode into the sunset, or rather the cornfields. Honestly, I had never heard of the University of Illinois; I had only become familiar with the University months prior when a recruiter visited my undergraduate institution and encouraged me to apply. In addition, I had no relatives in the area, had never visited the state for vacation, and had never taken a 12-hour road trip alone. Who would have known though that during my time at Illinois I would make lifelong friends turned family; meet faculty and staff who didn’t know me but wanted to pour into me encouragement and wisdom; take on leadership roles on campus and within the broader community; receive multiple assistantship opportunities along the way; and develop a blossoming personality and genuine care and compassion for others, especially students…the ones everyone loved as well as the ones who everyone had given up on and didn’t think could succeed?
Professionally, I’ve continued to say “yes” to things and opportunities that scare me, like moving to Ohio and later, Virginia. However, I’ve realized that although I’ve become more open to saying “yes” to the things that scare me or the unknown, I’m not always as good at saying “yes” to me, or rather choosing me first. At times, I become consumed by this thought of choosing me first, and it often keeps me up at night or wakes me out of my sleep (By the way, it’s 4am and I’m writing a blog because this topic was consuming my thoughts and not allowing me to sleep). During the past summer, I remember arriving home from the office late one night, and I sat on the couch fully exhausted. This happens from time to time, given that I’m really an introvert who has learned to “perform” being an extrovert over the years, and it appears and “feels” normal. As such, at the end of the day, I’m usually drained from performing and need alone time (about a 1/2 hour) to recharge my internal battery. However, on this particular occasion, I remember sitting on the couch for several hours and my internal battery was still on 10%. Needless to say, I didn’t go into the office the following day, as I had nothing to give. My cup was empty. It is typically my goal to pour into others, particularly students and staff, as often as I possibly can. But, how can one pour into others if their cup is empty or only half full? This may seem like a “selfish” act; it is, and that is okay. Just as the flight attendant instructs passengers to put their oxygen mask on first so you can breathe before helping others, the same goes for making sure you have something in your cup before trying to pour into others.
With that being said, I’m excited for the next couple weeks. I need to recharge my internal battery and hydrate so I can continue to pour into others, especially students and staff. I encourage you to do the same this winter break, so you can be prepared to not only pour into others in the new year but to also get ready to say “yes” to experiences and opportunities that scare you, including saying “yes” to YOU because you are worth it.
Joyous holiday season to all.
Dr. Ivory Berry, also known as “Dr. Get-Your-Life-Together,” is the Assistant Dean for Student Success for the College of Education and Human Development. He shares his no-nonsense wisdom every day in the Office of Student and Academic Affairs, and occasionally, here on the Student Success Blog.
The fall 2017 semester has come to a close. Before we move on to what’s next, however, it is important that we take a moment to reflect and commemorate the activities and achievements of fall 2017. Singer Songwriter, Melissa James once wrote, “It’s really important to reflect on how far forward we’ve moved as a reminder that actually, we’re doing OK. Our experiences are invaluable, shaping who we are. If we forget to acknowledge them, not only are we missing out on the deserving rewards we owe ourselves but we’re also not seeing the blessings we’ve been given.” As such, we present this semester rewind as a reminder to you and to ourselves, that we are doing OK.
To our Winter 2017 Graduates: Congratulations on reaching this milestone! We’ve witnessed your experiences of joy and excitement as well as challenge and grief. This journey may not have been easy, but as the saying goes, in due time you will realize that “it was worth it.” Cheers!
To our continuing students: Thank you for entrusting us with helping to shape your student experience at Mason, and specifically, in CEHD. It is our goal to make sure you are receiving quality academic advising services, diversifying your portfolio of experiences through engagement and enrichment activities, and reaping the benefits of the care network that we have organized to assist you in navigating your academic programs and preparing for life as a Mason graduate. Keep going!
We are excited for the things to come in spring 2018. But first, we will give ourselves permission to get some much-needed rest and relaxation.
We wish you peace and joy this holiday season. See you in 2018!
Sara Montiel, Advising and Retention Coordinator for the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), was the first person I ever spoke with at George Mason University. She made quite an impression with her knowledgeable, friendly demeanor. I was instantly put at ease and knew that if Mason employees were like Sara, then this was the place for me. As it turns out, Sara makes that positive impact everywhere she goes, and her next endeavor will surely be no exception. In January, she will be joining the School of Integrative Studies as their new Assistant Director of Student Services. The CEHD Office of Student Affairs (SAA) wanted to pause and highlight Sara’s contributions to the College before we bid her farewell. While it’s a challenge to get Sara to stop working long enough to chat, especially about her accomplishments, I was fortunate enough to pin her down to answer a few questions.
Yoder: In 2017, you celebrated your tenth year here at Mason. Tell me about your Mason career up to now.
Montiel: In my ten years at Mason, five have been with the Department of Psychology where I served as the Undergraduate Program Coordinator but truly dipped my hand into many different aspects of higher ed. My interest in developing a career in higher ed had its roots in the wide variety of work I did in that office. Simultaneously, I was also pursuing my master’s in educational psychology from CEHD which further developed my interest in the field of higher education and spurred me to obtain a graduate certificate in higher education administration shortly after graduating with my MS. My most recent five years have been split between serving as an academic advisor in the Center for Academic Advising, Retention & Transitions and as CEHD’s Advising and Retention Coordinator. During the past three years I have also been a doctoral student in CEHD, specializing in higher education with a secondary emphasis in educational psychology.
Sara and President Cabrera celebrate her 10th year at MasonYoder: Tell me about your new position and how it aligns with your goals?
Montiel: I am joining the School of Integrative Studies to serve as the new Assistant Director of Student Services. This is a great opportunity for me because it will allow me to continue doing what I love – working with and advising students in academic difficulty, and add a new element I’m really excited for, which is having an academic teaching load.
Yoder: How has your time with CEHD helped you prepare for these new responsibilities?
Montiel: I think every position I’ve held at Mason has prepared and positioned me for the next. The opportunities I’ve had in CEHD in particular, such as representing our college in various campus spaces such as the Undergraduate Advising Liaison group, the university Student Experience Redesign (where I served on the 24/7 Student Service team), the Academic Advising Council and the Mason Academic Advising Network’s Steering Committee, have really enlarged my scope of what’s happening at the university and how it affects students, but at the same time, what’s going on with our students and how we can affect change in the university to better serve them. It’s been really great to be a part of those conversations.
My time in CEHD has particularly prepared me for the new responsibilities of an assistant director by giving me an opportunity (along with my former supervisor, Iris Robinson) to develop and run the CEHD Graduate Advisor Work Group meetings where we meet with program representatives across the college to discuss issues, policies, forms, and updates to anything pertinent to graduate advising. This was so needed at the time as there really wasn’t a platform at the university that pertained specifically to graduate advising and our CEHD programs are so unique, Iris and I knew that whatever our solution had to be CEHD-specific. Thus, the Graduate Advisor Work Group was born and it was a necessary first step to put academic advising on our college’s agenda.
Yoder: What are some professional and personal highlights of your time at CEHD? Do you have a favorite memory?
Montiel: Professionally, I’m most proud of establishing the undergraduate Academic Success Program, a requirement for students with a GPA below 2.0 to complete in an effort to support them in returning to good academic standing. Under this advisor-student contract, I worked closely with students in helping them develop their academic goals, identify their barriers to success and connect them to resources and support services on campus. I hope that this can be a sustainable contribution I have made to the college.
The Academic Success Program then highlighted that another area of need for our undergraduates in academic difficulty was supporting those who were returning from first and second academic suspension. The “Back on Track” workshop was created to essentially do that – get students back on track and to help them understand their current academic picture and how they can achieve academic success through tapping into their internal motivations and goal-setting.
My time in the Student and Academic Affairs office will always be near to my heart. While I’ve grown professionally during my time here, I have grown as an individual as well. I welcomed my first child during my first year in the office and have been here during the passing of my mother. I’ve had major life moments occur while an employee in CEHD and a member of the SAA team and I will never forget how warm, understanding, joyful and supportive people have been for me throughout them. I can’t explain how much of a relief it is to have such a human touch at work – it’s a concept I really didn’t expect. That’s my favorite memory.
If Sara has found a warm and nurturing environment in SAA, her co-workers would say that she, too, has played a large part in fostering such a positive workplace. Sara’s supervisor and CEHD Director of Student Success, Dr. Ivory Berry, said, “Sara has been instrumental in representing CEHD on various advising and retention committees and fostering student success. Her passion for students is ever present and her commitment to retaining students who are faced with challenges is unwavering. She has been a great colleague, and I look forward to working with and mentoring her in the future.”
Best of luck, Sara! We will miss you!
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Meg Yoder is the Office Assistant for Student and Academic Affairs. She develops and manages content for the Student Success Blog.