I have a SUMMER JOB!!!! Well my friends after several pain staking online searches and then interviews, I did it! I found myself a summer job. Can you believe it, this summer I will be working at Westat.

As you all may know, summer jobs or internships can play a key role in your career. They are an excellent way to gain experience in your area of study and can provide a significant advantage in job hunting after graduation. For me, Westat is a perfect match.

Westat is statistical survey research organization that provides research services to agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as various businesses, foundations, and state and local governments. For those of you also still looking for a summer job, check out their web http://www.westat.com/

The best part of this summer job is it is within my field and will hopefully enhance some of my research skills in preparation for my advance research course next year. I am really excited about this job! I WILL NOT BE BROKE THIS SUMMER (happy dance, happy dance) I cannot believe I will be working a minimum of 35 hours a week.

Okay my friends, that is it in the latest saga of my exciting life. Thanks to all who supported me during my summer job search. I appreciate all the job search websites and the agency contacts. Now I have to go back to studying for my psychopathology exam tomorrow. Wish me luck!!

-Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I am sorry it has been a while since I last wrote. Honestly, between school, home and my field placement, life has just been moving really rapidly for me. So my friends when we last spoke (lol, I mean the last time I blogged of course) I was preparing to wake up really really early (5:50 am to be exact) to register for my classes next year. Well it paid off!! I got all my classes that I needed and wanted to take next year. Many of my friends did not have the same luck. However they also thought it was silly that I was going to wake up at 5:50 am to register for classes. Well - that is just how the cookie crumbles. So I set up my schedule so that next year I will be in Baltimore only one day a week, Monday! This is the best idea ever. It will save me money and a serious commute to Baltimore. I will be taking the following classes and then my internship:

SOWK 789-01 Court Based Research - Juvenile Justice Center, Professor Corey Shdaimah
SWOA 704-01 Community Organization, Professor Megan Meyer
SWOA 736-01 Administering Employee Assistant Program, Professor Jodi M. Jacobson

Speaking of internships, I cannot believe my internship ended last week Tuesday. It was really sad and hard for me. Spending a year with people, getting to know them and working to help them to resolve issues they have and empowering them to do anything they need to do, makes ending never easy. I am glad for the experience I received at JSSA this year. I really learned a lot. I think it changed me as a person. My second year internship promises to be even better! I really enjoyed the people I met during the interview. I will be interning at First Advantage. They are an EAP consulting firm. I am really excited! It is so great that you get to pick your second year field placement for yourself.

Well, so the year is almost over. The last day of classes for me is Friday, May 9th. This time next week, I would have almost completed my first year in my masters program. I cannot believe how quickly this semester, not to talk about this year went. I turned in my last paper yesterday for my Social Work practice, the class with Professor Pierson. I have a paper due Friday in psychopathology with Professor Friedman. I love that class! The DSM is my new best friend. Then on Wednesday May 7th I have an exam in Human Behavior II. Then to end things off, on Friday, May 9th I have an exam in psychopathology with Professor Friedman. Yeah – If you are looking at this schedule and thinking having a paper and an exam in psychopathology was a little bit too much, welcome to my world.

So apart from worrying about finals I have to worry about looking for a SUMMER JOB! It is really crazy. If you remember correctly the reoccurring theme for this year in some of my blogs has been the POOR graduate student. This theme does not end when classes end. Trust me, it expands. In the summer you want to travel places with friends and family. With gas prices what they are now, getting a job is my only option. So I have began the search. I’ll keep you posted. Hopefully, I will know something before classes end. Keep your figures crossed for me. Okay my friends that is it for now.

Please feel free to e-mail me any questions or comments

- Stella

Posted by Stella at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi my friends WELCOME BACK!!

I hope everyone is adjusting to the routine of classes and field placements again after their Spring Break. I am sorry it has been a while since my last blog, since February - WOW. Please understand a lot has been going on. Classes this semester just seem so different from last semester. They seem to demand a little more time and hard work – funny how a masters program works like that - lol. I am also co - leading a group in the evening for students high school students at JSSA every Thursday. The group will last for eight weeks and requires a lot of planning. I know, I know you have heard the apologies and the excuses before, but mine is different. This semester is definitely challenging. I definitely needed Spring Break.

So the week before Spring Break was the week from hell for me. It was MID –Terms week. The only thing I could do to stop my self from going crazy over the various papers I had to write and the numerous exams I had to study for was knowing that Spring Break was just around the corner. Now that I look back on it, things were really crazy before Spring Break. I cannot believe I survived it, but yes I DID survive it!

§ 8 – 10 page Paper due on Wednesday the 12th (okay this day wasn't that bad, but wait look at the rest of the week)
§ Exam on Wednesday the 12th (Human Behavior II)
§ WORK – Thursday the 13th
§ Two Exams on Friday the 14th (Paradigms and Psychopathology) (Who has two exams in one day – Now that is serious)

Now spring break is over (SAD face). I mean when can you get a chance to sleep in until 12:00 (noon). Then wake up to watch some reruns of the Golden Girls, American Idol, the Cosby show, Different World and yes…. Oprah at 4:00 pm. I mean you can even eat cereal for lunch. Man, it was the good life. Nothing beats some rest, relaxation and time with Friends and Family. You do not even have to go anywhere. Nothing beats going to movies with friends, going to dinner and knowing that you don’t have an assignment due the next day. Well all is well. I hope everyone was able to enjoy their Spring Break. Now back to school. Back to studying at the library, back to papers and exams.

So FYI, for those who might not know it yet, this year’s summer schedule, next year’s fall and spring semester schedules came out over Spring Break. Mark your CALENDARS - Online registration for 2nd year students begins at 6:00 am on April 1st. Yeah that means next week Tuesday I know what time I have to wake up and I also have Field that day – Do you see the injustice my friends (Smile)? Online registration is on April 7th for continuing 1st years and April 14th for newly admitted students. For those of you who have not had a chance to check it out here are the links to the web sites.

Summer 2008
(http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academic_programs/2008%20course%20schedules/SUM-08.doc)

Fall 2008
(http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academic_programs/2008%20course%20schedules/FALL2008_courses.doc)

Spring 2009
(http://www.ssw.umaryland.edu/academic_programs/2009%20course%20schedules/SPR-2009_courses.doc)

I spent some of my Spring Break trying to plan out my entire schedule for my second year. This was serious, you almost have too. You see, some classes are only offered in the spring or in the fall. So to make sure you have all your course requirements you have to plan ahead. With my schedule for next year, I figured I am also going to have to try and take a class this summer. So much to do so little time to do it in. Alright my friends I have to get back to some reading I completely avoid over Spring Break – That was some serious procrastination on my part. Take care and please feel free to send me your comments or questions regarding my blog. Thanks!!

-Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So as you have probably guessed like many others I have caught the election bug. It is hard not to. It is everywhere. Let me explain. Earlier last year I wanted to do something to give back to my community. I began volunteering for different organizations. I thought this would give me some good experiences with different agencies before I started my Masters. During the House and Senate election I received information to volunteer for the presidential primaries and the general election. So I went to the website, did my research and I signed up to be an Election Day judge/volunteer. The process was somewhat long but finally I was selected to be a Voting Operations Judge. To my understanding it was a somewhat simple job, which took some time commitment and training (3 hours), but which they needed a lot of volunteers for. As a Voting operations judge (fancy title – nothing really to it) I would do all of the following:

o Attend the team meeting on Monday evening before election
o Arrive at the polling place at 6:00 am on Election Day
o Assist with overall operations of the polling place as directed by the Chief Judge
o Assist with the opening and closing of the polling place as needed
o Serve voters casting a Provisional Ballot by:
 Controlling Provisional Ballots and related materials
 Assisting all provisional voters
 Preparing all Provisional Voting documentation
o Check in voters by:
 Set up the Electronic Poll Books
 Greeting Voters
 Use the Electronic Poll Books to qualify voters to use the electronic voting units, printing Voter Authority Cards and encoding the Voter Access Cards
 Ensure that each voter signs the required documentation
o Assist voters in the voting process by:
 Managing voters in line
 Assisting voters with special needs
 Escorting voters to the voting unit for security reasons

This seems easy enough and would really be helpful for a MACO (Management and Community Organization Concentration) student. Okay now flash forward – Second semester Spring 2008. I am somewhat stressed. I have a lot of reading to do, field two days a week and I am still working a part-time job. How am I supposed to find time to do all of this? Well, I did a little shuffling of my schedule and made things work. I attended the mandatory training session and completed all the additional required paper work. I even signed up some additional volunteers. I really wish I could have used this experience for my mandatory MACO process recording. Oh well – goes to show you an MSW comes in handy for a lot of things.

So this Tuesday, February 12 for us Marylanders, (Also known as SUPER TUESDAY) from 6:00 am – 8:00 pm I will be in my voting district precinct serving as a Voting Operations Judge. Can I just tell you I am really excited to see democracy up close and personal – yeah I know that sounds corny, but it is true. Okay, my friends I would love to get some feedback. Please send any question or comments. Take care until next time.

- Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The start of something new brings the hope of something great! Welcome back my dear friends! It has been a while since my last blog. It is funny to say but I have missed school. I know that sounds crazy but I have missed the routine and structure of things. So, let’s catch up. I had a great winter break! It really went by so quickly. I enjoyed the time with family and friends. I went to several family functions and parties. I even got a chance to go to a friend’s Naija (aka Nigerian) proper engagement – so much fun!! During all of this I managed to still go to field twice a week (No work without play).

So this semester is going to be very important for me. This semester I get to declare my concentration. The form is online and very simple to fill out. I will also get to apply and pick my field placement for next year. My field placement for next year will be more specific to my concentration – mental health EAP (Employee Assistant program). The application is due February 1st.

For this spring I am taking the usually five classes, except two of my classes will be advance level classes (700 level). By the end of this semester I will have completed the 24 foundation level credits. So my class schedule for this semester as I mentioned earlier is as follows:

1. SOWK 631 – SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE II (Joan Pittman)
2. SOWK 641 – HUMAN BEHAVIOR II (Mindy Thiel)
3. SWCL 700 – PARADIGMS CLINICAL SW PRACTICE (Richard Schiff)
4. SWCL 744 – PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (Roger Friedman)

I am really excited about my Paradigms and Psychopathology class. From what I have seen from my first classes I think they will be very interesting, somewhat challenging classes. Both classes seem to be very geared toward a Social work Clinical concentration but I am MACO and clinical, we will see how that works out. My books for this semester are not as expensive as they were last semester so I get to save some money. For my Human Behavior II class, one of the two books we are using this semester is the same book we used last semester (Contemporary Human Behavior theory by Robbins). I have two new textbooks for Paradigms, Paradigms of Clinical Social Work Volume 2 and Crisis Trauma. Both books I got used for about $80.00 from Amazon. My Psychopathology class with Professor Friedman wins the award for the most books for one class this semester. The seven books (yes, I said seven), range in prices. Five of the seven were under $10.00 (Girl interrupted, Drama of the Gifted child, Joe Gould’s secret and Detour: My Bipolar Road Trip in 4 – D). The other two books, the DSM and Kaplan and Sadock’s Synopsis of Psychiatry were about $70.00 together. My psychopathology professor promises us that these books will be great resource guides. I will keep you posted. Okay my friends that is it for now. Please feel free to e-mail me with any questions or comments. Take care until next time.

- Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 8:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So I have one more week left until the end of my first semester in graduate school. WOW - my last final is this week Friday, December 14th. As I look back on the semester I think about all that has happened. All the new friends I have made. All the good and the bad times we have shared. It is funny to me now how scared I was when the semester started. I am shocked and amazed at how much I have learned.

I learned how to complete and submit on time my process recording for my field placement.

I learned the proper techniques to use to interview a client.

I learned how to search for and buy cheap used textbooks.

I learned how to properly cite journal articles in APA format.

I learned how to read 6 chapters in my textbook in 3 hours for an exam.

I learned how to drive down 270 (in and out of traffic) and make it to class on time.

I learned how to take the back roads to school instead of 270.

I learned how to stretch $20.00 so it last for at least a week and half.

I learned how to smile even when I was too tired and there wasn’t much to smile about.

I learned how to have a little bit more patients.

Most especially…I learned how to do my best and leave the rest to GOD.

As I write this blog I am preparing for a quiz in Human behavior and a five page paper in Social Work practice which is due on Wednesday. Then I have my Policy and Research exam on Friday and my final paper in Research is also due. One week left. WOW – time is funny it passes so quickly. Happy Holidays to all and Good Luck on finals!! I hope you have enjoyed reading my blog for this semester and have learned a little bit from me.

-Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 12:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let me start by wishing everyone a HAPPY BELATED Thanksgiving!!! I hope you enjoyed the time with family and friends. I hope everyone ate enough turkey! I really enjoy the holiday season. It is a great time to reflect on the year.

So my dear friends let me apologizing for taking so long to write this blog. Each week I said to my self I have plenty to write about. I can write about school, my part-time job, having to pay for new books for my new module of social work practice, but then some sort of schoolwork, field placement issue, family function came up. Then before I knew it Thanksgiving was here!

Okay - so who can believe that next week we will be in the month of December and then fall semester will be over before we know it. The last day of classes is December 14th, that is in two weeks. I feel like November just started. No, wait, I feel like the semester just began. I mean I knew things were moving fast but, I was shocked when I had to register for spring semester classes two weeks ago. I woke up at 6:00 am on Monday, November 12th the day foundation students could register for classes just to beat the rush. Trust me it was worth it.

Next semester I will continue taking all my classes at the Universities at Shady Grove. I will not have to drive to Baltimore. I was not worried about driving to Baltimore, this just fit perfectly with my schedule. I am really excited about next semester. I will hopefully complete my foundation course and begin my advance standing course. Again, next semester I will be taking four classes and my field placement. My field placement will remain the same, JSSA the Jewish Social Service agency. Field placement is a yearlong assignment. After speaking with my advisor and some friends who have taken these classes, I registered for the following classes:

1. Social Work Practice II (which will include Groups and family component and MACO component)
2. Human Behavior II
3. Paradigms
4. Psychopathology
5. Foundation Field Practicum

I think these classes will really continue to build my knowledge of social work. I cannot also wait to shear with you what I think of these classes and professors, stay tuned. These classes are geared towards a clinical concentration. By the end of next semester I will have to declare my concentration, so hopefully these classes will make the decision easier. Okay my friends for now I am going to continue to concentrate on last minute exams, papers and assignments. Please wish me luck! Until next time my friends

-Stella

: )

Posted by Stella at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi – friends, it me again. So I survived mid-terms, it was quite a battle. Many thanks to all that supported me during this crazy time. Let it be known I came, I saw, I conquered my first semester of graduate school mid-terms - lol. Hopefully finals will go just as well. One great advice that I received from a friend that really helped me is “do your best and be happy with that because the rest is out of your control� – Thanks B.

So friends things are still moving pretty quickly for me this semester. My first module for Social Work Practice is about to end. My last day of class for module one – Individuals, is this Wednesday, October 31. No, this is not a Halloween joke. The last paper for this class is a client interview and thorough Psychosocial Assessment and contract. I need to prepare a genogram and an echo map. This paper is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would be and to make matters worse it is worth 50 percent of my grade. I am trying not to focus on the 50 percent part.

So the way modules work for our Social Work Practice class is there are three modules: Individuals, Groups and Families and then Community and Organizations. All full-time foundation students begin with the Individuals module. At the end of that module, half of the Social Work Practice I and II section will move to the second module Groups and Families and then Community Organizations or the reverse order. My second module is Groups and Families. Classes begin right away, November 7th. My new instructor will be Professor Pittman. I am excited about this class – it should be very interesting. As you might have guessed it I have a whole new set of books to buy – does the money spending never end (lol).

Okay my friends on that note I will end this blog. Thanks for sharing this time with me again. Until next time – take care. Please feel free to email me or post any questions or comments.

- Stella

P.S. – In case you are counting down the days until the holidays – here’s a little help!

November 23rd – Thanksgiving – 26 days

December 5th – Chanukah – 38 days

December 25th – Christmas – 58 days (I hope you have been nice!)

Posted by Stella at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Top FIVE ways you know it is time for Mid-Terms

5. In a panic, you run to the library and have a 1 hour conversation (instead of studying) with a librarian about why the book your professor put on reserve in the library and said you should read a month ago for the Mid-term is NOT available

4. You spend 4 hours copying notes, 3 hours getting snacks, 2 hours planning study groups with friends, 1 hour actually studying. (YOU DO THE MATH)

3. The person in your class who never says a word to you and who is hardly in class is now your new best friend, to get notes, of course. (WHAT KIND OF NONSENSE IS THAT)

2. People keep saying things like “Stay positive, it won’t be as bad as you think!�

And the Number one way you know it is time for Mid-Terms

1. The biggest decision you find yourself making is whether to watch Grey’s Anatomy or study a little bit more for your Mid-term on Friday.

So as you might have guessed from the title of this blog October is the month of Mid-terms for me. Not all Foundation classes give mid-terms. Some classes give really long papers, which you have to pour your heart and soul into and give up your first born child to make sure they are perfect. In the past two weeks I have had a lot of things to study for and turn in.

Friday, October 5, - Monthly Process Recording (Field placement requirement)
Wednesday, October 10 – Monthly Status report (Field placement requirement)
Wednesday, October 10 – Quiz in Human Behavior
Wednesday, October 10 – 7 page paper due in Social Work Practice
Friday, October 12 – Mid-term in Social Work Research

Okay, Is it just me or did Wednesday October 10 seriously kick butt. So, I have learned a lot in the past two weeks, but the most important is what the acronym CAS stands for. CAS is the Center for Academic Success, whose offices are located in building III of the Universities at Shady Grove. The Center for Academic Success is a graduate student’s GOLD mine. I feel like I hit the jackpot when I discovered this place! The Center offers a variety of workshops (Speed Reading and memory enhancement), peer tutoring, academic coaching, and vast study skills resources to assist students, most of all it offers writing assistance. You can take your paper to them and they will work with you to correct the grammar, writing style and citations. They help you look at your paper in a whole new angle to help you accomplish your goal. This place is perfect for graduate students and it is FREE! Trust me, FREE is the magic word.

Okay my friends, thanks for reading my blog again. Until next time – take care of yourself during this crazy month of exams. Remember what does not kill you only makes you stronger. To all my fellow classmates in Social Work Policy, I wish you all HAPPY STUDYING for our Mid-term on Friday, October 26th. Please feel free to leave me any questions or comments that you may have.

: ) Stella!

Posted by Stella at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So here we are about to start week six of the semester. Time is flying by so quickly. Why does it seem that there is not enough time in the day? Between classes, homework, part – time jobs, research papers, family, friends and Field placement – how is a person to manage? To many the answer seems simple – Organization, organization, organization! Basically you have to organize every part of your day and week down to the last minute.

MONDAY
• Wake up/Shower
• Grab my lunch that I packed the night before (because as a graduate student, I am POOR and spending money outside for lunch is not the smart thing to do)
• Get in my car and fight traffic up 270 (Why there is traffic on 270 that early is a mystery Sherlock Holmes himself will never be able to solve) to get to my field placement.

� SIDE NOTE – LOVE my field placement at JSSA – the Jewish Social Service Agency. I am a case manager in the Aging and Disability department. I have about 3 – 5 clients that I am working with, ranging in ages 75 - 97. I am amazed by their strength and resilience. I hope to be as strong as they are when I get to that age. My instructor is very patient and understanding. She takes the time to answer all the MANY questions I have – TRUST my there are a lot.

TUESDAY
• REPLAY from Monday, but this time I try and leave the house early so I do not hit traffic on 270 and do not curse out the person in the car in front of me who is driving 45 miles per hour on the beltway (Do they NOT understand I have somewhere important to go).

WEDNESDAY
• Wake up/Shower
• Grab my lunch that I packed the night before, (AGAIN Still on a fixed POVERTY ONLY INCOME) water and several snacks. Today I will have two three hour classes
• Get in my car and fight traffic up 270 to get to Universities at Shady grove.
• Attend first class, Social Work Practice – Great opportunity to talk about my field placement, learn useful tips and tools and get answers to more questions I have about my clients and my agency. I don’t have an exam in this class, but I have several papers and assignments in the Social Work Practice workbook relating to my agency and clients
• Lunch time – Race down the stairs to get to one of the two microwaves to warm up my food. Must eat quickly before next class.
• Attend second class, Human Behavior – This class is very interesting. I will have three quizzes this semester and one final. My professor relates EVERYTHING to sex – lol. I guess it is just part of Human Behavior.
• GO HOME! – this has been a long day

THURSDAY
• Free day, but not really – I am off to my part-time job. Hey I have to live and eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches is just not the answer

FRIDAY
• REPLAY from Wednesday, but this time my two classes are Social Work Policy and Social Work Research. Both classes really great and very useful. Will learn a lot this semester. My Social Work Policy professor is very straight forward. He tells you what he expects you to know for the exams. My Research class is very useful and fun. The professor is great. He is very honest with us. He is teaching us how to be very critical of all the evidence based information that is out there in the Social Work field.

So I guess right now this is my life in a nut shell as best as I can organize it. Somewhere in that schedule I try and make time for the important little things (e.g. friends and family, most especially beating my brother at scrabble). Otherwise I am living the Full-time Foundation student’s life style and loving every challenging minute of it. I think Emily Dickinson said it best when she said “To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else�.

Until next time my friends – Stella

Posted by Stella at 8:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi out there – it is me Stella. Yes, yes, I know you hear the name and the first thing that comes to mind is…

How did she get her GROVE BACK?
Or
As STANLEY from the “Street car named Desire� and Elaine from “Seinfeld� said S.T.E.L.L.A!!
Or
For those of you who love Jazz "Stella by Starlight"

LOL – I have heard it all – please feel free to let me know if I missed any.

Okay so just to tell you a little about myself. I am very close to my family. I have one brother and two sisters. I graduated in 2002 from the University of Delaware with a degree in Sociology. For those of you doing the math, yes that means I have been out of school FIVE years. My biggest fear as this fall semester started was, will I remember how to be a student? Am I too old to go back to school? I then read an article in the Washington Post about a 95 year old woman in Kansas who went back to school and received her undergraduate degree this year in May. I quickly changed my mind after reading the article. It goes to show you, you are never too old to do something you put your mind to.

So - I am a Full-time first year foundation student – which for those of you who do not know means you can take your first year foundation classes at University at Shady Grove. This is FABULOUS!! For those of us who live in the Germantown, Gaithersburg and Rockville area that means you can postpone for a year your two hour commute back and forth to Baltimore. I really like all my classes and professors. I am taking the usual, Human behavior, Social Work Practice, Social Welfare/Social Policy and Social Research, I feel like this year is going to be challenging, but in a good way. Please stay tune and see what happens. I promise you this will be an interesting ride.

– Thanks for letting me share a little about myself.

S.T.E.L.L.A!! - lol

Posted by Stella at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)