Orientation re-cap

So last night I attended orientation for my new Masters program. I just have to say that I am now so much more excited than before... it really is such a perfect fit for me! I met a lot of people there who have similar interests as me, and so far it seems that the professors are great! The head of the whole program is a guy whose focus is on genocide prevention and peacebuilding... my passion. I am super excited to start classes next Wednesday and to take in all this program has to offer me. I really do feel like this is what I'm meant to be doing. Lately I've been reflecting a lot about the past few years of my life... George Mason was my safe-school when I was applying for colleges in 2005. In 2005 I had wanted to pursue pre-med at college, and was looking into schools that had great science courses... but then I took AP Government my senior year (2004-2005) and we focused on the presidential election (Bush v Kerry) and I became so intrigued with studying government and politics. I had always been interested in that subject (really since Civics class in 8th grade) but never thought there were careers for me in it. My understanding back then, being from Virginia Beach and all, was that the only kind of career I could have that would involve me in this subject was to run for office. I did not understand the life I now live.. who knew there were so many different options for people to work with the government? Who knew there were all these contractors, private organizations, non-profits, international organizations, etc that I could work for! I had options... and I only came to realize that AFTER I moved to Northern VA. But to backtrack, after being accepted and visiting George Mason, I realized that I really did have a passion for studying government and politics, and decided Mason was the best fit for me (even though I only had applied there to guarantee myself acceptance to at least one school).

After coming up to Northern Virginia in 2005, my life has just been go-go-go. My first college course was Introduction to International Relations, taught by Professor Brigety. We had rougly 100 students in our class, and it was SOOO hard. We had a quiz every class, had about 2-3 chapters (roughly 60-80 pages a night) PLUS about 2-3 theory packets (15-20 pages each) and you had to know every capitol on a continent and 1 surrounding border for each. For a freshman in college, this was a wake up call. Then came our mid-term... we had about 200 questions, all fill in the blank. Most of it was a definition or a term and then you had to give either the term (for the definition) or the definition (for the term). I studied all semester, but then stayed up 48 hours and studied non-stop before the mid-term... and it paid off. I got a 92, the 3rd highest grade in the class. I was so happy that I did well in that class... even though people were failing left and right. I say all this because my teacher was hard but INCREDIBLE. He was so intelligent and had a way of getting us engaged and involved in what we were learning. It was in this class that my love for Rwanda started to blossom. We looked at a lot of conflicts, specifically Rwanda and Somalia and looked at the role the US played in both and why. Because of the intervention in the Somalia conflict, and failure of it, the US had little to no interest in getting involved in the genocide in Rwanda... and because there were no US interests there... Where would I be right now if I had decided not to come to Mason and take that class and teacher? I would not be so in love with Rwanda or have taken a trip there, that is for sure... and I know that.

After that I did an internship on the Hill, which then led me to do one at the WH, which then led me to do one at a transportation consulting firm in Fairfax (where I had incredible co-workers and bosses), which then led me to go to Rwanda for an internship... which then led me to do my Masters in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. I really do believe that this was the plan that God envisioned for me. We always talk in church about how the Holy Ghost will help guide you in the right direction, and that it is only if you do your own preparation first that it will all work out. I have put in my time and energy into getting these opportunities, but I recognize the fact that I could not have done them on my own. Because I come from such a troubled past I could resort to living a care-free life where I blame my past for my present problems. But I deserve better, and I know that. I am so so grateful for the decisions that were made back in 2005 that led me to where I am now. It really would have been a different story had I gone out west to BYU for school, or had I not been on a wait list for JMU... or had I decided to pursue a pre-med degree. I am grateful that I followed my heart and listened to the Spirit. THIS is where I should be and I'm following my passion. Yes, there are days when I think I will never get to where I ultimately want to be, but I believe in myself and that will take me far (I believe). Maybe that is naiive, but I really do believe that NO MATTER WHAT your circumstances, you can overcome them and make something better of yourself. You have to believe in yourself and have confidence in your abilities... I know this from experience.