December 2010: I did not get the job. It was for the best, but I was pretty upset. I had to reorganize my finals so I could take a family trip to California for a funeral. Christmas was pretty standard- just the way I like it. January 2011: During the Fall, I was connected with a student at the UO who wanted to talk with me about creating a program for foster alumni on campus. We started meeting regularly to figure out how we could do this, and we were able to pull our resources together to create an advisory team on campus. The advisory team consisted of department heads and major players on campus and our first meeting was in January.
February 2011: In February, I took the GRE. I also spent a significant amount of time meeting with legislators about the tuition waiver bill OFYC drafted and dropped in January. There was a problem with the OFYC chapter I was running in Lane County, so I separated the two groups and called the chapter the Foster Care Advocacy Team (or FCAT).
March 2011: I spent most of March working on FCAT. We planned to host a Sock Drive in April for Child Abuse Awareness Month, and a Foster Care Conference in May for National Foster Care Month. I also bought a new car.
April 2011: The Sock Drive took up most of this month. One of my key FCAT members was supposed to take the lead on the Sock Drive, but she disappeared in the middle of the month after she found out she was pregnant. She married her boyfriend and dropped out of school. I haven't heard from her since.
May 2011: The conference was pushed to June since I spent all my time on the Sock Drive. In May, I heard back from all the schools I applied to and I was accepted to every single one. I thought I would choose the University of Oregon since my whole life was in Eugene, but I ended up choosing the University of Utah.
June 2011: I spent most of June wrapping things up with OFYC and FCAT, and looking for a job and an apartment in Salt Lake City. Our tuition waiver bill passed- a perfect way to retire from OFYC for me. I also hosted the conference during June, and this turned out to be a huge success as well.
July 2011: There were a lot of parties in July. I spent a lot of time at my boss's house since he has been a huge influence in my life over the past 5 years. I worked a lot during this month and applied to a number of jobs in Salt Lake City.
August 2011: I moved to Salt Lake City in the middle of August. My boyfriend and I broke up, as planned, and the transition was really hard for me. The climate in Utah is really dry so I had violent bloody noses for the first couple weeks. I accepted a position in Special Collections at the University of Utah library.
September 2011: I spent most of September at school and at work. My classes aren't very stimulating since I took these classes as an undergraduate, but my classmates are a little bit more intriguing.
October 2011: I decided to apply for a PhD in educational policy and leadership through the U so I could focus my research on retention and higher eduction among underserved youth (especially foster youth and orphans).
November 2011: I went home for Thanksgiving, of course. It was a long drive and exhausting but it all worked out. I enjoy spending time with the family now that I know what to expect. My good friend from high school is getting married in March, so I spent some time with her to talk about the wedding.
I am very happy with my decision to move to Utah. It's a beautiful state and my apartment has a fantastic view of the city scape. The weather is a little colder than what I am used to, but when it snows it's perfect. I'm excited for all the opportunities ahead of me in Salt Lake City!
