That was my life during the Fall 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters.  Not only do I work at the Graduate School as the Director of Student Records, I’m also a part time student in our very own MPA program, and I got married at the end of the Spring semester on May 30.

The lives of graduate students can be complicated.  In addition to going to school, many of us work full time, have families, have more than one job, or responsibilities to other people– with big life events to boot!  And we have to find the time (and learn to manage it) to study and keep our grades up in addition to everything else.  Our lives can turn into juggling acts that should surely qualify us to be in one of the rings for the circus!

The hardest thing to do was remembering what I had to do in each role.  My job didn’t wait for school, school didn’t wait for all of the responsibilities that come with pulling together an event as big and a wedding.  And did anyone remember to call the caterer?!

I kept lists.  A lot of lists.  Reminders on my work calender and PDA.  Emails to myself.  Emails to people helping to remind me of my “goals of the week,” and keep me on task (thank you Mom).  Wedding planning spanned three spreadsheets.  It helped that I was marrying someone who was willing to step in and steer the ship when things became too much, or that paper was proving hard to write.

The most important thing that you can remember is to ask for help, and accept it when it is offered.  And breathe.  Breathe in, breathe out.  It’ll be ok– even if the napkins don’t exactly match the dresses, or page 10 of that paper was a little shorter than it could have been, and the conclusion a little less wordy.   

And don’t forget to stop and enjoy life.  Just keep that PDA handy and take that fascinating book on networks and organizations to the beach!

More than 100 students will cross the stage in Sottile Theatre tonight to receive their Master’s degree, and our office is buzzing with excitement.  I’ve worked with several of these students since they first came through Porter’s Lodge their first semester, and have enjoyed each and every experience.  One of the students that I’ve had the privilege of working with is Kolo Rathburn.  He has made such an impact on the college, including his dedication to the Graduate Student Association.  Kolo is one of the founding members, and our most recent president.  He was also gracious enough to guest blog for us on this very special day.

Kolo in the lab

I’m graduating tonight!  Well sort of, you see there is still this monster of a thesis I have to defend, but I have met all other requirements and with a small petition the graduate school has allowed me to participate in tomorrow’s ceremony.

All I can think of is what an honor it has been to be at the Graduate School of College of Charleston.  Not only does this institution have great academic support in administration and faculty, but the campus itself is embedded in a great historic city which makes the experience of being a student here truly unique.

During my brief tenure here at the College, about three years now, I have witnessed many changes in the grad school- all of them for the better.  With the formation and prosperity of the Graduate Student Association, an organization I am quite fond of, a more tangible graduate student community has formed at the College fostering a true sense of belonging among graduate students.  But on a personal level my experience here in Charleston has been absolutely amazing and life-changing.  I come from a small town on the North Shore of O`ahu, Hawai`i.  Coming to Charleston and the South was a huge change for me.  It was through the Graduate School in classes, research, and extracurricular activities that I really made this place my home.  The College itself has embraced me each time I’ve reached out regardless of which department it may have been.  It has also been my experience that when any graduate student has reached out on campus, they have been welcomed full heartedly.

There is a lot in my heart for the graduate school and this special place in Charleston, but I will refrain from spilling it out in this blog.  Suffice it to say that this has been the best decision I have made in my life thus far, coming to the Graduate School at the College of Charleston, and I will always cherish the times I’ve spent here.  But for now it’s time to graduate, well sort of.

Until I blog again, as an alumni, Thank you College of Charleston!

And from the bottom of my heart, Aloha.

The College of Charleston is the only institution in the nation offering a Master’s degree in bilingual interpreting during a widespread shortage of court interpreters. Cases are being reversed, rescheduled and retried in nearly every state because of the shortage of qualified interpreters, according to the National Center for State Courts.

Demand is steadily increasing for the College of Charleston’s Master of Arts degree in bilingual interpreting (36 credits) as well as the graduate certificates available in medical and health care interpreting and bilingual legal interpreting (12 credits). Applications for the legal interpreting certificate have doubled in size over just the past year.

Graduate student Lydia Lester is in her first semester of the program and says the career opportunities made the decision easy. “I’m interested in law, but didn’t want to go to law school and I lived in South America for three years. I love the idea of combining both of those interests. Plus it is good to know that I’ll have a job as soon as I graduate.”

To become certified, court interpreters must have a high level of proficiency of two languages and must past a difficult test. Once certified, court interpreters can make anywhere from $59,000 to $89,000 according to recent job postings.

“Our graduates are in a very unique position,” Bilingual Interpreting Program Director Gladys Matthews said. “With a graduate-level degree, they are able to take leadership positions and contribute to the development of the field. Several of our graduates are not only interpreting but also training the new generation of interpreters in various programs. Right now one of our students is interning in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and was able to interpret in front of the judge. That is a very high honor.”

The bilingual interpreting program at the College of Charleston is poised to grow with the infrastructure already in place. Matthews hopes to increase enrollment and add tracks like community interpreting and conference interpreting.

- Melissa Whetzel, News Manager

Bree counting Wood Stork chicks in their nests

Bree Tomlinson, an Environmental Studies student, and I were talking last week about December, snow and how drastically different Charleston is than our hometowns.  Both of us come from areas where this is a typical Saturday chore.  If you dealt with that for 20 some-odd years, you’d want to get as south as fast as possible, too!  Read Bree’s defining moment of clarity:

There is nothing better than a brutally cold Midwestern winter to clear your mind and outline your priorities. Before coming to Charleston, I had experienced 22 windy, snowy, truly freezing winters and I had “had” enough! I remember the exact moment when I decided that if I ever had a chance I was heading south! It was my senior year at Michigan State University and I was silently cursing my painful walk through campus. Well, more accurately, I was powering my way through knee-high snow drifts on my way to a final. I don’t think the campus administration understood that just because you plow a path at 6AM DOESN’T mean that it stays that way when it is snowing an inch an hour! So, there I was – cold, wet and VERY uncomfortable! I finally got to my exam after what seemed like years out in the tundra, with pants that were soaked to a point well above the knee. I always thought wet jeans were uncomfortable, but I didn’t fully appreciate the capabilities of a wet jean until I felt COLD, freezing cold, wet jeans! And further, I really should have listened to my mother and brought my snow pants with me to school. Who knew she was so smart and that I would need to prepare for the arctic tundra in Michigan!? So, as I sat in my seat – so very cold and still silently cursing my situation – I decided I wanted to be a snow bird, but maybe a permanent one.

So, when I decided to head back to graduate school, my mind was already made. I was going to try my hand at the south where they applied the word “freezing” to anything below 60 (not literally freezing!) I came to Charleston in 2005 to get my Master’s Degree in Environmental Studies, and haven’t looked back. I absolutely love this city, this college, and my brilliant decision! J I love that I am able to walk on the beach in December, and that outdoor activities are not limited to March through October. I no longer tramp to class in knee-high snow drifts, and the only time I have to cope with the wintry weather is during the holiday season. And then, it is expected and welcome (I still dream of a white Christmas). I don’t mean to give the impression that the only reason why I fled the north (with the retiree’s) is for the weather, but for this Michigander, it was a huge plus…the icing on the cake. I found a program that fit my needs, a town that fits my likes, and weather that keeps me sane!!!