My Friends in the Admissions Office

I started working in the Admissions Office at my college, when I was starting my junior year. The summer before the fall 2006 semester, I had gotten a job working at a Physical Therapy office. What initially seemed like a good position turned into a nightmare. I have always considered myself a dedicated worker, but my new office manager was making me a nervous wreck. The phones used to ring constantly, patients had to be kept waiting no more than 15 minutes, and mistakes were not an option. The way that the office manager trained me was to take a file off the shelf, turn red in the face, and show me mistakes that other employees had made. Then she would look at me with anger in her eyes and shout “See what _______ did. Now you know what not to do!” I absolutely hated being there, but I tried to tell myself to suck it up, and do my best. I went to school to buy my books for the upcoming semester, and on a whim I put my name on the work-study list in the Financial Aid Office. I didn’t even know if I was eligible because I had a full scholarship. I figured it was worth a shot because I was miserable where I was currently working. I remembered my mom telling me she had a student worker position when she was in college and she loved it, because it was very convenient. So with a quick prayer and a thought to my mom, I wrote my name down and went home.

A few days later, the phone rang. I looked down at my caller id and it said the name of my college. I figured it was probably something regarding the upcoming semester and my fieldwork placement. The person on the other end asked for me and right away, I knew who I was on the phone with. It was Paige, the admissions counselor who I had started meeting with when I was in high school. I always knew where I wanted to go to school and I met with Paige with my Mom a bunch of times. She always answered all of our questions and told me I had a good shot at getting a full scholarship. My SAT’s the first time I took them where just below what I needed. Paige advised me to take them again, and the second time around I got what I needed. My mom was so happy and I know she felt like we had accomplished my college dream together. I’m sure we would call and ask Paige the silliest things, but she never seemed to mind. She always seemed really happy to be helping us, and I think she knew my mom only asked so many questions because she loved me so much.

So back to that life-changing phone call. Paige said that the Admissions Office was looking to hire some student workers and when she saw my name she told her boss, “We need to hire this girl.” I was so thrilled, thankful, and appreciative. I immediately accepted the position, smiled at the thought of quitting the Physical Therapy office, and burst into tears as soon as I hung up the phone. I called my dad to tell him the news and he started to cry too when I told him who had called me. We both always associated Paige with my mom and my college journey. I quit the Physical Therapy office the next day. When I told my office manager, she looked at me with disdain and said, “Could this day get any worse? I had a fight with my boyfriend this morning and now this.” I walked out and never looked back.

Working in the Admissions Office was an amazing situation for me. I was good at the tasks that I was asked to do, and I was soon given more responsibilities. I was put in charge of completing the director’s scholarship book, and scheduling the freshmen registration appointments my first year in the office. Andrea and Kathleen, my supervisors were always so flexible with me, especially as my schedule got incredibly packed when I started student teaching. I learned a lot about how to run events, how to use Microsoft Excel (thanks to Andrea, I plan to use Excel in my classroom to keep track of my student’s reading abilities), and how to communicate ideas with others.

More important than the actual job tasks was the relationships I formed with the women that I worked with. We all ranged in age from 17 to 50+, yet I connected with each person on a deep level. G, our director, showed me what true leadership looks like. I never felt like “just a student worker” because she always seemed to value my opinions and abilities. Debra exuberated what loving what you do really means. She would often share with me how this school held a special place in her heart from the time she attended. Not only was Andrea a great supervisor, but she would chat it up with me about the Yankees and the latest celebrity gossip. When I was a candidate for Valedictorian, Kathleen, my other amazing supervisor, was incredibly helpful. She re-read my essay for my application a bunch of times, and even though I wasn’t chosen, I was so pleased with the end result, it almost didn’t matter. I loved talking with Kim about love, weddings, and all the other girly stuff. Adriana would always listen to my student teaching stories, and we would crack up over the littlest things. Annette and I shared a special, but painful bond, being that we both lost our moms to cancer. However, she came into my life at the right time because she could identify with just how much it hurts, and how holidays will never be the same. Mary and I could laugh and laugh about everything and anything. She always made me feel incredibly special, and she made her love for me known. Jen L and Jen P are two of the finest mothers I have ever encountered. When they talk about their children, it is obvious that they are their world. They remind me of how my mom felt about my brother and me. Even though I didn’t work with Susan for very long, she is a hip lady. She is a lot of fun to talk about shopping with, and if I ever win the lottery, I would love to go on a shopping spree with her. I have also enjoyed getting to know our new counselor David too.

It was great working with Paige or as I like to call her my life coach. Paige had lost her father to cancer in a very short period of time, so she could identify with the pain I have. Sometimes we would share stories and we would cry in her office. I think we needed that because we both try to hold it in, but every once in awhile, you just need to let it out. She was so helpful to me when I was trying to obtain a teaching position. I was getting so frustrated, and near giving up at one point. But she always believed in me and knew that it would happen. I landed my dream position and I am so grateful for all of her love, support and guidance.

I also became very close with my fellow student workers. Michelle, will always be very special to me. She is a Child Study major and I know she is going to make a great teacher someday. I know the requirements to complete the program can be overwhelming at times, but I hope my support and advice has been helpful to her. When her twin sister was diagnosed with cancer last summer, my heart ached for them. They had just been over my house about a week before her diagnosis and seemed fine. Everything happened really fast. I tried to let Michelle know if she needed anything I would be there. I prayed a lot for her sister, and I am so thankful that she is doing better. I am happy to say that she attended my graduation party and she looked and felt fantastic. When I first met Natalie, I was a little intimidated by her. If I asked her something initially, she would always reply “I don’t care.” As time went on, I saw a much softer side to Natalie. She is the type of person who will have your back. If someone tries to hurt someone she cares about, she won’t stand for it. Brooke is one of the funniest people I have ever encountered. Her unique sense of humor makes her such a fun person to spend time with. Alex is so sweet and sensitive. Every time we work together, we catch up on what’s been happening in each other’s lives.

This past school year, we had some new student workers join us. Giuseppe, Steven, Gina, and Ryann are a group of people who will be sophomores in the fall. I have really enjoyed getting to work with them and getting to know them.

I was so proud the day that I graduated from college with my BA in Child Study suma cum laude. It was such an exciting day and I loved that a lot of the Admissions staff was working that day. They came over and hugged me, took pictures, and told me how proud they were. I was so happy when I saw Paige who was also standing in her academic attire. We hugged and I felt like we were sharing a special secret. She had started that journey with me over six years ago, and I had reached graduation. It was a great moment! When it was time to be hooded, my friend went up to Debra’s line. The next faculty member called me over, and I said “Sorry, but I am waiting for her.” I walked up to Debra and it gave me chills to be hooded by somebody who I really cared about.

The summer after I graduated, I was told that I couldn’t work past the end of May in the office. I was so sad and disappointed; I wasn’t ready to leave yet. The staff gave me some beautiful graduation gifts, but what I like most of all was reading the heartfelt things they wrote in the cards they gave me. Then, G worked her magic and I was able to continue working over the summer. While in the midst of searching for a teaching position and not having much luck, G offered me a part-time counselor position for the fall. I was flattered, and it seemed like a great opportunity. Then out of nowhere, I had an interview for that 2nd grade position. In under a week, I was offered the position. Initially, I thought that I could try and do both. I knew I would be working over 60 hours a week, plus starting my Masters degree, but I hated to give up my beloved Admissions Office. I soon realized that it would be incredibly overwhelming and that I would not be able to fully do both. I really want to enjoy having my first classroom, and I knew taking the counselor position would be too much. It broke my heart to have to tell G and the rest of the staff that I couldn’t keep the position. Honestly, if there were more hours in the day I would have loved nothing more than to have been able to do both. I knew it was better to decline now so that I wouldn’t burn myself out. Also, this would allow G to have enough time to look for someone else. I hope G knows how appreciative I am that she made me such a generous offer. If G is willing, I would love to help out at some of the Admissions Office events, so that I can remain connected. I agonized over the decision to decline the counselor position. I felt really bad that we had just taken pictures of all of the staff for the new posters G was ordering. Before I went into G’s office to talk to her, I prayed that it would not be too inconvenient for her to take me off the posters. Later on in the day, she showed me the posters, and I was accidently not on them. G laughed, called me James (her nickname for me) and asked if I told the photographers before her. I said no, and she said “Well, I guess this proves it really wasn’t meant to be that you work here in the fall.” I take that as a sign that I made the right decision.

Ultimately, these women turned out to be an amazing support system for me. After my mom passed away, I was left living with two men at home. No matter how hard they try, they can never take the place of having a woman to talk to. Now at work, I was blessed with a bunch of woman to talk to, who could provide a variety of perspectives based on their own life experiences. They served as shoulders for me to cry on when I was feeling sad, cheerleaders when I was hoping to become Valedictorian or land a teaching position, therapists when I wasn’t sure which paths to choose, and more. They became less like co-workers, more than friends, and mostly like family. Spending that much time with them, seeing them at some point most weekdays, I couldn’t help but love them all. I will never forget all that they have done for me; I really hope that we can all keep in contact for years to come.