The reason we came to Nashville in the first place.
Vanderbilt University
When I started undergrad I wanted to be a teacher. I had volunteered in elementary schools in Mesa and enjoyed working with students and being in the classroom. The first semester of my freshman year I started volunteering in a school in South Phoenix that was located in a low-income area. I was shocked and disheartened to see the huge disparities in resources between the schools I had grown up going to and inner-city schools only a short drive away. That same semester I was given an assignment to complete a policy brief, a concise paper outlining a problem, possible policy solutions and a recommendation. From this point I decided that I want to make a larger impact on student achievement and study how policy is made and implemented. Driven by the belief that education is the means to achieving social mobility, the foundation of economic development and essential for democratic participation, I wanted to (and still want to) conduct research and draft policy solutions that make quality education more accessible to disadvantaged students. I knew then that I would have to go to graduate school in order to make a career out of my interests. I applied to schools all over the country and did not stumble across the program at Vanderbilt until shortly before applications were due. Vanderbilt offered the opportunity to study public policy with the leading scholars and experts in education policy. It was the best of both worlds, a public policy degree centered in education. After a few hiccups, I finally made it to Vanderbilt, which have I mentioned is the #1 graduate school of education in country for the third straight year in a row?! So now that I have gotten all of that out of the way (I know it is long, but I thought it would be good for future reference) let us count the top three things I will miss about Vanderbilt:
1. The people, my classmates and professors have challenged me in my beliefs and pushed me to be a more thoughtful and critical thinker. Plus who doesn't like being around people who care just as much about the same things you care about?
2. The gorgeous campus built in the 1800s, it is a national arboretum with huge magnolia trees everywhere and squirrels galore!
3. Undergraduate fashion. Seriously, these girls always look chic and stylish. And the guys, well they like to stick to their preppy uniform of polo shirts, khaki shorts above the knee and boat shoes. Oh and FYI, you are no one unless you have a Longchamp Le Pliage tote and Hunter rain boots!
There really is so much more I will miss, but this post is already a novel so I will cut it short. See you tomorrow with part 2!
