Items

• 
  2021-11-01

  my unplanned graduate studies journey

  My story happened precisely a month after our national lockdown in Saudi Arabia, which was in March 2020, at that time I was applying for a scholarship to continue my higher education degree anywhere in the West, either in The UK or The United States, so my dream began to almost vanish after applying for one of the UK universities and they asked for an IELTS score, though I told them IELTS centers were shut down in Saudi Arabia at that time, unfortunately, they just assumed I had no other alternative rather than sticking with that condition! no exceptions! no mercy in another word you could say! though I have provided them with a very recent IELTS score very close to the overall score they asked for, I even begged them and asked them for any alternative test they could provide me since I explained to them the situation that no IELTS / TOFEL venues were open! , they just put me down and made me search for another option, which was Pitt one of the top PA or even nationwide universities to provide with accredited graduate Master of Library and Information Science. luckily when I applied they pre-accepted my application and they gave me an option which I never thought about it as a way of such a good university as Pitt would accept it, since that kind of online test was newly launched. so I fought a lot to get that offer letter to provide it to the scholarship provider as I had little hope to meet that condition of having the offer letter on that particular short notice deadline and the very deadly period of the peak of the global disaster of covid19. I THANK YOU VERY MUCH FROM THE DEPTH OF MY HEART, 1- PITT ADMISSIONS STAFF FOR PROVIDING ME THAT ALTERNATIVE OPTION OF PROVIDING THEM WITH AN ACCEPTABLE ONLINE ENGLISH TEST. 2- DUOLINGO FOR BEING THERE FOR US AT THAT HARD TIME! 3-MY SCHOLARSHIP PROVIDER FOR ALLOWING ME TO CONTINUE MY FURTHER STUDIES IN ONE OF THE TOP UNIVERSITIES OF THE UNITED STATES.
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  2020-08-24

  Adventures in Virtual learning

  I’m in grad school now for the second time. I got my B.A. in 2009, and since it was right after the recession and collapse of the loan market, I panicked about jobs and went straight to an M.A. program. It wasn’t the best fit for me professionally or academically, but I didn’t have the life experience to identify that at the time. However, it was still valuable, and I met some of my best friends and professional connections I maintain to this day. Starting in 2012, I left academia and worked in a variety of jobs and fields before realizing I wanted to engage with archives and public history academically again. I found out I got into my dream grad program in late January 2020, and I was elated! Almost a decade after leaving my first graduate program, I was ready to start the next step of my educational and professional career. The excitement of a new city, new colleagues and friends, and fresh intellectual challenges awaited. More than anything, I was thrilled that my program wasn’t online, as that is not my preferred mode of learning. I don’t remember the precise dates, but COVID-19 came onto my radar around then. I know I tracked its progression through Washington state and then its spread to the rest of the country. Finally, it came to my town, and everything shut down. I ended up moving cross-country during the pandemic (another story entirely). Then, horror of horrors, classes began—online. The classes I’d been so excited for were moved to Zoom, my new classmates and colleagues nothing more than little squares. Some of them had pets, which was exciting, but in many ways, it felt like a waste of a year in terms of networking and developing camaraderie. Shifting to what is essentially a virtual, full-time job was a unique challenge. I wore pajamas most days, which was fun. I read all the advice telling me to put on clothes that I’d wear to the office or to campus, but I struggled to summon the motivation to do so when I knew I wouldn’t be going outside. My schedule was interesting, at least until I got a teaching assistantship gig that required more set hours. (The sleep inversion that occurs when the only things you’re required to be at are evening classes is incredible.) However, the lack of oversight meant some really great things! For the first time in my life, I was able to develop a reading/writing schedule that worked well for me. I had to, so I did. I was also able to put Netflix on in the background or play podcasts while I worked. Most importantly, I conquered my unease with online education. While asynchronous courses are still not my preference, over a year of remote learning means that Zoom is old hat. I, an introvert, also have a much easier time reaching out to strangers or new acquaintances. As we’ve met in person over the last month, some of those people have become great friends! While virtual learning and teleworking still aren’t my ideal, I love the new possibilities they offer for more accessible work and educational opportunities. [cat pictures] My coworkers were pretty great, and they miss me a lot now that I’m back working and studying in person. I still see them, but it’s just not the same.
• 
  2021-04-21

  Things I have Lost Because of Covid

  I started graduate school in August 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. Since that point, I have only met one of my classmates in person, when I purchased some girl scout cookies from her daughter. I do all of my coursework from my computer, something I am not personally bothered by but it certainly changes the dynamics of school. My opportunities for socialization and networking have been limited, which may define my future job prospects. These are all things I never really thought about until I had a discussion with my mother recently, after I exclaimed to her that very little about my life has changed because of Covid. In fact, while my daily schedule may be broadly similar to pre-pandemic and I enjoy the isolation, the ways in which it will affect my future career seem manifold as I think about them.
• 
  2020-08-11

  Out of Lockdown and Sadness, Joy and Hope Spring Eternal

  The oldest screenshot in this collection is from July of 2019, when my initial inquiry into attendance at St. Mary's University began. I was initially disappointed because I am located in Houston, St. Mary's is obviously in San Antonio, and they did not, at the time, offer online degree plans. In August I received an e-mail about the Public History scholarship program, which also announced the university's plan to have remote learning programs for this Master's program. I was ecstatic; I applied, and was accepted just in time for the semester to start. I received an informal acceptance in an e-mail from the program director, Dr. Wieck, and then a more formal one from the Interim Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. These screen shots mean a lot to me, as I was very interested in St. Mary's as the college for my Master's, even though it wasn't ideal location wise, it seemed like one of the more thorough and dedicated programs in Texas. I was disappointed at first when I first was told I there weren't online classes, and didn't think much about that specific program for a bit afterwards. With the craziness of the pandemic sweeping over the country, I decided what the heck, picked up a GRE study book and began the process of studying, to apply to a closer university when I got the e-mail about the scholarship and remote learning classes. Being able to "attend" my preferred school has been a welcome surprise amidst constant weeks and months of bad news, stress, and anxiety. It has been a wild ride, given the short time between my application and admittance, when I wasn't sure I'd be admitted to the program in the first place. However, I'm rather pleased to be going pursuing this dream, and trying to learn from my mistakes daily.
• 
  2020-07-14

  Registering for Graduate School While Serving in the Military on COVID-19 Orders

  While serving in the Texas Army National Guard on COVID-19 Relief Mission orders, I decided to apply to graduate school at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. While on these orders, I ran into registration issues. I was trying to register as a full time student with nine graduate credits, but St. Mary's had born forced to redo their entire Fall 2020 course scheduling due to COVID-19. This is described in detail in the email. At first I asked the registrar: "I am trying to web register for a third course in the fall. When I go to register in Banner, it states “No terms available for this option.” I seem to be in good standing and lack any registration holds that I can see. Is there any way to get my registration unlocked in Banner?" They responded: "We have temporarily closed registration so we can begin to make changes to the course schedule to accommodate the different modalities that will be offered. We will reopen registration on August 3. In the meantime, if you need to make a change to your schedule, I am happy to assist. Let me know if I can help." I had to ask them to manually enter me for this course so that I was signed up for a full time course load in time to meet my funding date commitments. Luckily this situation was sorted out and I was able to attend St. Mary's University full time during Fall 2020. The Fall 2020 semester was interesting though, as St. Mary's as a whole went almost entirely online.
• 
  2020-08-27

  Lawson Miller Internship Portfolio

  I decided to embark on this internship despite no previous experience in public history, and it has afforded me the opportunity to learn many things about the practice of public history and historical collection more broadly. Having worked on the internship in tandem with a fellowship role on the same project had challenged and pushed me in ways I hadn’t imagined. Having begun the project as a volunteer, a fellow, and then an intern placed me at the apex of an entirely new experience, and is part of my drive to challenge myself, to learn, to be part of something larger than myself, and to grow. In my first semester of graduate school, I became deeply immersed and personally invested in a project that had become bigger than I may have initially anticipated. This project has taught me, among other things: leadership, patience, collaboration, how to be adapt quickly, as well as the concept of shared authority. The skills and growth I have received over this journey has been invaluable. In addition to learning important skills and practices relating to history, the internship has given me practical experience in being a leader among my peers, communicating effectively through press releases and social media, and developing effective standardized practices. These skills will be invaluable in whatever I pursue, as well as in my life more broadly. Getting lost in the work of the internship regarding the historical curation of the pandemic, has ironically distracted me from the pandemic itself to an extent, in my personal life. I have paused many times during the course of this internship to reflect on the significance of our work and the significance of this moment in history. The friends and professional relationships I have created through this experience will follow me throughout my life and academic career.
• 
  2020-08-20

  Sensory history and the pandemic

  I've been thinking about sensory history and how often it's left out of historical records. We often don't stop to comment on observations we make every day like noise of a busy street corner or the smell of muffins baking in the kitchen. I'm teaching HST643 Global history during Fall B with a module on sensory history. I'd like to ask students to add a perspective on the sensory history of the pandemic. I posted this thought in the JOTPY Slack workspace and Shanna replied with a really interesting observation about sound: “…there is an odd tension of noise inside my home and silence the second I step outside. I find myself needing a quiet space when I’m in my house. Yet the second I walk outside, it’s way too quiet that I start to feel uncomfortably lonely and in need of human connection.”