Opportunities

I have been trying to be conscious of finding opportunities and taking advantage of them lately. In the past, I have passed up opportunities because they required more work that I didn't think I could handle, and it always turned out that I could have handled it. I am lucky to have gotten to where I am regardless of the experiences I passed up, but I'm at the point where I need to be thinking about my future resume and what I want that to look like. Barely two weeks into the semester, I already have a great foundation of experiences that will lend themselves to my future application for a graduate teaching assistantship next year, as well as teaching applications outside of graduate school. 

1. Tutoring in the Writing Center: I will be working the maximum 10 hours/week in the writing center helping students with all types of writing and in all stages of the writing process. The other day, I was able to use the knowledge gained in my technical writing class at MSU to help a foreign exchange student improve his cover letter for his resume. I feel like this will turn out to be both a diverse and rewarding experience. 

2. Class: I am taking a class this semester that will help me learn how to teach creative writing. I will learn how to make a lesson plan as well as develop a teaching philosophy by the end of the semester. I'll get to audit a class and help teach/facilitate a workshop a couple times. Plus, our textbooks for the class are actually really handy books on craft that I think will help me as a writer as well as a teacher. 

3. Interning at the Colorado Review: This is turning out to be an amazing opportunity to learn the ins and outs of publishing, as well as technical editing. Not only do I get to review manuscripts for the journal, I also will have the opportunity to learn how to proofread, copy edit, and even how to use InDesign to design book covers. We get to be involved in the entire process of the creation of this issue of the Colorado Review, not just the reading manuscripts part. And it's something I can do for as many semesters as I'd like. 

4. Teaching Assistantship: I recently agreed to become a TA for one of the intermediate fiction workshops. The professor may split the class in half, in which case I would come in to every class for the second half of the semester and facilitate the workshop with half of the students (which would be awesome). If not, I would run a few of the classes in her absence while she is on a short book tour. Either way, she made it sound like it would set me up for a possible semester-long TA-ship with her next fall. She also seems like she would be a really good professor to work with. 

Needless to say, I am amazed at the opportunities inherent in a graduate program and am excited to get to take advantage of them. I feel like I've been doing tons of work this week because I am trying to not have any work over the weekend when my friends are here. Very excited to get to spend some time with some familiar faces!