What if moving
halfway across the country is a big mistake? What if I don’t even like the
program? What if I’m not as successful as the alumni listed on the website?
Trust me, you
will ask those questions many times.
The doubt danced
around in my head for multiple weeks leading up to the move from Arkansas and
even the first week I was here. I didn’t know anyone and got lost every time I
left my house. I was thrown into this fast paced city and wasn’t sure if I
could keep up.
When orientation
came around on July 9th, I was anxiously awaiting to learn what this
journey was going to be about. Meeting classmates, professors, current
students, and alumni made the whole experience surreal. Nothing but positive
comments filled the room and pure joy as each alumni spoke about the program.
But, they all kept reminding me: It goes by fast.
The next day, I
prepared for Dr. Cellini’s class. My cohort and I were all warned it’s similar
to a boot camp and we’ll have so much work to do. I remember thinking, “how
could all those alumni say good things about a boot camp?” But, after six weeks
with Dr. Cellini, I understand why they would all say it with a smile.
Dr. Cellini prepares
you for the real world, real fast. In this program, it is required to complete
160 internship hours. From day one, Dr. Cellini helps us focus and think about
what we really want to have as a career. In doing that, he has us reflect on
our personal experiences as well as material we talk about in class. The
assignments were about you, not a textbook or someone in the past that made
history.
He emphasized
our thoughts and personal experiences to help distinguish what our strengths
are as a person. It’s not only about working for a company and having a job you
love, but also how you can add value and accomplish things you never would have
expected.
After the first
day of class, my e-mail inbox was overflowing with internship opportunities
from around the area at companies that alumni work for. There’s so many
opportunities that it can be overwhelming, but Dr. Cellini can help calm that
anxiety. He combs through our résumés and cover letters to help prepare us for
interviews, and makes us all talk in front of the class on multiple occasions.
“Get comfortable being uncomfortable”, Dr. Cellini preaches each day. He pushes
us out of our comfort zone in class preparing us for what the real world is
like.
Our final
project with Dr. Cellini was the best project I’ve ever done in my life.
Reading the syllabus on day one and having him explain what a ‘career
prospectus paper’ was had each person staring at him in disbelief. He wanted us
to focus on the area of sport we always hoped to work in, and to contact people
within the field to give us insight about the job. We were instructed to talk
to anyone from an intern to the president of the company.
We all
thought, ‘yeah right, like that’s going to happen. No one will e-mail or call me
back’.
To our
surprise, we all got responses from a lot of big names in the industry we
wanted to work for. It really helped lift our confidence while conducting
informational interviews and to learn if this is the career path we wanted to
pursue.
After
turning in the paper, not only did we learn what it takes to obtain this dream
job of ours, but also we made connections within the industry. Not only is this
a boot camp, but it also boosts your confidence and you really begin to
discover the kind of person you are.
My
experience so far at USF has been the most rewarding opportunity of my life. I
am in an environment where everyone is cheering me on: from my cohort members
to the staff to the alumni all across the country. I couldn’t ask for a better
graduate program that is helping me pave my way for success. In a few years, I
know I’ll look back and be able to say, “USF is why I’m where I am today”.
