April At Last

Well here it is, my final blog post EVER (in this position at least).  It’s been a crazy fast three years.  It’s weird to think I finished undergrad and graduate school in the same amount of time.  I’ve learned a lot, and I do mean a lot, being in the MPA program.  The program has certainly prepared me for a wide variety of careers and I know I can go just about anywhere I want in the future with this degree (and some work experience of course).  I’ve also been fortunate enough to work with a lot of great professors here in the Department of Political Science, Criminal Justice, and Organizational Leadership.  Many of the professors and staff members have been so kind to me and really cared about my well-being and my future.  It’s going to be sad to say good-bye to everyone. 

I have finished my last two courses and hopefully passed with flying colors.  I knew it was going to be tough writing a research paper and doing my capstone, but I only died of stress for just a few days.  Overall I’m pretty happy with the results of my two projects and hope my professors agree.  As sad as I am to leave NKU, I’m really, really, really glad I’ll never have to write a paper again. 

On the job front I’ve had mixed success.  I interview at an arts organization on May 1^st for a part-time position as administrative support for the development office.  The position would provide a lot of great experience in development and fund-raising.  Fingers crossed that I can get it.  I will also be staying on part-time at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as a patron services representative.  Now I’ll finally get paid for working there!  I will be able to gain even more experience in marketing and customer service in arts organization.  (Kind of obvious I’m hoping to find a career in arts nonprofits no?).  Don’t worry though, no matter what I’ll be at Skyline for a few more months!

Graduation is in just a few days and I couldn’t be more excited.  I think I’m in a good place to find a full-time job and move on with the rest of my life. I’ve been in college for six straight years and it’s finally time for that to come to an end.  I’m sure one day I’ll wish I wasn’t working full-time and get an itch to get another degree, but for now I’m ready to take more than a few years off.  Peace out NKU, it’s been a great journey.     

More March Madness

Welcome back everyone!  It feels like it’s been a long time since my last post, but apparently it’s only been a month.  Though it may have felt like such a long month because I’ve been so busy!

It’s crunch time around here.  I graduate in just a few weeks and I’m feeling the pressure.  I have my Capstone draft due in just two weeks which is slowly coming together (though slower than I would have liked) and I’ll also have a paper due for Public Policy Analysis soon after that.  I am also applying for jobs pretty much daily with no luck so far.  I am either too picky or am casting too wide a net, I have no idea.  Looks like I’ll be going back to slinging coneys at Skyline a couple days a week after graduation.  Maybe the part time work will give me more time to apply for big-boy jobs, who knows (I don’t)?  Either way, May 7^th can’t come soon enough even though I know it’s going to be a stressful few weeks.

At this job I have been quite busy.  I recently finished up typing transcripts of interviews Dr. Misis conducted with local police chiefs. Transcription was a lot more…tedious than I thought it would be.  I never realized how much people change their train of thought while talking until I had to try and type it and keep track of what they were saying.  Once I finished that Dr. Misis and I started on writing our research paper on law enforcement’s use of social media (we presented it here at NKU at a conference last semester).  It should be a neat little paper that fills in the gap of literature of police use at a smaller city level.  I have also been chipping away at updating the MPA’s alumni database.  Creeping people on LinkedIn has made it fairly easy, but there are still lots of people who apparently don’t have any form of social media and thus make it difficult to update their information.   Hopefully we can use the updated list to better promote what career fields prospective students can go into, while also keeping in better contact with our alumni. 

At the Aronoff I recently worked “Something Rotten” which was hilariously awesome as well as “The Illusionists” which was pretty cool to see up close since I worked in the very front of the theatre.  We also just had our volunteer party which had a pretty fun group called the Broadway Boys perform.  Up next is “Matilda the Musical.”  At the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra I have been learning a lot about nonprofit marketing.  I have done a wide variety of projects and have even written some promotional letters that have gone out to the public!  It’s been really interesting learning a whole new side of nonprofits that isn’t always covered in classes. 

Well that’s all, it certainly has been March Madness for me (and my brackets).  Hopefully in April (for my FINAL blog post EVER) I’ll have some job updates and will have finished a lot of my work. 

See ya next time!

Literally me right now.  (Get it, the March Hare who's mad?  Hahahahahaha) 

Full February

Happy February everybody!

This month turned into a very busy one for me.  I got hired as a marketing intern at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.  I have been there for two weeks now and have had a good time.  I’ve been doing random work for the marketing department similar to how I’ve done random work at NKU actually.  I applied there on a whim to try and get some experience in a nonprofit even though I didn’t have marketing experience, but they hired me anyway.  I’m hoping I can turn this (unpaid) internship into a full-time job there in May. 

At the Aronoff I worked the Cincinnati Ballet’s “King Arthur” and Chris Rock’s stand-up show.  “King Arthur” was a really cool mix of story and dance and nothing I’d seen before from them.  I look forward to more of those types of shows.  Chris Rock was, as you’d expect, hilarious.  He had some very insightful and humorous material.  Coming up is “Something Rotten” which is supposed to be awesome.

Around the department at NKU we had our ASPA-MPA dinner last week.  Our guest speakers Kevin Wright and Joe Nickol gave a great talk on neighborhood revitalization in the area.  I have been doing interview transcriptions for Dr. Misis and it has been…slow going.  Hopefully I’ll finish it during spring break and can be done with it forever.  My capstone project, a survey of local city and county managers, was approved by IRB and should be sent out to the NKCCMA soon.  I need to start working on the literature review part of it soon.  I’m getting the pre-stress stress for it.  It’ll hit me when we get back from spring break and I’ll realize I need to get it done. 

March will bring more stress and more job hunting. 

As always thanks for stopping by!

Jolly January

Happy New Year readers!

This is it.  This is my last semester.  It’s a weird feeling knowing that I have to find a big boy job in a few months and won’t have to go to night classes anymore.  I am very nervous, yet excited to be starting a new chapter of my life soon. 

First I gotta get through these next few months, and the classes I’m taking surely won’t be letting me graduate without working for it.  I have Public Policy Analysis and Capstone, two classes that require a lot of work.  Public Policy Analysis requires a decent sized paper at the end and my Capstone project will be an even longer paper.  For the latter I will be conducting a survey with city and county managers in Kentucky about citizen engagement; it is a follow up to a survey done by another MPA student a few years ago.  For Capstone we also have to write a paper reflecting on our time in the program and on the classes we took, but luckily this is due earlier in the semester.  The last month of school will be challenging with my PPA and Capstone project due about the same time, but after that I’m home free.

Around the department we have quite a few events coming up.  We will be having an ASPA-MPA dinner in February and the Awards Banquet in April.  We also acquired tickets to SVP’s Fast Pitch event where local nonprofits make a short pitch for funding.  It was a lot of fun last year, and I’m looking forward to going again this year.  I am also still working with Dr. Misis on our KY law enforcement social media paper, but we should finish that before I graduate.  I will be doing a project for the program where I’ll be updating our alumni database to see where everyone is working, so I will be doing lots of social media creeping. 

At the Aronoff I will be having a busy next few months as well.  All the big shows seemed to be saved for the new year.  In December I worked “A Gentlemen’s Guide to Love and Murder” which was a charming little show.  I also worked the Cincinnati Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” which was just as enjoyable to watch as it was last year.  In January I worked “Disney’s The Little Mermaid” twice.  It was very fun, but different from the movie.  It was neat seeing all the little girls dress up in their Disney princess outfits for the show and seeing them fall in love with the characters and the music.  February will be busy there for me since I’ll be working another Cincinnati Ballet show, Chris Rock’s standup, and the musical “Something Rotten.” 

Well that’s all for this month folks.

 Thanks again for reading, see ya next month! 

Two for One Blog Post

Well….I completely forgot to post a blog post for October, so this one will count for both October and November. 

The past two months have been pretty quiet for the department as everyone has started planning their final projects and exams (and Christmas vacation as well).  I did finish my work for Dr. Misis’ research on Kentucky law enforcement’s use of social media.  Next semester we should be working on the actual paper in the spring.  This Friday is the department Christmas party which should be a good time.  We are doing a “dirty Santa” so I gotta be sure to get a good gift for whoever winds up getting it. 

I have registered for classes for the spring (a.k.a. my final semester!!!) and will be taking Policy Analysis and Capstone.  I have been working with Dr. Olberding pretty closely on ideas for my Capstone project and have decided upon doing a survey of local city managers that is an update of a project done by a student a few years ago.  It will also look at citizen engagement in local government.  I think I’ll be able to make it timely and relevant with the recent Presidential election. 

At the Aronoff I have only done “The Phantom of the Opera” in the past two months.  “The Phantom of the Opera” was the first musical/show I ever saw at the Aronoff (when I was about 10) so it was really cool to be able to experience it now as an adult and volunteer.  The music was just as good as I remember.  In December I will be working the Cincinnati Ballet’s annual performances of “The Nutcracker.”  I worked it last year and really enjoyed their production.  The Ballet was just recently in Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center performing “The Nutcracker” so I am expecting this year’s shows to be better than ever. 

That’s all for these two months. 

Thanks for reading!

When September Ends

Hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather (finally)!

September has been quite the busy month.  Last weekend NKU hosted the 76^th Annual Meeting of the Ohio Association of Economists and Political Scientists.  I was fortunate enough to present the research Dr. Misis and I have done so far on Kentucky law enforcement’s use of social media.  It went fairly well I think.  I also got to see research presentations by some fellow NKU Department faculty and was impressed by what they’d done.  The next step for Dr. Misis and me is to write a paper to submit for a journal which would be very exciting.

I have been chosen as the next President of PASS (the Public Administration Student Society).  We are trying to expand the organization this year and get it a little more active than it has been recently.  The first event we will be attending as a group is the Michael Sam talk being put on by NKU’s Office of LGBTQ Programs and Services on Thursday October 6^th in the Student Union Ballroom.  After the talk we are hoping to get people to go to the Skyline Tavern to further discuss his talk.  Those who have class that night are more than welcome to come after.  PASS is also hoping to do one more event this fall and do a lot more in the spring.  Check out our Facebook page and stay up to date at: www.facebook.com/NKUPASS. 

I will be returning to the Aronoff this season and have already worked one event.  The Cincinnati Ballet performed “Director’s Cut” which was a series of vignettes choreographed by the company.  It was simply breathtaking and I am definitely looking forward to more of their shows this year.  The first big Broadway Across America show is the national tour of “The Sound of Music.”  Fans of the movie will no doubt be coming in droves to see it performed live.  I’m sure it will be a crowd favorite. I will be working it twice so I’ll probably be hymning “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” for a while. 

I have no idea what October has in store, but it puts me one step closer to graduation and the real world.  Like I say in every post, thanks for continuing to read this blog.  See ya next month!

Back to Reality Again

Welcome back everyone! 

I can’t believe this will be my third year doing all this again, but also sadly my last.  I will finally be graduating in May so cherish these last few posts of mine.

The MPA program has changed a little bit since May.  Dr. Mattson has officially retired and Dr. Lambert has taken a position at a university in Louisville.  They will certainly be missed and will no doubt be successful in their new endeavors.  On a brighter note, Dr. Olberding has finished her book on social enterprise and special events, of which I am a co-author of the final chapter, and should be released late this year.  It’s very exciting for her and the department.  Dr. Misis, and undergraduate student, and I are currently working on the presentation of our research on social media practices of Kentucky law enforcement agencies for a conference next month being held here at NKU.  After the conference we will be writing the paper to submit for publication. 

I’m sure all of you want to know about my summer.  My study abroad trip to Austria was quite simply, amazing!  I learned a lot about leadership, the Holocaust, Europe, and myself.  I was able to visit Munich, Vienna, Venice, Rome, and Zurich during my five weeks.  I checked a lot of stuff off my bucket list.  I was able to see the Colosseum, ride a boat in Venice, drink a beer at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich, watch an Opera in Vienna, visit a concentration camp, and so much more.  The classes were a little bit more difficult than I had hoped, but it made me a better student.  Both of my classes were very insightful.  I definitely recommend KIIS-Austria, Bregenz for any future students if it is offered for the MPA program again.  It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.  (Pictures are attached to induce jealousy). 

On top of that I was able to take a week-long vacation to Cabo, Mexico with some friends.  It was nice to unwind after 5 weeks of riding trains, studying, and sleeping on a couch.  I luckily didn’t get too burnt either.  I then spent five days in New York City with my mother and brother.  I was exhausted already, but I mustered up the energy to see the Big Apple.  We took bus tours of the island of Manhattan, walked through Central Park, and saw a Broadway show (“An American in Paris” is amazing btw).  After my two month long travels I sadly had to return to reality of work and school. 

I’ll write a new post in September with an update on my classes, the MPA program, and any other odds and ends I can think of.  As always, thanks for stopping by!

The NKU peeps

Colosseum selfie

Inside St. Paul's Cathedral

Being a bubble boy in Munich