Jane.

Jane is my inspiration.

She is a 41-year-old PhD student in my program and I am so thankful to have met her. When I first saw her in class, I was very intimidated. She is incredibly intelligent with tons of experiences. When she began discussion in class one day, I sat back in my chair thinking, "What the heck am I doing here? I am not nearly at the level that she is." Then, I realized I could learn so much from her. Since then, her and I have created a study group with one other girl in my class, Rachel. It has been a wonderful experience.

Last night, Jane invited the both of us to her home for dinner and studying. Unfortunately, not a lot of studying occured, but I am thankful for what happened instead. We spent three hours enjoying yummy Mexican food, while talking about our families, school, our dreams, and the issues that are going on in the world. Jane works for a bank in Lincoln as a manager, so she has a ton of experience with working with people and helping organizations grow. So, it is interesting hearing her perspective on leadership. She has a great interest in coaching and mentoring which is great, because I feel like I can learn so much from her. She has such a warm heart and was so gracious to open up her home and heart to me. I'll tell you why this is important to me.

I have never had difficulty meeting new people and building friendships, but in graduate school, it is just different. You are not always surrounded by people that are your age and living your lifestyle as you do in your undergraduate years. Also, graduate school lacks opportunities to meet people such as Greek Life, student government, academic organizations, etc. Instead, it is literally about reaching out to people in your classes. Of course, you can find graduate student organizations, but with a hefty academic schedule it is difficult to even consider getting yourself involved with something else. So, as I sat in class during the first couple of days, I thought to myself, "Wow. I don't have anything in common with these people." Almost everyone is pursuing their PhD, they have full time jobs, they are married, and they have children. FYI: I am none of those above things. Instead, I am pursuing my Master's degree, I am a graduate assistant, I am single, and I have no children.

However, as you sit in class and begin to listen to everyone's life experiences, it becomes clear that a lot of your experiences are different, but many of them are alike. The same with interests. Number one, we all have the same interest in what we are studying. Number two, we want to better our lives and the lives of others. Number three, we are all looking to build relationships with others. Once I started to realize that, I decided I should reach out to those in my class. I want to be honest with you though, it was not easy. The intimidation factor is a huge deal. But, what I learned is that the younger students are intimidated by the older students and the older students are intimidated by the younger students. I am glad that Jane and I have broken that barrier.

Now, those of you that are interested in graduate school, please do not be discouraged from this message. Instead, be encouraged. Be encouraged that I have given you an insight on what you will experience when thinking about meeting new people and building new relationships, especially if you plan to go to school out of state. My greatest piece of advice is to not go into graduate school with the picture perfect person that you will become great friends with. The beauty of this kind of opportunity is that you will be able to see how you can build relationships with people that are all ages, all genders, and of all different backgrounds. The purpose of graduate school is to learn about yourself and learn about others and how that will ultimately impact society. At all times, be true to yourself while learning as much as you can.

After being in school for almost two months, this has been my most difficult struggle. I have been missing my family and friends, thinking that I will never meet anyone like them. At this point, I still believe that I will never meet anyone like those that I love so much back home; however, I know that I can and will meet some of the most incredible people in the world that will help me along this journey. Support is important to me and I am starting to feel like I am finding it here. It is about taking the risk of reaching out, showing the world who you are, and of course, letting those "graduate school strangers" in.

No matter where you are, may you reach out to all people, for you never know whose life you will impact or who will impact yours.

Cyndi