That Fast, Huh? Reflecting on my time in Little Rock

It’s shocking that my time here at the Clinton School of Public Service is almost over.  I am in complete disbelief that in a month, this life changing journey abruptly ends.  The experiences I have had and the people I have met have changed me down to the core.  I’m an excellent juggler when if comes to emotions, change, tasks, and other forward movement details but this post-graduation moment has stifled me.  I’m finding an enormous struggle in moving forward while preparing myself to say good-bye.  I’m still applying for jobs, and thinking about my next steps, but I am dragging my feet.

I suppose one way to make this transition easier on me is to reflect on my time at the Clinton School as well as in Little Rock; A city I never thought I would live in.  These entries are dedicated to remind me of what I have accomplished here while I get to share the experience with an audience.

I arrived into Little Rock on a steamy humid Thursday in August, 2012.  My travel companion was my friend Dina and with a carload of goods, I unpacked into a residence that I had only seen in pictures. That Sunday orientation began and I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of strength and experience my classmates had.  How would I make my way through this social change jungle against these powerhouses?  Well, I soon learned that I was not against them; I was with them.

By Labor Day, I had felt close enough to my classmates to invite them over for a BBQ.  Sara and I hosted the first annual A Very Dickie Stephens Labor Day. Dickie Stephens is our imaginary child.  That is all you really need to know about that. (he he) Here are some pictures from the event.

Once school was in session, there was no stopping our class.  We began  our first field projects. The Clinton School requires three field service projects. Our first project is a team project for the first entire year. My team was to perform a needs assessment of the legal issues that low-income Arkansans had.  This is the picture from our first day.

I was soon elected to the Student Government Association (SGA) as the Community Liaison. In this position, I was to coordinate volunteer opportunities for the students, correspond between the city and the school, and work on community outreach.  In this position, many large projects were produced.  One was a day long roundtable conversation event with a ninth grade class from a public service high school in Houston. Another was day of service in the Spring where we complied over 200 service hours.  The largest project was a city-wide Sandy relief drive.  I am most proud of this during my Community Liaison experience.  Here are a couple pictures from the drive as well as a newscast featuring me and the event.

 

Everyone I have had the chance to meet here, Congresswoman NancyPelosi, Senator John McCain, Fran Drescher, has been so amazing.  Still though, my favorite was getting to meet former President Bill Clinton.  I have met him additional times, one being in South Africa, but the first time can never be replicated.

My favorite moments from the fall was Halloween, the Mud Run, getting to introduce speakers, and Movember.  Two classmates of mine and I got up early and decided to get full of mud in fifty degree weather.  It was glorious!!!  When introducing speakers, I was able to bring my personality to the experience.  It was the Movember event that allowed me to fill the void I had from not performing.  I MC’d the event.  We raised a good chunk of change and had a terrific time.

COMING SOON….. Spring and preparing for South Africa