I came to La Crosse by a series of happenstances.
I guess we can all say them same if you really take the time
to think about it. I can’t tell you exactly how I heard about UW- La Crosse, or
even how I came to be on a tour here, but I can tell you everything that
happened after that with concerning detail. When people ask me why I chose UWL,
I always ask them if they have seen the show ‘Say Yes to the Dress.’ Every time
someone tries on the dress of their dreams, they have this moment where they
start to tear up because they know that it’s the one. That’s how I felt coming
on campus here, like I had found the one, like I had found home. There is no
better way to describe how I ended up here other than to say it just felt right. And so my journey at UWL began,
and as it comes to a close this May I cannot help but look back and be thankful
for every moment I have been here.
As a first year student, I felt like I desperately needed to find my place.
I wanted
to have the amazing friends you always hear about making in college, the
roommate that would be my best friend for life, and the memories that they say
make these the best four years of your life. Some days I felt like I had it
all, but looking back now I realize that I was a bit more lost than I realized
at the time. I felt like I was going through the motions, hopelessly looking
for a passion that I could make a career out of, something to major in, someone
to be. I became a part of the front desk team, and that is the moment that
sparked me wanting to be more involved as the years went on. The next year I
kept my desk position, became the President of my hall, joined every committee I
could be a part of, and really got my foot in the door of Residence Life. It
was at the end of that year that I realized something important: I had been
getting involved and joining things in an effort to find things or people I was
passionate about. What I didn’t know at the time is that Residence Life and the
students and professionals I got to work with is what I am passionate about.
I made a decision that, cliché as it
may sound, has been one of the greatest of my life: I applied to be a student
staff member.
I know, I know.
That sounds like something they make you say when they want you to get
your residents to apply for the next year, but I am not one for scripts. Over
the course of my year as a Desk Coordinator, I met people and made memories
that pushed me toward a career in Student Affairs, so I don’t take this stuff
lightly, I can promise you that much. When I think about Residence Life at UWL,
I think about friends, home, and a place where I feel I belong more than I ever
have before. The support that I have here is indescribable, it was like I was
walking into a room of old friends, even if they didn’t know me yet.
That
sounds so cheesy, I know, but I swear it’s true. I feel like I have finally
found my place, and it breaks my heart to have to leave it so soon.
I am currently going through my search for a graduate position that will help make me the professional I want to be.
In every interview people ask me hard
questions about what I know, what I can do, and what I have experienced; what I
find is that I can answer each one with ease and confidence. That isn’t just
based on me as a person, that is truly based on all of the wonderful work that
I have done with Residence Life to make me the well-equipped candidate I am
today. If you are looking for an opportunity to be better or make a change,
there is not a person in this department who won’t try their hardest to help
you get there. This is the kind of place where chances come to you because
someone says, ‘Hey, I think you would be really great for this,’ and they mean
it because they have taken the time to be personally interested in who we are
as individuals.
I can say with confidence that the people in Residence Life
know me, and more than just by the fact that I am a Student Staff member.
In my grad search, I spent a weekend at the Oshkosh Placement Exchange.
Anyone who
has gone through it understands the exhausting nature of a weekend full of
interviews and having to be “on” for three days straight. I would be lying if I
didn’t admit I had a small breakdown or two…or three. Yet, I have never felt as
supported as I did that weekend. The professional staff that was there to
interview candidates were constantly checking in to see how I was doing, making
coffee, and offering words of encouragement in times of need. I had a mailbox
full of encouraging notes from fellow staff members, Desk Assistants, and
professional staff in UWL ResLife, many of which weren’t even people from my
own building. I would also be lying if I didn’t tell you that these made me cry
more than I already had, but in the best way possible. I’m a cryer, what can I
say? The fact that I had so many people in my corner that cared about my
well-being and success is just a testament to the wonderful people I have been
fortunate enough to work with in my time at UWL.
I am going to say something,
and it is going to be cliché enough that you may cringe, but stay with me here:
Okay, I’m sorry, but it’s true.
When I think about who I was when I started my time
here, I don’t know if I can say that I like that girl. The growth that I have
had, both professionally and personally, is something I don’t think I could
have gotten anywhere else. I tell my Desk Assistants all the time, and I don’t
think that they take me seriously, but I tell them ‘You make me a better
person.’ And they do. Every single day, in more ways than I can count. I am
stronger, kinder, more confident, and just more of the person that I want to be
based on the people I have come to know here. Leaving in May will be the
hardest thing I will ever do (I’m crying now, told you I was a cryer). Leaving
behind all the amazing people I have met, all the friendships that really will
last forever, and all the memories that I hold so closely will be devastating.
I’m not ready for it, but I am well prepared. The thanks for that goes to UWL,
to Residence Life, to my incredible staff team and supervisor, to my Desk
Assistants, and to every person who has left their fingerprint on my life.
I
hope I have left a few of my own. Life is just a series of happenstances, I
could not be more thankful that mine have lead me here.
-Amolia Schumacher
Sanford Hall Desk Coordinator
National Residence Hall Honorary- Vice President
