Orientation III - The Beginning

Friday January 27


Today marks the first day of our last week in Jackson, Mississippi. Due to the wonderful weather of Maine my flights were slightly delayed this morning so, unfortunately, I had to miss dinner. Jeremy and Sarah picked me up at the airport around 11:30pm and we went over to the hotel to get me checked in and to pick up Esteban and Tameka. All we really have had the chance to do, though, was go get snacks at the nearby 24-hour grocery store (so jealous!). We had sometime to catch up before deciding to get some sleep before tomorrow. The topic? Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship. Looking forward to talking more in depth about something we have been working so hard on. (By the way...if you are looking for more information....click here :-)

Saturday January 28

Based on what we've seen of the agenda, today was one of the more laid back days of our final orientation. We didn't have to be at breakfast until 8:00 and had until 8:30 to relax before leaving for the Center of Excellence. The rest of the day continued in the same basic manner - beginning and ending with discussions of the Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship Challenge. We developed and edited scripts and worked with Courtney Taylor to plan strategies for getting the word out there (and maximizing our fundraising) which took quite a bit of time to determine and coordinate. Once things were finally set, however, we left for lunch with Monika.                                                            

When we got back from lunch we got to be some of the first to hear about new plans relating to CollegeFish.Based on the grant from the Gates Foundation, CollegeFish will soon be undergoing some major changes - including mentoring communities, a transfer success plan, a net tuition calculator, and an early alert system. Eventually, the intent is to be open up for all community college students - not just Phi Theta Kappa students. Initially, this will only be true for the 125 community colleges in the states of Florida, Kentucky, Alabama, Washington, and Indiana. Over time, however, this will expand and, even now, any student from any state can get involved. Stay tuned for more information!

We spent the rest of the day discussing scripts for short videos related to the Oberndorf Lifeline to Completion Scholarship challenge, spent some time relaxing at dinner, and finished off the night with closed room team building. At the end of the day, every team has their problems but, overall, I am incredibly grateful for my teammates and can't believe how far we have come. Being so close to the end, it's hard to know that, in just a few short months, our time together will be greatly reduced...

Looking forward to making our last couple of months together memorable!

Kappa Hugs,
Danielle