Internship vs. Thesis

Speons seem to get into the momentum of SPEA’s academic life without hesitation every spring semester. I am no exception. Apart from having become more familiar with a graduate student’s lifestyle, the need to plan for the upcoming summer is another source of motivation.
One of the reasons why I chose SPEA is the flexibility its [...]

The New Public Affairs Workshop Series at SPEA!

During my career at SPEA, I’ve worked as a Graduate Assistant (GA) in the Graduate Program Office (GPO). My current projects include one that I am very excited about—I have been working on a series of professional development workshops that the GPO offers free to masters students! The whole concept came from Dr. Mikesell, the [...]

Black History Month at IU

One of the biggest events in February is the Black History Month. The 2008 Black History Month theme is “Building Our Community: Celebrating Our Past; Securing Our Future.” Amongst the list of events, some of the key speakers include Dr. Terrance Roberts of the Little Rock Nine. Roberts, a recipient of the Congressional Gold [...]

It’s cold for Stream Ecology!

Hello! I’m back to tell you some more about the classes I’m taking right now and the research I’m working on for my PhD here at SPEA.
First, you should know that the transition from the Masters program to the PhD program was totally smooth. Since I am still getting an advisory commitee together, I have [...]

Fun with International Students at SPEA

Last week, the Japanese students and their families organized the annual SPEA Japan Night. They absolutely transformed the SPEA atrium into what looked like a Japanese carnival with food stands, games, and cultural activities ringing the entire forum. Somewhere around 70 people showed up not counting the organizers. People were so busy [...]

What I like to do outside of Bloomington

There are lots of things to do in Bloomington. There is live music, plays, local restaurants and fun bars. But I recently discovered some of the places to visit just outside of Bloomington. This past weekend I went to Nashville, Columbus and Edinburgh – all in one day.
Shopping in Edinburgh
If you are like me [...]

Bloomington… Do I Want to Be There?

It never seizes to amaze me how Bloomington has so much to offer in terms of diversity. Don’t get me wrong, perhaps it may not measure up to the extravagant pace of New York City or Los Angeles; Bloomington, nevertheless, is an unique oasis in the midst of the farms in the Midwest. From a [...]

From SPEA wanna-be to Masters to PhD

So I’m so happy I have this opportunity to share with the world what an awesome life I live here in Bloomington, Indiana, attending SPEA! And really, this blog is about achieving my goals for graduate school!
 
I came to SPEA from Morehead, Kentucky, where I received a degree in English from Morehead State University and [...]

Peace Corps Fellows Program Inspection at SPEA

Recently, we had an inspection of our Peace Corps Fellows/USA program by Peace Corps headquarters in Washington DC. Julie Driver, the Peace Corps Fellows USA program director, got to look at the various aspects of the program here and had a lot of positive things to say. Each university structures their Fellows program [...]

My last semester at SPEA

I am in the middle of my final semester of graduate school. At SPEA this is marked by a unique rite of passage – the capstone course. Each MPA student is required to take a capstone course to graduate. This course is meant to be a final culmination of the skills we have learned in [...]