I Like You, Do You Like Me Back?

For those of you that have been following me (or traveling with me) since the beginning of graduate school, the day has finally come! Match Day. As many of you know, these last four years have been a roller coaster of experiences, emotions, stress, happiness, and everything in between. There have been days that I thought it would be better just to quit and some days where I have left practicum KNOWING this was what I was meant to do. But I am finally here. Internship: The Final Frontier.

I haven’t been good about updating this year, but it has been tough to find the time or energy to do it. This last year has been more taxing than any of the years before it, but as turns out, incredibly rewarding. This year I have been working at DePaul University Counseling Services as a therapist for the students there. It’s my second year working with college students and I can 100% say that I have found my niche. My students are a pleasure to work with and I find my work incredibly rewarding. If that were not enough I also began my dissertation work this year and successfully defended my dissertation proposal in October. While the idea of actually starting my dissertation project is incredibly daunting, I am also excited because I came up with this idea that I now get to test out. It’s like my brainchild now.

As October came to a close, I sent out my internship applications in early November before setting up interview dates in December. Going into the Holidays I was excited to get a break with family in the Caribbean! January 2nd I was back at it and started my internship interviews. I was fortunate enough not to have to travel a ton, but enjoyed my time in Tennessee and Texas. February brought Rank Day where I had to rank in order of preference the sites I interviewed at. It’s way more stressful then it sounds and the sites are simultaneously ranking us back. At each phase of this process I thought, “Okay, this is going to be the hardest, most stressful part.” Each time I was wrong. The most stressful part was last night between the hours of 5pm and 11:30pm when I didn’t have classes or responsibilities to keep my mind occupied. I woke up this morning unsure of where I would be going just praying that I would be going somewhere. And I am!!

As of 7am this morning I am an Intern of the 2017-2018 class at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. To say that I am excited would be an understatement. To say that I am relieved would be insufficient. Needless to say, reflective of my journey to this point, I am filled with a host of different emotions. So it’s official. After playing the most intense game of “I like you, do you like me back?” I am moving to the next level.

Go Vols!