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Cal State Fullerton

Graduating University in the United States

June 8, 2016 by Anne-Kathrin 2 Comments

Anne Kathrin

 

 

Graduating in the United States

Welcome back! The past three weeks have been pure craziness (in a good way), and a lot has happened during that time: I completed my internship with CBS Studios International, had friends and family from Germany in town to visit, and I also graduated.  I am glad things are slowly getting back to normal and that I could close some important chapters in my life while new ones are about to start.

Looking back, it feels super crazy how fast the time in school actually flew by. I still remember the first day when I started my educational journey at Community College, before I finally got to transfer to Cal State Fullerton to complete my Bachelor’s degree.  This school has given me so much amazing opportunities to make new friendships, meet great professors, and get involved (as I mentioned in more detail in one of my previous articles).  I am actually kind of sad that this period of my life is over now.  Not only because I think so highly of this university, but also because I lost some sense of security.  By going to school, my life had a particular structure and stability.  Now, I am totally on my own, trying to find a job that matches my skills and interests and that also pays enough to be able to sustain a life here in Orange County.  Therefore, I still like to reminisce about my last semester and graduation day.

I can’t really compare graduation in the United States with graduation in Germany since I never finished university in Europe.  So when the big day arrived two weeks ago, I didn’t really know exactly what to expect.  I was just super excited to be walking the stage to receive my certificate together with some of my best friends.  With my decorated cap, gown, two sashes, one cord and a tassel in tow, I gathered my family and friends from Europe and headed to school two hours before the start of the actual ceremony to make sure we get a parking spot.  Even though we left way ahead of time, traffic around the university was crazy.  But at least we got a parking spot close to the stadium where the ceremony was being held.  I told my parents and friends where the audience seating was, while I walked over to where the graduates had to meet. Little did I know at that time that the ceremony of the Communications department, which I was being part of, would receive press coverage and start a social media debate because of one particular commencement speaker.  But I will come back to that a little later.

Once every one of the graduates had gathered at the assembly point, the ceremony promptly started at 9:45 am.  The first to walk into the stadium were the department chairs and speakers, followed by the concentration commencement leaders, who were carrying signs for each of the five communications concentrations (advertising, photo communications, entertainment and tourism, journalism, and public relations).  Then came the Master’s degree recipients, followed by the many hundreds of Bachelor’s degree graduates, myself included.  If you asked me to describe the feeling while walking in the stadium to ceremonial music while the audience was cheering, I would say, “It was pretty cool!”

Once all of us found a seat and the presentation of the national anthem was completed (which really gave me the chills because it just felt so amazing), the department chairs and speakers took to the stage.  That was when the ceremony took a short detour to the worse.  One of the commencement representatives was an award-winning anchor and journalist of Latino heritage. With more than 40 percent of journalism graduates coming from a Hispanic background, the university thought it to be a great contribution to present her as one of the inspirational and motivational speakers.  Unfortunately, not everybody felt that way.  It all started out well, until the speaker began to focus solemnly on the Latino graduates by stating things such as, “Hispanics are the future.”  That did not sit well with everybody.  It got way worse when she started to mention politics, a topic, in my opinion, you definitely shouldn’t bring up during a commencement speech.  Members of the audience started to boo at her and yell, “Get off the stage,” while others flipped the bird at her. I started to feel really uncomfortable in my seat. Of course I do have my personal opinion about this matter, which I won’t state here, since everybody is allowed to agree or disagree.  All I am going to say is that I don’t think it was a smart move for a speaker to bring certain things up when you have people from many different background and political opinions at an official university ceremony.  The incident received press coverage and sparked a debate about racism, something that clearly was not intended by anyone on this special day.  

Fortunately enough though, the following speakers were able to turn the mood around, and the ceremony proceeded without any further negative incidents.  After the presenters concluded their speeches, the students were asked to assemble in line to go onto the stage and receive their certificate.  It was one of the best moments I have ever experienced when the department chair called out my name through the speaker and my family and friends cheered while I was walking down the stage.  And with that, that chapter of my life is closed.  At least for now…

Image: ©Anne-Kathrin Schulte
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Anne-KathrinAnne-Kathrin Schulte, is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes on her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She has been living in Southern California since 2011.

If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.

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Filed Under: Expat Stories, Life in California Tagged With: Anne-Kathrin Schulte, Cal State Fullerton, commencement speakers, Expat, Expat in California, graduation, University in the USA

Studying In the U.S. Goes Beyond the Classroom

May 4, 2016 by Anne-Kathrin Leave a Comment

Kathrin equestrian

Education Beyond the Classroom

With graduation being three weeks away, my mind is currently on a constant rollercoaster ride.  Will I find a paying job?  Will I love what I will end up doing? Will my work permit be approved?  What if I don’t find a job?  I know that I am ready to go back into the workforce, but I am also very aware that I will very much miss my time at California State University, Fullerton.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not someone who enjoys sitting over homework for a couple of hours during the day or writing 4-6 page essays, but I certainly loved sitting in my classes with like-minded people, becoming really good friends with some of them. I will miss the environment and the opportunity to partake in extra-curricular activities, a thing that is not really common in Germany, at least not when I was a student more than 10 years ago.  

When I moved out to Southern California as a student, I first attended community college before transferring to a 4-year institution.  It was a good way to save money, but looking back at it I wish I could have attended Cal State Fullerton from the beginning.  My community college in particular didn’t offer any extra-curricular activities.  It also was split up into several smaller campuses around the Orange County area, with no main campus.  I started out as a Business major and knew early on that I wanted to transfer to Fullerton once I had met my course requirements due to the fact that the school offers a business concentration in Entertainment and Tourism studies.  But during my time at Coastline Community College I had a very tough semester that made me rethink my major.  I realized that my strengths lay more in creative writing than in business; therefore I decided to change to Communications instead.  I love that this major, just as with Business, offers a lot of areas to get a job in.  I have always been very interested in the entertainment and tourism area, but I also like hospitality and nonprofit organizations.  And since Cal State Fullerton has one of the best communications programs, I was able to still stay true to my decision to transfer to this institution after the first two years of college.  

After I worked my way through community college and collected all the necessary credits, I finally moved on to Fullerton in January 2014.  I first wasn’t aware of the amazing selection of campus clubs the school had to offer until I took an online class during the summer term 2014, where I met a fellow classmate who recommended to join CSUF PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) where I would be able to meet like-minded students and industry professionals.  I was very much looking forward to the upcoming fall semester to join the organization.  I was very impressed what the organization, which is run by students, had to offer: speaker panels, workshops, mixers, agency tours and fundraisers.  I stayed in the organization for one-and-a-half years, making valuable connections and new friends.  At the same time as I joined PRSSA, I also got to know about the university’s equestrian team.  I have participated in horseback riding throughout my youth and into adulthood, and I was more than eager to sit back in the saddle.  After the first equestrian club meeting I was sold and joined the team.  The only downside with this club was the fact that you had to pay a lot extra, such as the riding lessons, the fee to register with the sports inter-club council, and the riding competitions if members decided to participate in those.    I was part of the team for a whole year, helping out at horse shows and enjoying barn days together with the team.  Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the cost, I was unable to continue with the team, but in my heart I still wish I could be a member and jump in the saddle from time to time.

I didn’t stop taking advantage of what the school had to offer after that.  Instead, I joined the Communications Inter-Club Council in August 2015 for one semester.  The council is involved in event funding for the communication clubs as well as travel expenses, based on a set budget for an entire school year.  Members got to debate about whether or not to fund certain projects.  It was a great opportunity to get more involved with the school and get an insight in dealing with a budget and finances.  You also get to learn the Roberts Rules of order, which are being used in certain professions in the job force as well.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue my time with CICC during my last semester due to the fact that I landed an internship where I had to work on Mondays, the day when the council usually meets.

Since I have been very interested in entertainment and tourism for a while, it was more than logical to me to take a closer look in what the Entertainment and Tourism club had to offer.  I had previously heard really good things about the club, so I started attending events during the fall 2015 semester.  Since I wasn’t a paying member at that time, I still could attend the panels, but wasn’t allowed to network with the industry professionals.  Therefore, I decided to become a member this year, and am able to take full advantage of networking workshops, industry mixers, and networking with the pros.  I regret not having joined this organization earlier in my school career and maybe become involved more by joining a committee.

After all though, I am very grateful that I was able to be a part of four campus clubs that have further enriched my personal as well as my professional interests.  I can only recommend any future student to take as much advantage as possible of those opportunities while attending college in the U.S..  Not only are they a great way to meet like-minded people and industry professionals, they also look really good on resumes.  Many employers are looking for certain levels of experience, and a campus club definitely counts as such.

Images : ©Anne-Kathrin Schulte
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Anne-KathrinAnne-Kathrin Schulte, is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes on her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She lives in Southern California since 2011.

If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.

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Filed Under: "Sprechen Sie Deutsch" - California Neighbors, Education, Expat Stories, Life in California Tagged With: Anne-Kathrin Schulte, Cal State Fullerton, Coastline Community College, college in the U.S., studying in the USA, university clubs

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