By Faleesia Willis, SAA 2020
Before beginning school at MSU, I was a student studyingbiology at Iowa State University. I grew up in St. Louis, MO and the goal wasalways to go away to college, get good grades, become a doctor of some sort(DVM or MD a PhD was NEVER on my radar), and live my best life for theindefinite future. Those goals changed when like many of my peers, I discoveredStudent Affairs. The one thing that didn’t change was that school was all Iknew. For the entirety of my adult life I’ve been a full-time student. Despitetaking the occasional break here and there, my life essentially revolved aroundschool. Upon beginning my journey at MSU it was easy to fall into the samepatterns, especially with the addition of an assistantship, practicums, andwhatever else grad students do with the limited hours in a day.
The first year was rough for me, because I didn’t haveanything to ground me as “Faleesia the Person” opposed to “Faleesia the StudentAffairs Professional” or “Faleesia the Student.” At a lot of points, I feltlike I was going through the motions instead of enjoying the process. This yearhas been a continuous cycle of unlearning bad habits and giving myself grace.I’ve had to learn that it’s okay to not be busy at every moment of my life, andthat life exists outside of grad school. Let me say that again. LIFE EXISTSOUTSIDE OF GRAD SCHOOL. It took me five years to discover a balance that worksfor me. I’ve picked up hobbies, traveled, and overall given myself more gracethis past year. I’ve discovered the joy of taking a Saturday off and going to aLansing Lugnuts baseball game or sitting in the sun on campus when thetemperature finally goes above 50 degrees. The relationships I made in thisprogram also played a big role in this journey.
So, my advice to future students in the program is this:take the necessary steps to be successful in your academics and career, butalso acknowledge that your role in this program does not encompass the entiretyof your being. Know that you can enrich your life in ways that don’t includework and school. Explore Michigan. Pick up a hobby. Read for fun (this isespecially easy to forget about in grad school). And remember that whileparticipating in this program is a great achievement, equally rewardingexperiences await outside of it.