Spring 2010.
Wrapping up my second year at The University of North Texas, I was on the fast track to graduate college in 3 years with my Bachelor's in Hospitality Management.
I was a resident assistant in the largest dorm on campus and involved in many different organizations between UNT Housing and The School of Merchandising and Hospitality Management.
Here is a photo of one of the RA staffs that I worked on!
Our staff was crazy, fun... My boss said we spent so much time together that it was sickening! Haha.
But I couldn't get enough of this group (some are not pictured here). I love them all so much!
Anyway, I spent my undergrad days (basically all of them) with these people. We put on programs for students in the hall, we led fundraisers, and we encouraged students to get involved in campus life. These are the student leaders on our campus!
Of course, it wasn't all fun. We worked on-call shifts. Some of us got the pleasant experience of dealing with drunk, underage residents. Some cleaned up vomit in the lobby or poop in the elevator. I'm pretty sure we all have had to supervise a roommate mediation because a resident didn't like what time her roommate came home, or a resident didn't like the music his roommate played. Then there were those memorable times when we had to tell some of our residents that their sexual activities were too loud and disturbing the rest of the hallway. Our residents kept us so engaged and in the dorm so much that it was no wonder we spent all of our time together!
At the end of spring 2010, I decided to go on a summer study abroad trip to Hong Kong, China, and Macau. This was the first study abroad trip for the Hospitality Management program and we had a whopping total of nine students.
This is our group right after we landed in Hong Kong.
I ate some crazy things
Saw some... unusual things
Did A LOT of walking
almost there!
finally made it!
and... we BROKE DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE!
This guy came to the rescue.. kinda. Haha.
Anywhoooo.... moving on.
When I got back from China, I spent the summer working... A LOT!
You see, I have been working since I was 15 years old. My first job was at a timeshare resort in the activity center. Starting at the age of 15, I worked full-time, sometimes pulling 56-hour weeks. I was there morning to night.
It was then I discovered one of my many truths.
Hello... My name is Lauren. And I am a workaholic.
However funny or silly that sounds, it's the truth.
I worked here throughout my high school career and, twice throughout high school, I kept two jobs (in addition to taking college classes)! Can you say posterchild for overachiever??? That was me. In college, I would come home every break to work at that timeshare resort and save up some money for school. I never just came home and enjoyed my break or took trips. It was all work, no play. Man... did I have my priorities wrong!
Sorry, I tend to go on tangents. Where was I? Oh yes... that summer.
So the summer after getting back from China, of course, I went straight to working full-time at the resort. Now, I was the Assistant Front Desk Manager... checking members in to the resort, hearing out each dramatic complaint, and supervising the staff in the chaos of the summertime crowd.
This is where things start to probably seem more relevant to you, since this is supposed to be about me having Wegener's. I know Ms. Casey, "brevity is the soul of wit!" The dreaded quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet that would always managed to end up at the top of my papers in bright red ink.
But now that you know some background stuff, maybe we can move on?
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