Graduation

The time has finally come, I am officially a Master of Public Affairs. After two years and countless hours of studying and writing, I concluded my program at the Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (geez, that's a mouthful).

The graduation ceremony was last Saturday and it was really nice. Instead of sitting through the mass graduation at the Kohl Center, the students of the La Follette School organize our own ceremony at the Wisconsin Capitol Building in Downtown Madison. We reserve an assembly chamber and coordinate speakers, guests, and all accompanying activities. The student, faculty, and keynote speakers were excellent. Jeff Greenfield, former speech writer for Robert Kennedy and currently a CBS senior political correspondent, was the keynote speaker and his message stressed the of public service and reasoned policy, but mixed in humorous realism. My favorite line was, "You will not reach all your dreams in life... In fact, some of your dreams may be illegal."

My parents as well as Natalie and her parents were up for the weekend too. It was awesome to have them share the experience with me and we had a lot of fun. Highlights included going to the Farmers Market on the Capitol Square, walking through Olbrich Gardens, and eating a bunch of delicious food. I even managed to drag them to my men's league soccer game on Sunday morning.

It was certainly a great weekend, but I am now left with the anxiety of semi-unemployment. I have a 20-hour/week research job on campus through the end of August, but I definitely need more permanent employment. I enjoy my work but it is not sustainable and I am looking to finally start a professional career that matches my education and skill set. It is a daunting prospect to be sure, but I am up for the challenge.

Spring Time

It is currently 60 degrees and sunny outside which is unseasonably warm and positively marvelous. The weather has been excellent for the past two or so weeks and the remnants of winter are fading away. Some snow piles linger, but their size is diminishing rapidly. It definitely feels like spring has sprung.

Sadly, I will not be able to enjoy the afternoon to the fullest because the first draft of our capstone project is rapidly coming due. Overall, we are in good shape with our research, but I still have to write my section. I am not overly worried because this is only the initial draft, but it is still important to create a nearly complete report. So, instead of basking in the balmy conditions, I will be stuck inside at the computer.

I will, however, be taking a break later this afternoon to kick a ball around with some friends. I haven't touched a soccer ball (especially outdoors) in months and I am looking forward to running and playing in the fresh air. No doubt I will be rather rusty, but it should still be fun all the same.

Still There?

Why am I writing a blog post? I honestly have no idea. Many moons have passed since my last effort, and certainly many things to potentially write about. But yet, I haven't. Certainly apathy factors strongly into why I haven't posted anything in 8 months, but business does play a small part as well.

School is nearly over and I can safely say that I am looking forward to being out of the world of academia once again. Last semester consumed me body, mind, and soul and I fear this semester will do the same. Thus far, however, my final semester has been perfectly manageable. I attribute this mostly because I haven't been employed (something I hope will end soon) and because I am taking one fewer courses than in previous terms.

The big task is our Capstone project. To graduate from La Follette we are required to fulfill a Professional Workshop course and it is designed to be the culmination of our time at the school. We have professional clients and are responsible for completing a research project on the topic of their choosing. The intent is for us to draw upon our previous three semester's worth of knowledge and produce a meaningful report. I am with a team working for the City of Milwaukee's Budget Office and so far it is going well. My team is working well and we're making good progress. It will be a long semester but I am cautiously optimistic that all will go according to plan.