bostonbykel-blog

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Life After Magelly with Kelly

Leaving Boston was so bittersweet. I came to love my little apartment and being a 25-minute train ride away from downtown or the beach. On the other hand, I have never been so far away from my family for such an extended period. Getting to sleep in my own bed, though only for one night, was more comforting than I could ever imagine. I came home from Boston on the 17th and moved into my dorm in Mellon Hall as an RA on the 18th. To say that I jumped right into the swing of things at W&J is an understatement. As of now, I am keeping busy with my residents and classes, happy to be back. I love being able to tell everyone about my summer away and encourage others to pursue Magellan projects, especially the Franklin Magellan. Getting to spend a summer on my own has made me more appreciative of the friends and family I have close to me. I’m also very excited to not have to buy all of my groceries in order to eat, buy all of my cleaning supplies in order to keep a tidy life, or pay to use the washing machine and dryer. I can confidently say that the Franklin Magellan helped shape me into a confident, self-reliable person, and I can’t wait to update my resume with my new work experience.

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Self-Assessment

Spending a summer roughly 580 miles from home was quite the drastic change from going to college 6 miles away from your family. This learning experience is something I will always be grateful to have. Before living in Boston, I lived a life which was enabled by those around me. Though I do have immense gratitude for the numerous things provided to me by my parents and my college, I relied less on myself and more on others. Simple things that I took for granted were now tough realities that I had to face. Having meals prepared to order, free laundry, and attentive custodians were a few of the perks of living on my college’s campus that were dearly, dearly missed during my summer away. Additionally, I realized how little I know about preparing meals. I now know why my mom was so upset when she got home and one of us kids forgot to pull the chicken from the freezer. There were many times when I would leave my apartment in a rush to start my hour commute to my internship in Cambridge and forget to pull the chicken out of the freezer. On such occasions, mac n cheese was my typical dinner. I also found it very difficult to afford healthy foods that are commonly offered at the commons. I can’t express how much I missed that salad bar.

Navigating the trains in Boston was something so foreign to me. Luckily, Boston has a very simple and easy to understand train system and the workers were always willing to help me find my way to my destination. Upon leaving Washington, PA, I was very nervous and apprehensive about being in the city and travelling alone. As a five-foot petite girl, I don’t come off as the most intimidating. I was afraid of running into big, scary, strange men and not being able defend myself. Thankfully, I was never in a position that I felt I needed further protection. There was an instance however, that I didn’t need to defend myself, but another woman who was being verbally assaulted and threatened by her big, scary, strange, husband. One morning, similar to most days of my summer, I was waiting for the train at Malden Station. Suddenly, I hear a man swearing and yelling calling this woman wretched names and threatening to punch her and push her in front of the train. Naturally, my blood pressure immediately rose and I knew I couldn’t by a bystander like the rest of the morning commuters who were gawking. Once I spoke up to this man and told him that he shouldn’t be making those comments and threats to anyone, especially his wife, did others join in and try to mediate the situation. Unfortunately, he got into the same train car as me and began to harass me as well for interfering with his interaction with his wife. This man was clearly unstable and a threat to those around him. I made the decision to call the MBTA authority and luckily, he was removed from the train and his wife was escorted to safety. Though the situation not ideal, this gave me much faith in my ability to take care of myself and others. I was also happy to know that I refuse to be a bystander when I see injustice.

During my internship at Lesley University’s Human Resources Department, I had the opportunity to become very involved with the Recruitment Specialist’s position. I ended up getting experience in every facet of her job. I learned how to hire the Summer Student Workers and Adjunct Employees into their system and I also created job postings for their website, as well as their aggregate job sites. In addition, I got experience with the Health and Benefits Specialist’s position. I was able to make the appropriate changes to many employees’ leave time as well as their benefits plan.  Becoming very familiar with the computer systems ADP and Colleague, I feel confident that should I need to further handle those systems I will be very prepared. Although I enjoyed my time at Lesley, I am curious to find out how other organizations organize their Human Resources Departments. Lesley was undergoing a lot of changes while I was employed there, a new president and relatively large budget cut being two of the most impactful changes for the college. As part of the budget cut, the Human Resources Department is unable to update many of their computer systems, which would completely revamp their efficiency. They still use paper files for each employee whereas newer companies, or organizations with more money can afford to eliminate paper files with 100% electronic files and records. Not only would this be more Earth and environmentally friendly, it would eliminate a lot of the human error I saw take place. It is very easy to request numerous documents for new hires, but it is exceptionally difficult to keep all the papers and documents in order and up to date. As I learned from my departure interviews, each employee of Lesley’s Human Resources Department had commented on wanted more money for their Department in order to go electronic. I was also able to learn that many of the employees felt as though their position, though a specialist, was too broad. Many felt as though they needed more time in the day to get their work done. Being a very small department, seven core employees, perhaps working in a larger Human Resources Department would eliminate the broadness of the position and the feeling of being stretched too thin. On the other hand, some enjoyed the broadness of their position because though they were busy, it meant they weren’t doing the same tasks day in and day out. Further, I am just eager to compare and contrast Human Resources Departments in different environments and organizations. A few employees had worked in corporate Human Resources Departments and claim to enjoy Higher Education better, but I would like to make that decision myself. Higher Education had been my interest at the beginning of summer but currently, I would like to learn as much about other institutions as I can.

Overall, my summer in Boston has given much more insight not only referring to my career goals, but my morals and values as well. Living independently was challenging, yet much more rewarding. The Franklin Magellan Project is one that I recommend to anyone who would like to grow as an adult and gain more understanding about their hopeful career paths.

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Goodbye Boston

As I write, I am in my own bed in Washington, PA, mentally prepping for my move into W&J this afternoon. After a semester of commuting my first year, I decided that living on campus would enhance my experience at W&J tenfold( which proved to be true). As I begin my senior year, I find myself once again in Mellon Hall, this time as an RA instead of a first year student. I am excited to help guide my girls to victory and help them love our school as much as I do. Blynn courageously drove to Boston the day after coming home from Australia to move me out of my apartment. I can't express my gratitude enough for the amount of effort he put into this journey. We stayed a couple nights in Boston and I tried my best to show him everything I found within my three months stay. On our way home, we stopped halfway in Philly and spent the night with a fellow senior at W&J, Mac Hennessy. He took us out on the town for the night and we tried the famous cheesesteak at Geno's. I couldn't have asked for a better return home from an unforgettable summer. An enormous thanks to Washington and Jefferson College for providing the means to support my trip with the Franklin Magellan Project, to my parents for the additional support to make sure I could live comfortably, to my roommate, Chonghwi for learning Boston with me, and to Blynn for making it work another summer seas apart.

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Last day at Lesley

I had a surprisingly difficult time saying goodbye to my coworkers in the HR department today. The last couple days, I had wrapped up my time at Lesley with some interviews of the employees to get a taste of how they feel for their position. There was a common trend to each interview, everyone was very appreciative of the positive attitude and kindheartedness that Lesley embodies. I too felt the compassion and kindness of Lesley through the interactions within the HR department. I'm very glad to have spent the summer learning more about the realities of Human Resources and as I finish I'm eager to learn even more.

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After work Thursday I headed to revere beach for what may have possibly been my last visit. The view of the sky was too beautiful not to capture.

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Our view Friday evening as we ate Sal's pizza by the Charles river

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bostonbyabbeyandkel

Friday after work I eagerly took the train to downtown, took a brief stroll through Boston Common and ended up on Boylston Street where my dear friend Abbey lives. That evening we caught up on her new position in the Global Exchange segment of State Street, her boyfriend who is currently doing a Magellan in Africa, and her new favorite places of the city. One place being Haymarket. Every weekend from morning til dusk the streets are covered in tents covering unbelievable amounts produce, among which a fruit called a rambutan. I asked the stand owner what it was and he cut one hope for me to try on the spot. It tasted like a sweet peeled grape with a seed and had a crazy exterior. I ended up with a bag of plums, tomatoes, carrots, strawberries and blueberries for $5. So sad I just discovered this my second to last weekend :( going to miss Boston so much I may need to come back. I'll at least have some girlfriends here that won't mind my visits.

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My departure from Boston is quickly approaching and I never expected to feel such longing for a place I haven't left yet. Learning more about myself while discovering the city has left me attached to the place that I called home this summer. I've learned more about living on my own than I have at my 3 (soon to be 4) years at W&J. I do immensely appreciate the commons, gnts, and the cleaning staff, yet they are quite the enablers for a dependent living style. Specifically, having to manage my own rent and utilities bills, along with maintaining a balanced diet in my fridge and cabinets proved to be a new challenge that I would learn to adapt to. At work I've mostly been doing tasks of the Recruitment Specialist, Erin, and the Health and Benefits Specialist, Samantha. Erin has me doing job postings for the university on several sites, including the university's main page. In addition, she has taught me how to hire adjunct employees and summer student workers into ADP, a program the school uses to keep an online file of every employee. Sam has recently showed me how to update LFC's (leave from campus) for employees in a system called Colleague. The premise is similar to ADP, the program is just a tad bit older. I learned how to add sick, personal, vacation, and a few other types of leave time to the employee's file. I'm glad to be getting exposure to these programs along with excel, since I rarely utilize that Microsoft program. Additionally, I'm happy to have gotten an inside view of a higher education's HR Department. I am further interested to see the difference in various types of company's/organization's HR departments'. Boston has treated me (though, not my bank account) very well this summer. I'm extraordinarily thankful for my school, Washington and Jefferson College, for providing this enlightening and empowering experience. I truly cherish this summer's impact on my character and I'm proud of the woman I've grown into in the past three months.

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Peggy's Weekend Visit

Last weekend was one that will be difficult to top. My Aunt Peggy flew in from our homeland of Pittsburgh on Thursday to spend a long weekend exploring Boston with me. I took off work Friday so Thursday evening after work I met her at our hotel room at the Hyatt Regency in the middle of downtown. She wanted to get a full experience of the city life in Boston and I didn’t object. The evening I arrived we caught up over delicious seafood at a restaurant called Legal Crossing. We walked through the city a little but ended up calling it an early night. Friday for lunch we met a friend of hers, Joe, who had transferred from their work in pgh to a branch in Boston, at a restaurant in the financial district where he works. We had wonderful company and he suggested that I send my resumé his way. Hooray for networking! After lunch we got on a hop on/hop off trolley tour of the city. I discovered lots of interesting facts and history about the city along with some new places to visit that I still haven’t gotten around to yet. The premise of the tour was that you can get off at any stop you’d like then the once you’ve finished exploring that section, catch the next trolley to go to the next attraction on their map. I really enjoyed the ride around town. After the tour we walked around Boston Common, a large public park and we stumbled upon a live dress rehearsal of the play Romeo and Juliet. It was so fascinating to hear the director’s comments and watch the play unfold behind the scenes. I would love for live plays to be shown at Point Park in Pittsburgh! For dinner, we went to the North End, famous for the many Italian establishments, and had another fabulous dinner at Mama Maria’s. We were again astonished by the delectable seafood and wine that Boston had to offer. Saturday was spent exploring Beacon Hill’s antique shops and scenic apartments. We also toured the Gibson House, a National Landmark. It is nearly untouched from the way it was kept when it was donated as a museum in the year 1860 by the Gibson family. It was incredible to see the inside of an upperclass family’s home from so long ago. For dinner, you guessed it. We wanted to really get use of being so close to the shore. Oceanaire was our place of dining where seafood was equally outstanding as the others. Sunday morning we decided to walk the freedom trail before her departure since it’s a staple of not only Boston, but our country’s history. We got a tour guide who was dressed in authentic 1800’s apparel and taught me more about Boston than I have ever learned in a history class. This weekend had a common trend of seafood and laughs. I got to see the city in a new way, and learning the history of this city makes me appreciate my time here even more. I’m very thankful for my aunt’s visit, along with the city that welcomed us.

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Found myself a lovey view at Jamaica Pond the other night

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As much as I love exploring the city, having the beach 30 minutes away is quite the summer vacation.

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Here are some pictures I've taken of the city life I've been experiencing! You can see Boston showing PRIDE in a few of the ones I took during June, national PRIDE month.

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My four day Fourth celebration

Lesley University so graciously declared Monday as a holiday along with Tuesday and I was thoroughly prepared to spend those four days to celebrate.

Feeling lazy Friday after work, I decided to go to a local place for a piece of pizza and called it an early night. Saturday and Sunday were spent laying out on Revere Beach reading The Glass Castle, a memoir I highly recommend. Monday evening I went downtown to an Italian place for pizza, but this time it was gourmet. Unlike Friday night, I sat rooftop with my pizza which was garnished with chicken, artichoke hearts and goat cheese. I ended up at the Charles River where live music was being performed by men in colonial attire. The following day, Independence Day, I found myself once again at Revere Beach in the afternoon, and the Charles River at dusk. I'm getting to know those parts pretty well now. There was a spectacular fireworks display from the river (literally set off from a boat in the middle of the river) that lasted until about 11:30pm. Pictures could not do justice my view of the fireworks over the water with Cambridge as the backdrop, so you'll just have to imagine.

Needless to say, my Independence Day spent in Boston will not soon be forgotten.

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To give a little update on my life in Boston. . .

 I am working as a Temp in the Human Resources Department of Lesley University, an undergraduate and graduate facility. Lesley is home to the Colleges of Art and Design, and of Liberal Arts and Sciences,  as well as the Graduate Schools of Arts and Social Sciences, and of Education. In total they accommodate approximately 6,000 students. 

In the HR Dept. there are eight employees, including myself. I am in the process of becoming familiar with the responsibilities of each position along with the day-to-day HR related tasks in the Higher Education realm. 

I am using Airbnb to stay in an apartment complex in Malden, Ma. It is a quiet and calm little town about a  20 minutes train ride from downtown Boston, and 30 minute ride to Revere Beach. The town is heavily influenced with Asian culture. There are copious Chinese, Korean, Indian, Japanese, and Vietnamese restaurants, markets, apparel, and housing agencies located throughout the area. I am surely experiencing a bit of culture shock in Malden. As for my home and roommate situation, a fellow friend and student of W&J, Chonghwi Yoon, accepted an internship at Boston Greenfest, in Brookline, MA. He arrived about a month after I had settled in. Not only is it wonderful to have a friend in a new city, but he doubles is an excellent guide when it comes to maneuvering the Korean and Japanese menus. We each have our own room in the apartment, which from May 19- July 1 was also being shared with a Northeastern Graduate Student. He is heading back to China and will return to Boston shortly after I depart home for RA training. 

Thanks to the beautiful Alumni network of not only W&J, but Delta Gamma, as well, I am able to connect with a dear friend, Olivia Long, W&J class of ‘14. She introduced me to another DG and W&J Alumna, Thary Chea, ‘14. Their apartment is very close to where I work so I’m especially thankful for my WashPa roots. I am also anxiously awaiting the newly acclaimed Alumna, Abbey Brewer’s arrival. She secured a position at State Street Financial and will be joining me in Boston shortly.

Until then, I’ve been discovering Boston solo! It was a whirlwind to move to a new place and not know anyone but I couldn’t be happier to get swept up in this city. . . besides being home to the Patriots, Boston isn’t so bad. ;)

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I’ve finally made a tumblr to blog my journey in Boston! With the award comes creating your own Independent Study. I’ve chosen to compare the acceptance of the LGBT community in Boston and Pittsburgh, through method of observation. Additionally, I plan to specifically study the opinions of the students at Lesley University and Washington and Jefferson College, once my survey is complete! Since June was national Pride month, I was able to see and be apart of the vast acceptance and celebration in Boston.

I was intrigued to study this topic because of the national debate and controversy of transgender individuals using public restrooms of the sex with which they identified. After stumbling across an article that mentioned that Massachusetts had passed a state-wide non-discrimination law, inclusive to gender identity, I was curious to see if Pennsylvania enforced those same provisions. I was upset to find that though some major cities such as Pittsburgh, and Philly had protections, PA lacked a state-wide law.

Gender Identity Guidance for Public Accommodations

Above is a screenshot from MA’s Gender Identity Guidance for Public Accomodations; an issue that made headlines on several occasions in PA. I’ve also attached the link to entire document for referencing.

This law is fairly new to Massachusetts, having been passed in September of 2016, leaving me with hope that a similar law will be passed for PA in the (hopefully) near future.