Student Blogger Spring Claire

Fall Semester, Senior Year

The fall semester of my senior year at Guilford was not actually spent at Guilford. I chose to study abroad this semester. I didn’t actually choose to study abroad this semester. It was the only semester available for me to study abroad. Nevertheless, it was a great one. I spent it in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. Oxford is beautiful in the fall.

I did and learned so much while studying abroad in Oxford, it’s difficult to even recall it all.. My experience in Oxford began at St. Clare’s College which is a boarding school for pre-university students. However, it is  also an institution that provides college level courses for students studying abroad. It was founded after the second world war in hopes that if students came together form all over the world to study, they might realize they have more in common than they think and perhaps there would not be another world way. St. Clare’s stays true to their tradition of being internationally focuses. Accordingly, I made friends from California as well as from Germany, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Holland and Russia. I had a large number of German friends and learned a number of useful German phrases. 

I studied Comparative Politics and Fantasy Literature at St. Clare’s. Fantasy Literature chronicled the most famous fantasy authors of all time: Lewis Carrol, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkein, Philip Pullman and J.K. Rowling. All but Rowling studied and/or taught in the city of Oxford, at the fantastical Oxford University. Much of this class involved visiting the Oxford colleges in which these authors spent the majority of time and which were likely very inspirational in their writing. For example, Lewis Carrol studied and lived in Christ Church, founded by King Henry the 8^th. Who might have been his inspirational for the Queen of Hearts that is so famous for saying, “Off with their heads!”

St. Clare’s generously drove students to and from many famous and interesting places such as Stonehenge, Bath, London and Cambridge. I went on every excursion that I was available to attend and even traveled on my own. Despite the hour to two hour bus ride to London, I traveled their quite frequently, to shop, go to museums, see musicals and work with my Google Mentor.

Yes, I had a Google Mentor. In addition to studying at St. Clare’s, I studied at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University. There I studied Theory of Politics and Plato. These courses were challenging in a new and exciting way. They required that I write 10+ page papers weekly based on numerous primary and scholarly texts. My tutors did not tell me what was good about my paper. They told mewhat was wrong and where it could philosophically be strengthened. These tutorials pushed me to think much more critically and to work much more independently and diligently than I had done before.

(Blackfriars Hall where I studied at Oxford University)

Besides the challenging course work, my experience at Oxford University was filled withopportunities. One merely had to show up. When I heard that Google would be coming to the University to advertise an exclusive event for female computer scientists, I decided to attend. To make a long story short, I applied and was invited to attend the event, called Google CodeF. The Google CodeF allowed me the opportunity to work with other female computer scientists and even Google engineers on technical tasks. We had a lot of opportunities to talk to Googlers about their lives and jobs at Google. All who attended CodeF would invited to apply for the Google Mentorship Program. Of course, everyone applied. To my surprise I was accepted into the Google Mentorship Program and it has been a fantastic experience.

There were additional opportunities of which to take advantage. Famous parliamentary speakers were the norm, as were fancy dinners with Lords. I was a member of the Oxford University Conservative Association, the Oxford Union, and even had the opportunity to be a College Representative of the Oxford International Relations Society and that allowed me the opportunity to visit with the only man to have ever escaped from a North Korean prison and the (im)famous Lord Monckton of Bromley.

Somehow I still found time to spend fifteen dollars (yes fifteen because the pound to dollar ratio is awful) to go to the movies.

Studying abroad was a truly great experience. I learned that I can rise to any challenge academically. I learned that I have to take a chance on an opportunity to have any chance at that opportunity. I also learned that I am a home-body. I did not get sick, but I realized after a few months that I missed being close to home, where I have a network of people who really love and care for me. All of these are important insights that I would not have had had I not studied abroad. 

Studying abroad required independence and maturity, two characteristics which have certainly come in handy during my final semester at Guilford College. 

(MP Priti Patel and me)

Spring Semester, Junior Year

The spring semester of my junior year was filled with applications for scholarships, study abroad programs and summer jobs. I was also busy continuing in my roles as President of the College Republicans club, as a political science and computer science student tutor, and even as a congressional intern in the Office of Congressman Howard Coble. In addition, I was given the opportunity to be Project Coordinator of the school's first intranet. 

Don't tell any professors, but I spent more time writing essays for scholarship and study abroad applications than I did on homework. But they were worth it. I was awarded quite a few scholarships that are symbolic because of what they represent and why they were founded and also because they help my family practically cover the entire cost of college. I did not know before I came to Guilford that I might be the beneficiary of so many scholarships, but thanks to the philanthropy of Guilford's many generous alumni, and the time I spent filling out scholarship applications, I was. I did not know before I came to Guilford that I might get the chance to study abroad at Oxford University either. But thanks to the efforts of Guilford's faculty and staff, Guilford College has study abroad programs that are both culturally and academically challenging. And thanks to my own efforts, I applied and was accepted to study abroad at St. Clare's College and Oxford University. 

My summer job applications were less time consuming but equally as rewarding. I applied for a Student CADRE position in Guilford's IT&S office. A CADRE position provides 30 hours of paid work a week in the area of your choice (mine was IT&S) and payment for two classes. In other words, CADRE provides jobs for students and covers their summer tuition. At this point, I was a political science and computing and information technology major with many more political extracurricular activities than computing ones. Accordingly, it was my goal to add a computing internship or job to my resume. The Student CADRE program seemed like the best choice because I was planning on taking two classes  anyway. So I applied and after an interview with the entire IT&S crew, I was offered a position.

All of the above effort went into scholarships, study abroad programs, and jobs for future semesters. However, as I mentioned before, I had much more going on in addition to the applications I was filling out. My new role as Project Coordinator was particularly interesting. I had the pleasure of working with both the Advancement and Administration Departments in an effort to coordinate the creation of a streamlined, user-friendly Intranet. I learned a lot about website design from Director of Marketing Communication, Camilla Meek, and the benefits and challenges of asking a community to reduce the information they have/want to have on the web. 

This semester was certainly a challenging one. I was really busy but by this time in my academic career, I had learned how best to learn, how best to manage my time, and how best to succeed as a student in general. Work took me less time. I was more efficient and more effective. So even though I may have spent more time on applications than homework, the quality of my work did not go down. I can comfortably say it remained high! 

Check out my next blog for details on my amazing journey abroad.

 

(Answering phones at IT&S)

 

 

Fall Semester, Junior Year

By the fall semester of my junior year, I had a much better picture of what I wanted to do with my life and much more self confidence. 

The fall of my junior year was a busy semester. It was my last semester in the Principled Problem Solving Program and I organized and held a successful Campus Cleanup Collaboration which brought together different and diverse Guilford groups to work together towards a common goal: the beautification of our already stunning campus! Through this event I was able to introduce the Guilford College Republicans club to other Guilford organizations and demonstrate our willingness to work together with the greater Guilford community whilst simultaneously exercising our conservatism.

The Guilford College Republicans club was involved on campus in addition to the Campus Cleanup in which members participated. The club hosted Representative in the NC House, Dale Folwell. Club members volunteered at polling stations on election day by handing out cards informing voters about the political affiliations of the judges on the ballot. We also contributed to the Guilford Peace Society's Bake Sale benefiting Pakistan's flood relief efforts. It was really rewarding semester for the club.

It was an individually rewarding semester as well. I tutored students in both PSCI and CMIT courses. Being invited to tutor for the learning commons was an honor. I hadn't expected to be asked to teach my peers when I was a freshman. But I was asked and I accepted the offer. I tutored a student from the Middle East which was a really great experience. Sometimes we would run over our tutoring session and talk about politics, religion, and our differing cultural customs. I wouldn't do my reading before class because we'd be busy talking. But I figured those experiences are the point of college anyway. As you can see, by my junior year, I was beginning to see that I had something to offer, something to give, something about which to be confident: me! 

The next semester saw an increase in tutoring and College Republicans events, all of which prepared me for the independently challenging experiences to come.

  

(Mayor Knight speaking at Guilford College)

 

GUS and the 1st of 3 College Republicans Workshops

This past Friday, the 24th of February, was a busy day on campus. Accordingly, I think it would be appropriate to interrupt my chronicling of past semesters at Guilford to let you know what exciting things are happening this semester and this past Friday in particular.

Friday the 24th was our fifth annual Guilford Undergraduate Symposium (GUS). GUS represents a time for students to present any and all academic research in which they have been or are currently engaged. I participated in GUS last year and enjoyed it so much that I did not pass up the opportunity to participate this semester. Last year I presented a philosopher paper on personal identity and this year I presented on my thesis topic, Iran's nuclear program and its effects on the regional and international community.

It was a rewarding experience as it was the year before. It is great preparation for those thinking of doing graduate work and presenting at professional and academic conferences in the future. It was a great opportunity for me to practice the defense of my thesis that awaits me come April/May.

 

Later that day, the Guilford College Republicans had the first of three planned workshops. The speakers at last Friday's workshop were the Guilford County GOP  Chairman, Al Bouldin, and Candidate for the North Carolina House, District 59, Jon Hardister. Al spoke with us about the multitude of opportunities that are available for people to help out with the Guilford County GOP such as stuffing envelopes, entering data, going door to door, making calls, stapling signs, tweeting, posting on Facebook, etc. Jon spoke with us about his campaign stance, why he got involved, how it got involved, and what it has been like. As a 29 year old running for elected office, he was a wealth of information for those in our club interested in running for elected office themselves. There was food and drinks and lots of important information being shared and enjoyed. We are looking forward to our second workshop!

Spring Semester, Sophomore Year

This semester saw the start of the (current as they come and go) Guilford College Republicans club and the first of many internships. It also saw the start of a Claire known on campus, a Claire active on campus, and a Claire with much more self confidence.

To found the College Republicans club and receive a provisional budget, I had to present the constitution I had drafted to Community Senate. Here's a side note: If you end up at Guilford and haven't attended Community Senate, for one reason or the other, then you have not taken advantage of all that Guilford has to offer. Our club was accepted as it should have been. It was not an irrelevant club or a duplicate. We were provided a provisional budget of $500 for the rest of the school year. We certainly made the most of it. We presented our constitution to the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans and were accepted as members. We attended their annual conference which, lucky for us, took place at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. We participated in an event with the Guilford College Peace Society to educate students on Haiti and raise money for earthquake relief. We hosted candidate for the North Carolina House, Jon Hardister. He explained to us his reasons for seeking the position and what he planned to do once elected. Our last event was to host Congressman Howard Coble who gave the club a Washington update. Overall, it was a successful first semester for the Guilford College Republicans Club.

I was awarded the first of many internships through the Principled Problem Solving Program. The program set up inernships with three different organizations and we were allowed to pick the organization with which we were most interested. I chose to intern with the Greensboro Housing Coalition because in addition to helping citizens of Greensboro avoid foreclosure and find affordable housing, they often help the chronically homeless and those with mental and drug and alcohol problems, a subject quite close to my heart. That was a rewarding experience. We helped prepare for a housing summit, organized the office and attended counseling sessions. I even approached the director with a plan for a rate my landlord website. 

In addition to my internship with the Greensbor Housing Coalition, through the Principled Problem Solving Program I sought a summer internship of my choice. I chose to pursue a political internship. In order to be safe, I applied to intern with my US Represenative Howard Coble, and my two Senators, Richard Burr and Kay Hagan.  Tune in next week to see where I spent my summer. 

 

 

Fall Semester, Sophomore Year

The first semester of my sophomore year was one of much growth for me and the beginning of a confidence boosting school-year. I learned a lot about myself as a Guilford student, a leader and a problem-solver, in addition to realizing I could acccomplish most anything with the utilization of Guilford's many resources.

As I mentioned before, I was accepted into the Principled Problem Solving Scholars Program (PPSP). The first semester of PPSP consisted of a 2 credit course during which we studied Guilford's core values, problem-solving, learning, leadership, citizenship and community engagement, amongst other things. I was forced to consider the benefits and consequences of being an ESTJ, what, if anything, I was doing to promote Guilford's core values on campus, and what kind of leader I was capable of becoming. PPSP had only just begun yet the discussion of values, leadership and engagement had made an impression on me, the results of which I am about to explore.

I had by this time declared Political Science and Computing and Information Technology as my two majors. I had become acutely aware of the democratic majority on campus and the republican minority. In fact, there existed a College Democrats club and no College Republicans club. Accordingly, the discussion of Guilford's core values, especially those of equality, diversity and community lead me to consider founding one. I approached my advisor, Kyle Dell, who encouraged me to do so. I spent that fall semester writing the constitution for this new club. 

Meanwhile, my first Computing and Information Technology course, Introduction to Computer Programming, was challenging me, in a good way. Honestly, I wasn't sure what object-oriented programming meant until December of that semester. It was the hardest and most rewarding class I have ever taken. Athough at times I struggled, I utilized my professor's office hours and emailed him ouside of class. After making an A in that course, I felt confident in my academic abilities and confident in my ability to succeed if I gave my best and sought help when needed.

This semester represented the beginning of a number of exciting journeys I've had and am continuing to have at Guilford. I began the four semester PPSP, I laid the foundation to a College Republicans club, and I began a major that has bought me much joy and fulfillment.

                           

(Google London Office, CodeF Event, courtesy of Bill Knight)

Spring Semester, Freshman Year

Thanks for tuning in to my second post. I thought it'd make sense to tell you a little bit about my second semester at Guilford. As you may remember, although I started my first semester with little confidence and a lot of unsurety in regards to my future, I ended it with some confidence boosters and a goal.

Although I loved playing soccer and visiting the beautiful schools that are a part of Guilford's conference, I had to quit because of my migraines. So I had some spare time that I wanted to fill. Luckily for me, something to fill my time fell right into my lap. Here's the story:

My dorm room was one of the rooms prospective students saw on tours. So when envelopes with my roommate and I's names on them were slipped under our door, the tour guides placed them on our beds. When I returned to my room that day I had an envelope addressed to Claire Massagee waiting on my bed for me. 

The letter contained an invitation to apply for the Principled Problem Solving Scholars' Program. It felt personal. "They want me," I thought. It's a little sad really. Guilford has so many opportunities to participate, become a leader, get involved in the community, but it took this envelope to get me involved. 

It was likely due to my lack of confidence and unsurety about my future that this personal letter inviting me to apply for the Principled Problem Solving Program got my attention. In fact I wasn't even sure what the Principled Problem Solving Program was. But I knew I wante to apply. And I did.

A few weeks after I had submitted my application I found out I had been selected for an interview. To prepare I went to the Career and Community Learning Center, now the Career Development Center (CDC). I was asked typical interview questions and advised about what to wear. It was really important that I practiced because as easy a question as, "Who are you?" seems to be, it is actually quite hard to answer. Having taken the Myers Briggs the semester before, I knew a little about myself. That also helped me prepare for the interview and still does today.

The preparation paid off and shortly after my interview I was told that I had been accepted into the Principled Problem Solving Scholars Program, a progam I credit with a lot of the amazing things I've done so far at Guilford.

Stand by for details!

(US Representative Howard Coble and Me)

Fall Semester, Freshman Year

My name is Claire Massagee. I am a native of Greensboro, North Carolina majoring in Political Science (PSCI) and Computing and Information Technology (CMIT) at Guilford College. I am currently United States Congressman Howard Coble's district scheduler and Public Relations Liaison, a job I do in addition to my role as Peer Educator for a First Year Experience course, taking an interdisciplinary studies course on artificial intelligence, and writing my PSCI/CMIT honors thesis on Iran's nuclear program and the Stuxnet worm which temporarily derailed it. I will graduate this May!

I thought it would be interesting to start this blog by giving you a snapshot of my first semester at Guilford. I, and I can only speak for myself, came to Guilford somewhat unsure of who I was, what I was capable of and what I wanted to do with my life. So I want to let you know how I felt when I first got here, before diving into all Guilford has allowed me to do and become.

As I mentioned before, when I first came to Guilford I was unsure of myself, my abilities and my future. I was living away for home, with a roommate, sharing bathrooms, eating in the cafeteria, trying to stay organized without the help of my parents, and managing class and soccer, amongst other things. It was different and different can be scary. But somehow I managed and managed well. By December, I could happily say I played in every soccer game, I'd determined my Myers Briggs type was ESTJ, I'd written a resume with the help of a staff member in the Career and Community Learning Center, now the Career Development Center (CDC), and I'd made the Dean's List.  Most importabtly, I'd gained confidence, learned about myself, was thinking about my future, and had an academic goal. At the Dean's List celebration in January of the spring semester, I remember thinking it would be an honor to receive one of the 7 semester certificates, indicating that someone has been on the Dean's List every semester at Guilford (excluding their final semester as celebrations are held at the beginning of it). I wasn't sure if I could do it, but I was going to try.

Little did I know what was to come!

(Oxford University)