Meredith Baker
There is something strikingly real about junior year. Not specifically junior year of a university education or that of high school, but junior year in general seems to taunt many with choices that will affect one's future.
In high school one's third year is the stage in which s/he must begin thinking seriously about life after graduation. Whether that means deciding on colleges to apply to, working towards a particular ACT score, or maybe even playing with the idea of entering the work force. For 17 and 18 year olds these decisions can often be tough to make as the options are vast. For those who make the jump to university life, junior year of college offers yet again another heap of questions to ponder; what am I going to do with the rest of my life and how do I attain my goals? This is where I fit into the picture.
The reality of being a junior in college hit me hard. In less than a year I will be out in the so-called ‘real world', building a career, a life and a name for myself, which at the age of 20 leaves me with a strong sense of insecurity. However, the fact that I was able to identify my target profession even before I began my higher education allows me a bit more ease in preparing for my future.
Early in my teen years I was able to pinpoint Public Relations as my ‘dream job' and that ambition has not wavered since. Michigan State and the College of Communication Arts and Sciences have provided me with a great deal of confidence in my ability to function and thrive in my chosen career and recently the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) has given me the opportunity to utilize and perfect those skills. As the new Harbinger Editor and Promotional Materials Developer RCPD provides me with the environment to learn more job-dexterity and practice already acquired knowledge and talents on a weekly basis.
I have been acquainting myself with the office since early December and within the short period of time from then to now, I have become enamored with the individuals who work for and with RCPD, as well as the office's mission to ‘Maximize Ability and Opportunity'.
While RCPD aids nearly 2% of the MSU population there is a huge fragment of both students and faculty who are unaware of the Center and its effect on the campus and surrounding community. My goal is to boost the knowledge attained by MSU and community members of the RCPD. Increased knowledge and awareness of the Center can ultimately yield increases in the number of volunteers participating in RCPD activities as well as a rise in the number of lived touched by the services RCPD provides.
I plan to put my creativity to use and introduce RCPD to Michigan State and East Lansing in a way that gets people who are unfamiliar with the Center excited and involved. The Resource Center for Person's with Disabilities offers a great deal of opportunities to all of the individuals associated with them.
If you have a story you would like to share about how RCPD has touched you or the life of some you know, questions, comments, or promotional ideas please feel free to contact me. My name is Meredith Baker and you may reach me at the Center by calling (517) 353-9642 ext: 230 or by emailing me at bakerme7@msu.edu.