Tonight we spent time dancing with the folks at Casa de Manana. It was a beautiful night filled with live music, dancing and giveaways! I think the set up of the room came out nicely considering most of the decorations used were things that Casa already had on hand. The decorations were fun and creative (especially those foldable cars!), and the photo booth with the strung up car lantern lights was truly one-of-a-kind! I really felt like we transformed the place from an ordinary conference room to an exciting rock and roll dance center.
As my professors could probably already guess, my favorite part of the night was an unexpected, pleasant surprise. I had the pleasure of meeting and befriending a sweet older woman who is 85 years old. Her name is Jean Etter, and she shared with me how her granddaughter recently graduated from UCSD in the same college as I am in (yay Muir!). Surprisingly, when Jean showed me a picture of her granddaughter Kylie, I recognized her as one of the OL's for my orientation when I first came to UCSD. Jean was overjoyed to hear that I had definitely seen Kylie around on campus during my time at UCSD, and she shared with me all her granddaughter's accomplishments. It was so heartwarming to see how Jean's eyes lit up when she was talking about her granddaughter and how proud she was of her. I told Jean that I would definitely find a way to connect with Kylie and share with her how I had met her grandmother at Casa de Manana. Jean was pleased to hear that, and we both have a Polaroid picture with each other so that we can show Kylie when either of us sees her.
Aside from talking about her granddaughter, Jean told me about how she used to be a high school counselor for PV Peninsula High School, a school which I am actually familiar with from my speech and debate days in high school. Naturally, she began asking me about what I study in school. I shared with her how I am currently a fourth year at UCSD studying public health and anticipate graduating in a few months. The post-grad job hunt has been a little stressful, but Jean gave me some helpful tips and reassured me that I would definitely be able to find a position in my field of interest. She even offered to connect me with one of her friends who is the head of Kaiser Permanente. Her love for counseling and advising clearly showed as her genuine concern and kindness shined. Before Jean left, she gave me her contact information in case I ever needed to reach her and a KIND bar. Needless to say, I left Casa de Manana with a new friend and a very full heart. I hope to visit Jean soon and have more fruitful conversations with her.
As my professors could probably already guess, my favorite part of the night was an unexpected, pleasant surprise. I had the pleasure of meeting and befriending a sweet older woman who is 85 years old. Her name is Jean Etter, and she shared with me how her granddaughter recently graduated from UCSD in the same college as I am in (yay Muir!). Surprisingly, when Jean showed me a picture of her granddaughter Kylie, I recognized her as one of the OL's for my orientation when I first came to UCSD. Jean was overjoyed to hear that I had definitely seen Kylie around on campus during my time at UCSD, and she shared with me all her granddaughter's accomplishments. It was so heartwarming to see how Jean's eyes lit up when she was talking about her granddaughter and how proud she was of her. I told Jean that I would definitely find a way to connect with Kylie and share with her how I had met her grandmother at Casa de Manana. Jean was pleased to hear that, and we both have a Polaroid picture with each other so that we can show Kylie when either of us sees her.
Aside from talking about her granddaughter, Jean told me about how she used to be a high school counselor for PV Peninsula High School, a school which I am actually familiar with from my speech and debate days in high school. Naturally, she began asking me about what I study in school. I shared with her how I am currently a fourth year at UCSD studying public health and anticipate graduating in a few months. The post-grad job hunt has been a little stressful, but Jean gave me some helpful tips and reassured me that I would definitely be able to find a position in my field of interest. She even offered to connect me with one of her friends who is the head of Kaiser Permanente. Her love for counseling and advising clearly showed as her genuine concern and kindness shined. Before Jean left, she gave me her contact information in case I ever needed to reach her and a KIND bar. Needless to say, I left Casa de Manana with a new friend and a very full heart. I hope to visit Jean soon and have more fruitful conversations with her.