Thanksgiving seems like
it was so long ago! In just two weeks time, exams and final paper deadlines
will be approaching! But while many of my classmates were preparing to travel
home for the annual Turkey Day holiday, I was preparing for a family visit of a
different kind. Today, I don't intend to share much about my trip, other than
to say that I spent some quality time with my family in Nigeria. Instead, I
want to share a little bit about the support that the School of Public Health
provides (and doesn't provide) when you need it.
I found out mid-October
that I was going to have to make the trek across the world sometime in
November, and immediately, I notified several people: my professors and TAs,
work supervisors, and also the head of the Office of Diversity and the Office
of Student Affairs. Everyone was surprisingly supportive, offering their
condolences and telling me that they were there if I needed them. My research
assistantship supervisor told me to take whatever time that I needed, although
I felt like I was letting the team down by not doing my full 15 hours/week. My
colleagues were willing to help me finish tasks I wasn't able to complete, such
as in preparation for the HSPH Africa Health Forum Student Organization's World
AIDS Day event (which I will share about on Wednesday).
In talking to some of my
classmates, I realize that many don't feel comfortable reaching out for help
when they need it. In some cases - such as if you're failing the introductory
epidemiology or biostatistics courses - the school will reach out to you. But
in most cases, you're on your own. Even if you reach out for support, you may
not always get as much as other institutions provide. For example, I've found
that gaining assistance in identifying financial opportunities is a lost cause
here...
While perhaps I'm more
comfortable reaching out to others than most, there are two reasons that I felt
it was important to contact the people that I did in my time of need:
1. I wanted to make sure that there was
documentation in advance, so when I needed to miss school or if I had
difficulty concentrating in class, I wouldn't be penalized and my superiors
would understand why this happened.
2. I also wanted to make sure that the Office of
Student Affairs and the Office of Diversity - two forms of student support available
at HSPH - were aware so that they could assist me in intervening if any
problems with professors or exams came up later.
In particular, the
Office of Student Affairs acts as a liaison in personal student
matters, often advising students on how to proceed in matters that are/will
impact academics and sometimes contacting professors for students who can't or
don't feel comfortable doing so. I believe that as an adult, it's my
responsibility to make the links myself; no one should be doing it for me. But,
when I realized that I forgot to contact the professor and TA for one of my
seminar courses – one that only allows a
specified number of absences in order to pass the class – it seems to me that
having the prior email documentation and the Office of Student Affairs support
will be helpful! (Results are still to be seen…). As for my other two classes,
the results were mixed:
- My communications class required me to give my final speech Tuesday night, despite that I didn't return until Tuesday afternoon. I was extremely jetlagged and not very prepared, but I had no choice for my final grade
- My BIO 210 professor and TA gave me an extra (almost) week when I had access to STATA to complete the two assignments I missed.
I'm still a little overwhelmed
with everything I missed – and it's still up to me to catch up very quickly –
but it's nice to feel that I have control in communicating to my professors and advisors that it's not
my laziness that caused me to fall behind; it's me trying to deal with life!
Au revoir!
-From American Historian and Musician Bernice Johnson Reagon
A few pics from my time away (call it a little lesson in Yoruba culture, if you will):
My cousins and I
Me and my parents
A new way to cook meat...after the ceremonial killing of a cow (i.e., don't worry - the cow was NOT burned alive)
My Aunty Caroline and I on the day after my birthday, as I enjoy little, sweet bananas and my only bday present: puffpuff :) (fried donut balls)
Several of my cousins and I
My mom and I wearing traditional Ondo ceremonial burial beads
The funeral procession (yes, I didn't go to Nigeria for "fun and games")
Me, my grandma, and my mom
My mom getting "sprayed" (given money for dancing) by the in-laws
The grave site of my grandfather and great grandfather outside the old family church that my mom attended as a child
RIP Grandpa...I love you!!
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