But before we get into conference details, I have to tell you about my day back at Santa Clara University. I took an extra day off so I could visit friends and professors at my university. It’s funny, because I ran into one of my classmates who stayed to do the 5-year Masters. He asked, “Anne, what are you doing here?” When I told him I was visiting, he responded, “Why would you do that? If I ever left, I would never come back to visit.” Oops. But here are the different things that stuck out to me as I visited on a typical Wednesday.
SCU
She was very excited to see me at 8:30am and energetically asked me what I have been up to. When I told her I was on the Marketing team, one of the first things I remember her saying was: “Do not become a web designer. You’re too smart for that! Don’t waste your brain!” Then, she went on to try to convince me to return and take EE classes. She thought it all through; if I needed financial assistance, she could “make me a TA in ten seconds.” After all, she is the Chair.
As I told her things about my job, I realized that my current role with Marketing parallels my experience as a student. I enjoy the people I am with and I excel at what I do, but the work does not bring me joy or satisfaction. Not that everything in life has to be extremely meaningful, but in both roles, I feel a sense of restlessness and disconnectedness from reality.
Just like I would not be a student forever, I also would not work in Cru Marketing forever.
Working at the conference has shown me that I am energized and thrive in high expectations (and meeting/exceeding them), intense problem solving, and the satisfaction of going above and beyond. Which makes sense, because that’s the way I grew up. Not something that the Predictive Index knows about me.
Then I had a work meeting about the app we’re using for Winter Conference. If anyone asks, do not ever use Gather+. It’s pretty terrible.
The next professor I visited was Professor Atkinson, who teaches computer engineering. I learned that I do not want to be a programmer through his class. But somehow, we connected over classical music, and he always asked about my performances and attended whenever he could. He was not the first nor the last to ask me a variation of this question that day:
“Do you still play piano?”
Even though I play for worship at Nona Church, the correct answer is no. Everyone who asked knew I played at this level, and I no longer give the art that much time and dedication. This was one of the reasons I did not tell my piano teacher, Boepple, that I was on campus. I was too ashamed and afraid to update him that I no longer keep up with the music that we both hold dear to our hearts.
But maybe I shouldn’t have been so scared of the disappointment Boepple would have expressed. The only judgment I should really care about is my Heavenly Father’s; everyone else’s should be trivial in comparison. Sadly, this is much easier said than done.
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I always really enjoy meeting with Dr. Weber. Not only is he smart and insightful, but also kind and caring, listening almost as much as he speaks, which is rare for professors in general. We discussed a lot of interesting things:
- Technological improvement is usually linear (forward), but society might take many steps backwards (i.e., Spain before the 1400s, when Jews, Christians, and Muslims lived in relative peace. Then the Jews were expelled in 1492). At the end of a generation, has society made any progress toward a more peaceful and truthful existence?
- Travel and art, and replicating masterpieces so more of the world can see. I think music does the same thing. When we perform masterpieces, we are replicating art while adding our own interpretations. Fascinating.
- We always talk about books because Dr. Weber loves to read, and this book is one that he is currently reading which I could see myself picking up. The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker is a book that explains how language works, how people learn it, and how the mind figures out language. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a better punner ;)
- He gave me graduation presents! I wasn’t his advisee or a physics student, yet he remembered me and cared enough to give me something thoughtful and practical. I feel so loved and am looking forward to reading the novels he thought I would enjoy :)
Grad Presents
I grabbed lunch with Sandy, my former fellowship leader. The conversation was not as deep as I expected, but that’s OK. It was still good to connect with her and hear about the ways God is working at Santa Clara through Acts 2 Christian Fellowship.
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One of the professors I wanted to see was a new faculty who came to Santa Clara my senior year. I was in the first series of classes Dr. Schab ever taught, and as a seasoned student, I was piqued yet intrigued by his naïve optimism in his teaching and focused dedication for his students. His insanely long homework sets were frustrating, but his reasoning for them (learning should take place mostly outside of the classroom) was sensible. Most students did not love his class, but I could see myself in his shoes. If I ever become a professor, I would set insanely high bars while investing an excessive amount of time trying to help students succeed – much more than jaded professors would give and battle-scarred students would expect.
Dr. Schab used to put “fun” problems on the glass window of his office, where students were encouraged to write solutions via Expo markers. When I walked by his office, the window no longer displayed interesting E&M problems. Instead, written solutions to the most recent homework set were taped on the window. It was fine, because there was still space where I could scribble “Hi Professor :)” on the glass. As I finished to leave, Dr. Schab came walking down the hall. We ended up chatting for fifteen minutes about weather in the South, traveling, culture shock, settling into new places, and grad school. He said that if I ever needed anything, feel free to reach out, and don’t be a stranger. There it was – care and thought you would not expect.
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I spent the afternoon hanging out in Bradford’s lab and working on the conference app. It’s always so good to catch up with old friends and pick up right where we left off. Between his first and second lab, we watched cooking Youtube videos. I’m glad I’m not the only crazy person obsessed with delicious food.
I saw a few more friends and got dinner with another, and I'm thankful I got to spend the day at my alma mater. I pray that these connections do not fade too quickly. Next up: SF Winter Conference!
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