Jessica Huerta is my friend and a colleague in the world of higher education. Together we reflect on successes and challenges that came with the year 2020. We share how the pandemic impacted our day to day life. We also talk about political events, newly discovered podcasts and books, and our hopes for 2021! 

In this episode of the podcast I am speaking with my dear friend and  colleague - Michelle Ruiz. Michelle, like me, is an academic advisor at a  university.  She had an interesting path that led her to pursue a  career in higher education.  During this episode we talk about the complexities of remote learning  and teaching and what students should do in their first year of college.   Michelle shares her academic and career exploration journey as a  first-generation college student.  We discuss the dilemma that many  students face when choosing their major - finding your true passion vs. pursuing a major so you can get a job, pay bills and provide for the family, and how first-gen college identity plays into it.    

As always, thank you for listening - please subscribe to the College Nook Podcast and follow us on social media: 

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Olga is a PhD student in Statistics at Colorado School of Mines. She shares her graduate school search and application process journey. We discuss different strategies you can use when searching for the right program. We talk about different ways you can get a graduate degree for free (or with very little financial investment on your part) . If you are willing to put in time and effort, you can find excellent graduate programs that provide partial/full funding in the form of tuition waivers, teaching/research/consulting/graduate assistantships for both domestic and international students. 

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Abby is a career coach with Life Work Balance, who is passionate about  helping individuals, companies, and organizations obtain and use the  tools needed to improve their professional, relational, and  organizational performance.  Abby joins Natalie to talk about the changes happening in the hiring  processes. They talk about differences and similarities in virtual and  in-person interviews.  Abby shares strategies for preparing for your  virtual interviews.   

Resources mentioned during the conversation:   

Abby’s Life Work Balance website: https://lwbalance.com/    

Abby’s Life Work Balance YouTube channel   

52 Behavior-Based Interview Questions 

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Rob Razzante is a visiting assistant professor of communication at the College of Wooster, a certified facilitator of the Civil Dialogue through The Institute of Civil Dialogue, as well as a Mindfulness in Action communication coach. Rob joins College Nook podcast to talk about his community engagement. Rob co-hosted several civil dialogue series and emphasizes the importance of creating such spaces for people to exchange ideas and perspectives. Natalie shares her WHY behind the College Nook podcast. They also discuss the role of mindfulness meditation practices in our daily lives.

Join Natalie during the month of November, when she starts a group that commits to a daily guided meditation. To get free access to the app, contact [email protected] or find us on social media: 

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