Time to start freaking out
I suddenly realized that I only have twelve more weeks of graduate school left. Cue me completely freaking out about my future. There’s nothing quite as horrible as not knowing where you’ll be living and working in just a few short months. But I can’t worry about that now, I actually have stuff to do. Although, I have to say, this quarter has been far less stressful than previous quarters. Last winter, I’m pretty sure I still had three papers and a presentation due by the time week 8 rolled around. This year, I finished one paper two weeks early (which is weird), and I have my final test for Statistics II on the Saturday just before Spring break starts. All that’s left is a presentation on Monday and a final for my Financial Management and Fundraising class. This may sound like a lot, but this is extremely light compared to previous quarters.
The “big” project that’s still looming over me is my final project for Financial Management and Fundraising, but this should be pretty interesting. What I love about this class is that you can actually use the assignments in the real world. I wrote a fundraising letter/appeal for the Lambi Fund, and my final project is to develop a specific plan for a large special event or fundraising program, which will be useful to a selected nonprofit. Right now I am working on an art auction with the Human Trafficking Clinic and a benefit concert for the Lambi Fund, so I just have to decide which one to use for my final.
The worst part about winter quarter is you cannot wait for spring break. The very idea of having a week off fills me with glee. Except for the fact that it’s not really a week off. Most of us are still finishing our finals during that final week, or just getting prepared for spring classes: ordering books and getting ready for our schedules to completely change once again. Then a new quarter begins and you still feel like you’re catching up from the last quarter! It can be a very stressful time, and students are pretty burnt out by the last few weeks of the spring quarter– it feels like you’ve been going non-stop for twenty weeks! This is why I am glad I only have to take nine credits my last quarter. I will still be busy, but not as busy as I was last year when I took 18 hours for two straight quarters.
Anyway, I know many of you are eagerly awaiting your application decision. I can tell you that our Review Committee members are hard at work carefully reviewing applications. We hope to send out notifications by mid-March. I know this is a stressful time– I remember it well. Unfortunately, we will not be able to give you notifications any earlier. If you call our office, we are always happy to speak with you, but probably can’t take any bribes in exchange for early notification. 
In the meantime, if there are any issues you would like me to talk about, just let me know!
Joanna Miller
MA candidate, International Human Rights
Josef Korbel School of International Studies
Krasi Shapkarova said,
February 26, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Hi Joanna,
Just wanted to thank you for your quite informative posts and the updates you provide! I really appreciate the information as it offers me a glimpse of what classes and life at University of Denver are like (which makes me even more excited about hopefully attending there one day:).
Personally, I am interested in the fight against human trafficking and am thrilled about volunteering with a couple of non-profit organizations here in Houston. I was wondering, aside from the Human Trafficking Clinic, what are some other options for involvement with this cause in Denver? Human trafficking is a mountainous problem in Houston, but I am not really familiar with the situation in Denver.
Thank you once again!
Sincerely,
Krasi Shapkarova
Joanna Miller said,
February 27, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Hi Krasi,
It’s great to hear that you are interested in human trafficking! I was surprised by the number of local organizations that work to end human trafficking, other than the Human Trafficking Clinic at DU. Denver is home to the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (http://www.combathumantrafficking.org/) , a great organization that works locally. They have internship opportunities every summer. There is also Prax(us) (http://www.praxus.org/), which conducts street outreach to prevent human trafficking, and the Colorado Organization for Victim’s Assistance (http://www.coloradocrimevictims.org/human_trafficking.html), which runs the CoNEHT hotline for victims of human trafficking.
Several Clinic Associates intern and volunteers with these organizations, and many are hotline volunteers. There are definitely opportunities for you to get involved.
I hope this info was helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions!!
Joanna
Krasi Shapkarova said,
March 8, 2011 at 4:20 am
Wow! These are some pretty serious organizations. Thanks for sharing the information and I will definitely review all the links thoroughly during Spring Break:)
Have a great break!
Krasi