Well, here we are...

It's Week 10. Officially less than two weeks until I graduate from UCI...which still freaks me out every time I think about it. And it's not like I haven't really considered it before either...about a year ago, as my Junior year was wrapping up, I finally had the "Oh shit!" (the first curse word on the counseling blog? Anything is possible!!!!!) epiphany that my life as a college student would end sooner rather than later. And ever since then, almost every school-related decision I've made has been framed around this realization.

As a matter of fact, I was very close to not applying for PASS Board last year when appointed applications were due in late-May. I actually missed the initial deadline, and had an "Ah well..." attitude towards it. But then I thought about how I wanted to spend my senior year of college...would I regret not having the experience of being on the board of a organization that had already given me good times and good friends during my two years as a general member? I knew the answer was yes, so I finally applied as Counseling Director (because the deadline was thankfully extended).

I couldn't be happier with that decision. My entire Senior year has pretty much revolved around PASS and the people within it, and I wouldn't give that up for anything. There are simply too many great memories to list, but even more than that, it's the people I will always remember. Board (past and present), counselors, interns, and general members...I will never forget them, and I sincerely hope we remain friends through the years.

I couldn't be happier that I ended up at UCI. Let's just get a simple truth out there: UCI was probably not the first choice school of a majority of students here, and I'm no exception. In fact, four years ago when I was rejected by my top choices, I was downright crushed. And when I started taking a look at the UCI campus and turned in my decision to attend, I was optimistic but still couldn't shake the feeling that I belonged somewhere else.

Well, my undergraduate experience has had it's shares of highs as well as extreme lows, but four years later, I really feel that my ending up in Irvine was the best thing that could happen to me. I have really grown personally from my experiences here, and the funny thing is, UCI has gone through just as much of a transformation during this time. And I'm not just talking about the constant construction that goes on (VDC Norte and the Student Center didn't even exist yet when I was a freshman), but UCI's rise in its national academic profile, athletic teams, and its new schools and majors. I hear UCI mentioned more often on the news, we have TWO #1 sports teams, and we have exciting majors in business and nursing, as well as a brand new law school opening up next year. The amount of growth has been astonishing in the four years I've been here, and I'm extremely proud that I will be receiving my degree from UCI.

But in the end, what makes a campus strong is the people within it, and on a final note, I'd like to thank some very important people who defined my senior year: Michelle, Sam, Steph, Mel, Jamie, Kat, Leanne, Jezzle, Ian, and Anthony. Working with a group of smart, talented, inspiring, and most important to me, funny people such as yourselves has been such an honor. Maybe it's not for us to say, but I really feel proud of what we've accomplished with PASS this year, and I feel we've done enough to really leave our mark on this young but strong organization. And I'm very optimistic that Steph, Mel, and Jezzle will be great leaders for next year's board so that PASS may grow even more.

Just as leaving UCI gives me a bittersweet feeling, leaving PASS is just as hard...I know for the next few months, my Sundays will feel strange without having to go to board meetings, or Wednesdays without general meetings. Experiencing PASS withdrawals is almost a certainty. But I've made such great friends from PASS that I know a fellow member will never be too far away, and we will always be there to support each other. Congratulations to all my fellow seniors, and good luck to all the rest.

Thank you,

Steven Katigbak
2008-09 PASSAGE Counseling Director

CALLING ALL SENIORS

CHECK OUT THE DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS THAT ARE HAPPENING THIS WHOLE WEEK AT THE CAREER CENTER TRAINING ROOM!

Obamas doin' work

Every time around this year, universities court big profile speakers to come talk to their graduating classes, and in such precarious times, perhaps no graduating class in recent memory needs inspiring advice as badly as 2009's.USC had Governor Scharzenegger, Duke had Oprah Winfrey, and Tulane University had Ellen Degeneres, among other celebrity speakers. But perhaps the luckiest graduates were from Arizona State, Notre Dame, and UC Merced because they had the privilege of hearing the President and First Lady speak at their ceremonies.

Michelle Obama spoke yesterday at UC Merced's first graduating class, and you can watch the first part here (click the vid to see the other parts):



Mrs. Obama said, "We need your ideas, graduates. We need your resourcefulness. We need your inventiveness. And as the students who helped build this school, I ask you, make your legacy a lasting one. Dream big, think broadly about your life, and please make giving back to your community a part of that vision."

She also talked about the importance of those who are blessed to give back to the less fortunate, saying, "Remember that in exchange for those blessings, you must give something back. You must reach back and pull someone up. You must bend down and let someone else stand on your shoulders so they can see a brighter future."

President Obama spoke earlier today at Notre Dame, and you can watch the first part here (click the vid for the other parts):



There were protesters who criticized the choice of Obama as a speaker because of his pro-choice stance on abortion, and he commented on the abortion debate in his speech. He said, "the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature."

As for the graduating class, Obama said, that graduates were part of a "generation that must find a path back to prosperity and decide how we respond to a global economy that left millions behind even before this crisis hit an economy where greed and short-term thinking were too often rewarded at the expense of fairness, and diligence, and an honest day's work."

If you have time, I recommend listening to both speeches because I found both truly inspiring. Here's to hoping that UCI gets a commencement speaker that's even half-decent as both were for their 1 PM Social Science grad ceremony.

-Steven

UCI Career Center on NBC4

NBC Channel 4 paid a visit to the UCI Career Center to interview some of the students as well as the Director of the Career Center. Check the video footage out! :) It has some facts about job search after graduation for the class of 09 but also offers some hopeful & encouraging advice!

Class of 2009 takes a leap into the Job Market

Love Resonate

Hey all!

I wanted to introduce you all to my friends' band/ movement/ non-profit

Love Resonate is a band/ non-profit organization that is working to helping disparaged places around the world.

Taken from their website:

"LOVE, RESONATE.

Love, Resonate is an organization focused on sharing individuals' talents, gifts and faith in an effort to raise awareness for disadvantaged areas around the globe. Love, Resonate started as a band of musicians and friends located in Southern California. After the band was given the opportunity to use music ministry as a means for helping grief-stricken areas overseas, the idea of Love, Resonate quickly grew beyond the idea of a band playing music on mission trips. Now, Love, Resonate is an organization dedicated to recruiting today's youth to serve the needy using whatever talents God has blessed them with."

Their cause:

"[love, resonate] For a Green Church 2009. From July 27 to August 20, 2009, we will be touring the Manila Archdiocese in the Philippines to share our music and our faith to the Philippine youth. In the poorest slums of Manila, school dropout rates continue to rise. In addition, our planet is in peril and environmental awareness is minimal. They need our help more than ever. LR is raising funds for the Divine Word Missionaries in the Philippines for out-of-school youth programs, environmental services, and the construction of a new environmentally-friendly church."

For more information check out 

www.loveresonate.com

www.loveresonateforagreenchurch.blogspot.com

If you would like to donate to their cause check out this link:

Click Here

For their music hit up their MySpace

They also have a Twitter, Facebook & Zazzle. 

They are a Catholic band, but they their cause is much larger than religion. They hope to positively affect poor areas around the world and whether you're Catholic, Christian, or not even religious at all...your contribution will go towards helping a very poor area of the Philippines. Even if you don't want to donate...check out their music! They're pretty legit!

-Dennis P.