This is a cross-post from my blog on Spartan Connect. Check out the original post here.

It’s summer time in East Lansing, and all I can think about is how excited I am for the fall semester to start. Since arriving at Michigan State University, my life has changed (for the better) and I’ve really come into my own identity. This didn’t happen without some bumps along the way. As this is my first blog entry, I suppose I should introduce myself.

Hi. My name is Alexandra White, but my friends and colleagues call me Ali (like McBeal, not Muhammad). I will be a senior in the 2011-2012 year, getting a BA in Professional Writing, a minor in Theater, and a specialization in Digital Humanities. In addition, I am currently the Social Media intern forTechSmith; a Resident Mentor in McDonel Hall (for the 3rd year); the Social Media Manager & a Peer Writing Consultant and MSU The Writing Center; Graphic Designer for Middle of the Mitten; PR Coordinator for Spartan Web Authorers; and the Social Media Coordinator for Writers’ Bloc.

If you’re going to be new to Michigan State this year, I have five tips:

1. Keep your door open. I can’t stress enough how many opportunities you find on your floor and in your hall, just by having your door open. Even if you’re coming to MSU with friends, the people who you live with are great to go get dinner with and helpful for close by study buddies.
2. Don’t be embarrassed on your map. You need it. I know people in their second, third, and even fourth year who still couldn’t tell you where buildings are on campus.
3. Speaking of which, MAC stands for Michigan Agricultural College. It is not pronounced “Mac” like Apple products, but each letter is pronounced: “M” “A” “C”. I made that mistake in my first week and was corrected by an upperclassman. You will never have that embarrassment.
4. Take advantage of the roommate contract. If your roommate is your best friend or a new friend, it’s easy to let things slide at first that may bother you. If you set the ground rules early (bed times, trash duty, suite responsibilities), it is much easier to stick to than rules introduced after there is a problem.
5. The cafeteria is your best friend and worst enemy. It’s really exciting at first to have unlimited ice cream, french fries, and pizza. But over indulgence leads to bigger problems. Don’t completely restrict yourself, but remember the healthier options. Eat at State also provides nutritional facts for most of the meals that we’re offered.

As I said earlier, I didn’t get this knowledge without some bumps. When I was a freshman living in Emmons Hall, I never kept my door open. The girls were very welcoming; I just never gave them a chance to get to know me. By the time I realized my mistake, the year was almost over.

I’ll be living in McDonel Hall for the third year in a row as a mentor, and can say it is truly a unique experience. We are residence hall that is home to a large population of international and transfer students. We also have the living-learning community La Casa, a Spanish speaking floor with special opportunities. The age of residents ranges from freshman to seniors, and the programs we provide match those needs. It’s relatively quiet and low traffic, meaning residents put higher priority in our rights as residents: sleep & study. I love McDonel, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

My success at MSU came from finding out what I loved to do (with amazing people and opportunities). I realized I wasn’t happy as a Theater major, and Professional Writing (PW) sort of fell into my lap. I took Intro to Digital Humanities (AL285) with Dr. Danielle DeVoss, and realized that I wanted to do everything in that class for the rest of my life. Once I found the right major, I had the motivation to participate in our student groups. I got an internship in New York City with Swagger New York my first summer out of PW. I have made amazing friends, who have not only supported my work but also will be great contacts for later job hunting.

I’ve been here for three years, with just 11 months before graduation. It’s hard to pinpoint one moment as “the best,” as each have impacted me in different ways. Recently, the biggest smile was put on my face in the last week of school. My advisor, professor, and friend, Danielle DeVoss, asked me to join a brainstorm group for creating a video about the 50th anniversary of the College of Arts and Letters. Upon leaving the meeting, she said, “We need you. We need your ideas and your creativity.” Nothing means more than feeling you have made a powerful impact on your program. The connections and friendships you make will change your life.

I look forward to future blogs. Feel free to send me a message, comment on this blog, and/or follow me on Twitter. Go Green!

I have been selected as a First Tier Spartan Connect Engager. What does this mean? I’ll work a couple hours a week as a blogger for Spartan Connect, Michigan State’s answer to social media, as well as being available for chat with students. For my first blog, I was asked to answer the following questions:

1. What general advice would you give an incoming student

2. What you wished you had known prior to arriving on campus

3. What you would do differently if you could do it all again

4. What one or two things contributed to your success at MSU

5. What has been your fondest memory thus far

Now you may be thinking… Another job, Ali? Really?

Oh yes. That puts the grand total at 5 jobs currently being held. In my defense, only three are active right now. Four will be active in the fall, but we’ll worry about it when it’s time to worry. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t constantly busy.

When my first blog post goes up on Monday, June 6th, I’ll be sure to post a link to it.

EDIT: My first blog post has launched. Check it out!

I decided to re-vamp the entire web design for Tom & Joanne The Wedding website. I experimented with different CMS’s (WordPress and Staceyapp), as well as the idea of a static web page. I wasn’t happy with the work that I had created. You know what they say, if you’re not happy, then fix it. I wanted it to be more dynamic and exciting.

That’s where jQuery came to the rescue. I have had little experience with jQuery in the past, but I made it my goal to learn how to use a couple different features before the end of the summer. I used two different jQuery attatchments: one to move between the navigation, and one to create a slideshow of the wedding party.

So here it is. Presenting Tom & Joanne The Wedding (website). Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: I am a proud employee of TechSmith Corporation, and this blog post is reflective of my personal views. It does not necessarily reflect the views or beliefs held by TechSmith Corporation. This is an extension of my personal identity, not the company brand.**

Today was my first day at TechSmith Corporation. I have been hired as the Social Media Intern, working directly with Daniel Foster. I am not 100% sure as to what work I will be doing, but I know that I will be communicating via our social media presence, blogging, and creating analytics.

Immediately upon arrival, I felt welcomed and engaged. I met with Daniel, who gave me a lowdown on the company. Afterwards, he left for a meeting and PR/Evangelist Intern Josh Emington took me on a building/TechSmith tour. We met several people within the Marketing department, as well as in other departments within TechSmith. He explained many of the day to day tasks that he completes, as well as some of the work I would be expected to perform. His friendly demeanor and enthusiasm for TechSmith was a wonderful way to start my life at the company. We had met several times before, in relation to his girlfriend, but had never actually spoken. It was great to know that he is such a powerful leader in the TechSmith community, even just as an intern.

A lot of my time was spent reading a ton of documentation. There was the employee handbook, tons of paperwork, and a giant wiki that was composed of all of the need to know (and not so “need” to know) company information. I took the time to really read instead of skim, trying to absorb everything they threw my way. Following my read through, I had a chance to watch some of the videos on TechSmith’s YouTube channel. It was great to see consumers using the many different products that TechSmith creates to form projects and videos for different audiences.

I feel like I learned a lot in Day 1. The next few days will probably consist of more reading and absorbing information, really becoming familiar with the TechSmith products. Hopefully soon, I’ll become a part of more of the engagement. I can’t wait to get my hands “dirty” (so to speak) with social media.

To think… my job position didn’t really exist three, perhaps even two, years ago. Social media is ever growing and evolving. Who knows how my job requirements with change and develop over the course of my time with TechSmith. I can only assume it will continue in a positive way, as my experience so far has led me to believe.

I feel like my life is suddenly being surrounded by weddings. In October, my friend Anna Taylor married her boyfriend Jack Kramer at a ceremony in the MSU Alumni Chapel. It was a wonderful wedding, with the reception in a ballroom in the Union. I was so excited to go to my first wedding as a “grown up,” having only gone to my Aunts and Uncles weddings when I was five and eleven, being a member of the bridal party. This time, I sat and watched an interfaith marriage (Jack is Jewish, Anna is Protestant), and they solidified their love through vows.

Joanne and Tom will be married in August, as I spoke of in my last entry. Once again, I’ll be a bridal party member, but it is different as an adult. I have new responsibilities and relationships with the rest of the party.

Yesterday, my father came to visit. He has been dating his girlfriend, Inez, for 18 months. They have spoken about getting married, but haven’t done the official “engagement” yet. He revealed his plans to me at lunch. He is in the process of buying a diamond, as well as a ring setting. We’re all headed to NYC for a weekend in June, for my grandmother’s 80th birthday party. Inez’s birthday is the Sunday of that weekend. The plan is for them to go to a late dinner on Saturday night. Then, he will take her for a horse and buggy ride through Central Park and propose at midnight, on her birthday. It sounds wonderfully romantic, grand, and cheesy… and I’ve never been happier for him. He deserves this. If he’s happy, I’m happy.

With a wedding, naturally comes the aftermath. This means a step mother and four step siblings. One of the children moved to Israel and became ultra orthodox; I highly doubt he will attend the wedding or ever really be a part of my life. However, the others will be a part of family holidays and traditions. Their family will, essentially, become mine and my brother’s family. We are grown up, therefore the living situation is not as much of an issue. Visiting will be strange, but eventually we’ll get used to it. It will become normal. Again, if my father is happy, we’re happy.

In the end, love is in the air. Weddings will come and pass, but it’s the new level of relationship created that matters the most. I wish the best for all three of these couples and hope that they never have broken hearts.

We meet again, Custom Content Types. I know you thought we were finished when WRA410 Advanced Web Authoring was completed, but little did you know I would need to use you again. Please try to cooperate and function appropriately.

Today’s Goal: Complete a custom content type that successfully organizing different members of the wedding party for Thomas Czech and Joanne Tanase. Why, you ask? I am in charge of creating the wedding website for this wonderful couple, and the goal is to complete it by May 30th.

Here’s a little background information: I’ve known Joanne since January of 2003. We both enrolled in French, and immediately associated each other (and our newest found friend, Freda Zhuo) as the “smart” kids. There were 10 people in the first semester of our French career, and believe me when I say, no one else actually cared to learn the language. Our trio became a team for every project and group assignment, with the exception of French games in class. We were separated, and told to lead three different teams. Otherwise, we were inseperable.

Eight and a half years later, our trio is now in very different places. Freda attends the University of Pennsylvania for a business degree. I am enrolled in Professional Writing, actively seeking out web design work and social media. Joanne is receiving a degree in Human Biology, also at Michigan State, marrying the man who she’s been inseparable from since 2007. It’s incredible what time does to people. It feels like just yesterday, the three of us were making ridiculous French videos about the weather, with bloopers we intentionally filmed after the fact (causing video projects to be removed as a project option). I am now a member of her bridal party and was asked in March to create a wedding website (coming soon). With school, work, and a million side projects,it became the last thing that I cared about. Now, I realize, it’s time to get going.

I purchased the domain and hosting (a lovely wedding present) and installed WordPress. The bride has made one request: create a database where people can make song requests. Hopefully, what I create will be aesthetically pleasing as well as fully functional. Updates coming as soon as there is something to update about.