Tonight’s Update (Part 1) – I moved to DC in January 2003 in order to pursue a psychology degree at University of Maryland. Soon after, I realized that I was sitting on top of a gold mine being an IT professional in the nation’s capital. I became the Windows Systems Administrator for Catholic University and was a part of a team that was ranked eighth best in the nation for technology for students. While working for them, I took advantage of the tuition benefits afforded to their employees and pursued a psychology degree at CUA. I then went on to help grow the reach of General George Washington’s legacy by reengineering, reimplementing, and administering the network operations at Historic Mount Vernon. Those challenges led up to the most amazing job I’ve ever been tasked with, Network Performance and Monitoring Engineer for Discovery Communications, the parent company of Discovery Channel and it’s approximately thirty-five sister channels. Eleven years have passed since I moved to DC, and I’m completely burnt out with IT. I am now ready to pursue something that has meant a tremendous amount to me over the past few years. I have discovered that I love helping others in need, and training to be ready to respond when disaster strikes. The Fire/EMS rescue service has meant a great deal to me over the past few years, and I thank everyone that has helped me realize that I no longer want to sit behind a desk all day or night. I would much rather be prepared to respond to emergencies and assist those in need. As such, I am ecstatic to announce that I have been accepted to UMD in order to complete my undergraduate degree in Public Safety Administration, with a minor in Psychology. I know that most of my friends that are my age are already doctors, lawyers, parents, etc., but my path has obviously been very different from each of yours. Somewhere between twelve and eighteen months from now, depending on work and course load, you will see me posting that I have finally worked my way through achieving my dream of having a bachelor’s degree.