Bonjour mes amis!

My name is Nicole Brooks, and I am a one of three Career Center Social Media Interns who will blog throughout the 2014-2015 academic year. I am a History major with a Communications and Media Studies Minor. Shout out to the Humanities majors out there!

Coming back to Tufts for junior year is incredible. Time really does fly. Living in an off campus apartment with my friends has really made me realize how close we are to being seniors, and our future debut into the "Real World". Very scary, but still far away. Yet, I'm still excited for what is to come this year, strolling Tufts campus as an upperclassman. Here are a few facts about me, and my interests for blog posts to come.

First off I am a member of the Tufts Women's Basketball Team, and have played basketball since the age of 6.  For student-athletes it's hard to find time to do homework, let alone apply for internships and jobs. Our time is very limited. My blogging will focus on this perspective, as many of us, not just athletes, have time restraints on everything we do. Too bad we can't just go back in time like Hermione, am I right? (HP Reference).  As juniors we find ourselves with more responsibilities and decisions to make and with even less time to complete it all. Hopefully, my blog will help make this process easier as we tackle this year in hopes of continuing on the path to academic and career success!

Playing defense against
 Regis College last season.

This summer I was fortunate to study abroad in France for six weeks through the Tufts in Talloires Summer Program, hence the French greeting. It was an amazing experience. I lived with a home stay family in the French countryside, highlighted by the Alps, waterfalls, and beautiful Lake Annecy. Honestly, the pictures don't do the place justice. You just have to go! 

A view overlooking Talloires and Lake Annecy
from St. Germain Church

Here I am with my host sisters Stella 2, Clementine 5, and Isabelle 7.

Talloires is a remarkable program Tufts offers to all students, and I encourage everyone to take advantage of it, whether student or alum. I completed two Tufts credit equivalent courses. These included ENV105: Flowers of the Alps and Sociology 149: Media and Tourism. All of these courses were taught in English and were centered around the beautiful landscapes of Talloires and the Haute-Savoie region of France. These credits were pretty handy, as I fulfilled the nagging distribution requirements outside of my major.

Only hoop I found in Talloires. I decided to work on my vertical.

After Talloires, I was worried about finding an internship for when I returned to the States. I applied to a few internships before I left, but I had a very limited window of time when I could work.  A couple of offers came through, but because of the Talloires Program, I was unable to accept them. I was kind of bummed. Luckily, through networking, I was hired as a Summer Intern for New York Life Insurance Company, which is only 20 minutes from home. I'd heard of the program through a family friend, and applied. They also informed me that I wasn't eligible to participate in the full program, but asked me to call when I returned from France to see if they could place me in any departments. I felt like I was being too "pushy" by making them find a spot for me. But luckily it all worked out, and what I've learned from the situation is that being "pushy" is different from being "persistent." Just keeping them notified of my situation throughout the summer allowed me to land an outstanding internship at the last minute. I gained experience in corporate America, working for a Fortune 500 Company. In the end, my summer experience was one for the books! I'm so grateful it all worked out, and I was able to take advantage of an opportunity that will contribute to shaping my career.

Running through the Alps with our guide's dog, Gypsy.

I'm looking forward to writing about the perspective of being a student-athlete, as well as the trials and triumphs junior year brings. I guess it's time for us juniors to seize the moment. Maybe repeating that we are juniors will make the moment more clear. Well, until next time!


Carpe Diem,

Nicole Brooks
Class of 2016