Hello and welcome to my Tier 4 E-portfolio!

Blue ~ Gold ~ Green?

My name is Alisa Rubinstein and I am a senior here at the University of Delaware. I came to UD with a very clear goal of graduating and going to veterinary school, but this began to change as I learned more about myself and the world around me.

My academic career has had its twists and turns, but in my senior fall I finally settled on graduating with a major in Pre-Veterinary Medicine and Animal Biosciences, with minors in Environmental Humanities and Psychology. But while it's nice to know what will be written on my degree, I am still not sure where I want life to take me. The possibilities are endless!

During my four years here, I've been heavily involved with BHLP, the Honors Program, and UD A Cappella. I've also had the opportunity to travel and complete internships in various parts of the country. This e-portfolio is meant to compile the work I've done as part of these organizations and how it has helped me grow in my four years at UD.

Check out my CV!

VALUES

Empathy

Authenticity

Efficiency

Accountability

Hard Work

Curiosity

Knowledge

MISSION STATEMENT

My mission is to empower those around me to think critically about their everyday choices as best as they can. I hope to spread a positive message of hope and always remember that a single person can make a difference.

VISION STATEMENT

My vision is one in which individuals and businesses makes more decisions to benefit the greater good than they do to benefit themselves. This can be a hard line to draw, as often working toward the greater good also means working toward individual benefits, but I hope to one day live in a world where everyone can afford to be comfortably conscientious about their actions and we can all help each other and share resources.

My Goals

Immediate

(1 year)

Travel as soon as I graduate. Go on a WWOOFing trip for two months.
Start a job in the non-profit sector in September. I will be looking for jobs in animal welfare, animal behavior, environmental issues, and food insecurity.
Move into my own apartment. Keep my living space organized. Cook at least 5 nights per week. Adopt a cat.

Purpose: I want to travel because I want to broaden my horizons before I settle down into a job and taking several months off becomes more difficult. WWOOFing is an excellent and cost-effective way to connect with my food and the land, which is something I care deeply about. My other goals are more straightforward, adult responsibilities, some of which have been hard to master on top of classes, homework, and extracurriculars.

Action Plan: My best friend/travel buddy and I are both on board to go WWOOFing. Over Winter Session, I reorganized my bank account to make it easier to see how much money I have saved up to make sure I can afford the trip. To achieve my second goal, I will begin looking for jobs in March. I have updated my LinkedIn profile and resume already to get a head start. To achieve my third goal, I will break it down into smaller, more specific goals when the time comes.

Deadline: 2020

Barriers: This biggest barriers will most likely be finances. If I don't save up enough money I won't be able to travel or afford an apartment. I'm taking steps this semester to make sure my finances are in order so I'm prepared when I graduate.

Advantages: I'm a planner by nature, so I think keeping my money organized and making plans early is right up my alley. I've also been working internships in animal-related and non-profit fields since high school, so I think that I'll be a qualified candidate when I start applying for jobs.

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Short-term

(1-5 years)

Enroll in graduate school

Purpose: I want to be a lifelong learner! And although I know that learning comes in many forms, I like school and believe I do well in a classroom setting, especially when I'm fiercely passionate about the topic. I can see myself eventually going into academia, as I enjoy educating college-aged students and adults, so this could be a step towards this career.

Action Plan: I don't have a concrete action plan yet because I still don't know what I want to study. I can work towards figuring this out through my immediate goal of working and traveling, though. As of now, I am interested in the interactions between human and non-human animals, but a field that studies this could be anything from anthropology to geography to anthrozoology.

Deadline: I don't want to put a firm deadline on this because it all depends on where life takes me. I think 2025 is a good estimate, though.

Barriers: I've been told that going back to school after working can be tough. I would also need to study for and take the GRE and go through the college application process again. Lastly, I'll probably have to move somewhere new, which can be costly and challenging.

Advantages: As I mentioned, I really like school and would be really excited to learn about something I care about from experts in the field. I think this drive will help get over the hurdles of the GRE and the application process because it will be worth it in the end.

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Long-term

(>5 years)

Graduate!
Find a job and get settled.
Make time to participate in enriching activities on the weekend: volunteering, hiking, reading, joining a singing ensemble.

Purpose: Since I will likely have to move to go to graduate school, it's likely that I will want to settle down somewhere for a little bit after it's over. I hope that by this point I've found the one thing I'd like to dedicate my career to (and of course, it's okay if I don't!) and find a job I love. I want to make time for self care, too, as non-profit workers and volunteers often suffer from burnout and compassion fatigue. I set my last goal to make sure I have time to do other activities that I love do decompress.

Action Plan: Once I'm in graduate school I can set smaller goals to keep myself on track for getting my degree and finding a job. Breaking down my goal of getting involved in other activities is also something I can split into measurable, attainable pieces to increase my involvement and range of hobbies as I get settled.

Deadline: ~2030

Barriers: Graduate school is a huge commitment! I think I will be nervous that I'm studying the wrong subject, but at a certain point I will just have to trust my gut and commit. It is also a challenging undertaking, especially if I decide to get my PhD.

Advantages: Hopefully I will love the program I'm in and will make lots of connections with people who share the same interests I do! And as I mentioned previously, getting another degree could set me up to do a job that is more appealing to me.

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Life goal

Influence a world that gives equal consideration to both, human and nonhuman animals, through service, research, and education.

This goal is lofty and pretty vague and I think that's okay! I'm still not exactly sure what I want to do right out of college, so I'm excited to see where I end up!