Let me start out by saying, what an experience it was to be in Washington D.C. for the first time. If I was a yelp reviewer I would give D.C. 5 stars. I absolutely loved my time there. I was there from December 7th through the 11th. The majority of the time I was in a conference for the College Advising Corps but when it was over I got to do a little bit of exploring.
When we first got to D.C. we had to take the Metro to get to the hotel, which was a struggle. There were 18 of us and yes, some of us got left behind for like 15 mins. When we finally got to the hotel we weren't able to check in so we had some down time and went to explore the zoo that was down the street. Since it was bitterly cold the majority of the zoo animals were nowhere in sight. We did see some otters and a few pandas but that was it. I'm sure the zoo is a lot better during the summer months but I'm glad it was free.
Outfit Details
Gray Over Sized Sweater | H&M $15
Multi Color Scarf | H&M $10
Clear Frame Glasses | TIJN Eyewear
Boots| Bearpaw off Amazon
As many of you know, I work for the Missouri College Advising Corp and I'm based in Kansas City , Missouri. Well the Missouri Corps is one of hundreds of other corps around the country. Once a year the National College Advising Corps hold a conference and all the corps gather to meet the CEO and founder of the program and to be inspired as a group. We spent 4 days together and we got to hear from some very influential people. We meet the primary adviser to President Obama, the Executive Director of the Michelle Obama's Reach Higher program. We even got to hear from a survivor from the Plane crash on the Hudson River. Everyone that spoke had something to truly inspire us. There were breakout sessions that were led by advisers. I went to a Beyonce themed one of course that talked about being a women of color adviser. It was probably the most uplifting session. It was great to be able to connect with people who were dealing with the same struggles and issues as you in all parts of the country. Being an adviser is not an easy job. There is a lot to understand about your students and there hoops that you need to work through to serve them appropriately.
One of the days during the conference we had the opportunity to visit the National Mall. It was AMAZING to see all those different monuments and to hear the history behind them. It's crazy to think that I have only seen many of the monuments in pictures. They are truly a sight to see and I encourage all you to take a trip to see them one day. I do wish it was warmer when I went so that I could really take my time looking at everything and the importance it had in our country. I think my favorite monument had to be of Martin Luther King Jr. It was spectacular to see him there. He was ginormous. There were so many inspirational quotes surrounding his monument.
The conference seemed like it went on for forever but overall it was a great experience to meet other advisers, to hear from influential political leaders and to get advice from inspirational entrepreneurs. After the conference was over I was able to meet up with some friends. I met with Uju, who is actually a friend of a friend and I know her from instagram but we met up and got some food and was able to just talk. She's truly an amazing person. Have you ever met those people in life who you just kind of click with. She was definitely one of those people. She's extremely talented and ambitious and those are the types of people that you want in your life. They keep you accountable and keep you motivated to keep pushing forward. If you haven't yet I would highly suggest you follow her on instagram @lifeoftheuj. For dinner I met up with some old friends. One of them I have known since Kindergarten and the other I met in 6th grade. It's crazy to think that we were able to sit down for dinner 7+ years later and just talk about life and what we are doing now that college is over. We have all come a long way and I know we are going to be doing great things. Seeing them was probably the highlight of my trip.
I've only been back for a day and I'm already missing Washington D.C. It is definitely a place that I want to go back to. I think I liked it so much because it seemed like there was a lot to do. There were a million and one food places that would probably consume all my money but the architecture and the layout of the city was so conducive to public transportation and I loved that. It reminded me of getting around in Europe but on a smaller scale. There are a lot of opportunities out there that I know will be beneficial to me with what I want to do in life. So the goal right is to be able to go get my Master's degree out on the East Coast.
Here are some more pictures of my trip in D.C. (Click to see them full size) For those who watched my snapchat stories I hope you enjoyed coming along with me. If you didn't catch my adventure in D.C. you should follow me and see what I'm up to on a regular basis. Snapchat: etijo12