As I was getting ready for church Sunday morning Kurt came into the bathroom and told me I was doing my “mirror face.” He said I kind of have a pose when I am doing my hair or what not. I started laughing…(embarrassed!) It’s something that must happen unconsciously but when he said that, I thought—“I do.” The rest of the time I was in there if Kurt walked by I tried to look very candid and then we would just laugh.
Kurt Johnson
For Kurt Johnson, being one of three 2008 Lawrence K. Williams Fellows at the ILR School means he can study at his first choice for graduate school without compromising the financial future of his wife and two young children.
"The fellowship means affordability," says Johnson. "Anybody can take out student loans, but when you have two kids and who knows, over the course of the next two years, maybe a third, and hefty student loans, it just bogs you down. It would take us 10 to 15 years to pay that debt down. It's not a decision I was comfortable with."
The Provo, Utah, native just completed his first semester in the Master of Industrial Labor Relations program. Before Cornell, Johnson spent four years in China, where he worked in human resources for Beijing United Family Hospital, and later, for a start-up company called Language Calls that provides one-on-one language instruction online.
"It was there at the start-up company in particular that I realized, 'Here I am, heading up HR by myself with no real HR talent around me to lead and guide me,'" says Johnson. "I realized I wanted to go back to school."
Johnson, who earned a business degree at Brigham Young University, met several Cornell alumni in China who told him that if he wanted to study human resources Cornell was the place to go.
"Cornell is the right school," he says. "I absolutely love it. What I've been impressed with most is the interaction I get not only with faculty who are world renowned in HR, but the executives who come from Fortune 500 companies. Over the course of the past three months here I've met 12 different heads of HR. I don't think I could have had that kind of experience anywhere else."
When he finishes at Cornell, Johnson says he hopes to join a corporation with a reputation for excellent human resources practices, learn what he can, and then move into a smaller company where he can have a greater impact.
The Williams Fellowships were established through a $1.5 million bequest from the late Professor Emeritus Lawrence K. Williams, who served for a quarter century as the ILR School's director of graduate studies. Johnson recently met Williams's partner, Professor Emerita Jeanne Mueller, at the unveiling of a plaque in Williams's honor at the school. Mueller has also contributed to the Williams Fellowship endowment.
"She was open, offered her contact information, and really welcomed any contact we wanted to have," Johnson says. He hopes to introduce Mueller to his wife, Melanie, and their children, 3-year-old Lucy and 1-year-old Owen, before he completes his studies.
"I want to thank her, do anything we can for her, and let her know what the fellowship has meant to us," says Johnson. "Without the fellowship, I would have gone somewhere else and received what I'd consider a second-class education."
If you notice the last line you will find that he got a little cocky towards the end of the interview!! Apparently if you’ve gone to any other school besides Cornell he considers your education “second class,” He claims to have never said that…but if the shoe fits....
I've been wearing the same sweat suit for three days straight. I guess I saw people doing this all the time in China and it was kind of liberating. I did get a shower in the other day, but the doorbell rang as I was toweling off so I threw the same sweats back on and they stayed. I had to take Lucy to preschool but decided since it is a sweat "suit" (matching) and velor, it should be fine. When we got home Lucy said "You came to my school in your pajamas?"
I went to Book Club Tues. night, and a friends house the next day...the same friend that I went to book club with the night before in the same sweats. I've had every intention of showering and finally getting something new to wear today especially as I've noticed last nights rice sticking to the bottoms and Owens leftovers on my top left shoulder (sorry if I am grossing anyone out) but Owen and I have been sick with colds all through this and nothing is getting done in a hurry. I haven't had my shower yet today, but I did finally change out of my sweats 15 minutes ago when Owen threw up on them. Who knows how long it would have gone on otherwise :)
I hope we are all feeling better soon. Maybe I'll feel like wearing clothes again!
The other day our downstairs neighbor was draining some water out of her “ancient” waterbed, looking for a leak. It brought me back to the day my brother and I got into my dad’s tackle box and poked dozens?? of wholes in my parents king sized water bed with fishing hooks. What were we thinking??…. I’ll tell you what I was thinking, ‘this is so cool to push this sharp thing into that thick but soft plastic so far down and slowly pull it out.’ I was 6 or 7 years old!! My parents had SO much patience! Then there was the time I snuck into my dad's room when he was napping and gave him a little hair cut "Melanie style" poor guy. I think of all the experimental concoctions my friends and I would make up with all the bathroom supplies or the time I dropped a 2 liter soda pop all over the kitchen floor, and I realize that WOW! Just because your kids aren't toddlers anymore doesn't mean things are smooth sailing from there. But I'm sure it will all be fun enough!
If you ever want a sure win come play candyland with Lucy. She picks out all the candy people cards before the game starts. These are the only cards she plays with. So while you are slowly but steadily making your way to the top she is rotating all around the board from character to character. I win every day! And yes we do play every day! At least it’s been a long time since I’ve felt the disappointment of almost making it to King Kandy and then pulling the gingerbread card!
Owen is a cuddly loving little guy to begin with but this morning he was feeling something special. For some reason he could not stop smiling at me, hugging me or nestling into my shoulder, patting my back, kissing me, and then another smile, hug, pat and cuddle again. It’s been too cute. He is such a “mini” and fits right into me like a little bear cub. He gave me a lot of trouble the first 8 months of his life, but right now he is kind of perfectly cute in every way. That said, I still LOVE nap and bed time! I guess too much of even the cutest stuff can feel like overload.
It was my turn to prepare Lucy’s snack for preschool. And it was green day…lets just say when I handed over my four containers full of food the teachers mouths gaped a little and one of them said “you could have just stopped with the cereal and apples.” My spinach tortilla turkey wraps, cucumbers, green apples slices, and all the green colored apple jacks I could get out of the whole box of cereal (they are almost all orange) was a little much I guess! In my defense it was my first time and I really miss teaching preschool.
Lucy started school this last week. I never intended for her to start this spring, but there she is. YEAH!......AHHHHHHH! For the past several months Lucy has been telling everyone she will go to Kindergarten when she is 5 years old, and asks me all the time "when will I turn 5?" She has many friends in this particular class that will be moving on next year so I thought having them in the class would help her transition smoothly since going to our church "nursery" class was anything but smooth.
For the past week or two I've been prepping her for preschool. Informing her she will have to show me that she can share with friends, be a good listener to the teachers, try new things etc.
She readily agrees to everything! When I told her I would miss her while she was gone she said "I will come back right after, don't worry about it mom." Boy have we come a long way since the 'nursery' experiences.
When we walked in the pre-school, Lucy was greeted by several friends including her good friend Madeline who is in the picture with her. When I picked Lucy up the teachers mentioned that Lucy spent most of her free time in the dramatic play area--suprise suprise. I imagine she will be their most of the semester :). Maybe that means that eventually she will be a good little helper for me at home.
p.s. For any of you who felt guilty that I said I would miss my little girl while she was gone for just two short hours a few days a week, don't be fooled. It is only half true. I am thrilled to have her playing with friends, being outside, having story times and art activities all of which I don't have to do ANYTHING for! However this is a big milestone, she is now having all these times away from home and has reached a new level of independence. She is growing up, so of course I am going to in part miss that cute little Lucy of the past three years that is now a school going girl.
