Cora: Welcome back to the Transfer Talk Podcast. My name is Cora Brown and I am a Transfer Jack Peer Mentor. Today joining me today we have a guest that is wanting to share their Transfer Jack experience with us. Anthony: My name is Anthony Kiefer. I started my college experience at the U of A back in 2005 for Aerospace Engineering because I like building things and airplanes were interesting to me at the time so therefore Aerospace Engineering, but It was kind of an uninformed choice and I wasn't really ready for college yet. And I ended up joining the Navy and I was in the Navy for four years. And then I just kind of did a bunch of random jobs until I learned that my GI Bill has an expiration date. So serendipitously, I just happened to choose to go back to college right before COVID hit and it was perfect timing because I've just been living off of the housing allowance from the GI Bill pretty much this whole time and yeah. Cora: Well, that is awesome and we're so excited to have you on our podcast today and share a little bit about your story. So I have a question for you. So when did you come to NAU? Anthony: 2020. Cora: 2020. Wow during the pandemic too? Anthony: Yeah, I had like two months of normal college experience before it all went south. Cora: So the Spring of 2020? Anthony: Mhm. Cora: Wow. See I came during fall. I was like, oh man, Anthony: Yeah Cora: Doesn't feel the same. Anthony: No. Cora: Yeah, okay. So What has been your favorite memory being here at NAU so far? Anthony: That's a hard question because it's still going on. I imagine my favorite memory looking back will be my, my capstone show at Beasley. Building a big exhibit right now for my capstone project and I'm pretty excited about it. But besides that up until now, I don't know I'll have to think about that. I think just being paid by the government to go to school is my favorite part Cora: Yeah, I think that would be my favorite part too, Anthony: Yeah. Cora: Not going to lie. Okay. So what's your capstone like? What's your project like? Anthony: So my major is Studio Art, New Media. And I'm gonna be building a planetarium-like booth type thing, where you go inside of it and it looks like you're in outer space. Cora: So can I be the first one to sign up for that? Anthony: Yeah. Cora: I would love to experience that. Anthony: Yeah, it'll be in Beasley, So, Cora: okay, Anthony: whenever you want to go. Cora: Let me know. What type of program, department, people that have helped you through your transition here? Anthony: The Veteran's Office has helped me a lot. Like personally, financially, just in all kinds of ways. Over this last Summer, we did a trip down the Colorado. It's the first time I've rafted the Colorado. It was really fun. The Academic Advisors. My personal Academic Advisors Jaewook Lee and David Van-Ness have helped a lot. I feel like I should have prepared this list so I don't leave anybody out, out. So many people have helped. The Boundaryless Office. Cora: Oh, they're amazing. Anthony: Yeah, I did the Jacks Big Idea that first, first year I was here. Let's see. I'll come back to that if I think of someone else. Cora: Okay, just let me know What is one piece of advice that you would like to give a incoming transfer student? Anthony: You're in a good place. And use the resources that you have available to you. Cora: I myself strongly encourage that. I would also recommend doing more involved on campus. There's a strong way to, you know, transferring from a new school or from or coming back to school, it can be a hard situation to make new friends here. But I would say if you get involved it's a good way to, Anthony: Yeah Cora: Get connected with amazing people. Anthony: Just do your thing and it'll happen. Cora: Yeah. Anthony: Friends happen. Cora: Absolutely. Anthony: Also, and don't pay for parking. Just park off campus and walk. It's not that far Cora: Even in the snow? Anthony: Yeah, it's not, that's not bad. Cora: I don't do well in the snow. Anthony: Unless you just have hundreds of dollars lying around. Cora: Fair point. Okay, so now we're gonna get to our this or that NAU edition So pretty much I'm just gonna give you two different options that relate to campus or NAU in general and you can tell me which one you prefer or which one you don't prefer and kind of why. Okay? The Hot Spot or the Dub? Anthony: Actually, I don't know what the Hot Spot is. Cora: The Hot Spot? Anthony: Yeah Cora: It is down in the Student Union and it's a dining hall. Anthony: Oh. Cora: It's like a buffet-style dining. Anthony: Yeah, it's expensive. I haven't even been in there. I think I went in there once and I like you have to have a meal plan. And if you don't then it's like $15 for like just a basic plate. So I just don't go. Cora: When I would go down there, I go at like seven o'clock in the morning because that's when they would serve the fresh donuts and I love Donuts, I am not afraid to admit it. And I would go down there and scarf like 16 donuts down. It was amazing Anthony: But the, was it the Dub? I was calling it the wrong thing this whole time. I think I was calling it the Dub. Cora: Yeah, I've heard it both ways Anthony: But yeah, I've eaten there a lot. Yeah, I like the Qdoba, like Chipotle-style thing. Cora: I need to try that. I haven't tried it yet. Anthony: It's good. It's about the freshest thing you can eat down there. I think Cora: Oh, I'll give that a shot next time I'm down there. Okay, so NAU Gold or NAU Blue? Anthony: Just colors? Or I mean just like my own personal preference of color? Or is that an actual like club or something or what? Cora: No, like colors gold or blue. Anthony: I mean they kind of go together. Navy was all gold and blue too But I like blue I guess Cora: Blue? I agree with you on that. North Campus or South Campus? Anthony: North Campus just because it's easier to park off campus and walk. South Campus I was in the ceramic studio a lot and there's nothing close there. So it's, I got my exercise in. Cora: Okay, okay, so why not South campus? Anthony: Parking. Cora: Parking? Anthony: That's where the ceramics complex. Cora: Oh, okay, okay. Morning classes or afternoon classes? Anthony: Afternoon. Cora: How come? Anthony: Because I like sleep. Cora: Just sleep in all day, go to class, go home, do homework, and then sleep again. Anthony: Oh, if unless you go to bed early, you're gonna be sleep deprived with morning classes And it's hard to go to bed early sometimes. Cora: I agree with you on that. I'm a person that stays up very late at night and then gets like maybe four or five hours of sleep every night, so, completely agree. Anthony: That's not good Cora: Probably isn't. Anthony: It will catch up with you Cora: Yeah. Union or HLC, which one would you prefer to study in? Anthony: HLC. Cora: How come? Anthony: It's quieter. Cora: Is there like, I've never really been in the HLC, so is there like floors for studying, or is it just kind of like a hallway? What does it kind of look like? Paint a picture for me. Anthony: The upper levels have lots of random little nooks and crannies where there's chairs and things kind of like the library. Cora: Okay, so like Cline Library a little bit. Is there like any like special areas for studying up there? Anthony: Yeah. Cora: Yeah? Oh, okay, now I need to try that out. Sun or snow? Anthony: Snow. Cora: So I bet you're gonna enjoy this Wednesday when it starts snowing again. I have to agree. I am horrible walking in the snow. Today, I went roughly halfway through my leg down into the snow today, got a lot in my boot, did not feel great Anthony: Yeah, me too. Cora: Yeah. Anthony: But I'll take that over heat any day Cora: Fair point. Unless it's like down like Phoenix and it's like 110. I don't want to deal with that. Okay, so Fall or Winter? Anthony: Fall, I guess. Cora: Fall? How come? Anthony: Monsoons. Cora: Oh, the monsoons. Never thought it'd be while outside while it's raining but also hot. Anthony: Just the thunderstorms are awesome. Cora: Yeah, you take pictures of the thunderstorms? Anthony: I have, don't usually though. Cora: Okay, Fall semester or Spring semester? Anthony: Fall Cora: Fall? How come? Anthony: Spring is kind of windy and uncomfortable in Flagstaff sometimes. Cora: I do have to agree with you on that wind. It can get pretty brutal. My hair is just flying everywhere. Okay, Homecoming or Family Weekend? Anthony: They don't really mean anything to me. Neither one. Cora: There's a lot of festive but also a lot of people. Okay, so I want to go back to one question. If you can go back and change anything about your transition, what would it, would there be anything that you would change? Anthony: Yeah, I probably would have switched to art right away. I originally came here for Astronomy because I hadn't quite convinced myself that, that I want to do art yet. I think COVID kind of helped me realize that I'm not really, I won't really be happy in a real job like 40-hour a week thing. Technical jobs, that's all I've ever done and I've never been happy with them, and COVID kind of forced me to confront what I, what I really want out of life. And so I switched to art, but I went from Astronomy to Environmental Science to art. I thought there was one more in there, but yeah. Cora: Okay, so, when you do art like what do you do? Do you draw? Do you paint? Do you do oil paint? Anthony: For me, it's mostly digital. I use laser cutters and 3D printers and fine art printers and then I Cut them up and combine them in different ways. Cora: What are some pieces that you've made? Anthony: If you go to the sculpture studio, there's a big giant stereo made out of tires that, that was a one-class project that I did. Cora: That sounds amazing. I want to go see that Anthony: Boundaryless Office has a little picture frame. It's like that big. It's a piece I made. It's like the Earth and Space. It lights up. Cora: Okay, so note to self, if I need anything 3D printed. I'm coming to you. Anthony: I think there's one in the office downstairs in the Union. The Career Development Office, I think there's one in there Cora: Okay, note to self for everyone that might be coming here to NAU, you can 3D print here, too. So that is awesome. What was your experience like at your previous college? Anthony: I wasn't ready for school yet. I was too distracted by teenage things. It wasn't good. Yeah, the U of A undergraduate classes and engineering were like a zillion people in a giant lecture hall. The teacher doesn't have the bandwidth to really help you very much and the TAs are also kids so, there's only so much they can help you. And I didn't even know what I wanted to be there for anyway, and I was, I was just, I wish I would have taken a break off of school after high school because I was just kind of burnt out from high school. I went to a college prep school and I took all these extra math classes that I didn't need to be like extra ready for engineering. So I was like kind of burnt out when I graduated and I was just not really feeling school and so, you know. I did okay my first semester. But like every semester after that my grades kept getting lower and lower and I never failed anything but I was on track to do so and I was like, you know what? I'm, I'm done with this for now. I went and joined the Navy. Cora: Okay. How would you say your experience compares from your previous college to NAU? Anthony: It's much better, but most things are better in your thirties as far as like stress and just outlook on life and everything, you know. I look back and I was really stressed out about a lot of things that I, just don't bother me at all anymore. So, just easier now. Cora: Well, that's something I'm looking forward to when I get older too. Anthony: It gets easier. Cora: Good to know. Okay, well, thank you Anthony for joining us today, We appreciate you coming in and sharing your story with us and hope to see you in the future. And hope you have a marvelous time and thank you for our listeners for tuning in and stay tuned for the next one.