Jeanine: Welcome back to the Transfer Talks Podcast. My name is Jeanine and I'm a Transfer Jacks peer mentor and joining me today is fellow former Transfer Jacks peer mentor, Yendira. Yendira: Hello, hello everybody. I graduated back in December of 2022. I majored in Business Management with a minor in psychology Woot-woot-woo! Jeanine: Alright, so we're gonna play a little game of this or that with NAU edition things. Yendira: Okay. Jeanine: So you just tell me which one you prefer and then just kind of like, explain a little why you prefer it over the other. Yendira: Okay, cool. Jeanine: So first one, the DuB or the Hotspot? Yendira: I'd say the DuB. Jeanine: Why? Yendira: I don't know, I feel like they have more options to choose from and it's kind of less chaotic as opposed to the Hotspot. Jeanine: That's so fair. I do love the DuB but I also do like the Hotspot. Yendira: Yeah. I like the desserts, and like, the bakery from the Hotspot, but I do like the gelato from the DuB. Jeanine: That's true too. Yendira: Can't go wrong with gelato. Jeanine: So good. Yendira: Very good, 10 out of 10. Recommend people, recommend. Jeanine: Yeah. Alright, NAU gold or NAU blue? Yendira: I'm doing NAU gold because I just like to be gold and I like to be shiny. Jeanine: That's valid. Yeah, me too. Okay, north or south campus? Yendira: I prefer south campus just because most of my classes were already on south campus. Anytime I'd be on north, it would be to like, hang out with my friends or just go to work. Jeanine: That's so fair. Yeah, south campus, which is like where the business building is. Yendira: Honestly. Jeanine: That’s where I spent most of my time too. Yendira: I lived there too, that was practically my second home. Jeanine: Yeah, exactly. And then the Starbucks is right by the business building and where you used to live, yeah, how convenient. Yendira: Exactly! I lived right by the suites, got Starbucks right there, I had the college of business. What more do I need in life? Jeanine: Exactly. Okay, morning classes or afternoon and evening classes? Yendira: (sigh) I'm not a morning person but I prefer to get my morning classes out of the way so that the remainder of the day I have time for myself. Jeanine: I think I'm in the same boat as you. Like, I'm not a morning person at all, but I'd rather have, like, a nine o'clock class versus a, like, three/four o'clock class. Yendira: Yep. Jeanine: Yeah. Okay, fall or winter? Yendira: I prefer fall, only because in the winter we start to get more snow and like, don't get me wrong, I like snow, but after awhile it just gets annoying and you just like, you're just tired of it, you're done. Jeanine: Especially after the season that we just had this year. Yendira: Oh good thing I was out of here by then. *giggles* Jeanine: Yeah, thank you so much. Okay, fall semester or spring semester? Yendira: Again, I'm gonna have to go with fall semester. I like the seasons changing, I like to see the leaves change color. It's more cooler, and more like, refreshing to be outside during that time. Jeanine: That's so true. But also like ending a spring semester you get summer which is like three months. Yendira: That's true. Yeah, that is true. Jeanine: I feel like spring semester feels a little longer though. Yendira: It does, yeah. Probably because we have that spring break in the middle and it kind of just throws everybody off. Jeanine: You're so right. Okay and then last one, homecoming or family weekend? Yendira: I prefer homecoming only because we have like, this like, mini carnival on campus. Jeanine: Oh, My favorite. Yendira: They're so much fun. I mean I've only been to it once but it's just, it was the time of my life and then I don't know, family weekend. I see my family every now and then so it's like, it's whatevs. Jeanine: Did your family ever come up for family weekend? Yendira: No. Jeanine: Awwww Yendira: I mean it was fine. I mean I didn't really care for it. I would prefer them to be up here on like what mattered most, which was like graduation, and like convocation and that kind of stuff. Jeanine: So right. Yendira: So yeah. Jeanine: Family weekend was fun though. I did it my first fall semester here because my dad came and he surprised me with my sister because she was also on fall break. Yendira: Oh that is so sweet. Jeanine: So yeah, but I mean family weekend has a very special place in my heart, but I do love the homecoming carnival. Yendira: Oh yeah. I mean, I understand family weekend especially from people who like, live a long distance, like further away than from like, down in the valley. So it's like, I mean, for me personally, my family's down in the valley like I see them every weekend if I wanted to go down there or whatnot. Jeanine: So true. Yendira: So I wanted to just take advantage of everything that was on campus happening right there and then. So homecoming Jeanine: Yeah homecoming! Yendira: Woot! Jeanine: Okay so going into a little bit more of all things NAU, ummm. What do you like about campus or the NAU environment in general? Yendira: What gravitated me towards NAU from the very beginning was, it was just a whole different experience and environment than what I've had in the past like being, especially being down in the valley. It's like, it's just heat regardless, like no matter what time of season it is, it's just, it's too hot down there. So uh, for me personally, I just wanted to change something in my life so I was like, you know like, maybe I'll be in a much more better mood with like, the weather changing constantly up here or, I got to experience snow for the first time in a while – even though you get annoyed of it after a while, but still it's a lot of fun to be in the snow and play with it and, so I don't know, I just feel like I've always been, I've always found it being peaceful up here at NAU. It's not as crazy or like loud, or anything as, like, down in the valley, ummm and everyone up here, from my experience at least, has been so friendly. Jeanine: Right Yendira: it's, it's nice to see it but it's kind of weird at the same time, like should I like, am I expecting something, like am I supposed to return the favor back or like what's going on here? Jeanine: Yeah I that was kind of weird to me too I mean it's nice that everyone is so friendly and so nice but at the same time just kind of like okay is something going on? Yendira: Exactly. Jeanine: Like, but no it's just how everyone is in Flagstaff. Yendira: It's just the vibe man. Jeanine: Yeah yeah okay so, being a transfer student yourself, what was your favorite Transfer Jacks event you've been to? Yendira: So the very, so when I transferred here, it was during Fall 2020, so of course we all know what happened that year. It was locked down, it was pretty sad times just because we couldn't really do much being up here it was all just virtual, but I do remember attending, I think it was like my very first ever event, it was a Grocery Bingo. Jeanine: Oh, love Grocery Bingo! Yendira: And I was like, you know what, it's bingo, you can't go wrong with a classic game and you get groceries out of it and we all know college students up here, whenever there's free groceries you gotta take advantage of it. Jeanine: Free food in general. Yendira: Everything. Anything that says free just go for it. Jeanine: Exactly Yendira: Like don't hesitate, just do it, go get it. Jeanine: Did you win? Yendira: I did, yes I did. I was like what woot-woot, free food for the week. Jeanine: It's so odd for me to talk about this with you sometimes because you were my mentee when you first moved up here. Yendira: Oh yeah guys Jeanine was my mentor my first semester here. Jeanine: And then you turn into a mentor. Yendira: How the tables have turned. Jeanine: And now you're like my best friend so. Yendira: Exactly. Jeanine: Ugh, it's so nice. Yendira: It's a small world guys. Jeanine: It is. It's such a small world. Okay so now we're gonna get into some more, like serious things. Not too bad but you know. Yendira: Okay Jeanine: Okay, so transferring is a very different experience for everybody, right and it's such a big change in your life so what was your experience like at your previous school that you transferred from? Yendira: So I transferred from Estrella Mountain Community College. It's a small community college down in the valley specifically Avondale area and from my personal experience the years I was there, it was almost similar to NAU in a way where it was like calm and like peaceful, like at least with my scheduling the classes that I had there wasn't, busy like there wasn't as many people on campus, and everyone kind of just like kept to themselves. It was kind of home-y as well, because it was such a small community that it's like you know, like you can be sitting at like, a study table and like someone else will join you from across and then you just have like a small conversation, like go about your day. Jeanine: Oh that's so nice. Yendira: Yeah it felt home-y. Jeanine: Okay so in relation to that what was your experience like transferring to NAU and how does that differ from your experience at Estrella Mountain? Yendira: Oh Lord. Well to start off with, Estrella Mountain, we didn't have much assignments or like homework to begin with. It was mostly, and even if we did, we would just get it done within the class and just turn it in right there and then, so it wasn't too crazy it was just like I was just chilling ,just enjoying my time there with like, my friends or whatnot and then coming up to NAU it was a drastic change in terms of like, time managing and like, getting the assignments done and everything, just because, I assumed that it was gonna be very like community college. Oh, like you don't have any homework like you're gonna have more free time on your en” and it's like you're just gonna be riding it out and living your best life. Nope, I had to learn that the hard way. First semester I was struggling with keeping up with all the assignments and like finding my footing around campus and whatnot and then because, when I came up here, I thought this place was big. I thought the university was big, but it's not until when you actually settle down that it's like oh, like it's actually relatively small and pretty easy to find stuff around once you get used to it. Jeanine: Yeah definitely compared to like, other schools like ASU. ASU is a big school. Yendira: Oh yeah ASU, whew. It's nice don't get me wrong but I'm just like, it's not for me man. Jeanine: So kind of moving on, so like I've mentioned before being a transfer student is such like, a drastic experience. I don't know about drastic but like it's a very different experience so what were your feelings on being a transfer student and how did you feel about it when you first came to NAU compared to now as you've graduated? Yendira: So when I first came up to NAU I felt pretty nervous only because like within my like friend group or like even like high school community, or like staying in touch with people from that time, no one really did community college and it was kind of just like, they just went straight to like a four-year university right after. So I didn't really have someone to like show me the ropes or like guide me towards that experience of community college and so it was nerve-wracking and I felt like I was gonna be the only one and then of course I was getting older in which I didn't like that so just like, I mean they say school is, there's no age limit for like going to school and everything, but I just felt self-conscious about it just because I wanted to get it done and out of the way, but I couldn't at the time and so, so that was that. But now I feel comfortable with it. I've came to terms with it I've accepted it and I feel confident in it now I encourage people to do community college now because we all know it's, it's it's hard times right now and we don't have the money or the resources to go straight to like a four-year university right after high school, so definitely encourage people to go to community college if you can. Get your two years out of the way – general like requirements and that kind of stuff and then go to any four-year university and just begin with your major the stuff that you're interested in the most. Jeanine: Yeah I mean, I guess I'm similar to you where like, being a transfer student was just a whole new thing to me when I came up here too. Because I didn't know anybody and then ironically I know like so many people now that are transfer students like my best friend back home is a transfer student and then like my parents were, so that's something new that I just found out recently. Yendira: Oh wow! Jeanine; Yeah Yendira: That's cool! Jeanine: But yeah I mean like and even at that your First-Gen Yendira: That's true, yeah Jeanine: So like, even at that, like that's very hard to figure out college when you don't necessarily have like a roadmap from like your parents or something like that. Yendira: Exactly Jeanine: yeah Yendira: I was pretty much on my own for the most part just figuring out where I wanted to do, where I wanted to go, like did I even want to go to schooling, do I want to continue with it, did I just want to keep working? Like it was, it's a roller coaster Jeanine: But you did it, you have a degree now! Yendira: We did it, let's go woo! Jeanine: Okay all right so as a former mentor, ummm, and you spent three semesters with the team right? Yendira: Yes. Jeanine: If I do the math correctly? Yendira: it was fall 2021. Jeanine: Yes, three semesters. Okay so within your three semesters of being a mentor for the Transfer Jacks program, what was your favorite part about it? Yendira: All right well first off shout out to all my mentees whoot-whoot! If I did meet with you, great, if not, I hope I helped you in any way shape or form along the way. My favorite part with my mentees was just being able to talk to them and just hear their experiences, share my experiences because, we all have different stories we come from different backgrounds and if there's any way how I can show them comfort or just let them have the opportunity to just say what's on their mind or just, even just knowing what's on campus or like things to do, what's going on, like events, how to meet people that kind of stuff like I just wanted to make sure that people felt comfortable, that they can trust me. Considering that I've gone through the entire process from the beginning and I didn't want them to feel alone. I didn’t want them to feel like afraid, I just want to have the best time of their lives. Jeanine: Right yeah especially because when you first started mentoring we were slowly starting to go back in person and you had like the full online experience. Yendira: Yes, it was predominantly online it was just like zoom meetings and so there was I had like a few ones that were comfortable seeing in person but I didn't want to push it, just because I didn't want to step over like boundaries and that kind of stuff. So, it was a really weird transition from going completely online to coming now in person in these past few semesters. Jeanine: Yeah so what was that like for you to start mentoring like kind of in person and kind of virtually to being like almost fully in person because that was your first year right was like maybe 50-50 and now it's just like yeah everybody wants to meet a person Yendira: Well the benefit from online is you can just be in the comfort of your own bed in your pajamas and still meet with your mentees. Jeanine: That's so true Yendira: And then they weren't gonna care well at least I hope you guys didn't care if I was in my pajamas. I know you guys were too so it's fine. So I mean we would just have the casual conversations and just like yeah just chillaxing just trying to get the work done and that kind of stuff and now versus going fully in person, it was kind of awkward at first just because I didn't know how to start the conversation now that it would be in face, in person, because at that point, all of their five senses were starting. Like they could like see me they can like, hear me they can like, interact in whatever way they wanted and I just didn't want to make a fool out of myself to these guys. Jeanine: yYeah I can totally relate to that because when you were my mentee right we were for the most part online. Yendira: yeah Jeanine: And then the year that you became a mentor I wasn't necessarily mentoring but I was still working with the team and then now this year I'm like whoa okay hold on I've never done this before. Yendira: I know they give me a sec here let me readjust guys let me retrain myself Jeanine: Yeah that was a whole process within itself, but I'm curious outside of you wanting to help people become comfortable what not, why'd you become a mentor in the first place? Yendira: For me it's a funny story I wasn't considering being a mentor. I don't know it just like I was recommended for it. Jeanine: By me Yendira: Of course by Jeanine she wrote me into it and I was like all right I'll check it out I saw the job posting and I was like okay it doesn't seem too crazy like why not let's give it a shot. I mean at, generally at the time, being completely honest I just needed a job on campus so I was like I don't care what job it is I just need something to help me get by and like get my personal bills out of the way and whatnot, help my parents out for paying college and everything. Jeanine: Yeah Yendira: And so that's really what it was at first but then as I started like getting the training for a camp for being a mentor and like Janine was telling me all about it I was like you know what, like this actually sounds interesting and it sounds fun and the only reason why I love it so much now is because, again going back to experiences I don't want people to have to feel like they have to face something alone like I knew I could trust you whenever I needed something. Jeanine: Aw Yendira: So that's even though sometimes well starting off with the spring first semester I kind of was slightly ignoring you at first. Jeanine: Yeah… Yendira: Not wanting to meet with you I was like no I'll be fine I don't need a mentor and well look, here we are now. And so so I just didn't want people to have to feel like they can face their struggles alone like there's someone out there that cares about them and there's someone out there that's willing to like put all of their like effort and give them everything that they need to the best of their ability to make sure they're successful and just being happy in general. Jeanine: Yeah yeah well with that do you have any advice for any incoming transfer students or just transfer students in general out there? Yendira: Um, to all of my transfer students and potential incoming transfer students, just have fun with it while you do. Because I was here for about two years and let me tell you, time flies by real quick, like there are some stuff that I kind of regret not doing well during my time here so just take full advantage of it. You meet the best of people here we have so many transfer events that go on throughout. Great way to get connected with people you never know you might find your best friend through it, I mean shoot here me and Jeanine right now man best friends going strong, so just have fun with it take as much time as you need to finish with your education and yeah just, just be happy honestly. Jeanine: Yeah and on that like I've transferred to NAU almost four years ago. Here I am, you know five years of college later! Yendira: There we go Jeanine: But, yeah all right, so since you've already graduated and it's been about a semester… Yendira: Ah yes Jeanine: What kind of plans do you have now or what have you been up to? Yendira: so since graduating I was kind of stressed out just because I needed to find something to line up after it after it, but I was just already stressed out as it is with like graduating on time like finishing my assignments and like finishing up my like mentoring responsibilities and what not and like personal stuff going on outside of my life, so I was just like you know, I'm just taking the semester off and that's what I did. I took the spring semester off just to figure out what I want to do, like what kind of industry do I want to look forward to, and then just have the opportunity just spent time with my family and friends just because since after high school I immediately started working and I haven't stopped like nonsense, or non-stop since then since then yes, and so I felt like this was the time to just take a step back and take a breather and just do what I want to do for once you know. Jeanine: Yeah Yendira: So yea, that's what I've been doing. I do have a few interviews lined up for some jobs so wish me luck and we'll see how that goes. Jeanine: All right, well, anything else you want to share with the crowd? Yendira: hmm… Jeanine: I mean If not it's fine. Yendira: I wasn't expecting you to ask me that so I gotta think about it okay I got it okay. Go Jacks go, transfer students, go Transfer Jacks, ye ye! Jeanine: All right well thank you Yendira Yendira: Of course Jeanine: It was a pleasure for joining us today and coming all the way from your hometown a couple hours away from Flagstaff um, I very much appreciate you taking the time to join us and to share your transfer story with us Yendira: Well, thank you for having me and honestly I wasn't expecting being featured in an episode but I was like you know, the time has come let's go for it.