October 4, 2010
— john langford My life is a game of tetris, and I am winning.
Hello world,
My name is Allison. I transferred to The University of Texas at Austin this semester to begin my education in nursing. I am a licensed paramedic and I look forward to a career in emergency medicine and alternative healthcare. I am a native Austinite and I love my hometown, but I will be honest and admit that my insatiable wanderlust is kicking in and I am eagerly awaiting holiday break. (I’m thinking..Vermont!.. in January!) I have many hobbies of the mosaic, gardening, cooking and triathlon variety, but those have been significantly tailored to meet the demands of my new school and part-time work schedule at South Austin Hospital as a technician in the emergency room. I am in an undeniable adjustment phase since beginning my tenure at UT and I invite you all (y’all) to follow me through the next year in my quests to enrich the mind while living the life of a student-older-than-average (SOTA) and all the distracting responsibilities that go along with this life situation. It should be memorable and quite a ride.
On a side note, I’d like to comment that today marks the day of the shots fired on campus. I sat in my pharmacology class alongside hundreds of classmates for hours and wondered when I would get to feel a sense of safety again. My relief came in the form of a vigilant boyfriend awaiting my release outside police lines and for that I am thankful. May all stay safe and ever alert to their surroundings through this year and many to come. Bless all who walk these halls.
AT
September 28, 2010 | Permalink | 
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Comments are closed for this post5 Comments to My life is a game of tetris, and I am winning.
Ally, I’d type more but tears are getting in my way…..ever the sentimental type. Can’t tell you how much I admire you and am proud of you and the wonderful life you are carving out for yourself. Enjoy the “40 acres”……I certainly did while there. Go forth with a sense of joy and delightful expectancy…you deserve to win! ~Hugs and Hook ‘Em~
October 5, 2010
— Aunt Torre So another paramedic joins the “Dark Side” a.k.a. Nursing. Although I miss my days as a medic, nursing has definitely been good to me. I think being a SOTA myself was actually a benefit because I didn’t get caught up with all the partying and other stuff. Good luck in your studies!
October 7, 2010
— Jonathan Wilwayco Allison, I’m considering UT for nursing school. I’ll be visiting this weekend. Any advice for an incoming freshman? I see you were a paramedic first. Did this help with admittance? Thank you, Alex
October 12, 2010
— Alex Koentges Alex,
I’d love to be able to give you advice from the perspective of an incoming freshman, but I am a transfer into UT at age 25. I’m very unfamiliar with that realm of student life.
As for my paramedic licensure, I believe it may have helped my admittance in the sense that I have had medical experience before coming to UT. I certainly wouldn’t recommend you derailing your university attendance to go get a paramedic license first. I went for licensure first because my goal is emergency medicine as first, an RN and then a few years down the line, as a Nurse Practitioner.
That being said, I know that UT offers EMT-Basic courses through a few venues and I would highly recommend attending one of those. Much, much luck and contentment to you in your studies wherever those may take you, Alex.
All the best,
Allison
October 16, 2010
— Allison 
congratulations allison! i’m sitting in the coffee shop at the airport in fiji getting ready to board my flight to new zealand, so it was great to get your e-mail and see what you’ve been up to. be sure to shoot me an e-mail when you update your blog. you can read about my adventures at http://www.CosmicCandidCamera.com.
big love from the south pacific,
john