Discovering Resilience and Professional Transformation: Clarissa Mae Calimbas

SA Voices From the Field

Welcome back to SA Voices From the Field. In this episode, titled "Discovering Resilience: Clarissa Mae Calimbas' Story of Professional Transformation," we are joined by Clarissa Mae Calimbas, Assistant Director for Student Organizations at San Jose State University. Clarissa Mae takes us on a journey through her professional career, from her early days as a transfer student to her current role overseeing 350 student organizations. She shares her experiences of being terminated from her first professional position during the height of the pandemic, and how she found the strength to rebuild her professional confidence.

Through her story, Clarissa Mae reveals the importance of finding the right fit and staying true to one's values, even in the face of uncertainty. We also delve into the topic of transitions in Student Affairs, exploring the challenges faced by professionals and the various opportunities for growth and development.

Join us as we dive deep into Clarissa Mae's inspiring journey and gain valuable insights into navigating transitions, building resilience, and finding one's voice in the world of Student Affairs.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:00:02]:

Welcome to Student Affairs Voices from the Field, the podcast where we share your student affairs stories from fresh perspectives to seasoned experts. This is season nine on transitions in Student Affairs. This podcast is brought to you by NASPA. And I'm Dr. Jill Creighton. She her hers your essay, Voices from the Field. Host

Welcome back to a new episode of SA voices where our Transitions guest today is Clarissa Mae Calimbas. Clarissa Mae is the assistant director for student organizations at San Jose State University, or SJSU. In her role, she oversees the recognition and compliance processes of 350 plus recognized student organizations. She did her undergrad at SJSU, where she majored in Child and Adolescent development and completed her master's in Educational leadership at Old Dominion University. Clarissa Mae is also a current first year doctoral student studying Educational Leadership at SJSU. Outside of work, Clarissa Mae enjoys going to Orange Theory Fitness and learning how to DJ. You can connect with her on Linkedin. You can find her on Twitter @_Clarissamae or on Instagram @_Clarissamae. Clarissa, welcome to the show.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:01:14]:

Hi.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:15]:

How's it going for our listeners? Clarissa and I met, I think, two annual conferences ago, maybe two or three annual conferences ago now when we were doing some sort of I think it was a scavenger hunt for discord. Does that sound right?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:01:27]:

Yeah, it was like a discord group.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:29]:

And I ended up finding you in person at the Apikc Social.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:01:33]:

Yes. Now I'm starting to remember. Yeah, that tracks.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:01:35]:

We're glad to have you today to talk about your transitions in higher education. We always like to kick off our episodes by asking our guests how they got to their current seat.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:01:44]:

That is such a good question. I've been really reflecting on this because this academic year is my fifth year as a professional, and I also currently work at my alma mater. So it's been exactly ten years since I first attended my current institution that I work at. How did I get there? I think I first came in as a transfer student. Didn't really like, there wasn't much for transfer students to get involved, and I kind of put myself out there because all my friends were out there, and then people took notice and were like, hey, you're good at this. You should do this field of student affairs. And they always told me, if you're going to go do this, you have to go away before you come back. And so I went to grad school across the country before coming back to my home state of California, worked at a couple institutions. Before I came into my current position, I've been in an interim role, and then I came back as a coordinator, and then just this past May, actually, last week was three months into my new role as an assistant director.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:02:49]:

Congratulations. That's a major, major thing to especially get that interim title taken off it's.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:02:54]:

Been surreal to kind of been in two interim roles before coming back and being able to permanently be an employee.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:03:00]:

That interim space is one of the reasons I'm really excited to talk to you about your transitions on the show for this season. I think that interim space for people who have never been in it is a little bit nebulous. And so I'm wondering if you can talk about why you decided to take an interim position, as well as what it's like to transition into a space that, you know, is a bit ephemeral.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:03:21]:

Yeah. So I had actually done my first interim appointment in 2017, and it was the first it was kind of my first paraprofessional job at the time. They had offered it to me as a way to prepare me before I went off to graduate school, and that is exactly what it did for me. And I finished my grad program, came back to my home state, worked at other institutions, and in 2021, I was actually terminated from my first position as a professional. And it was tough because it was like, at the peak of COVID and I wasn't sure if I was going to come back into student affairs. And so I took a job working as a sales associate at Orange Theory Fitness, where I would sell memberships and help set up the equipment for the coaches and whatnot. And another position at my current institution had opened up. A search had failed, so they had to move people around, and there was an opening, and they reached out to me because they knew, of course, it got terminated. She's searching, she's grinding it out. And they reached out to me and had offered me an interim appointment. And I work at one of the California state universities, so I work at one of the 23 campuses. When you're appointed an interim role, it's anywhere between four to six months. And I had just started at Orange Theory. I think I was like one or two weeks in when they called and were like, hey, we want you to come work for us. And I had actually interviewed for a job there and didn't get moved on as a final candidate. So for me, I had some animosity, but I was like, I have nothing to lose at this point. I needed the insurance, I needed the benefits, and it was a place that I was so familiar with, and I felt safe enough to kind of rebuild my confidence as a professional. And so I took the job, and I was also applying to other institutions for a permanent role. And so once I had landed a permanent role at another institution, I ended my interim appointment, and I worked at this other school for six months. And once they opened up the role for my first permanent position at the institution I'm at, I jumped at the opportunity to apply. So I was with institution B for six months. And then I moved back to Institution A, which is the institution I'm at now. And I was also told, hey, you've applied for this job you've interviewed. You deserve to be here. And I had done the work before and that was kind of like that common, like, we want you and I want you. So to be in that interim space is really scary because it's like for me, I felt like I was on a time crunch to apply, apply. But also I think for me it was a scary time, right. Because it's like you're not guaranteed permanency. You're not guaranteed the idea of, oh, that safety net of having a permanent job. And so being in that unknown professionally is just really scary. When your livelihood is on the line.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:06:10]:

You said something really important and very real for American student affairs professionals, which is when you don't have a job, you may not have health insurance. And that puts an interesting crunch on a job search that doesn't exist for professionals in many, many other parts of the world. So I think that puts a lot of pressure on these types of transitions, more so than you might see other places. So I actually want to back up a little bit to the moment where you started to figure out how are you going to get on your feet after that first job came to an end and you ended up in a sales associate position. So just not necessarily aligned with your training and your master's degree and things like that. So how did you make the determination that sales was the place that you wanted to get on your feet?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:06:51]:

Yeah, so I was let go in early May and I used all of June. I wasn't going to apply. I was just going to really sit and process and also going back to the whole thing about health and the benefits. I was told your benefits were going to end like that end of the month in May. So I took advantage and booked all my appointments to make sure that I was going to use it until I was covered that whole like two or three months. When I didn't have healthcare benefits or insurance, I knew I could go into sales. And I chose Orange Theory specifically because I was a member of the studio. And so I kind of had always had so much respect for the people that worked at the front desk. I've had a lot of respect for some of the coaches. Some of the coaches were actually student affairs professionals. Like this was their side hustle. And I'd always joked around like, hey, I want to be a coach one day. Maybe this will be my side hustle. I'm currently in a doctoral program, so this Orange Theory side hustle for me is after the doctorate. But I knew I wanted to go into Sales because I knew the money was kind of there. I knew we were going to be paid on commission and it was biweekly, so I knew I would have some sort of security, like financial security and financial stability coming through until I could get fully on my feet and figure out everything else.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:08:11]:

So then you decided, okay, I'm going to head back into the land of higher education. Thought process did you go that? Yes, you were going to make that decision?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:08:21]:

I wasn't sure if I was going to go back into higher ed. I just want to give a shout out to everyone in Apikc that who knew what was going on to me at the time. They were sending me job postings. They knew I was location bound. They were helping me with my resume, all the interview prep. As much as I thought my heart wasn't in it anymore, other people could see that I was really meant to be in the profession and I'm really meant to be in the field. And I think if I didn't have that community and that network, I for sure would have been out of the field by now. So I think it's so important when you're going through transitions, whether it's personal or professional, to really have that network and have that community of people that just hold you accountable.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:09:04]:

And so when you're thinking about the things that mentorship did for you and your support in this process, what are some of the best pieces of advice you got from mentors?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:09:13]:

The best piece of advice that I had got from a mentor was that and I learned this the hard way, it was that my first job was not going to be my dream job. And I think I had had these rose colored glasses in the time that I was in that first position where I was like, oh my God, I'm actually a student affairs professional. It's all great and whatnot, and when that plug gets pulled, suddenly it's a wake up call. And I realized once someone pointed it out to me was I had seen it as a dream job, but that wasn't the case based on how I was being treated, but also just how much I was putting in and not really seeing the payoff there. I think one of my favorite pieces of advice was that all of this happening to me was just building character in the end. It's not the end for me, but I think had I gone through this later on in my life, I probably would have left the field and not looked back. And I think to be able to go through this so early in my professional career, like first job, I think it's built that grit and resiliency that they don't really teach you in grad programs. And that's also the first time where I really learned what Fit meant and how important and how it's okay to really put into perspective what is important to you, like what are your values and whatnot? Because I felt like I lost so much of my values and what mattered to me in that first position, just trying to fit in and trying to be the perfect employee that in the end it didn't work out and who ultimately lost it was me.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:10:45]:

And I always like to be careful about the word fit because how it can be weaponized to marginalize people. But what I'm hearing you say is there was a values misalignment between what you were hoping to do and what the institution maybe was looking for.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:10:59]:

Yes, that was something hard to sit with. And I think one of the earliest red flags for me was watching the other color of people leave on my team. They all had left within the first 88 days of me starting in this role. And it's so easy to count because we were on a 90 day probation when you first get hired. And so every month since I had started in that role, someone had always left and it was always someone who was of color. And so when you're the only person of color and a predominantly white team working at a very marginalized serving institution, I felt like I had the worries of my students on my backs and trying to carry that and bring it to the table and advocate for them was tough.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:11:45]:

Then we are really talking about fit in that kind of coded, pushing out marginalized populations kind of way. And I think that's something that we need to remain conscious of in student affairs and really in all professions on how that can be used as a weaponized tool to further marginalize those who already struggle systemically to be included. So you've then decided that, yes, you are going to employ that grit for yourself and you're going to try again, you're going to reenter the field. You did this interim role, you took a second position after that. So how did you take that grit that you've self described as well as the things that you process to say yes to coming back into student affairs?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:12:28]:

That was such a good question. I think after processing everything and the grit and that resilience, I think it's knowing that this is my own experience and no one has the same experience as me and the same thought process and being able to take that and bring it with me wherever I go. I used to be so ashamed to talk about what had happened to me and now I'm not afraid to speak up about it and talk about it and lead into how it's made me into a better professional now. It's helped me better understand every different things and different issues students go through. I feel like I came back with a thicker skin, which I think is so important to have in this field. And I think now coming back and feeling like I'm a little stronger, and I'm a little more. I have wisdom, and my opinions and my thoughts really matter. It's given me the opportunity to speak up more. I used to be so scared to speak up. I used to be so scared to talk about my ideas. But I think the experience of all these transitions and all of these experiences, good and bad, has just kind of made me into the person that I am now, where I'm a little more unapologetic now.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:36]:

As a professional, we always need women of color to be less apologetic.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:13:39]:

Yeah. Period.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:13:41]:

So as you've grown into your career, now you're sitting in an Assistant Director seat. I believe you went from being a member of your team to being part of the leadership team in your department. Is that right?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:13:50]:

I started in the office May 2022 as a coordinator, and then in May 2023, I started as the Assistant Director. So they treated it just like a typical search, where it was like the job posted and I applied and interviewed. And it is so hard and so scary to interview in front of your coworkers because they know you and they know your personality. And I think to be able to do that and get over that fear and to also be in this position I've been in this Assistant Director role for three months. And then just full context, our Director has just started last Thursday, so we have a brand new Director. We have an interim Associate Director, and a couple of openings on our team.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:14:36]:

Tell us about how you prepared to interview with people that you already know and who know you.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:14:41]:

I think what carried me through in that preparation was I knew what was on the line because the previous role that I was doing, it was a coordinator for Student orgs role, and it's one person that oversees 350 student organizations. It's a lot of compliance work, and I feel like misunderstandings where no one really knows what you're doing. And the easiest way that I explain it to people is that, oh, I just look at spreadsheets and I grade canvas quizzes and I email people, but there's just a lot of behind the scenes that nobody really gets to see. And so I knew personally what my role consisted of as the coordinator, and I knew what the coordinator needs from the Assistant Director. And so I carried that thought process with me as I was preparing for the interview. Preparing for the presentation was like, if there's anyone that knows what this job is going to need, it's going to be me. And being a woman of color, where's the line between being cocky and being actually confident was something that I had struggled with, like preparing for the interview. And also the role that I'm currently in is also brand new. So I'm like the first person, so I feel like there's a lot of weight carried on in terms of, like, I have to perform a certain way. I said I would do XYZ Am I going to be able to do it? I don't have a coordinator underneath me, so I feel like I put a lot of pressure on myself to really be great, but also not let anyone down on my team.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:16:12]:

And you prevailed, so your strategy was a good one.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:16:15]:

Yes, and I'm surprised it worked. Why? I think because of just feeling like I'm always misunderstood and no one really kind of understanding my thought process and how I process things. And so I think to be able to articulate it in a way where people actually understood it in this one moment in this presentation that I had to give for my interview, where in my head, I feel like I'm fighting for my life. I will never forget when I came back to work the next day, there was a lot of buzz with the team. I didn't know you could be this confident. I didn't know you can bring it like that. I think a lot of the times people just kind of see me as really laid back and kind of quiet and minding my business. And I think the person they saw in that interview was someone who doesn't really show out that way on a daily basis.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:17:03]:

And now that you've occupied the role for a couple of months, how has that changed the way you approach your team and the work?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:17:10]:

It was interesting because they consider it a promotion, which I understand. For me, the way that I approach my work has shifted significantly because I'm also in the doctoral program. So I'm balancing work, I'm balancing school, which is really exciting. But I remember being offered the job, and I was told there's going to be some dynamics that change, and I didn't understand that at the time. Sometimes I feel like I'm excluded from my coworkers. Now they're on the coordinator level and I'm on the assistant director level. And in our office, if you're an assistant director or an associate director or the director, you're considered the leadership team. And I understand that that is part of the process of being a leader. It's hard. I'm such a people person, and so being excluded kind of hurts sometimes. But now I'm beginning to understand that that's okay because I have other besties and other friends and partners across campus who are in the same parallel position as me, where it's like we also are on leadership teams for our offices, and we can't just vent down, and so we just vent across to each other.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:18]:

That's one of the most interesting things about coming into mid level leadership, is that you're a part of many teams, a junior member of some teams, you're a senior member of other teams, you're in the middle of some teams. And that really changes the way that we process and talk about information, I think, either consciously or subconsciously.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:18:33]:

I think since joining the leadership team at work, I've definitely been a little more conscious about what I share and what I open up to the team in terms of operations or what's going on with other coworkers, just because I now understand that some things are better kept private. Or it's like, I would rather you find out from senior leadership than from me because I'm still brand new.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:18:57]:

So kind of looking at the culmination of all the transitions you've had over the last couple of years, what would you like to say to past Clarissa when these transitions all began?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:19:07]:

Oh, my God. I would tell Past Clarissa that everything you're going through, it's not the end of the world. You're going to be okay. Take a deep breath. I feel like, at the time, I thought it was the end of the world. I thought it was the end of my professional reputation, and I thought no one was going to want to hire me because I just had so much trauma. Like, I was carrying that with me professionally. And I think I would tell Past Clarissa, too, that everything you want is on the other side of fear. You just have to be able to get over it, whether that's going to therapy, whether that's just kind of facing it head on. There's good people out there that will always be in your corner and support you. And I know this process of transition and coping and processing, it's not possible to do this all alone. And I'm just so thankful that so many people just had my back and really pushed me to, like, hey, you need to get uncomfortable. You're wasting your own potential by not going after this job, by not coming back into the field.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:10]:

That is such a word. Everything you want is on the other side of fear. Good nugget, Clarissa.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:20:15]:

Thanks.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:16]:

So let's look at it in the other direction, too. What do you want to tell future Clarissa two years from now Clarissa or three years from now?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:20:22]:

I would love to tell her to just not stress, and I just say that very candidly because I'm going through a lot of health issues right now, and I know part of it is just all rooted in stress. And I would love to tell future Clarissa, like, hey, you made it through all this. Let's take care of ourselves now. And I think the most exciting thing that I would want to tell my future self is, like, you got everything you want because you worked hard for it, and don't ever let anyone undermine the work that you've put in to.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:20:53]:

Get to where you are and then thinking about your kind of holistic perspective as well. Is there anything that you would definitely want to repeat in terms of identifying how to transition successfully?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:21:04]:

I think speaking about it is so important. I used to be so scared and so embarrassed to tell people, hey, I'm going to apply for this job. Or like, hey, I'm thinking about making the jump from this functional area to that functional area because I was so afraid of what people would think about me or think about, like, oh, I don't think you're making the right career choice. And I think if there's anyone that's going to know you best, it's yourself and your instinct and your gut. And I think as much as I say I've had good people that have supported me, a lot of it has also been my instinct. I knew I could do this work. I know that I'm good at this, and I think that's also carried me. So I think from a holistic approach and thinking about all these transitions, I think your instinct carries you through it. I think talking about it too to the people that you know would support you and keep it very candid and honest with you are the ones are the one thing, two things that I could say have helped me in the.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:22:03]:

Last four or five years and also thinking about this whole process. Is there anything you wished you would have done differently? You mentioned talking about it, but anything else?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:22:10]:

I think what I wish I could have done differently, I wish COVID didn't happen. I graduated in 2019, so I had that fall semester in person and then 2020 to 2021, 2022, it's just a blur. And I just say that because I feel like it just took my prime years as a professional away. And so I've always been told that your first year to your fourth or fifth year is like your new professional years. And I felt the Pandemic really took my new professional years where I kind of only know things as remote and not really pre COVID. But I think the lessons that I learned through the Pandemic really helped. And going back to grit and resilience, if it wasn't for the Pandemic, it wouldn't have built all of these personality traits and these values for me. So it's kind of like good and bad.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:00]:

Also just state for the record that grit and resilience traits, oftentimes for women of color, come out of a system that wasn't built for us, and we have to figure out how to navigate that system. So I think it's awesome that you found yourself being able to build those traits. But I also would encourage and challenge anyone listening to the show today who has authority over a system to really look at how that system is built for people and not built for people. Because that's really the driving. Force behind real inclusion and real progressive deib for your organizations and all of the values that we talk about a lot and sometimes we struggle to operationalize.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:23:39]:

I love that. That was great retweet.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:43]:

I'm completely off of Twitter now, or X or whatever the heck that it's called. I had enough. I think my account I still own my username because I don't want anyone else to have my username, but haven't been active in a little while.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:23:55]:

Yeah, it's been tough with that whole change with X.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:23:58]:

More transitions.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:24:00]:

Yes.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:00]:

Any final advice you'd like to give our listeners on their own transitions or wisdom from yours?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:24:05]:

I think transitions can be such a beautiful thing. I think it's just how you look at it, because again, everything you want is on the other side of fear.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:24:13]:

It's time to take a quick break and toss it over to producer Chris to learn what's going on in the NASPA world.

Dr. Christopher Lewis [00:24:20]:

Welcome back to the NASPA World. Really excited to be able to talk to you again today. And there's a lot happening in NASPA. I know I say that every week, but it's true. So many opportunities to learn, to grow, to expand your horizon to the future that you have in front of you. And one of the things that is coming up in January january 24 to 27th in Atlanta, Georgia, is the 2024 NASPA Institute for Aspiring Vice Presidents for Student Affairs. We are currently seeking dedicated professionals to apply for the 2024 NASPA Institute for Aspiring Vice Presidents for Student Affairs. Make sure to block off a few minutes in your calendar as you look at the deadline that's coming up on October 15. This institute is a four day program for professionals considering or seeking to learn more about the Vice President for Student Affairs role. This application based program is an institute so unlike conferences where you may choose to participate or not in concurrent session, during this institute, all attendees will participate in the same cohort experience and are expected to engage fully in all aspects of the program. This is a powerful program that definitely prepares individuals to look at becoming a Vice President for Student Affairs. The ins, the outs, the positives, the negatives, everything in between, and you have a ton of great mentors that support you throughout the Institute and beyond. The institute faculty include claire Brody, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Anna G. Mendez University jose Luis Riera, Vice President for Student Life at the University of Delaware pauline Dabrowski, Vice President for Student Affairs at Stonehill College. Sheila Higgs Burkhalter, Vice President for Student Affairs at Winthrop University brian Mitra, Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management at Queensboro Community College melissa Shivers, Senior Vice President for Student Life at the Ohio State University and Alvin Sturdavant, Vice Provost for Student Development at Seattle University. If you think you want to be a Vice President for Student Affairs in the future, I highly encourage you to consider this great opportunity. And just remember, the deadline for applying is October 15. Another great professional development opportunity that really falls into our last season of the podcast is the fifth European Conference for Student Affairs and Services. ASPA is partnering with Ayuka, which is. The European University College Association and Perodus College American Farm School as they all invite you to the fifth annual European Conference for Student Affairs and Services that's going to be held in Thessaloniki, Greece on November 9 through 11th. In a world where the availability, functionality and accessibility of technologies are growing exponentially and where new realities such as the metasphere appear, education providers need to reimagine their role in what is starting to be called the onlife world. Student affairs departments are well placed to support students in gaining invaluable experience, to get to know themselves better, and to grow and mature in this program. You can find out more about this program on the NASPO website. As you delve a little bit deeper, you're going to find that there are many different topics within this conference, including student affairs, staff preparation and professional development, career readiness and preparation for the future, mental health and well being and cultural skills and inclusive learning. The conference will definitely open your eyes to the broader world of student affairs outside of the United States and will open you to being able to consider perspectives that you may never have considered before. Highly encourage you to take a look at this conference and see if it's a right fit for you. Every week we're going to be sharing some amazing things that are happening within the association. So we are going to be able to try and keep you up to date on everything that's happening and allow for you to be able to get involved in different ways. Because the association is as strong as its members and for all of us, we have to find our place within the association, whether it be getting involved with a knowledge community, giving back within one of the centers or the divisions of the association. And as you're doing that, it's important to be able to identify for yourself where do you fit, where do you want to give back? Each week. We're hoping that we will share some things that might encourage you, might allow for you to be able to get some ideas that will provide you with an opportunity to be able to say, hey, I see myself in. That knowledge, community. I see myself doing something like that or encourage you in other ways that allow for you to be able to think beyond what's available right now, to offer other things to the association, to bring your gifts, your talents to the association and to all of the members within the association. Because through doing that, all of us are stronger and the association is better. Tune in again next week as we find out more about what is happening in NASPA.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:29:50]:

Chris, always appreciative of your work with the NASPA World segment, keeping our members updated on what's going on in and around the association. Clarissa, we have reached our lightning round, so I have seven questions for you in 90 seconds.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:04]:

You ready to go oh, my God, yes.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:06]:

I promise you already know the answers. Okay, question one if you were a conference keynote speaker, what would your entrance music be?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:15]:

Probably the man by Taylor Swift.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:17]:

Number two, when you were five years old, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:20]:

A pediatrician.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:21]:

Number three, who's your most influential professional mentor?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:24]:

Her name is Dr. Sanja Daniels. She's the associate vice president for Campus Life at San Jose State University.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:30]:

Number four. Your Essential Student Affairs.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:32]:

Read it's. The purple book from Anaspa. Asian Pacific Islanders. Knowledge, community understanding. I don't know the full title, but the Purple Book, that's what I call it.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:43]:

Number five, the best TV show you binged during the pandemic.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:46]:

This is gonna say so much about me, but Tiger King.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:50]:

Number six, the podcast you've spent the most hours listening to in the last year.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:30:54]:

It's a split between Call Her Daddy by Alex Cooper and the True Crime Podcast.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:30:59]:

And finally, any shout outs you'd like to give personal or?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:31:02]:

Oh, that's a good question. I just want to shout out my partner, Joshua Cruz, for letting me use his setup. I just want to give a shout out to the team at San Jose State University and student involvement. And I just want to give a shout out to my family, my mom, my had, my sister for being super supportive of me being in the doctoral program and just for letting me be in student affairs.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:21]:

And I know everyone can't see Clarissa's setup that borrowing from her partner, but it is kind of an epic, twitch streamer kind of situation.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:31:28]:

Yes.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:29]:

Got a lot of anime posters and giant professional microphones, so I hope that you're enjoying her audio quality today.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:31:37]:

Yeah, apparently this is supposed to be, like, smooth and crispy, like a microphone quality.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:31:41]:

Clarissa, if people would like to reach you after the show, how can they find you?

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:31:44]:

I am on LinkedIn. Just look up Clarissa May. That's M-A-E Columbus. And then I'm on Twitter or X at Underscore Clarissa May. And then I'm on Instagram at two. Underscores Clarissa May. I think that's the only three social media platforms I use.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:02]:

Thank you so very much for sharing your voice with us today.

Clarissa Mae Calimbas [00:32:05]:

Thank you. I had so much fun.

Dr. Jill Creighton [00:32:08]:

This has been an episode of Essay Voices from the Field, brought to you by NASPA. This show is always made possible because of you, our listeners. We are so grateful that you continue to listen to us season after season. If you'd like to reach the show, you can always email us at [e-mail] or find me on LinkedIn by searching for Dr. Jill L. Craighton. We welcome your feedback and topic and especially your guest suggestions. We'd love it if you take a moment to tell a colleague about the show. And please, like, rate and review us on Apple podcasts, spotify or wherever you're listening now. It really does help other student affairs professionals find the show and helps us become more visible in the larger podcasting community. This episode was produced and hosted by Dr. Jill L. Creighton. That's me. Produced and audio engineered by Dr. Chris Lewis. Guest coordination by Lu Yongru. Special thanks to Duke Kunshan University and the University of Michigan, Flint for your support as we create this project. Catch you next time.