The Fellowship

No, this isn’t a post about some Lord of the Rings experience. I’m applying for Chancellor’s Fellowship. It is a program sponsored by the chancellor of the community college system in VA. The award allows a community college employee to take up to one academic year off to pursue a degree at a state-funded school. Since I’m already in a BS degree program at a state funded school it’s perfect, but wait, it gets even better. The program not only allows me to take off while holding my position, it pays me half my salary while I’m doing it, it gives me financial support with tuition costs and I keep all my regular benefits (i.e. – health insurance, retirement, 401K, etc). That’s a sweet deal! They award only two fellowships per fiscal year system-wide though. That means every employee that applies from each of the 23 community colleges has a chance. I’m hoping the odds are in my favor. There is also a vote before the system board to increase the pay amount to three fourths.

If I’m selected for the program, I’ll have to take two classes this summer to prepare for it. That means I probably won’t be able to go anywhere for more than a weekend on vacation. The opportunity is great, but it will require that Salve goes back to work temporarily. She is ready to make that sacrifice and I’m grateful. The bonus to it all might be that she can work in my position while I’m out. My boss has said he would probably hire a temp to work in my place during the absence. Salve is qualified and has a decent shot at getting the job. It would be the ideal situation because she would gain employment for the exact amount of time needed with no strings attached. We also have to make sure we get Chloe into an all-day pre-school for next year, which we were already planning to do. We’re taking a dive here into uncharted waters. It’s scary and exciting at the same time.

I found a funny online sitcom that is worth mentioning, We Need Girlfriends. It’s a hilarious low-budget series about three recently single, kind of dorky guys. YouTube or Google it and watch a few episodes. Good stuff.