Getting to Know... Andrew Fulton, continued

So I stuck around for another year as a graduate assistant and was hired on as the Assistant Director for the office while completing the masters in Higher Education Administration. For three years I was the assistant director, and then due to many changes at the upper administrator level, there was reorganizing in the division and I was asked to help out the student activities office where I continued to work with the orientation staff but was also asked to work with student organization and see what kind of institutional support we could give to the professional fraternities and honor societies.

The thing I like most about working in student affairs, especially in orientation, is the ability to work with students and help guide them to be successful leaders of the future. I have worked with many students who I met at various orientation events and ended up interviewing to be an orientation leader the next year and by the time they are seniors, they are taking leadership roles in orientation and many other organizations. It is a great feeling seeing how the students are able to mature in the course of 4 or 5 years from starting off as quiet and shy individuals to becoming great advocates for student involvement and being a true role model and ambassador for the institution.

In the brief time that you have been here, what do you like the most about San Antonio? There are two things that I like about San Antonio based on my limited exposure to the area. The first one is that everyone has been warm and welcoming and offered all sorts of assistance with directions, places to eat, and where to buy supplies. I have really appreciated this because I had never been to San Antonio before being interviewed and really needed some help getting settled and familiar with the area.

The other thing I like about the area is the cultural diversity that exists. San Antonio seems to have a good balance of people born and raised in Texas as well as those who have transplanted themselves from other parts of the country or world. I have appreciated this aspect since I am a transplant and will be getting accustomed to the traditions in San Antonio and the larger state as a whole.

What places do you want to visit here in San Antonio? I have not been able to do a large amount of research yet about places to go and things to do in San Antonio and elsewhere in Texas, but I am looking forward to some of the festivals that take place down at the Riverwalk. I just discovered that San Antonio has a zoo so I am looking forward to visiting that some day as well as going up to Austin to check out the city.

What’s your favorite Mexican dish? I enjoy quesadillas with chicken in them and some good pico de gallo. I look forward to exploring more Mexican dishes and broadening my horizons.