Dear Students,
The spring equinox is next week, on March 19, 2024 at 11:06pm Eastern time. The spring equinox marks the moment when the sun sits directly over the Earth's equator as it heads northward. The Northern and Southern Hemispheres share the sun's rays equally at the equinox, and night and day are roughly the same length. I have already noticed more light out our classroom window in the evening as we end Group Dynamics. Such a small change makes a huge difference in my mood and outlook. Spring flowers are starting to bloom around New York City, the air is warmer, and the anticipation of a picnic in Central Park, a glass of rose at an outdoor café, an open-air concert, and just foregoing a coat, all make me feel excited for the change in season. Also, the Comp is over!
I know how busy and full your days are. I know there is a lot going on at every level of your lives – individual, family, school, work, community, city, country, world – a systems perspective anyone? It’s a lot. Many of you shared with me this week that you feel stressed. You are not alone! I keep telling myself I will start a regular meditation practice. It hasn’t happened yet, but the Calm app continues to send me enticing emails telling me I should. Maybe this spring is my time. One of their recent emails offered this and I thought it was a good moment to share it:
Feeling truly rested is about more than sleep (aka physical rest). So, the next time you feel tired, ask yourself which type of rest you really need to catch up on.
- Mental rest — when was the last time you meditated?
- Sensory rest — how long since you last took a break from your phone or sat in actual silence?
- Social rest — If people drain your battery, it’s time to say no. Otherwise, call a friend for some social interaction.
Wishing all of you the kind of rest you most need and lots of it over the break. See you when it’s officially Spring!
Warmly,
Current Student Profile
Deep Patel is a second-year full-time student in the S-OP MA Program. Born and raised in New Jersey, Deep obtained a BA in Psychology with a minor in Business Administration from Rutgers University. Post graduation, he worked at a clinic providing mental health services to clients with a wide range of conditions. There, he was introduced to the intricacies of human behavior and wanted to apply it to an organizational space, which sparked his interest in Social-Organizational/IO Psychology.
Currently, Deep works at Madison Square Garden where he applies his learning to develop best practices for how venue employees and managers work together, focusing on leadership development, learning and development, and group dynamics. His recent internships at VNS Health and SageSure gave him experience in performance management transformation and succession planning. Deep values these varied opportunities, which allowed him to learn about different industries, experience different leadership, and work with different teams to create a unique worldview on what effective and ever-changing organization development looks like.
Outside of course lectures and readings, Deep enjoys consuming content within the field in other ways. Some of his favorites include Adam Grant's Worklife/Rethinking podcast and books by Malcom Gladwell (Tipping Points and Outliers). In his free time, Deep stays active through running (currently training for a half-marathon), weightlifting, and trying new things, like pickleball and rock climbing. Music and going to concerts is also a passion- his favorites include The Weeknd, Khalid & Russ. You can connect with Deep on LinkedIn here!
Alumni Profile
Tolley St.Clair (she/her) likes breaking down processes - and putting them back together again. She started her career at Airrosti in San Antonio, TX in the Business Development Department. There, she enjoyed liaising with clients and internal departments to ensure every person was set up for success. She then moved to NYC and was part of the Institutional Effectiveness Department at Berkeley College, where she worked to make dashboards and reporting accessible for all departments, at all levels. She led the employee engagement surveys and soon fell in love with connecting data and the human side of the organization. Tolley then moved to WPP's Global Culture & Engagement Team to lead the global employee engagement survey of 20,000+ employees. She worked with DEI and L&D Leaders to ensure that everyone at WPP had a positive and inclusive experience. Most recently, Tolley led HR Operations, Total Rewards, and Compliance at Runwise, a climate-tech startup based in NYC. She is starting a new position as Senior Manager, People Business Partner at Brainlabs shortly and looks forward to connecting business operations and people teams.
Tolley started the MA S-OP Program in Fall 2019 as a part-time student and very quickly transitioned to remote learning. She was thrilled to return to campus in Fall 2021 to complete her Master's in person. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Trinity University. Tolley currently lives in the NYC area and you can connect with her on LinkedIn here!
Tolley St.Clair (she/her) likes breaking down processes - and putting them back together again. She started her career at Airrosti in San Antonio, TX in the Business Development Department. There, she enjoyed liaising with clients and internal departments to ensure every person was set up for success. She then moved to NYC and was part of the Institutional Effectiveness Department at Berkeley College, where she worked to make dashboards and reporting accessible for all departments, at all levels. She led the employee engagement surveys and soon fell in love with connecting data and the human side of the organization. Tolley then moved to WPP's Global Culture & Engagement Team to lead the global employee engagement survey of 20,000+ employees. She worked with DEI and L&D Leaders to ensure that everyone at WPP had a positive and inclusive experience. Most recently, Tolley led HR Operations, Total Rewards, and Compliance at Runwise, a climate-tech startup based in NYC. She is starting a new position as Senior Manager, People Business Partner at Brainlabs shortly and looks forward to connecting business operations and people teams.
Tolley started the MA S-OP Program in Fall 2019 as a part-time student and very quickly transitioned to remote learning. She was thrilled to return to campus in Fall 2021 to complete her Master's in person. She holds a Bachelor's in Business Administration from Trinity University. Tolley currently lives in the NYC area and you can connect with her on LinkedIn here!