It’s not often that I am completely caught off guard, but
this definitely took me by surprise. It
was a normal Thursday, a little chilly compared to the rest of the week, but
still good bubble weather. I stopped at
Target on my way in (as I do about once a week) since my friend Bella was in
dire need of caffeine, and since I needed snacks for my drawer it was no
hardship. I got my desk in order and
promptly dove into the large stack of financial aid applications. In retrospect there were a few things that
should have tipped me off that something was not right.
I suppose I need to provide a little bit of background
information. I worked for a non-profit
organization that works in conjunction with other organizations to strengthen
and build communities. Every employee
and volunteer needs to pass a criminal background check since our organization
works with children and potentially sensitive information. My last few weeks have been occupied by
processing mounds of financial aid application, and hundreds of product request
forms. I had been sending out emails by
the hundreds, asking for additional information in order to process the
applications, and I began getting responses in the beginning of June.