I feel like my first year at RIVA has flown by so quickly. It doesn’t feel that long ago that I was looking for my first “big girl job.” After weeks of job searching, I stumbled upon RIVA. Like any first day at a new job, my nerves took over. I remember leaving my house extra early to be punctual, but I ended up using the extra minutes in my car to get myself together. All the nerves went away when I realized how welcoming the RIVA team is.
Learning new tasks, in a new environment, is always a challenge at first. One staff member mentioned that it was like learning to ride a bike. Overtime my job became like a sixth sense…unless the printer decided it didn’t want to work that day. When my probation period was over, I felt an overwhelming sense of independence., I loved it but I was also scared. What if I mess up? What if I make a huge mistake? I always found myself second guessing myself.
One thing I learned about myself while at RIVA is that I was a better problem solver than I thought. For example, when I was assigned my first 201V class as the tech alone, I was so anxious. After many, many 201, 207, 303, etc, the list of courses could go on, I feel way more comfortable. Of course, there are times when I do need help, luckily RIVA staff is always there.
A lot of people, including myself, thought that as an Administrative Assistant, tasks would only include; organizing, emailing, filing, phone calls, etc. At RIVA, I have the opportunity to assist in other areas of the company, mainly training. Because of this, I started to understand more about RIVA and its purpose. I have the opportunity of meeting new people every month during trainings. I’ve gotten the chance to edit documents, reports, see how a focus group runs, participate in trainings, help with transcripts, help create designs, & much more.
There’s many times when I’m hard on myself because I know how hard the staff at RIVA work. I don’t want to let anyone down because they have done a lot for me, not just as coworkers but as friends.
On a more personal note, 2023 held a lot of life events. I got a job at RIVA, I moved into my own place, and my beautiful daughter was born. The Rivettes were more than happy to celebrate these milestones with me. If I could describe my first year at RIVA, it would be life–changing.
Written by: Rhea Baesa, Administrative Assistant at RIVA