That's All Folks!

Well guys, it's that time of year. Graduation time!! I am currently working on my last project and then I am done!! Right now I'm doing my final portfolio for my Middle Level Education class and decided to take a little break and say my goodbye! Since I'm a Senior I won't be returning to blog in the fall so this will be my last blog. I really enjoyed sharing my college experience with you (Even if I did not do so good this term - Sorry!) and I hope you learned something about what it's like to be a Mercyhurst Laker!

My plans for the summer are to return to my usual job hostessing at a local restaurant that I've worked at since I was a freshman, do a little work as a secretary for a school near my house and maybe get some volunteer hours in at the Pittsburgh Refugee Center. I'm also running my first 5k! It's in Columbus, Ohio and it's called "The Color Run" their slogan is "The Happiest 5K on the Planet" and I don't think they are lying! And let's not forget I'll be lesson planning for my student teaching in the fall! So I'd say my summer is pretty packed!

This is a promo vide for the Color Run! :) I can't wait!

I'll be spending the next few days packing up my apartment, hanging out with friends, saying goodbyes and preparing for graduation. I can't believe it's already here and I know I definitely am not ready to leave Mercyhurst behind! I've made amazing friends that i know I will have for a long time, and I;ve had some wonderful experiences and great memories. Mercyhurst became my second home for the past four years, and I'm sad that I have to leave.

So to all my friends, classmates, professors, faculty & staff at Mercyhurst - Thank you, it's been great.

Some of the best girls I know at our last Ambassador event!

Hockey and Soccer and Radio Shows!

Howdy everyone! Sorry for such a long break! The past few weeks have been insane up here at the Hurst! First of all a huge congrats to our Mens and Womens Hockey teams who both went on to their respective playoffs in Rochester and Wisconsin a few weeks ago. The games were amazing - and the fan support was unreal! We rocked the Mercyhurst Ice Center (MIC) Friday, Saturday and then again on Sunday to rally a win over Holy Cross.

Next up - Soccer Club! We are currently in full swing getting into Spring Term - which is why I've been so incredibly busy! We are in charge of the soccer intramurals this year which is great because we are helping them revamp the process a bit to make it a bit more streamlined. We start our games NEXT WEEK! Crazy! Intramurals are free, co-ed and you have to have one girl on the field at all times, we play 7v7 including a goalie, and play in the evenings after classes have ended. There are playoffs at the end concluding in a championship game - prizes included!

My team winning 3rd Place at the Fall Equinox Tournament!

We are also planning our Spring Equinox Tournament! This is a fundraiser for the club, and we host a tournament for students to participate in and win great prizes. This is separate from Intramurals where we plan the games tournament style and it is all one on one or two weekend nights.

Finally - we are also going to an International Friendly Tournament down at Slippery Rock University in April! I'm so excited for this, because we will get to play teams from other schools all around the area and across the state! This will be a fun and competitive tournament which will be a nice change from our regular pick up games, which aren't really very competitive.

And finally - I've been Clinical II placement for the past 3 weeks now and love it. I taught my first full lesson on Monday and it was great! We read a radio-play as a class and then the students were given several options of an assignment to complete. My co-operating teacher and my supervisor had really positive things to say about my lesson - which is great feed back and is making me way less nervous about actually student teaching in the fall!

Right now I'm off to lunch with some friends at the Laker Inn, and then playing soccer with the club tonight - because it's gorgeous outside!!

So if you're somewhere where the weather has been fantastic, get off the computer and get outside and enjoy it!

Later Lakers.

Last Spring Term!

Hey everyone!!

Spring term has just gotten started here at the Hurst! I came back up to Erie well rested and ready for Spring after spending a wonderful week in Marco Island, Florida relaxing on the beach with my friends!

We built a giant sand fort :)

As I mentioned in my previous post I am taking Clinical 2, but I'm also taking Pedagogy and Practice of Middle Level Education, as well as Language and Literacy II. The Clinical 2 class is one of my most important classes - I spend this whole term going into a local middle school two days a week and have a seminar on Friday Mornings.  Pedagogy and Practice focuses on teaching methods that we can use later in our classrooms. Language and Literacy II is a class that looks at how to teach kids to read, write and focus on how to promote literacy in all classes.

I really like my classes this term and am super excited to see what I will learn! I'm headed to dinner with my roommates shortly - it's Breakfast for Dinner in the cafe! :) Can't wait!!

Catch ya later

Oh it's FINALLY FINALS!

Hey everyone!
Just one last blog before I take my last final and head down to the sunny, sandy beautiful warm beaches of Florida!! The past few days up here at the Hurst have been very busy for everyone! I have had a project and final paper due for my Applied Linguistics class on Tuesday and my last final is on Wednesday for Environmental Problem Solving! YAY Only one left!

The end of the term is always crazy with projects, presentations, tests and all that jazz. But I'm excited for a few very exciting things coming up in the next week and term! I start my Clinical 2 for Education - so scary/exciting! I can't wait to get into the classroom and meet my students and cooperating teacher! Shortly after we get back from Spring Break, we have Spring Tea for Ambassadors! This is the celebration for the whole club where the new pledges are inducted and receive their fantastic green jackets! For the Seniors it is the formal goodbye from the club. It's really fun - we sing, we give awards and after - we have tea! Also coming up is my final undergrad term here at Mercyhurst! I'll be back in the Fall to complete my Student Teaching (Capstone Clinical), but I'll walk this Spring with my classmates. (a little confusing I realize - but it all works out).

And last, but certainly not least! On Friday MSG and SAC announced that our SpringFest musician would be Sean Kingston this year! Springfest is a weekend long celebration at the end of the year with food, inflatables, games, music and a lot of fun! Plus on Friday night we have a FREE CONCERT for students - and this year it is Sean Kingston!! How awesome is that!?

So I've got a lot to look forward to in the next ten weeks! And you have a lot of great updates to look forward to as well!

Happy Days Readers :)

Happy Monday

Hey everyone! Here is just a quick recap of my past two weekends.

On February 5, I went to see the play "The Importance of Being Ernest" here on campus! It was put on by our Mercyhurst Theater group here on campus. It was an awesome show! I had read the play in high school - maybe you have too - and I liked it then. It's witty, and filled with situational comedy a la 1900s. What's not to like? But in person it's much better! Especially when the Captain of the Lacrosse team is Lady Bracknell!! The students did a great job putting on a classic play - and the audience really enjoyed themselves!

On Friday night I played some futsal in the REC center on campus with some of the members of the Soccer Club! It was really fun to get together with everyone and just run around and play soccer. I scored a few goals so I was pretty happy with myself.

This past Saturday night I attended the Mercyhurst Dance Departments showing of Raw Edges. It is a show in which the junior and senior Dance students in the Choreography 3 & 4 classes create a dance and use their classmates as a cast. It's always my favorite dance show of the year - everything that you see is completely original and always really good. You see everything from formal ballet on pointe to modern music set to dub step!

And of course on Super Bowl Sunday I watched the Super Bowl with my friends at their Townhouse! We had a potluck and everyone brought some kind of food - and it was delicious!! Homemade calzones, spinach chicken Alfredo dip, hummus..... needless to say it was fantastic! I wasn't really rooting for either team - I'm a Steelers fan so I was pretty much just hoping the Patriots would lose - which they did! I basically watched for the commercials :)

This week is Senior Week so I'll be super busy having fun and finishing up final projects! (Classes end next week AHHHH)

Until next time! :)

MERCYHURST UNIVERSITY!

Hi guys!
I'm so sorry it's been so long since I blogged! I got caught up in Midterms and helping with the Senior Class Gift - I promise I didn't forget about you.
But now I'm back with probably one of the most exciting blog posts ever! If you couldn't guess by my post title - and you hadn't already heard the news... Mercyhurst College is now Officially Mercyhurst University! This is awesome news :) That means that my class will be the first class to graduate from Mercyhurst University - I'm so excited!!! This morning the entire student body got an email from the President of the Mercyhurst Dr. Gamble, saying that at 1:45 in the Student Union there would be a very important announcement! So of course I had to go and find out what it was all about. I had a notion this is what it was - but I went just to make sure. The union was packed there were tons of students, teachers, local press and administration there to hear the announcement. This is the video of the announcement and speech!
So for all you future Lakers - you will be the able to roll through those fantastic gates to Mercyhurst University next fall! :)

Until till next time Go MU!!! :)

2012 - It's a new year!

Hey everyone!
I hope you had a great Christmas/Holiday Season & New Years! I was happy to spend a relaxing two weeks at home visiting with family and friends. But now I'm back in Erie and snow is on the ground. We are just back into our 4th week and soon it will be time for midterms! I have projects coming up and I've started to plan out and think about what I need to do in the next few weeks!

I'm a member of the Senior Class Gift Committee and we have some fundraising activities and Senior Week coming up in the next month! Next week we have our Beer and Wine Tasting on campus where we will have local breweries and vineyards come in and talk to us about the different types of beers and wines they make. I'm super excited about it because it's one of the events I helped plan! Hopefully we will have a great turn out and everyone will have fun :)

Senior Class Gift logo and slogan

Talk to you later!

You're Never Too Old For Field Trips!

Hi everyone!
I hope you have had a fantastic week/weekend since I last blogged! This past week was pretty crazy busy - if I may say so myself! Classes are really in full swing now that we are heading into our third week - I have my second Environmental Problem Solving quiz tomorrow and my first project due this Thursday! Last week I went on 2 (that's right TWO) field trips - all in one day! Crazy right? Usually in High School you go on a field trip and it takes all day, it's awesome no classes, no homework, maybe a short paragraph about what you did. Don't worry friends in college (at least in some of your classes) field trips do exist. Last Thursday (the 8th), my Environmental Problem Solving class went on a field trip during our lab time to the Tom Ridge Environmental Center (TREC), down on Presque Isle State Park. The TREC is a pretty cool place.

Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle

When we got there we heard had a short lecture about what goes on at TREC. We learned about water pollution, fish, plants, animals, and  a ton of other environmental issues and how TREC is helping to curb problems and inform the public. Then we went on a scavenger hunt throughout TREC. We had a list of questions that we had to answer and could only answer by going through the center and learning more about what we had just heard. We even climbed the observation tower which we thought would be a good idea to run up. Poor choice - way more stairs than expected. But the view from the top was great, you could see really far out onto Erie Lake and back into the city of Erie. It was a pretty fun field trip and it was nice to get off campus and experience more of the city!
My second field trip of the day was to the Erie Art Museum with my Aesthetic Education class later that afternoon. I had never been to the Erie Art Museum, although I had driven past it countless times! I'm glad I got to go, they had some really nice exhibits and it was fun to get to do the self tour with my classmates. Not only were we learning, but we had some fun too! Now, I have to say the museum was way bigger than I thought. I was really impressed with it, and I'm happy to check that off my bucket list of things to do in Erie.

Erie Art Museum

This week should be pretty fun/crazy. I have a ton of meetings and as I mentioned before - my first project due Thursday! So I'm off to do my reading so I can finish the project!
Later Gators.

Winter Classes - Winter Term... Here we go!

Hey Everyone! Sorry it's been so long since I blogged! But we are just getting into our second week of classes here at Mercyhurst College for our Winter Term! If you didn't know already Mercyhurst is on a trimester system. This means we have 3 terms of classes each year. Each term is ten weeks long and you take 3-4 classes each term. This is nice because you only focus on a few things at a time instead of spreading yourself thin with a ton of classes. This term I'm taking 10 credits - which is equal to 3 classes and one lab class. I am taking Applied Linguistics, Aesthetic Education, and Environmental Problem Solving - which has a lab course. So far I really like my classes! My Linguistics class is super intriguing and I love languages so this just fits perfectly! My Aesthetic Education class is all about teaching and involving the arts in regular education classroom. It is a really hands on class and from looking at the syllabus we will have quite a few guest speakers and artists come in and work with us! The Environmental Problem Solving class is pretty interesting so far. We are going to look at a wide range of issues concerning our planet - everything from overpopulation to pollution to natural resources. It is definitely a class that will make you think twice before doing something environmentally questionable like not recycling or littering.

Last night the Ambassador Club had their annual "Chrisgiving" dinner. It's a cross between Christmas and Thanksgiving and it's a chance for the whole club and the new pledges to get together to hang out and eat lots of good holiday food! Everyone dresses up in their ugliest sweaters and Christmas outfits for a fantastic time! We have a contest to see who can wear the ugliest sweater/best dressed which is always a good time!

Senior Ambassadors with plenty of Chrisgiving Cheer!

Later Gators!

Hockey Night Part Two!

 Just a quick update - I just got back from the Men's D1 Hockey Game vs. Air Force and WE WON!!!! It was a great game, we won by a margin of just one goal, 3-2. The student section will tell you that there may have been some questionable calls....but hey, what kind of student section would we be if we didn't? ;-) We were very loud and definitely proud to be Mercyhurst Lakers!
Anyways, it was Mustache night tonight - so since I can't grow a mustache, I made one :) I even added a little blue behind it! Not only is blue one of my favorite colors but it's also one of our school colors - Blue, Green & White.
Hope you are enjoying your weekend!

It's a Mercyhurst Mustache!!

Again, my mustache for the Hockey game!

Hockey Night at Mercyhurst College!!

Hey Everyone!

Hope you've been having a great week! I just wanted to let you know what I've been up to lately! This week was our last week of classes. So I turned in my portfolio, and my curriculum this week. Now this weekend I'll be finishing up my Geology paper, and studying for my Geology final and Promoting Literacy final. Both my finals are on Monday - but I'm not too worried, I've been studying this week and I feel prepared for both!
Tomorrow is Open House here on campus! Because I'm an Ambassador I will be working Open House tomorrow giving tours to prospective students and their families! Open House is always a lot of fun, there are tours, talks given by admissions, you can meet faculty and staff from all the different majors and departments on campus and there are even some of our student clubs represented too! Maybe if you are coming I will get to meet you! If you see me feel free to come up and say hi! I'll be in my spiffy green Ambassador jacket.
Now, on to what is really exciting - HOCKEY!! Last weekend our Men's D1 team had two huge Hockey games against UConn here on campus! It was so much fun! A bunch of students got together on capus and decided to theme the Saturday night game "Classy" night - so we all dressed up super nice and went to cheer our boys on to Victory for a sweep! :) This weekend we had two games, again and tomorrow's game is themed Mustache night. My roommates and I are just going to make paper mustaches and wear them, haha! But it should be a good time! I'm off to finish working on my paper now... but tomorrow night is a Hockey Night at Mercyhurst!! GO LAKERS!

Classy Night at the Hockey Game! (That's me in the front row, 2nd from the left!)

Halloween and Movember!

Hey Everyone :)

In case you were starting to think I hadn't partaken in spooky activities this weekend, I just wanted to drop you a note and let you know that I had my best Halloween ever! I had two pretty awesome costumes - if I may say so myself! Friday night my friend had a costume party so I dressed up as Raggedy Ann. I bought the dress and shirt from Salvation Army, and then added the heart and pockets, and yarn belt! I also had my roommate braid yarn into my hair. I wasn't into wearing a wig and I read the blog ABeautifulMess - which has great DYI tips and that's actually where I got my costume idea from! Then on Monday night I dressed up as a "Party Animal" - again a borrowed idea from a friend who did it last year, but I made it my own! I found a tutorial on Youtube for leopard makeup, wore a fun party dress and teased my hair (which didn't last very long). Most people thought I was Ke$ha.... but hey she's a party animal so I guess I was on the right track!

Now it's November! (Crazy already!) And as you may or may not have heard it's "Movember" or "No Shave November". Just as October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month - November is Prostate Awareness Month for men! A lot of guys will grow mustaches or not shave for the whole month in order to raise money for the cause! Pretty neat :) Here is the official Movember website! So I won't be growing a beard or mustache this month - but I'll definitely be supporting those who do! :)
Have a great week (and Happy Movember!)

Party Animal with a Gryffindor!

Raggedy Ann!

Looking at Graduate Schools for Education

Hey everyone! I hope you guys are having a great Halloween Weekend!
I just wanted to give you a quick update on what's going on here with me :) I just finished up a crazy week here. I spent my whole week working on my presentation, lesson plans and paper for my Cultural and Linguistically Diverse Learners class. Last time I wrote I told you guys about my long nights in the library and it definitely paid off! I was really happy with my lesson plans and I think presentation turned out really well! For my third lesson plan I found this great experiment to use and I thought you might like to see it here!
So what I really came to write about is that I am starting to look at graduate schools for education. So right now I am looking at graduate schools that offer programs in English as a Second Language (ESL). I had thought about this kind of program before, but my Cultural and Linguistically Diverse Learners class and experiences at the International Institute of Erie have really confirmed that this is definitely something I want to do! I've enjoyed going down to the Institute so much that I'm going to continue going even though my required classes are over. I have been looking at schools like University of Pennsylvania, Duquesne University, Findlay University in Ohio, and Pitt, just to name a few :)

Dream Grad School for ESL!

U Penn would be my dream school because it's a great school, and it's out near Philadelphia. On the other hand Duquesne and Pitt are both great universities right in Pittsburgh, so I could live at home and save money. Lots of options to consider, but for now I'm looking at the programs, how they are structured and what kind of classes they offer. I've got a lot more research to do, and I'll definitely keep you updated of what I'm doing :)
Happy Halloween!

Dear Library...

Dear Library,
I'm sorry I have not been in to see you much lately. I hope you can forgive me for doing homework in my apartment. You see, I hadn't had too much work to do earlier this term, but now all my projects are due in these next 3 weeks, so I'm back once more to use you. You see, you are so much quieter than my apartment, and far less distracting. I can't clean you if I don't want to do my homework. I remember the good old days when I would sit here for hours, writing papers, studying and checking Facebook a little too often. I'm here for the long haul - I've got quite a few things to accomplish.

For my Promoting Literacy PreK-8 class, I am writing my Philosophy Essay. This is a 2-3 page, single spaced essay explaining my philosophy of teaching and how as an educator in an inclusive classroom I will ensure that my students are literate. I will have to apply all the different teaching strategies we have learned over the term. I will also discuss how, no matter what subject I am teaching, I will work in many different kinds of instruction that will promote reading, writing, comprehension and vocabulary. Yeah that's a lot of thinking.... and it's due Monday the 24th!

Some of the Curriculum kits we have in our Education Library!

For my Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners class I have several things to do. First I have to write an essay on my experience at the International Institute and how I used and observed some of the techniques I learned in class there. Second, I have my Curriculum project due next Friday the 28th. This entails creating 3 lesson plans for my subject area and grade level, that provide accommodations for students who are English Language Learners (ELLs). I will also have to accompany this with a 3-6 page paper talking about ELLs, state standards and good, tested practices for classrooms with ELLs. Again, this is a cumulative project that will require me really to look at what I have learned this term and apply it. Not to mention that I have to present all this to my classmates on the 28th when I turn it in!

Our Children's Literature section in the Education Library. 

Finally for my Historical Geology class I am writing my final term paper - about 6 pages - on a topic of my choice. Our professor is really pretty cool (in the quirky, nerdy, I love geology and make bad rock jokes in class kind of way). We were allowed to choose our own topics - as long as they had to do with geology. So some people chose super volcanos, and underwater vents, I chose to write mine on the formation of the Giant's Causeway. When I studied abroad (See my study abroad blog here or the tab up top!) I visited the Giant's Causeway and thought it was pretty awesome!

So that's what I've got to do. Now Library - I hope you'll forgive me for my absence, because I have to get back to work now!
Love,
Monica

Fall Break

So I'm finally home! After a very busy week taking midterms and finishing up papers, it's time for some well deserved relaxation at home with my family! During our term here at Mercyhurst we get a Fall Break - which is a four day weekend right after mid-terms. I'm spending mine at home, some students go home with roommates or friends if they live too far away, while others just relax on campus and enjoy the peace and quiet. Here in Pittsburgh the weather promises to be on again off again rain and sun. I can deal with that :)
Earlier this year I made to you readers (and myself) A New School Year's Resolution to do more volunteering. So I wanted to update you and let you know I have been keeping my word! Now this was made partially easier because for my Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners class I am required to do 10 hours of Service Learning. Service Learning is when a class requires you to do some type of volunteer work that relates to the course. It helps you to really live out what you are learning. Since we are learning about teaching students who don't speak English I am doing my 10 hours at the International Institute in Erie (check out their site here!). So far I love it! I am working in an adult ESL (English as a Second Language) classroom where I am helping the teacher with English classes for refuges from all over the world. I even get to teach part of the classes sometimes! At first I was kind of nervous, but everyone there is so nice and patient, I'm not nervous at all anymore. I really love working here and I plan on staying on with them even after I finish my ten hours.  So is just a quick update of my little promise to volunteer more. And I encourage you to try and do the same! It's a great experience and really rewarding.
Talk with you soon :)

Busy as a Bee!

This week has yet again been busy! No one told me Senior year would be so... busy! Meetings class, hanging out with friends, planning things for Soccer Club. Plus the weather has been beautiful the past few days which makes going to class harder - because I want to be outside!
This weekend is looking to be a good one, some of my friends from home are coming to visit for a few days so I'm really excited to see them. However, I have two midterms on Monday and a paper due Wednesday. Therefore, I have to get most of my work and studying done before they get here so I can enjoy the weekend! Also exciting about this weekend is the Equinox Soccer Tournament! It is the first big event that the Soccer Club has planned and we are really looking for a great turn out! We are giving half of the proceeds to charity so it will be a good time for a good cause!
I'll post some pictures of the tournament probably sometime Monday night after I finish my midterms - I'll need a break to relax.
Coming up in two weeks is our first Fall Open House! If you are a prospective Mercyhurst Laker you should definitely come out! We will be giving tours, you can meet faculty from many different majors and current students as all well as talk to different clubs and organizations on campus. A great showing of what Mercyhurst has to offer! Hopefully you can make it out!
I'm off to study for my midterms and grab some lunch. I hope you have a great weekend!
After while crocodiles

Homecoming!

Hey everyone!
I hope that you guys had a fantastic weekend! Hopefully yours was a little less rainy than mine here in Erie. But all precipitation aside - it was an awesome weekend packed full of friends, fun, farm animals, inflatables, mechanical bulls and football!
This past weekend was Homecoming Weekend - which also includes Alumni and Parents Weekend - needless to say campus was bumpin'! Everyone was in to visit and it was great to see my family and a lot of old friends who graduated in previous years! On Friday night I visited with some friends who I met in Ireland as they were in visiting Mercyhurst and Erie for a few days. They included the current mayor of Dungarvan, the previous mayor, and some of the town council. It was great to see them and catch up. We went to the Women's hockey game on Friday night and watched them womp on #9 Quinnipac in a 4-0 win!
Saturday was fun filled for everyone! My boyfriend's parents came up to visit and took us out to lunch at Panera! Then we went to the Football game - where our Lakers took on the Gannon Knights (our cross town rival!). Unfortunately the Lakers ended up losing after leading the game the first 3 quarters. But on a brighter side during half-time they announced this years homecoming court and two of my friends Shane and Lindsay won King and Queen! Congrats!
I worked part of the afternoon in the rec center for "Hurst Fest" which was a ton of fun! We had food, hot drinks, a mechanical bull, inflatable obstacle courses, pumpkins just to mention a few. After I finished working I took a short spin on the Mechanical bull - about a 20 second spin! And then went outside to the petting zoo to see all the cute animals! I got to feed the Scottish Highland cow which was supper slobbery but so cute!
On Sunday my Dad came to visit and we went to see the Mens Soccer team take on Cal U - a big game for the boys because it was in the PSAC (our conference). I got to see my brother play for a bit which was great! It poured the entire game and we were soaked and cold! Unfortunately the Lakers couldn't pull out the win and lost 2-1 to Cal-U. :(

That is my weekend recap for you and I will be back later this week with more updates!
Ciao!

King Shane and Queen Lindsay!

Gotta love those Lakers!

Hey everyone! I hope you have been having a great September so far! I certainly have :) These past two weeks have been crazy! Over the past two weeks we've started the pledge process for Ambassadors, had the Red Carpet Fall Ball, my roommate turned 21 (YAY) and Soccer Club held their first ever fundraiser - a t-shirt and hoodie sale! Classes are in full swing now as we are already approaching mid terms in the next two weeks. (Aahh!)
Our Men's Soccer team has gotten the season off to a great start with a record of 6-1-0 overall. On Thursday afternoon we took out section rivals Slippery Rock and it was a great game! We won 2-1 with the Lakers goals scored in the last minute of the first half and the winning goal in the last 30 seconds of the second half. Talk about a nail bitter! You can read an article (and watch videos of the goals) here, on our athletics website! Fans from both teams were going crazy as the Lakers took on the Rock - even the fans have a rivalry! Louie the Laker, our mascot got in on the action by pumping up the crowd and maybe a little taunting ;). The game was especially exciting for me because my younger brother Patrick goes here to Mercyhurst now, and is on the Soccer team! I always went to the Mens Soccer games before, but now I definitely go because I want to see if my brother plays! During the Slippery Rock game he got in and actually scored the first goal! It's really exciting to get to watch him play, and I'm proud of all the hard work he and the rest of the Mens team has put into their season so far!
Speaking of soccer - tonight is SAC's (Student Activity Council) 3v3 Soccer Tourney! I'm playing with my two friends Andrew and Aaron - and hopefully we win! MSG (Mercyhurst Student Government) and SAC hold free events for students ever Friday and Saturday night. Last night was the College Cook-Off held by MSG. I didn't make it to MSG's event last night because I went to the Mercyhurst Club hockey game! Unfortunately we didn't win against Robert Morris, but I got to see my friends play, hang out with my other friends and cheer on my Lakers!

So sorry for the long blog - but I wanted to catch you all up on what's going on here at the 'Hurst since I last blogged! Have a great weekend!

Senior Year - Ready, Set - Go!

So we're back at it again - new school year, new classes, new apartment, new people... you get it - lots of new! But don't worry - there are still plenty of old friends, some of the same professors, and as always good ole Mercyhurst! I'm back for my Senior year here at Mercyhurst and pretty darn excited about it! It's been a great year so far too! I mean we have only been in classes for a week and a half now, but I've been super busy already! This year I am taking 3 classes and 1 Lab. My classes are Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners, Supporting Literacy Pre-K-8, and Historical Geology which has a Lab. I like my schedule so far - I have 3 classes Monday/Wednesday, my Lab on Thursday morning, and one class on Fridays. Not too shabby eh? Plus I have a 15 hour practicum to do for my Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners, my Ambassador hours, working as the Soccer Club Secretary, and I am going to try to get a tutoring job at one of the local Middle/High Schools. Have I over booked myself? I don't think so!
This summer I decided that I was tired of "New Years Resolutions". No one ever keeps them past February, so why bother? I decided that instead of "New Years Resolutions", I would make a "New School Year Resolution". As a student that is when the year really starts for me. Which is why I think making the Resolution in January is so hard. I am already about half way through the school year, and pretty set in my ways. Now I'm not saying I won't make a "New Years Resolution" after singing Auld Lang Syne, but I am saying that I'm making my first "New School Year Resolution". Right Now.
This year I want to volunteer more, and be better at being on time.
So there you go readers - that is my first ever "New School Years Resolution"! You are welcome to join me in making one for yourself if you want! You can comment below and let us know what you decided or keep it to yourself if you want! I'm making mine here - because you all can hold me accountable for it!
So I hope you are having a great start of the year :) Because I am! I will blog again soon about more things going on here at the 'Hurst!
TGIF! Have a  great day!
PS Here are a few pictures of my Apartment! :)

Our Kitchen - with our Tree!

Living room... and lots of shoes!

Other side of the living room

Kitchen! I bought a portable Dishwasher on Craigslist over the summer and brought it with me :) (The apartments don't come with dishwashers.)

Back to School!

Hi Everyone! It's that time of year again - back to school! Some of you may have already started your exciting Junior or Senior year in High School or are still soaking up your last days of freedom before classes begin! I'm up at Mercyhurst already, although classes don't start till next Wednesday, I moved in early for Ambassadors! I've spent the past two days unpacking and setting up my apartment on campus, and I'm almost done! I really like my apartment this year I think it's super cute! I really can't wait for the rest of my friends to get here and Senior year to start!
Yesterday we had our Ambassador Retreat at Presque Isle. It was a really nice day for it and I think everyone had a good time. We played an ice breaker called "Knots" - even though my team lost, I think we had the most fun. At the retreat we also had dinner and went over some new things for this year as well as a usual overview of club code and things like that. After we finished our business we were able to stay there at the beach if we wanted. Some people stayed and hung out to watch the sunset and others headed back to campus to finish unpacking and visit with friends.
That's about all I have for now, I have to go finish setting up my TV and do a little more cleaning!
Later gators :]