Month: February 2013

Enjoying the Weather

Enjoying the Weather

I had a nice surprise for Valentine’s Day-warm weather! I know it seems strange that I would post that right after writing a whole entry called “Snow!”, but that’s the Midwest for you-arctic conditions one day, and a tropical breeze the next.

My friends and I took advantage of the nice day by taking a walk along the Lakeshore Path right along the water, which is only about a mile away from campus (to be honest, I was supposed to be running, but I gave that up pretty quickly). What I love about Loyola that I felt was unique to our school is the opportunity to go between two different worlds. Our Lakeshore campus in Roger’s Park is in an urban environment, with complete and easy access to the city of Chicago, but its nice to have the Loyola bubble to escape from the crazy rush every once in a while. You get the stunning architecture of Chicago and the natural beauty of Lake Michigan. Most urban campuses I visited gave up the natural beauty for the city environment-here, I don’t feel like that is the case.

I hope everyone had a good Valentine’s Day!

Here’s a picture of the Lakeshore Path by Loyola!

College Hobbies

College Hobbies

College is such a busy time it’s easy to forget that you need to set aside time to relax and de-stress. Many of the students I know have hobbies for this exact reason.

In the past, the only hobby I’ve had to help me de-stress was running. It is one of the best ways to clear your mind, not to mention the health benefits. But this semester I wanted to try something new. So I turned to guitar!

Surprisingly, a lot of my friends at Loyola are really good at playing the guitar. I’ve always envied their talents and when telling a friend this, he asked me why I don’t play. I realized that there was no reason for me not to try and he told me he would help me and give me lessons. So here I am, a few weeks into the semester, and I feel like I have already learned a ton!

Luckily my friend who is giving me lessons is as serious about this as I am and he is always on my case about practicing. It can be really hard to force myself to set aside time when time is already such a valuable thing in college. But I’ve found that playing is something I really enjoy and it helps take away some of the pressure that I put on myself during the rest of the day.

My roommates all have their own hobbies as well. I have a roommate who knits, two on the cross country team, and one who reads during every free second that she has.

It’s really important to have time during the week to dedicate to hobbies. I have found that, although it it takes time away from my other commitments, it helps me feel better overall. So pick up a hobby or try something new, I promise it will be rewarding!

A Busy, Yet Fulfilling Junior Year

A Busy, Yet Fulfilling Junior Year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLkaEYVVkoE

I am already getting close to finishing off my fifth week in the spring semester!

Where has the year gone?

With the organizations that I have been a part of, we have done a lot of work on Loyola University Chicago’s campus and off.

In the video above, my African dance team, AfroDescent, performed a reggae-dancehall routine at the Pan-African Night on Jan. 26, in Mundelein. This was a benefit night that the African Student Alliance collaborated with a local nonprofit organization, the Pan-African Assocation.

As a kick-off to their 5k event in May and as a thank you to their benefactors and community members, my team wanted to be a part of it as well to show off our new routine.

It was a great night of community with both Loyola students and the community of the Pan-African Association, as well as with the immigrants and refugees they support.

Valentine’s Day ’13

Valentine’s Day ’13

It’s Valentine’s Day 2013, and the love is in the air…metaphorically speaking. Couples are probably going to be going out tonight to celebrate one another, but what about those of us without a significant other? Well, for us, we have other “significants”- our friends and families.

For example, tonight after my Operations Management exam, I’ll be heading over to my cousin’s place to hang out with her, and throughout the day, I hope to spread some love to my mom, my grandmother, and the other important people in my life.

They say that Valentine’s Day is about celebrating romantic love for someone, but I’m changing the rules this year: I’m celebrating my endless love for all my significant others because celebrating that love is just as important, if not more.

Many people have a picture painted in their head that when they come to college, they are going to meet their soulmate. For some, this happens; for others, the time comes later. But it’d be a shame for those who haven’t had that happen yet to hide in their rooms with a box of chocolates and an anti-Valentine’s Day movie.

Instead, people should remember all the other great people that they have met. I’ve made important friends during my time here, and I’ve been acquainted with so many interesting people. For me personally, not only did I make new friends, but I also strengthened my bond with old friends and family. That’s definitely something worth celebrating.

So to all the couples out there, to the parents, the children, friends, cousins, siblings, grandparents, future people we all have yet to meet and love…Happy Valentine’s Day.

Research

Research

One of the best decisions I’ve made during my college career, thus far, is getting involved in research with one of my professors.  My major, social work, as well as basically all other majors (especially psychology) have many research opportunities for student. I highly recommend getting involved in research if it’s something that interests you.  There are many ways to go about this.  You can either contact a professor directly if their area of research interests you, or even apply for a research fellowship.  Loyola has a ton of research fellowships, most of which even provide you with a stipend.

I got involved in research by simply asking my social work professor if she had any opportunities available to work with her, as her fields of study (mentorship, adoption, and child welfare) were all of interest to me.

I work on research with my professor, other research assistants, other professors and a Chicago agency for youth.  We meet bi-weekly, but other than that I dedicate 6-8 hours to research per week.  We are currently working on the Transitions Initiative. This is an ongoing project that deals with children in Ethiopia aging out of foster care.  We analyze data and try to figure out what youth are most worried about/how we can help them to better age out of foster care and begin their own, independent life.

Conducting research with faculty is very beneficial for many reasons. Obviously, it is great to put on your resume and usually the faculty you work with will write a great letter of recommendation. I personally like how I’m learning so much more about youth in foster care, as I may want to work with that population post graduation.

Research is a great thing to get involved with at Loyola– It has definitely been a great experience, and I can’t wait to continue the project for the rest of the year!

Frankenstein: It’s Alive!

Frankenstein: It’s Alive!

It’s been a busy week for me!

Frankenstein rehearsals have started! This week we have been focusing on the movement aspects of the play. The director (who also happens to be a the writer) is incorporating a lot of dance into the play, which is definitely a unique and challenging experience for me-because I am by no means a dancer! Luckily, our rehearsals are a pretty judgment-free environment so I never feel too upset about making a fool of myself.

Frankenstein is one of the most exciting production I have had the opportunity to be a part of. Of course, on a visceral level, it’s such a cool concept-a modern adaption of a classic horror novel-but the real appeal lies in the new take on the story. As our director told us at one rehearsal, the story is one about life, not death. It’s easy to get caught up in the blood and gore (which I am excited to say will definitely be a part of this show), but there is a deeper message in the story. Our director has added a lot of new depth to this version which is very exciting!

This is the second original show I’ve been a part of at Loyola. Illuminating Voices was written entirely by Loyola faculty and alumni. It is so different to work on a piece that has never been performed before than to perform in some age-old musical that has been done a thousand times. With both Frankenstein and Illuminating Voices, we got feedback from the writers that really helped develop our performances. We also got to contribute a lot to the scripts, helping the writers making changes when necessary. What has already been so exciting about Frankenstein is the amount that the cast has already influenced the work. Rather than being completely controlled by our director (a senior at Loyola), we are constantly asked questions about our characters and given the chance to perform scenes differently than what she might have imagined for us. This is definitely more difficult than other productions because we are given so much more responsibility, but it is completely worth it. It is lucky that we are given the opportunity to work on this because so much of what actors do in the real world is brand new and in development.

On another note, I wanted to give a shout-out to my friend Shawn, who has spent his entire weekend in and out of the ICU at St. Joseph’s hospital with complications with a skin infection and his diabetes. I visited him there yesterday, and I must say he is such a trooper. He just got back to his residence hall today, and luckily for him, his doctor will be visiting him at Loyola’s Wellness Center.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be sure to update again soon!

 

 

Sunrise, Sunset

Sunrise, Sunset

It feels like forever since I’ve last seen a sunrise or a sunset. I’m either in class or somewhere indoors when the sun sets, or it’s cloudy outside, or the skyscrapers of Chicago cover the radiant sky. So I decided, for those people who agree with me, to post some photographs, both new and old, of some sunrises and sunsets taken by me in the Chicago area as a reminder that they do still exist.

I took this photo back in the day when I was still in high school, when I was waiting for the bus one Winter morning.

This is one of my favorites, taken in the early morning after my high school graduation at Glencoe Beach, where my whole graduating class was meeting the start of a new beginning for all of us.

This is a recent sunset photo taken over this past Winter Break from the window of the Undergraduate Admissions Office.

This sunrise photograph was taken in the suburbs of Chicago.

This photo was taken when I went for a walk in the Botanical Gardens near my home in the suburbs.

 

Saturdays are for Sleeping…and Thinking A lot

Saturdays are for Sleeping…and Thinking A lot

Sleeping in on the weekends is one of things to look forward to most every week. This Saturday, after getting a full night’s worth of sleep, I’m mainly spending my time curled up with my homework because classes have piled up. There’s something for me to do for every class; for example, right now, I’m studying for my first test of the semester, for my Operations Management class this Thursday.

Though most people see this upcoming Thursday as Valentine’s Day, I view it as Exam Day, and I’m pretty excited about it. Thus far, my classes have been intriguing and my teachers have been awesome. My motivation in school has stretched to motivation in other aspects of my life, such as thinking about what jobs and internships to apply to and where I want to be in a little over a year from now.

It’s crazy to think about how quickly this school year has flown by, and how I’ll be graduating from college in just over a year. I can feel the tears coming on.

The beginning of this semester and recent events have been making me really put my life in perspective, something that I think is really important for people to do. I went through this same feeling last year around this time, and it was the best part of my year. I’m finally putting the focus back on the important aspects of my life, which right now are my education and health, and they are top priority.

Whether you are an incoming freshman, a graduating senior, or someone like me who is in the middle, it’s easy to be swept away from your aspirations and goals by unseen obstacles, disapproving people, and even self-doubt. I’m re-realizing now that these aspirations and goals are the most valuable part of us, and without them, we are lost whether we realize it or not.

I constantly give advice on what to do about different things: how to deal with stress, tips for interviews, etc, but a big piece of advice that I’m not sure I have said yet is stay true to yourself and what you want and need out of your life, both now and in the future. You don’t need to have your life figured out to have a basic gut instinct about where you want to be. You just need to have faith in yourself and believe that you are going down the right path. Everything else will fall into place.

College Application Resumes

College Application Resumes

When I was an incoming freshman, writing a resume for my college application was optional, and though it still is, I think it’s beneficial to have one. From working on projects around the Undergraduate Admissions Office, I’ve had the opportunity to glance briefly at some resume layouts, and they’ve inspired me to write a blog with some of my personal tips on how to make your application resume as outstanding as can be:

  1. Make it as clear and to the point as possible. Mention your achievements and describe them, give all the relevant information, but don’t feel the need to write a paragraph for each achievement if there is information that can be left out. Give as much detail as you feel is important- things that you don’t feel are as relevant (such as volunteering for three hours one time somewhere) probably aren’t.
  2. Going along with the one above, clear and concise resumes should be just that. There is no page limit on application resumes because counselors want to know as much information about you as possible, but if you’ve only worked one job or volunteered at one place or participated in one extracurricular activity all through high school, it’s okay to just write this information. There isn’t a need to find minor things to write to make your resume longer. Remember, quality over quantity.
  3. This is regarding something interesting I observed, and that’s the fact that several resumes I noticed were in a chart format. This is neither wrong nor right, and some high schools (some schools actually format resumes this way for students) may tell you to submit a resume in this format, but there’s one thing to keep in mind. When making a chart resume, make sure it is neat and aligned, both on the computer and in print. It’s very easy for lines to overlap with words, for things to get cut off, etc.

Remember, the resume is a representation of you, and it can be one of the best ways to tell Loyola more about yourself. So if you decide to submit a resume (which I personally encourage), keep these three points in mind and know that if you follow at least this much, you can’t go wrong.

Informations Systems, Here I Come

Informations Systems, Here I Come

Welcome to the middle of Week Four everyone! Week Three was a good one, even with the weather changes. Though it’s cold once again, I highly enjoyed breaking out my fall jacket last Tuesday for at least a few hours.

This week’s Tuesday was a chilly one, as has been the rest of the week, and right now there is snow all over the ground (not to mention slush). If it doesn’t all melt by Saturday, I’m hoping to go sledding with my best friend this weekend.

Last week, I didn’t post any blogs, so I’ll dedicate this blog to cover Week Three:

The most interesting moment of last week that stands out in my head is last Thursday when my INFS 247 class had a guest speaker come in. She was an Information Systems major when she graduated from Loyola, and she spoke to us about where she is in her career now and what brought her there, etc.

After hearing her speak, I did some research on the IS major and a career path after graduation, and I am beginning to seriously consider becoming an Information Systems major because it is not too late for me to change. Several general things I liked from what she said and realizations I came to are:

  1. She gets to travel with her job- I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to travel, especially during my young years when I’m not settled down yet, but officially an adult at the same time. Having the opportunity to temporarily live in other states yet know my home is still Chicago would be amazing.
  2. My current job in the Undergraduate Admissions Office is direct work experience with Information Systems. Any work experience is always a plus, but my current job is very applicable to my potential future IS career because I have an equal balance of dealing with Information Technology and entering data into a database, and interacting with people such as visitors.
  3. Most importantly, the more I learn about Information Systems, the more the pieces seem to come together in my mind. I enjoy reading my class chapters and doing my Excel assignments, I’m a good problem solver, and I like being logical and using math; according to what my professor, Professor Nenad Jukic, said on Tuesday in class, having these kinds of passions are not only what make IS majors successful in the field, but happy in it as well.

My next steps now are to research some companies looking to hire workers and interns, and to attend the Spring Career Fair on Tuesday, February 26. I’m so excited that I’m finally putting together a plan for my future!