Antoinette Isama – College Admission at Loyola

Dancing Machines

By Antoinette Isama | January 23, 2014

One aspect of my Loyola experience that will be very hard for me to say good-bye to is my African dance team, AfroDescent. From the spring semester of 2011, we have been working hard to educate the Loyola community about African culture through dance.

Check out one of our performances from the fall! In this video, we performed at our first dance competition at the DuSable Museum of African American History. Our next performance will be at the Black History Month Kick-Off hosted by the Black Cultural Center. We’re excited to show the Loyola community our new choreography!

The Countdown Begins

By Antoinette Isama | January 23, 2014

It is near the end of the second week of my last semester at Loyola University Chicago. As I get up every morning to start my day, I always ask myself,

Where has the time gone?

Four years truly flies by at a blink of an eye. Along with finishing up what is required of me academically at Loyola, reflecting on the impact this university has made on me has been very humbling.

One aspect of my Loyola experience that I will always be grateful for is my leadership development.

As a freshman mentee in the STARS program through the Department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, I, along with my first-year cohorts, attended a workshop facilitated by Student Leadership Development on evaluating our leadership styles.

The questions that encouraged looking into ourselves, how we work best with other people and independently, and how we can hone in on our leadership strengths helped me realize over my time at Loyola how much leadership ties into building and maintaining understanding, as well as community.

Both aspects have been and still are important to me with what I am involved in on campus, and I seek to encourage the students that are younger than me to consider the same as they embark on their own Loyola journey.

An Opportunity of a Lifetime

By Antoinette Isama | October 5, 2013

In the fall of my junior year, I took a plunge and applied to a new program offered at Loyola University Chicago. To my surprise, I was accepted and my Loyola experience took a turn I was not expecting.

The McNair Scholars Program was named after the academic achievements of Dr. Ronald E. McNair, a physicist and one of seven crew members who perished in the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. Established by the U.S. Congress in 1989, the funding for this program is designed to increase the number of low-income, first-generation and underrepresented college students who pursue and complete doctoral degrees.

One component of the McNair Scholars Program is to conduct a summer research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor. When thinking about how I wanted to go about my summer research project, I made it a point to try to fuse my interests in journalism, media studies, anthropology and international studies to use.

When reflecting on my research experience this past summer, I think of it as peeling off the layers of an onion. Every macro idea revealed many micros that could not be explored in nine weeks.

But, why did I spend time behind the computer exploring the “virtual world” that is New African Social Media?

The advent of African youth having the space to show creativity and to share it through virtual communities hits home. Producers are able to communicate and share what they believe Africa was like in the past, what Africa is like in the present and what Africa will be in the future. New African Social Media is an example of how new forms of media impact culture. Those within this “virtual world” are able to re-appropriate content and attach new meaning to the content they create or share.

With this, it was interesting to unpack how this content differs from Africa-content material in mainstream media. New African Social Media allows producers and consumers to shed a different light on what Africa means and is to them: diverse, progressive, and positive. People are given the freedom to be bold to create, report, and share what they do not see in mainstream media; as well as to give a more balanced view of what occurs on and off the continent.

So far in my research I have found that people most popularly share visually contextual content that depicts people, daily life, and women. The peeling of this onion continues as I unpack the why, how, where, and when of these findings.

Although my summer research portion has finished, I am grateful for the opportunity and time to continue my project as an independent study with my faculty mentor this semester.

The next step in this program is the graduate school application process. Alongside conducting research, my cohort and I were given opportunities to attend conferences off campus, to visit graduate schools that work with McNair Scholars and to become familiar with how to go about submitting applications to programs that we are interested in.

Although the stress of applying to graduate school is prevalent, I find comfort in the support of the McNair Scholars Program I have received thus far. This summer was an eyeopener for so many greater things I can accomplish as a scholar.

The Beginning of the End

By Antoinette Isama | September 4, 2013

It is my senior year at Loyola University Chicago. Typing the sentence itself for my last first post as an undergraduate student is still surreal.

This year I am looking forward to begin the steps needed to embark on the next chapter in my life. I will be enrolled in graduate school, hopefully in the fall of 2o14.

With the help of the Ronald E. McNair Scholars Program, facilitated through the Graduate School, I have begun the process to prepare for my post-graduate education as well as gain research experience.

Conducting this research this past summer has been similar to peeling off the layers of an onion. Every macro idea thus far reveals many micros that cannot be explored in nine weeks.

Why spend time behind the computer exploring the “virtual world” that is New African Social Media? The advent of African youth having the space to show creativity and to share it through virtual communities hits home. Producers are able to communicate and share what they believe Africa was like in the past, what Africa is like in the present, and what Africa will be in the future. New African Social Media is an example of how new forms of media impact culture. Those within this “virtual world” are able to re-appropriate content and attach new meaning to the content they create or share.

With this, it is interesting to unpack how this content differs from Africa-content material in mainstream media. New African Social Media allows producers and consumers to shed a different light on what Africa means and is to them: diverse, progressive, and positive. People are given the freedom to be bold to create, report, and share what they do not see in mainstream media; as well as to give a more balanced view of what occurs on and off the continent.

So far in my research, I have found that people most popularly share visually contextual content that depicts people, daily life, and women. The peeling of this onion continues as I unpack the why, how, where, and when of these findings.

Luckily, with the help of my faculty mentor, I am currently continuing what I started this summer through an independent study. I look forward to interviewing participants to learn their perspective on this topic.

With my research aside, my class schedule is light compared to semesters past. I have a little more free time to study for the GRE, as well as catch up with friends; especially those who studied abroad last semester.

I know that this is the beginning of the end of my undergraduate career at Loyola. My senior year will flash right before my eyes, but I will savor every moment of it.

Ebony Ball: Our Shades of Beauty

By Antoinette Isama | February 25, 2013

This year’s Ebony Ball was held at Regents Hall in the Lewis Towers.
Photo by: Antoinette Isama

One of the last events for Loyola University Chicago‘s Black History Month celebrations was Ebony Ball.

On Friday, Feb. 22, the Black Cultural Center hosted this formal for the first time at Regents Hall in the Lewis Towers on our campus downtown.

As vice president, I had to oversee the planning and facilitate tasks to prepare for this fun night!

With the theme “Our Shades of Beauty,” we sought to show the beauty of diversity by shedding light on how one should not be ashamed of the color of their skin.

Our social chair, Marlena Ortiz, had the great idea of embossing images on to pieces of wood that are examples of our different shades of beauty.

With the help of our other executive board members, each centerpiece and accent piece were crafted and painted by hand.

There was great music from a student DJ from Northwestern University and I would also consider this year’s Ebony Ball as the most successful – especially with how diverse the turnout came to be.

The students that attended had a great time! I hope that with events like these, my organization can bring the Loyola community closer together.

A Busy, Yet Fulfilling Junior Year

By Antoinette Isama | February 14, 2013

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.

My First News Video Package

By Antoinette Isama | October 19, 2012

Check out my first video news package!

This semester has been quite a whirlwind! From classes to work and to participating in extracurriculars, I have hardly been able to take a breather; but I know that what I have been experiencing as a junior at Loyola University Chicago will be all worth while.

This semester I am taking a course on technology for journalists. In this class, I have been exposed to and picked up general skills on software and equipment I may be using in the field. In the video above, I used a video editing program called Final Cut Pro. Getting used to this kind of program was interesting because it can be a bit more tricky than just using iMovie or Windows MovieMaker. I definitely will pursue getting familiar with this program, for it will come in handy one day.

In the video I covered AfroDescent’s dress rehearsal before their first performance at the Taste of Africa Thursday.

An Addition to My Junior Year

By Antoinette Isama | September 14, 2012

This semester I am taking a total of 15 credit hours at Loyola University Chicago. The scheduling also worked out very well so I could have the option to find a campus job to earn in between my classes.

I was able to get the opportunity to be a student worker with Undergraduate Admissions! Working twice a week, I will assist the receptionist, aid counselors with data entry, and be a new face that prospective students will see.

This is my first campus job during my time at Loyola. I would previously work in my hometown during the summer and winter break, but I thought I could help myself with the expenses of being an out of state student living downtown.

Being my first week, I was a little nervous because I was unfamiliar with the ins and outs of admissions. The staff and the experienced student workers were a huge help! The training that we gained with the new data entry system will also make sure that my work will help the staff a long way this year.

I will also have the opportunity to help out at the open houses this semester. I am excited to see students and their interests, just as I was in their position three years ago!

My New Home for the Year

By Antoinette Isama | September 11, 2012

This year I will be living in Baumhart Hall, which is located at Loyola University Chicago’s Water Tower campus. It is my first time living in this residence hall, so I am excited to see how different the dynamic will be from living on the Lake Shore campus for two years.

Baumhart Hall is apartment style housing, just like Fordham Hall on the Lake Shore campus. This allows me to cook for myself again with a fully furnished kitchen and dining area! I cannot wait to try more of my mother’s recipes this year! I am living with one other person this year in a double, but Baumhart houses quads and singles as well.

Living on Water Tower campus also allows me to take more classes required for my journalism major. The School of Communication is right across the street! It will save me ample travel time as well as give me more opportunities to get to know my professors down here better. I am still taking two courses at Lake Shore, so the shuttle service will be just as convenient, along with the train and the bus stops that are nearby.

My favorite grocery stores, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, are only a couple blocks away, along with Argo Tea and other ample eateries too. There are so many new places for me to explore while I am living down here by just walking around!

Living in this new environment will definitely help with my growth as a third year student at Loyola. I am excited and prepared to see what else is in store for me this year!

A Great Year Ahead

By Antoinette Isama | September 7, 2012

I am excited to be back at Loyola University Chicago and blogging my experiences once again! I cannot believe that I am a junior. The past two year have flown by so fast!

My summer was definitely a busy one. I had the opportunity to intern at a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. called Words Beats & Life. This organization was unique because it bases its purpose in the positive values of hip-hop, professional development, youth development and the arts. My main project consisted of marketing their bi-annual peer-reviewed journal on hip-hop culture. I was able to work closely with three other marketing and communications interns by writing and editing press releases, facilitate a social media based fundraising campaign and be a set of helping hands at their annual teach-in.

Along with working retail to save up before school, I value the experience I had at Words Beats & Life greatly. I felt prepared with the courses I have taken so far at Loyola and I also felt the time and energy I put into projects given were worth while.

Now that I am in my third year, I have an inkling that it will be a busy, yet fulfilling one. I will continue to be involved with the Black Cultural Center as vice president, the African Student Alliance as president and co-choreographer of AfroDescent. I also look forward to working with the department of Student Diversity and Multicultural Affairs with the Empowerment Pipeline program for a second year. Being in my position and reflecting on the experiences I have had by being a leader, I am eager to pass on my knowledge and advice to those who have the potential to be future student leaders on Loyola’s campus as well!

My blog will again be my gateway to reflecting on my experiences this year. I do recognize that I am a student first, but I will try to squeeze in some me time and fun times!

I cannot wait to see what junior year has in store for me!