Category: On Campus Events

Colossus 2016: NICK OFFERMAN

Colossus 2016: NICK OFFERMAN

Colossus. 2016. Nick. Offerman.

I’ve been hearing rumors of Colossus since  I attended Orientation Week  before freshman year. I heard raging reviews of a huge concert and comedian combo in Gentile Arena. They told me about the super cheap student tickets, which meant the show was usually sold out. And I learned that the reveal party was almost as exciting as the show itself.

And this weekend I finally got to attend my first Colossus. My freshman year ((dop))–Loyola’s student-run Department of Programming– invited Kesha and Mike Birbiglia to perform. Because I didn’t actually know who Mike Birbiglia was, I decided to only go see Kesha. Just a few weeks later Kesha had to cancel her performance due to personal issues. Luckily, I hadn’t invested in any glittery attire so I was just out a Colossus experience. My sophomore year I spent the spring semester studying abroad at Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center, which meant I invested in gelato instead of tickets to Colossus.

Now here I am, a junior, finally able to attend my first Colossus. The performers: Kesha and Nick Offerman. Upon hearing the performer announcement I was more than happy to invest in Nick Offerman tickets, because who wouldn’t want to pass up a night with Ron Swanson? Admittedly, I was on the fence about purchasing tickets for Kesha’s highly anticipated reappearance in the Colossus line-up. I would’ve been happy to go, but in the end it didn’t matter because Kesha had to cancel her performance. I feel so bad for the drama this pop star has been dealing with and completely understand why she couldn’t perform at LUC.

I had only ever seen Nick Offerman perform in his hilarious role as Ron Swanson on the TV show “Parks and Recreation”, so I had no idea what to expect from him as a stand-up comedian. And he was certainly…unexpected. His first joke was about how Loyola had asked him to keep his show PG-13, but as he explained, he simply could not be kept to a PG-13 level. So the first bit of his show didn’t offer much that I can share.

What I didn’t realize about Nick Offerman was his ability to play guitar and sing. He was no Kesha, but still quite funny. My favorites were his songs about how much he dislikes Facebook and how much he loves America, and of course his song, “I’m Not Ron Swanson”. I’d say that he hit it off with the sold-out Loyola crowd, who were happy to have a wild card like him on campus.

I’m definitely satisfied with my first round of Colosuss. But here’s to hoping that next year I can have the full-blown Colossus experience I’ve been hearing about since 2013.

Career Week 2016: Resumes in Review

Career Week 2016: Resumes in Review

Your ticket to the industry, a piece of paper listing your greatest accomplishments, or your rite of passage to adulthood. No matter what you call it, a resume is a vital part of entering “real life”. Something that, for me, is approaching more quickly than I’d like to admit.

Considering the necessity of a good resume when entering the workforce it was a no-brainer for me to attend the resume workshop, an event hosted through Loyola’s School of Communication Career Week.

On Wednesday, 30 communications professionals joined students at the Water Tower Campus’ Lewis Towers for the “Resumes that Pop to the Top” event. Students had the chance to meet with several professionals for resume critiques and career advice. The workshop was “round robin style”, which allowed us about ten minutes with the professionals we met before rotating to someone new.

Prior to the workshop I had thoroughly convinced myself that my resume would need to be completely thrown out and started over based on the critique I received. Thankfully, I was wrong. I had the pleasure of meeting with three different professionals, all of whom offered really helpful advice for not just my resume, but for the start of my career. In general the reactions to my resume were positive, which allowed me to take a huge sigh of relief.

The most common criticism I received was to change the order of my resume, so my most recent experience was showcased first. A piece I hope to add to my resume is a personal statement of sorts at the top. A few short sentences that provide insight into my personality rather than my technical skills is something I can only hope will “pop my resume to the top”.

Now that I’ve reorganized my resume, changed some sentence structure, and gained some insight into the professional world, I feel far more confident in my resume. I was, however, reminded that a strong resume is only one piece of the puzzle and I’ll need an impressive cover letter and interview to complete the picture. Although my resume is solid for now, it is a living document that will even need updating by next fall. But I’ll worry about that when the time comes.

For now, I’ll be grateful for the advice and continue to ask for reviews from others at every opportunity I’m given.