Tag: Graduation

Loyola University Chicago 2017 Commencement

Loyola University Chicago 2017 Commencement

 

No, I did not graduate, but I still have 1 more year to go. Nevertheless, it is good and exciting to see what I will experience in 12 more months! I cannot believe that my Loyola experience is 3/4 complete and that I now have to get ready for the future ahead of me. It is scary, yet it is inevitable. It is amazing to see friends post pictures of their graduation; I am so proud of them and their accomplishments. Now, it will be my turn next.

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Commencement is the same as graduation, but just a fancier version. It is similar to a high school graduation, but there are more pomp and circumstance for the hard (HARD) work students have done over the years to complete their bachelor’s degree, especially from an LUC Commencement. It is quite beautiful to see Loyola’s campus change for the event of commencement. Flowers all over campus get planted, tulips and cherry blossoms bloom right on time, flags and tables are set out on the quad, and most importantly, the Gentile Arena is transformed for the ceremony.

Gentile Arena did change its normal set up for graduation. From previous years, they had displayed their maroon and gold school colors on drapes that hung from the ceiling. Loyola’s logo hung from them and in the middle of the stage, there was a huge screen to better see speakers’ faces.

This year, they designed the stage more simpler. The backdrop was a black curtain and each school banner was hung horizontally across the stage. “Loyola University Chicago” in letters was hung above the banners. two big projector screens were on both sides of the stage.

If you did not know already, it is simply impossible to fit ALL the graduates in one event so reasonably, there are different dates and times in which graduates walk. They are categorized by the school in which they are from, for example, College of Arts and Sciences, Niehoff School of Nursing, School of Social Work, and so on. The Loyola Commencement ceremonies are not only held for undergraduates, but for graduates as well (receiving their Master’s degrees). They also host for the Loyola Academy (high school) graduations as well. To say in the least, the month of May is FULL of pomp and circumstance.

Even before graduation, there is a tradition for graduating seniors to walk out of the convocation doors of Cudahy Library. If you do not know already, freshmen traditionally walk IN the doors, marking their beginning of their time at Loyola. It makes sense to walk OUT when your graduate. It is pretty symbolic because these doors are only opened 2 times in the year– once for freshmen in August and once for seniors in May.

Again, I am excited to experience this soon, but I am sad to leave such a good school and start my life again in a new chapter. Who knows what lies ahead, but I am curious enough and prepared to face whatever comes my way.

 

 

Committment

Committment

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On Saturday, April 16, all Loyola sophomores were invited to celebrate their half-way mark to graduation. It was a fun-filled event with chocolate fountains, photo booths, and good company of close friends. This event also coincided with ‘Week of Excellence’ in which Loyola celebrated the achievements of its students in every realm- research, service, etc.

The biggest highlight from this event was receiving our commitment keys, as shown above. This key not only represents our dedication and commitment towards a Jesuit education, but it is a matching key to the one we received a week before becoming official LUC students back in summer of 2014. That key looks identical to the one we just got; the only difference is the writing. Instead of “convocation”, the key now says “commitment.”

This ‘Half-Way to Graduation’ event was very eye-opening. I cannot believe that my I have only two more years left of being an undergraduate student. Much has happened through these last two years, but somehow I was able to overcome them and still stand strong. I understand that these next two years will not be easy, but through the support of my loved ones, I have motivation and commitment to persevere on and have bright, successful future ahead of me.

 

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

Congratulations to the Class of 2015!

 

This week on campus we are celebrating the 145th annual commencement ceremony of our Class of 2015 graduates! Needless to say, it’s an incredibly exciting time for the thousands of students graduating after putting in years of hard work and effort. You can’t miss the mix of emotions in the faces of the grads as they walk across the stage and are handed their diploma, it’s a mix of excitement, fear, hope, sadness, optimism, relief, and maybe even a little exhaustion leftover from finals week.

The Loyola community is incredibly proud of this year’s class and knows they will go on to lead extraordinary lives and that they will remain part of the Loyola community as newest alumni.

While many of our students are completing their time at Loyola, we’re equally as excited to welcome the Class of 2019 to campus next fall! But before we can do that, we know they have graduation ceremonies all over the world to attend first, so to them we say CONGRATULATIONS!

Embrace every last moment of high school and make sure to thank and cherish all of those – teachers, counselors, coaches, supervisors, lab partners, teammates, classmates, parents, grandparents, relatives, siblings, friends, and best friends – who contributed towards your experiences and success.

Completing high school is an accomplishment to be proud of, but your journey is just beginning. We look forward to transforming your life during the next 4 years so that you, too, can become Loyola alumni who are leading their own extraordinary lives!

 

Congrats, grads!

Job Hunting

Job Hunting

 

My graduation is T H I S Friday at 3 pm!  I am so excited, but so are my parents so I can start job hunting!  I want to share a website that has really helped me out to get organized on my job search.  Sorry for the short post, but after having a semester full of detailed posts, I figured I would end by keeping them shorter. 🙂  One more post…wait for it!

Click the link below:

http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/professors-guide/2010/03/31/10-tips-for-college-students-looking-for-a-job-in-a-tough-market

Graduation Dress

Graduation Dress

Lilly_Pulitzer_7

Graduation is quickly approaching, and who is freaking out about what to wear!?  Luckily, I already knew what I wanted for my special day.  I definitely wanted to go with a Lilly Pulitzer dress, so dress shopping was much easier for me.  I went to the Von Maur in Lombard, IL because they were the only ones that carried Lilly, anyway.  I found so many cute dresses, but I had arrived so late! 🙁 Most of the dresses were extra small or sizes way too big!

I was really hoping to buy a white dress, but I figured that would be too messy.  Therefore, I chose the same dress that I liked in white, but in a very pretty light blue color.  I hope it is not too bright, but it is very simple.  I cannot wait to wear it!  I am so happy that I bought the dress ahead of time because I hear too many people that are struggling.  However, if you are graduation next year: DO SHOP EARLY.  I mean about a month before, because two weeks before will only give you a dress that you like, but NOT love.

My boyfriend who will be joining me on the 8th was also debating on what to wear!  If there are any guys that have any ideas, let me know down below!  I want to hear feedback, please. 🙂 ttyl!

How did I forget to register for graduation?

How did I forget to register for graduation?

I am excited to graduate, but I forgot to register for graduation.  The irony, like how does that even happen!?  This is what happened.  My biochemistry lab partner has a big family and since we only get 4 tickets per graduate she asked me if I had any extra tickets.  I am an only child, and I only need two or three tickets.  She would ask me every week, and I kept forgetting to ask my mom if we were going to use the extra ticker for anybody else.  I kept putting it off and telling her that I would find out later.

Later never came, guys!  It wasn’t until my best friend, Therese, asked me if I had registered for the tickets, yet.  I was like, wait – what!?  I am supposed to register?  I guess that annoying e-mail that kept coming up in my inbox was actually pretty important.  I do not know how this happened.  I do not know how I never questioned it.

So, here I am in biochemistry lab, last Thursday, answering the questionnaire and registering for my tickets.  I was late so all of my 4 tickets are in the 200 level, all the way to the back.  I was little upset at myself for not being more responsible and careful!  However, with everything that is going on, I figured that the 200 level tickets were okay.  I remember when we went to see Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and the set up was nice; I’m assuming that on Graduation Day, it will be the same.

This was crazy, though.  I really thought that I was not going to be able to get any tickets!  I am so glad, I did. This goes to show to not leave anything until the last minute. 😛

Senioritis is on point right now.

Fellowship – what is it?

Fellowship – what is it?

I am here to tell you a little bit more about what a fellowship is because frankly, I would have liked to read or find out what it entailed.  I first heard about a fellowship when I watched “The Imitation Game.”  Yes, the movie.  I know it just came out, but it wasn’t until this movie that the word “fellowship” really intrigued me.
According to the University of Berkley a fellowship is:

– are short-term opportunities lasting from a few months to several years
– focus on the professional development of the fellow
– are sponsored by a specific association or organization seeking to expand leadership in their field

 
Think of it as an internship, except you get paid and you get a stipend depending how long the program is.  You have the support of all the academic professors and it looks great in your resume.  The numbers of fellowships are increasing, so there is so much money out there which can be invested in your area of study! I share this with you because I think it is important for everyone to have a little knowledge on some great opportunities that are out there.  If there is one thing that I have learned is to not leave anything until the last minute.  Always be prepared.

As we approach Easter Break, I am really looking forward to get back on track with my planning.  I do not want to record a step  by step game plan because truthfully, they never go as planned.  What I want is to just have a general idea about my options. I am just grateful that I will be graduating, and I have so many choices as to what I can do after college.  This is the beauty about having an bachelor’s degree from such a great school!

 

Senioritis

Senioritis

It’s my last year, but I’m lacking motivation.  Graduation is so close, yet so far away.

Senioritis is inevitable.  It happens to all of us; whether it is only on one assignment and/or an entire class, know that it exists.  Let’s be real, though…we are all nerds at heart.  This is why our senioritis doesn’t compare; it’s not a typical senioritis deal.

We may wait till the last minute to write a paper, read 3 chapters, or study for tomorrow’s exam, but we get it done.  I’ve met so many people who have mastered the arts of the senioritis’ symptoms.  They can wait until the last minute and do things efficiently.  Everyone always thinks that senioritis is something bad…it’s not.  It’s only bad if you let it take over.

Urban dictionary describes its symptoms as:

“…laziness, an over-excessive wearing of track pants, old athletic shirts, sweatpants, athletic shorts, and sweatshirts… [t]he only known cure is a phenomenon known as Graduation.”

(This may, or may not be me right now)

This describes Loyola’s students to the T.  As long as you’re not the other half of the definition, “…the  lack of studying, repeated absences, and dismissive attitude…”, senioritis is only normal. *shrugs*

PS- If you were too lazy to read all of this blog post, you are a great candidate for senioritis.

THE IRONY. NO PUN INTENDED.

CLASS 2015: we….are….almost….there.

Senior Citizen

Senior Citizen

Oh, the pun. Such an under appreciated form of word play. But why am I talking about puns, you ask?

Well…

1. It should go without saying that I am a senior in college. The off-off campus housing, not-always-so-consistent blogs (*coughsenioritiscough*), constant nostalgia, and very regular crisis-ing about my future career and ability to maintain my college friendships should almost go without saying at this point.

So yes, I am graduating in 91 days! That’s less than 100! That’s absolutely terrifying!

For my final semester as a nursing major, I have my pediatric and nursing leadership classes until spring break, after which I continue taking my leadership class, in addition to CRT. CRT, or Clinical Role Transition, is when I will be shadowing an RN 1:1 for 120 hours to see what it is REALLY like to be a nurse.

A peak into my accumulated textbooks…

Sounds like all fun and games, right? WRONG.

While I’m not in class that much this semester, I still have clinical twice a week until spring break (think 4 am wake up calls), and, in addition to my regular classwork, I need to study for the NCLEX.

The nerves that come with the “one test to decide your whole future” thing has really caused me to buckle down and get to work studying. Luckily, Loyola is here to support me, by offering NCLEX question e-mails every week and a week long NCLEX review within a few weeks of graduation.

That being said, I have also been using this semester to take advantage of student discounts, keep up with friends, and attempt to embrace Chicago winters.

2. In addition to my academic senior status, I am feeling a bit like a senior citizen.

For years, I’ve been carrying around a backpack that’s a littleeeee too heavy for me. (By a littleeeee, I mean that it’s generally wider than my torso and 1/5th of my body weight.) For years, I’ve been told that it was going to hurt me.

And finally, it has.

#crutchlife #steveholt

Two weeks ago, while lifting the aforementioned backpack, I fractured my left foot.

It’s been a bit of a struggle to get around in this weather on crutches and in a boot. However, the Loyola community at large has been amazing at helping me survive outside. Both the student body and the faculty have been so helpful and accommodating, and I could not be more grateful.

I’m hoping to be off the boot within the next three weeks, but in the meantime I know that I will have no problem getting any kind of support I need while at school!

Thankin’ erryone for their help!

On that note, and in the vein of my brilliant senior/senior pun, I’d like to end with this comment (kindly stolen from my nursing calendar):

What kind of blood does a pessimist have? B Negative! (Hahaha.)

Crutches Photo – Attributed to the lovely and daisy-like Anique Aburaad

All the Cool Kids are Doing It

All the Cool Kids are Doing It

Graduating that is!  Today was the graduation fair at WTC, where the conquering graduate can purchase all the necessary frills and thrills that come with the passage of graduation.

Like many of my fellow senior friends, I could not resist tearing open the neatly packaged cap and gown, promptly placing the tasseled cap upon my head.

But instead of giving you one of those ridiculous bathroom mirror pics, here is a much anticipated preview of four years of higher education symbolized in one accessory: