Quidditch – College Admission at Loyola

Accio Easter Break!

By | April 13, 2012

One of the perks of going to a Jesuit University is that we get a small break for Easter. As someone who doesn’t celebrate this Christian holiday, Easter break is simply a few extra days for me to relax before the onslaught of finals.

Last year I spent the whole break confined to my bed, alternating between sleeping, eating and watching Doctor Who on Netflix. But this year, I did something a little more exciting…one of my best friends, Rachel, convinced me to head down south and visit her in Miami!

It was one of the best trips I’ve taken in a while. We saw “The Hunger Games,” enjoyed an all you can eat sushi buffet (a challenge which we glad accepted) and I watched Rachel play quidditch. She also showed me a stereotypical Miami “study break” by taking me to the beach.

However, the highlight of my vacation was definitely the small road trip we made from Miami to Orlando in order to visit the Islands of Adventure …

… and none other than The Wizarding World of Harry Potter!

I’m not sure what my favorite part was – road tripping for the first time, getting my wand picked out by Ollivander himself (ash with unicorn hair!), tasting butterbeer for the first time, flying with Ron and Harry over Hogwarts or eating at the Three Broomsticks. I don’t think I can explain how amazing it was, except to say that the whole time I was borderline crying from happiness.

Typical picture of me and my borderline crying.

It had been so nice to just get away from everything, but visiting the world of one my favorite childhood books was the icing on the cake to an amazing trip.

Now that we only have about a month left of school, I’m more than glad that I have some warm memories to get me through to May 5th!

A Bit About Myself

By | November 4, 2011

Hello Everyone! My name is Raven Icaza and I’m a senior at Loyola. I’m a Journalism major, with a minor in Studio Art and English. A native to Illinois, I am surprisingly not from Chicago or the suburbs! In fact, my hometown, Galesburg, is an approximate 4 hour drive away. Very small. Very boring. Fun fact: The poet Carl Sandburg, who wrote “City of Big Shoulders,” (famous poem about Chicago), was born and raised there.

I came to Loyola a little more than 3 years ago, and I LOVE it here! I spend a lot of time working on stories for my reporting courses, but they get me out into the city, where I’ve met some really fantastic and exciting people. They also force me to trek into parts of the Chi I would otherwise have no reason to go to. These treks often turn out to be totally awesome and really adventuresome. Some of my favorites parts of the city, include Pilsen, Andersonville and Boystown, just to name a few.

If I’m not doing homework, I might be found roaming around the Lake Shore Campus with my friends in search of campus events, which usually mean free food, or scoping out the Quidditch practices or games. YES, there is Quidditch! And YES, it is awesome! And if I’m not doing those things, then you may very well run into me downtown getting my shop on. Which I do. Quite often. In fact, I think by Loyola standards, I would have a minor in “shopping” by now, if not a major. All in all, I would say my experiences thus far have been pretty amazing!