Month: January 2014

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday

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As I have stated numerous times. I am absolutely in love with Chicago.  Chicago provides you with so many opportunities. As cliche as it sounds, the world is at your fingertips here in the Windy City! Obviously, there is a ton to do in Chicago, whether it be heading to a Second City Comedy show, shopping down Michigan Avenue or attending The Oprah Show, like I did!!!!

Now, don’t get too excited- this show are not on the air anymore :(.  I went to these shows my freshman and sophomore years.  However, The Steve Harvey show is still aired in Chicago, so there’s an opportunity to be on television! (All my fellow pop culture nerds dying to be on TV- check this out)

The Oprah Winfrey show was amazing.  My two aunts and grandmother came to Chicago for to accompany me, as my aunt won the tickets.  I remember we were all speculating who would be on the show.  These ladies at a restaurant we were at said they heard it was Joan Jett and Miley Cyrus! Needless to say, we could not sleep that night before the show.

We had to arrive at the studio very early in the morning, all adorning bright colors.  The ticket instructions stated no black or white would be allowed- only colors that stick out on camera.  After waiting for a few hours to be let in, we were finally seated…directly in front of Oprah!

Contrary to the rumors, the Miley/Joan Jett episode was being filmed after ours.  We were sad we couldn’t see these two, but still extremely ecstatic for the show.  The guest of the show was a boy who was abused as a child by his father and stepmother.  He was then 18 years old so a lot of time had passed since the abuse, and it was extremely heart wrenching to hear of his experiences.  However, this show was right up my and my aunt’s alley- she’s a social worker and I aspire to be a social worker!

Going to The Oprah show was a fantastic time, and definitely a huge perk of living in a big city. Even better was that my aunts, grandma and I made a full girls weekend out of this experience!

Local Talent at Lickity Split

Local Talent at Lickity Split

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In my experience, Loyola truly has something for everyone.  The interests of the student body are vastly diverse, and our school does a great job of fostering student talents and abilities.

For example, a few of my friends started a band when they were freshmen.  They call themselves the Sandy Pilgrims and they’ve been playing at Loyola events and local restaurants throughout their time in college.

On Friday, my friends and I braved the cold to go see them play at Lickity Split.  The ice cream alone would have been incentive enough, but we all had a great time listening to the music and hanging out.  The small venue made for a great show, as the boys made frequent shout outs and songs dedications.

The show was the perfect way to wind down the week.  I’d recommend a Sandy Pilgrims show to anyone who is looking for fun times and great cover songs.

Student Organization Fair

Student Organization Fair

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The new semester starts off with the Student Organization Fair in Gentile. Students are able to talk to other students about various clubs and activities that are on campus. It is a great place to find out how to get involved!

Loyola’s Newest Tour Guide

Loyola’s Newest Tour Guide

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Blare the trumpets, because I have an announcement! I just got hired as a part of the newest batch of Loyola tour guides! I figured since I love Loyola, walking, and hearing myself talk, it was kind of a perfect job for me. Two of my closest friends, Shawn and Lauren, are current tour guides and had a really good experience with it, and encouraged me to apply. To be honest, ever since on my Loyola tour I’ve wanted to eventually give a tour myself, so it did not take much convincing. Because I’ve got a break from theatre for the semester, I’m glad it will give me something to do throughout the week. My training starts soon, and soon I will be chalk-full of Loyola trivia. I hope to see some potential Ramblers on the tours!

I know I have harped on this before, but this is yet another example of great paid positions Loyola offers to its students. College is not all about the degree. It’s hard to find jobs without some kind of experience before you apply, and Loyola offers opportunities for its students to get relevant, paid career experience without even having to walk off campus. I’d like to emphasize the paid part as well-paid internships can be hard to come by, but they are plentiful here on campus. This is my THIRD job I’ve had since my freshman year on campus, and all have been invaluable experiences. Loyola offers a website called RamblerLink to its students that allow easy searches for internships and jobs all across the city. Obviously Chicago itself is full of opportunities, but students here find jobs without even leaving their dorms.

UNICEF of Loyola

UNICEF of Loyola

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DISCLAIMER: This blog post is a shameless promotion of a truly amazing on-campus organization in which I happened to be a member.

The Organization Fair is quickly approaching, and many undergraduates at Loyola are looking for new opportunities and activities.  Whether a student is looking for something he or she truly believes in, or simply looking for a way to fill some free time, there is certainly a group for everyone.

This year, I am a member of the Executive Board for UNICEF of Loyola.  Our first semester was a smashing success, and we’re looking for new members to join our group and keep the momentum going.  UNICEF is a leading global non-profit that works to end preventable child deaths across the globe.  Our club raises money and awareness for this cause.

So if you’re looking for a new organization to join, and you’re interested in social justice, stop by and check out UNICEF’s table at the Org Fair.  I promise you will not be sorry!

Dancing Machines

Dancing Machines

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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

The Countdown Begins

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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.

Friends Weekend

Friends Weekend

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I was lucky enough to hitch a ride back to Chicago with two of my best friends from high school.  One of them goes to school in Chicago at Columbia, and the other was just visiting us for the weekend.  She has been to Chicago before, but it was nice to show her around a few places she hasn’t been!

When we arrived, I immediately took them both to Stella’s, my favorite diner in Chicago.  Conveniently, it is right across the street from me.  It has the best mac and cheese and milkshakes (random combo, I know).  I decided to switch it up and order a chicken melt and milkshake… both were delicious!

The next day we went to The Signature Room, which is on the 95th floor of the John Hancock building.  It has the greatest view of the city, as you can basically see everything.  It was my first time up there, so I was glad I could share the experience with my friends!

After we went to The Signature Room, we went to Navy Pier.  This was one of Chicago’s wonders that my friend has not seen, so we were excited to go and take some (cliché) pictures under the Navy Pier sign.  We walked through and stopped at some of the souvenir shops.  Since it was winter, we couldn’t get many good pictures outside… which only means we have to come back in the summer!

That night we got dinner in Lincoln Park and hung out there for the night.  We ate at State, a really cool restaurant near DePaul’s campus.  I highly recommend it, especially for a sports game as there are tons of high def TVs everywhere.   We walked around Lincoln Park, stopping at Molly’s cupcakes and stuffing our faces with some amazing red velvet cupcakes (notice the cupcakes.. plural.. oops!).  It was the perfect night of two of my favorite things: friends and food.

I’m so lucky to go to school in a city with so many things to do.  One of my favorite things to do is show off this amazing city to visitors, and I’m glad I got the chance to do so!

Winter Break

Winter Break

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Loyola is absolutely amazing for so many reasons. Reason #27 (roughly) of why Loyola is the best: they give us one full month of winter break! I remember as a freshman I had mixed feelings about this long hiatus from my new college friends, but as a busy, busy senior, this long break was exactly what I needed.

I would have to say the highlight of my break was seeing the love of my life, Justin Timberlake (yes, I am a crazy fangirl when it comes to him). He performed his 20/20 Experience tour in Cleveland the Thursday I got back. It was the perfect start to my break! He is a great performer and absolutely hilarious. The highlight of the show was when he sang happy birthday to a six year old in the audience!

The whole week of Christmas I was surrounded by family, specifically my 20 cousins. I always have the most fun with them, so I was grateful that everyone was able to come together. My parents did Christmas a little different this year. Instead of buying my siblings and I specific gifts, they gave us money and a night to shop at the mall. My mom was getting tired of us returning everything she bought us (sorry we’re picky, mom!) so she thought this was the best solution. It was fun shopping with my parents and siblings, but the best part was enjoying a nice family dinner afterwards at Maggiano’s.

The rest of my winter break was pretty low key. As you Chicagoans know, the -30 degree wind chill that lasted a few days was killer! It was so cold in Cleveland that our schools closed for four days! It was a nice extended break for the school age kids, and my mom, who is a teacher, but I was getting a little stir crazy being cooped up in my house. It was nice to relax and catch up on some television shows, though.

My ride back to Chicago was great… I had two of my best friends from home come back with me! My friend Anne goes to Miami of Ohio and was visiting for the weekend, and my friend Tiffany goes to Columbia College Chicago! We had a great weekend together, and it was the perfect ending to my winter break!