Post Weekend of Excellence

This past weekend, Loyola celebrated its annual Weekend of Excellence, showcasing to the entire city, the prestige and academic achievements of our students! I was a part of this event and have a couple of my own little things to attend to such as the ACE Banquet. Throughout the two days, it was amazing to see all the hard-work and knowledge that the students had, especially those who did projects and presented them during the exhibition in Mundelien.

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ACE, Achieving College Excellence, had their biannual banquet in Coffeey Hall to honor and celebrate the accomplishments that happened over the course of the semester. Seniors who will be graduating in the next 2 weeks were also given out tassels and certificates for being members of ACE. The rest of the ACE scholars, including me, enjoyed our time and had wonderful food. Sister Jean was present too and I was fortunate to be with her and get a picture with her.

With this week being the last week of the semester, it is very exciting to feel the graduating vibe in the air (despite I’m not graduating just yet!). However, to see the seniors get their tassels, ACE certificates, and see some of them get emotional, I cannot help but realize that that will be me in 1 more year. I think I do not give myself credit for the work I do enough, but being a LUC student and participating in ACE is something to be proud of because there really is no college as amazing and heart-warming like Loyola is.

Sunday, the bells of Madonna Della Strada rang straight for a good 15 minutes just as the Weekend of Excellence mass ended. It was amazing to see people come out to the lake and relax there, noting that the weather was so good! I was in a suit and took the opportunity to take professional photos around campus so that I would have something good for senior purposes (and because why not?).

It is times like these that I really feel proud to be a Loyola student. Especially with the Weekend of Excellence being called “excellent” and having all our projects being displayed for all to see, it is amazing to validate the saying, “Hard work pays off.”

Prospective LUC students, your interest in Loyola means you are ready to take a step further and uncover your talents and potential in our fantastic institution. With the help of faculty, staff, and students, we can help you build confidence, build connections, and build a blueprint for your future. I feel like I have a safety net here because I have resources that can help get me to where I want to be and I have a feeling that not many colleges can offer what Loyola has.

The Weekend of Excellence may have come to a close, but that does not stop me nor my peers from continuing to live out St. Ignatius’ words, “Go Worth and Set the World on Fire.”