If I had to pick one of my favorite experiences thus far at Loyola, the first thing that comes to mind is the summer I spent in Rome. As a Biology student, going abroad for a full semester was out of the question due to the demand of classes and work load that I needed to do, but I was not going to let that stop me. Loyola offers summer study abroad sessions, and once I heard that was an option, I knew I had to convince my parents to make it happen. So, in the summer after my sophomore year, I filled out an application and I was off! Five blissful weeks in Roma!

I had never been out of the country before I went to Rome and while I was super excited, I was also slightly terrified. What if I got lost? What if my luggage did not get transferred over? What if I don’t make any friends while there? Millions of questions floated through my mind. As I waited for the plane though, a girl came up to me and asked if I was traveling to Rome from Loyola. I said yes and instantly all my fears dissolved. When arriving at the Rome campus, I fell in love. The campus was like any dorm back at Loyola and so it was like bringing a little bit of familiarity overseas with the added benefit of all the old historic charm Rome has to offer. While in Rome I took some classes, but they were not over demanding or taxing. The teachers understood that these were students who were only in Rome for a short amount of time and that they last thing they wanted to do was listen to a lecture. So the teachers incorporated the lessons outside the classroom. I learned about Greek mythology at the Pantheon and Coliseum, I studied religion at beautiful churches, and I dove into history on the beautiful Spanish Steps. I walked down ancient cobblestone streets, threw coins in the Trevi fountain, and just enjoyed life.

While I was there, Loyola’s Rome Center offered two weekend trips, one to Assisi and the other to Pompeii.  I went on both! Going through Pompeii and learning all about the volcano eruption and seeing actual people buried in ash was incredible. All that I had read about was coming to life as I walked down the same streets that past civilizations walked down hundreds of year ago. The trip to Assisi though was my favorite. It is a beautiful small step-up city on a hill, where as you climb up to another street, you can see the streets below you while looking down. Everyone was so friendly there and each and every little house had boxes of flowers spilling out from them onto the streets. It was truly a magical place and is somewhere I want to return to. I also visited Barcelona in Spain when I was there and it was so colorful and so artistic and so beautiful. All I have to say is TAPAS! Tapas all day every day. Oh, and fresh sangria with seafood paella on the beach in Barcelona in another serene experience.

Everything in Rome was like being in a fairytale. All the food tasted so fresh and I never went a meal without starting with a delicious caprese with fresh mozzarella! The pizza there is also super fresh and spoils you so much that when you eat pizza back in America, you are super disappointed. Also all ice cream can never live up to Italy’s gelato. I ate gelato every day and I am not ashamed to say that!

So to sum it all up, if you have a chance to go to Rome through Loyola’s study abroad program, just do it! It will be an experience that you will never forget, ever, ever, ever! Oh I would give anything right now to be back in Rome!

Hi again! Here at Loyola, community, both on and off campus, is something that is super important. At Loyola each and every student comes to understand that by helping others, lives can be changed. In turn, your life as a student will be changed as well. It is always fun to go downtown and participate in an event that promotes a good cause. This past weekend, some friends and I from Loyola participated in the Light the Night Walk in downtown Chicago. This walk is a fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. People walk to help find a cure for blood cancer.

Being at this walk was truly an emotional and touching experience. People from all over Illinois and even out of state came together to walk for a single cause. It was fascinating to see how so many people from so many backgrounds could all unite to fight blood cancer, to become a community. Each and every person who walks receives a lantern. There are three colors of lanterns. There is a red one for those who want to help in fighting the disease. There is a yellow one for those who have a personal connection to someone who has the disease or has passed away from the disease. Finally, there is a white one for the survivors. Before the walk started, each colored lantern was asked to be raised up and we took a time of silence to reflect on all those who had lost their lives from blood cancer. There were not many dry eyes to be found among the crowd. After the moment of silence passed, it was time to start the walk!

The walk itself is not very long and only takes about an hour. The scenery of the walk though is beautiful! We walked down lakeshore drive right next to the lake. Between the lake, all the lights of the city, and all the pretty colored lanterns, there were plenty of perfect photo ops. The walk itself was a lot of fun and I am so glad that I walked it with my friends. It was great representing our Loyola community in the larger blood cancer fighting community. The rewarding feeling of helping someone is something that Loyola has taught me and I hope to continue to be a helping hand!

Hi everyone! Well, it finally feels like fall over here in Chicago. Fall in the city and on Loyola’s campuses is truly beautiful. The weather is getting colder, the leaves are changing, and it is the perfect sweater/scarf weather. It is also the perfect weather for some warm coffee, pumpkin flavored anything, and SOUP!

When I was at Loyola’s downtown campus a few days ago, I discovered an amazing place to eat. The place is called Soupbox and it is located at 50 E Chicago Ave. Little did I know, this is a popular eatery with the Loyola students who live downtown. The location is more than convenient because it is less than half a block away from campus. It was a chilly day and I needed something to warm me up, so my brother and I decided to try the place. I am so happy I did!

Soupbox serves soup (hence the name), but it is also serves salads, grilled cheeses, and cookies. But seriously, I am pretty sure that everyone who goes there, goes there for the soup. They usually have around 12 different soups daily with different specials being added at different times. These soups are not just the standard, run-of-the-mill soups that you can get out of a Progressive soup can; they are magical tasting soups. They serve a hearty beef stew, a cream of mushroom, a split pea and ham soup, a tomato and basil bisque, a cheesy baked potato, a lobster bisque, clam chowder, a spicy mayan chicken enchilada, and more. Trying to decide which soup I wanted was agonizing because I wanted to try them all! I finally decided on a white cheddar broccoli soup and my brother chose a creamy chicken and wild rice soup. There is three sizes of bowls, but even the small is enough to fill a person up! With each soup that you order you get to pick out a bread to go with it. We both chose sourdough. The bread that they give you is not just a slice of bread, it is a huge chunk of bread, perfect for absorbing the last few drops of soup in the bowl. Our soups were delicious and the flavors were fantastic! We left the place feeling full and warm. Soupbox is a perfect place to go on a chilly day!

While everyone thinks that choosing a college is difficult, I found it to be an easy decision. I knew right away in my junior year of highschool that I wanted to go to Loyola.

Loyola runs in the family for me. My dad went to Loyola’s Stritch School of Medicine and my older sister graduated from Loyola and now works at Loyola. I am a senior at Loyola. My younger brother and my younger sister are also both at Loyola as a junior and freshman. There is only my youngest brother left to lead us to the Loyola finish line! People often think that since Loyola is in my blood, that this is the main reason why I ended up here, but it isn’t.

When I visited Loyola I feel in love with it! The campus here is beautiful with plenty of study space and plenty of clubs to meet new people. There is a wide diversity of classes offered that range from a harp class to a biology class solely on cancer or malaria.  Loyola students were truly welcoming when I visited Loyola. Everyone was quick to help point us in the right direction or offer friendly advice and answers for any questions that may arise. I felt that Loyola could be my home away from home. On the day of orientation, I was nervous and didn’t feel as sure about my decision as I did before, but all misgivings completely vanished once I met my orientation group. Everyone was extremely warm and friendly and quickly I made friends, even some whom I call my best friends today. At Loyola I made lifelong friends who I know will always have my back and will always be there for me when I need them.

Not only are the students great, the professors are excellent at well. They are always trying to push you to be the best person you can be and to succeed. They are the kind of professors that strive to know their students names and also strive to give a student any extra help they can. Finally, I chose Loyola because it is in Chicago! Chicago is fantastic city to explore with so many different cultures and ideas, there is always something new and exciting to discover. Being in Chicago and at Loyola allows for me to be able to learn not only in the classroom, but outside of it as well. I could not imagine going to any other college than Loyola. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Forever a proud Rambler!