On the evening of Wednesday, September 3, 2014, I attended the women’s soccer game against Salisbury University. Being a freshman and a former soccer player, I found this event very enjoyable and a great way to end my first day of classes. Attending a sporting event at Stockton is a great way to feel a sense of community with the rest of the people on campus. Whether you are there with a group of old friends or just meeting someone for the first time, you are all there for the same purpose: to cheer on the Stockton Ospreys!

This women’s soccer game was a great way for freshman to meet and make connections outside of the Welcome week setting. I planned to see the game with a few friends, but I also met a number of other awesome people. It was great to witness how a group of complete strangers could connect over a soccer game just moments after meeting one another. Shortly after introducing ourselves, we were already working together to shout support for our girls on the field.

Unfortunately, our cheering did not do the trick and they lost with a score of 3-0. Although the women’s soccer team did not get the win that day, I would say the fans in the stands did by coming together and sending all sorts of encouragement out to the players. Being a supporter at an event like this one was a great experience. I plan on attending many more athletic events on campus, as they are a great way to show off my Stockton pride!

On Saturday, October 18, I attended the Honors Afternoon of Service. For three hours, a number of us completed several service projects. I began my service at a table set up with materials to make coloring books, cards for soldiers, and coloring pages. The 21 coloring books we assembled will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House Charity. We also created 3 cards to be sent to our heroes overseas. The 40 coloring pages we completed will be sent to the Color-A-Smile organization that will then be distributed to individuals such as senior citizens and our troops overseas.

The next table I moved to was equipped with several old t-shirts ready to be cut into long strips and braided in order to create dog toys. The 138 dog toys we made will be sent to a nearby animal shelter. Another project being completed at this table was the crafting of door hangers out of colored paper. We created 27 of these door hangers that will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.

There we two other tables prepared with service activities. One of the tables had all of the ingredients to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We made 52 of these sandwiches and they will be sent to the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. The last table was set up with materials necessary for making wreaths and small bears. The 2 beautiful fall wreaths that were assembled will be sent to the Ronald McDonald House Charity along with the 9 bears we made for children at the Ronald McDonald House and other children in need.

Once our three hours of service was finished we took a moment to reflect. We all agreed that we enjoyed all of the different activities and would not have desired to complete our Afternoon of Service any other way. The afternoon showed us that it does not take much to do something good for someone else. Although all of the projects we completed were very simple and accomplished in just a few short hours, they are going to make so many people feel good. It is important to think about the recipients of the things you are creating during these service projects and how much the finished products will mean to them. All in all, The Honors Afternoon of Service was a great, simple way to contribute to the community.

Every Thursday, from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM, I attend yoga in the TRLC. Yoga is also held in the Lodge at Lakeside every Tuesday at the same time; however, I am unable to also attend that session because I have a class during that time. Still, I find just one hour every Thursday evening to be sufficient. During the first week, there were nearly fifty people who squeezed their mats onto the floor of the TRLC. Luckily, for those of us who continue to attend the sessions, the numbers have been dwindling since and each week it becomes easier to claim a spot on the floor (permitting I continue to show up early enough).

Last week’s yoga session consisted of “yin yoga.” Considering many of us in the room had never heard of this form of yoga previously, the instructor explained exactly what yin yoga was before beginning. She told us it was a form of yoga that focuses on stretching the connective tissue in our body as opposed to the muscle tissue that is stretched during your average yoga session. We did this by bending our bodies into a series of positions and holding each of them for approximately four minutes. At the end of each position we would carefully and slowly come back to a neutral position before moving into the next one, all while constantly focusing on our breathing.

I find yoga a great way to push away any stressful thoughts about school assignments and upcoming exams. For an hour, I can completely clear my mind and focus on relaxing my body. I recommend attending these yoga sessions to anyone who has an hour to spare each week and is interested in a healthy outlet for his or her stress. Taking part in the yoga offered on campus has been a great experience and I plan to keep these sessions a part of my weekly calendar.