On September 11, 2015, Stockton Men’s Soccer suffered their first loss to Rensselaer. Stockton, whose record after the game was 3-1, scored only one point during a penalty kick by Clevon McPherson. The Ospreys, who led by one at the half, fell to the Engineers, with a final score of 2-1. This game was part of the Seashore Classic, which continued through the weekend with William Patterson and Mary Washington in competition as well.

Despite the loss, the student section at the game remained lively until the final buzzer. Friends and fellow teammates cheered from the stands for everything from substitutions to penalties. After Stockton’s only goal, all of the on-field players ran to the side of the field where the bleachers were and celebrated with us. The stands went wild.

I never would have imagined the level of school spirit and pride to be this prevalent at Stockton, and yet each and every student in attendance proved me wrong. Despite Stockton being a D3 school, and not having a football team, we proved that we can still be loud and rowdy and support out athletes, which I respect one hundred percent.

As my first Stockton sporting event, I can say that I will definitely be at many more, if not to actually learn how soccer works, then to support my school through wins and losses. The games are free for students (with ID), so next time Stockton Athletics tweets about a game or a bunch of Yik Yaks are posted about the soccer game, grab some friends and head out there! I promise the team will not disappoint.

After their first loss of the season, Stockton came back with a win over Mary Washington on September 12. Stockton beat Mary Washington 3-0, despite their previously unbeaten record. The Eagles, whose standing is now 5-1, could not get past Stockton’s remarkable defense. Anthony Colofranson scored two of Stockton’s points, one in each half, and the final point came from Jeff Tanski. Because of the rainy weather, not as many students came out to see a Stockton win as the Stockton vs Rensselaer game, but the school pride was there nonetheless. I wish the best of luck to the soccer team for the remainder of their season, and hope that they bring back some more Osprey “W’s”.

On September 12, 2015, Stockton hosted their 12^th annual Day of Service. For many, today was an opportunity to learn about the South Jersey community, and about the things that we, as college students, can do to help under privileged people in our community and to help our environment. I was on the purple team, and while we spent the day being talked to by guest speakers about the ways we can impact our community, I do wish that the event would have been a little more hand on with the “service” aspect of service-learning. The keynote speaker this year was Todd Bernstein, the founder of the MLK Day of Service, who spoke to us about the importance of service in every community and the impact that we, as students, can make on our country and the world.

Stockton also had the honor of having the president of ACUA, Rick Dovey, speak to us about the recycling, sewage treatment, trash collection, and sustainable energy facilities in Atlantic County. Besides that, the student representatives of Water Watch taught us about the dangers of single-use plastic water bottles and their adverse effects on our bodies, environment, and economy. (This is the cue to head to the bookstore and buy a reusable water bottle OR see the Water Watch table during the Get Involved fair for a free one!)

I also had the chance to help box up books for an on campus organization called Books Without Borders, which helps stock under-funded libraries, schools, and universities. The Campus Center theatre stage was covered in books from every subject imaginable, and I can only imagine the benefit of them once they all get to where they are needed most.

Today, students also had the opportunity to register to vote, if they had not already done so, and learn a little bit more about our legal system in the “civics” portion of the day. “Hot topics” such as the death penalty and the search and seizure of cell phones were discussed in my group, which led to my mind opening to the opinions and beliefs of others. It was very evident today, if not always, that every single Stockton student has a very important voice and that, if not shared, can go unnoticed.

My favorite part of the day was the Hands-Only CPR training I received from Stockton EMS. I was CPR certified when I was younger, but Hands-Only CPR is a little bit different. Because of the lack of rescue breaths, more people are willing to perform life-saving CPR on a stranger than before. Knowing that I at least have some training in how to do CPR, use an AED, and save someone from choking makes me feel better prepared for the times where I might be the only thing between someone and death.

Stockton’s Day of Service gave me more than just a free t shirt and some food. It gave me the information I need to continue to reach out and help my community, useful life-skills, a chance to help under-privileged libraries, and the chance to listen to some very interesting guest speakers.  I definitely look forward to participating in the 13^th annual Day of Service, and today made me much more interested in joining Circle K.

On the morning of August 25^th, I, along with 300 or so of my peers, packed all of my things, not only for college, but for the camping trip of a lifetime. SOAR, or the Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat, is an amazing program for incoming freshman, where they go away to Camp Ockanickon for three days prior to the traditional freshman “move-in day” and the beginning of Welcome Week activities. While on this camping trip, Stockton’s newest ospreys gained leadership skills, discussed the pros of a diverse community, and had a ton of fun doing so. Everyone in attendance had expected this type of instruction it was basically the tagline for SOAR. But the best parts of SOAR were the things we didn’t expect.

I didn’t expect to meet my best friend at SOAR. Within minutes of saying goodbye to my parents and siblings, the girl standing next to me, who I would soon call my best friend, and I bonded instantly. All around us, I could see, and feel, the friendships, and even relationships, forming between people who had just met. We were all being thrown into the wild with a bunch of strangers, so it was only natural for us to find people with whom we had something in common with, and stick with them.

My favorite part of SOAR, and, upon talking to some of my fellow “tribelets”, their favorite part as well, was getting to know our TALONS. The Activity Leaders Of New Students practically ran SOAR with the help of Jennifer Radwanski and the staff from Camp Ockanickon, but they did so much more than that. They gave very sound advice about college, from unspoken N Wing etiquette to how to save the most money on textbooks and everything in between. With the help of our TALONS, Stockton became a less intimidating place and moving away to college seemed like an easy tasked compared to the “Leap of Faith” that many, including myself, did while at camp.

SOAR was so much more than a leadership retreat or a chance to meet new people and make new friends. SOAR was a chance for many freshman to ease into the college experience. It helped to grease the gears of new friendships, and made the task of talking to new people less daunting. I hope to return to SOAR one day as a TALON so that I can help freshmen transition into life here at Stockton, because what my TALONS did for me is something I cannot thank them enough for. So, I say again, thank you TALONS, and thank you Jen Radwanski, for giving me the experience of a lifetime and allowing me to truly soar.