Saturday November 1, 2014 was the honors freshman trip to the city of Philadelphia. The honors students met by the Stockton’s Arts and Sciences court at 9:20am, loaded the bus, and our adventure began!

The bus arrived in Philadelphia at the first stop, the Mummer’s Museum. I was shocked the hear that some of my fellow classmates have never heard of or know what the Mummers are, because I have grown up my entire life seeing the Mummers perform in local parades. A former Mummer met us at the entrance of the museum and was going to be our personal tour guide. He took us around the museum and we were able to see some of the costumes on display that were wore in the parades up close, and a card in front of the costume said exactly what parade the costume was worn in. It is definitely better seeing the costumes in person than on the television screen because I was able to see the details in the costumes. There even was a section of the museum that had costumes and props that we were able to try on.

Then, the group boarded the bus again and made our way to Ninth Street, where the bus dropped us off at a market. We were able to roam around the streets to see what we found. There were all sorts of butcher shops, places that sell fish, grocery like shops, and restaurants. As my friends and I were walking, we saw a pizza place, which we ate at and were served AMAZING pizza. After eating the delicious pizza, we continued to roam the streets and found a cute little candy shop, which sold cookies, chocolate, ice-cream, chocolate covered strawberries, and many more sweets.

Overall, even though it was a rainy day, I think we all managed to have a great time at the Mummer’s Museum and exploring the streets of Philadelphia!

On October 8, 2014, I attended the suicide prevention talk in Alton Auditorium starring Jordan Burnham of Active Minds. I was shocked by how moving this entire presentation was through the dance performance, the speech itself, and their touching meanings.

First, Teresa Andris’ dancers performed a dance piece that was about a girl who committed suicide and her peers’ reactions to her action. This dance piece was touching because it showed the affects that one individual’s action has on her loved ones’ lives.

Then, Jordan Burnham came onto the stage to share his story. Throughout Jordan’s life, he constantly suffered with depression because he felt like he did not fit in or like he greatly disappointed his loved ones. Although Jordan constantly put on the persona that he was happy, his feelings on the inside were different. One day after he felt that he had disappointed his parents so much because his father found alcohol in his car, he jumped out of his bedroom window, but somehow survived. Jordan and his family agreed to share their stories about this event to impact someone’s life and possibly prevent a suicide. Although Jordan’s story is upsetting, he is using his situation to try to help and save other individuals’ lives.

I know that an individual’s suicide has an affect on their loved ones, but I never thought of the haunting unanswered questions that they would be faced with for the rest of their lives. The performance also made me realize that sometimes the people that seem the happiest on the outside are actually the ones that are seeking and needing the most help.

On September 6, 2014, I attended the eleventh annual Day of Service. As I walked into the Campus Center Event Room, there was a sea of tables set up offering all different service projects. After I looked at all of the service options, I decided I wanted to be part of the group that was going to help at The Shores of Wesley Manor, which is an assisted living community in Ocean City, New Jersey.

When the group first arrived at The Shores of Wesley Manor, a staff member escorted us upstairs to a large meeting room. The group stuffed goodie-bags with bubbles, a cup, a mirror, hand sanitizers, and a wristband. It was nice to know that I was able to help the staff prepare for the huge event that they were going to host the following day, but I really wanted to interact with the residents.

After the group finished stuffing the goodie-bags, a staff member asked if we wanted to help the residents bowl. Everyone in the group was excited and agreed to assist the residents bowl. Bowling involved a group member moving a resident’s wheelchair over to a ramp and helping them push the ball down the ramp to knock down the pins. I could tell that the six residents that participated in the bowling activity were immensely enjoying themselves by the smiles on their faces. Just seeing the residents happily clap when they bowled a strike was so rewarding.

After the day at The Shores of Wesley Manor, I felt awesome because I knew that just by spending some time with the residents I had helped to put smiles on their faces and make their day special.