Macie McCallion

Homecoming weekend at Stockton University is a jubilant time for everyone. Families and their Stockton students are reunited and there are plenty of festivities for each person to enjoy. A momentous occasion for the students in particular is the Osprey Ball. This year was the 20^th annual Osprey Ball and we could feel the anticipation of each person attending as the women curled each other’s hair and the men put on their nicest shirts. Groups of friends would meet up before the ball to take pictures to have something to remember these moments by. College is only a short time in our lives and we need to appreciate every minute of it.

Some couples went together as dates and others went with groups of friends; it didn’t matter because everyone was going to have a great time. The ball started at nine and when students walked into the room the first thing they saw was an elegant balloon arch at the opening of the door. Other remarkable amenities of the evening included a photo booth with fun props, delicious dinner, dessert and an amazing DJ. Some of the best moments of the night were when the DJ played songs like the cupid shuffle, the cotton eye Joe, the wobble, the electric slide and more because that’s really when all of the people in the room were up on the dance floor having the time of their lives.

The party went all night long, when the ball was officially over at one in the morning, the individuals who stayed the entire time were sad to leave. My friends and I in particular stayed until the very end. Since the ball was one of the first official Stockton events that freshmen were able to attend, I was happy to be spending it with all of my new friends here at Stockton.

The night was a huge success. Any student who showed up would have had a great time, and all of the ones who did proved it. The students and faculty who worked together to create this event deserve to be commended on their spectacular efforts.

Macie McCallion

SOAR is an exhilarating experience for all incoming freshmen. It stands for the Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat. It serves as a way for freshmen to get to know each other and build lasting connections before beginning this new chapter of our lives at Stockton University.

As we moved in on August 25^th 2015, there were so many emotions running through the minds of every parent, family member, and student. We felt fear, excitement, worry, thrill, eagerness and more. After we said goodbye to our parents and headed off to SOAR, all of the worry and fear began to disappear; we started to feel more comfortable around one another. We were split up into tribes. The tribes were orange, navy, pink, yellow, red, green, purple and sky. I was a member of sky tribe (the best tribe out of them all). There were about 30 people per tribe and by the end of SOAR we were all each other’s second family. This aspect of SOAR really makes Stockton truly feel like our home away from home.

The activities that we participated in are really what contributed to all of the bonds that we made. We contemplated several mind games and were elated when we understood when no one else did. We sang, danced, played cards, went kayaking, climbed rock walls and chased some metaphorical lions. On top of all the fun activities, we also participated in some activities that educated us on topics like diversity, acceptance and trust.

SOAR may have only been three short days. However, they were 3 of the best days I have had in a long time. By the end of it we all had bug bites and dirty shoes and sweaty shirts but none of us cared because we had such a great time. Thanks to SOAR I feel so much more comfortable assimilating into this new environment and being the outgoing, confident person that I have always been.

Macie McCallion

Recently, I decided to join the American Sign Language Club here at Stockton University.  I had joined multiple other clubs before making the decision to join American Sign Language Club.  I am currently a member of the Marine Science Club, C.L.A.W.S. (Collaborative Leaders Advocating Wellness at Stockton), Ping Pong Club, the Disney Association and now the American Sign Language Club.

I decided to join each of these organizations because I had a genuine interest in all of them.  However, there was more to the reason of why I joined the American Sign Language Club than just having an interest in the subject matter.  This past year, my grandfather developed a benign tumor on the cochlea of his good ear and he is now fully deaf.  I joined the American Sign Language club because I now understand what it’s like to have a communication barrier.  My ultimate goal is to become fluent in Sign Language.  This goal was inspired by my grandfather, but I wish to follow through with it because I think it is a huge asset to be able to speak through sign language.  I hope to inspire others in my family to learn how to use sign language and hopefully I will be able to teach my grandfather as well so it could ease the communication barrier between us.

I hope no one else in my family develops complete hearing loss but if they do I am confident that I will be more prepared. I believe sign language is a beautiful form of communication that should be more widely taught throughout our education systems.