On Wednesday, October 17^th, I went roller-skating with the Stockton Pride Alliance, a group I joined shortly after the Get Involved Fair. Before going, I was honestly a bit nervous, since I am, on a general basis, absolutely terrible at anything involving coordination. But even being as terrible at roller-skating as I am, I had a great time doing this. I spent most of the night trying not to fall over or run into other people, and it was a blast. I got to hang out with a bunch of cool people that I have a lot in common with, and I feel like because of it we all became much better friends. We laughed together, some of us fell together, and we all had a lot of fun.

The Stockton Pride Alliance is a student run organization that is focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning students. The purpose of it is to essentially bring about a sense of unity for LGBTQ students and allies, as well as bring awareness to those types of issues to students outside of the organization. It’s a club where LGBTQ students and allies can feel safe and be open about their sexuality and their thoughts and feelings surrounding this. Part of what made going out in a group like to go roller-skating was that a lot of people in the club went with their significant others, and it was great to be able to do that and see that and not feel judged.

The organization behind the event was not as great as it could have been. We carpooled, which was a great idea, but then a lot of people backed out or were late or ended up getting there in different ways than had planned. We spent a good half hour just standing around at the meeting spot, waiting for everyone to show up so we could get going. It was all a bit of a mess at first. Also, the drive there was a little bit long and would have been confusing if I wasn’t following someone else. But we eventually all made it there, paid the somewhat cheap price, and enjoyed the night.

I think a big part of the reason why I had such a good time was because I was with this group of people who I wasn’t afraid to be myself in front of. I didn’t have to pretend or act any certain way. I could make a fool of myself and that was just fine. I could joke and fall down and be comfortable with them, I could hold hands with my girlfriend and not be judged, and it was because of that that I had a great time. I think it was a really great experience for all of us for that same reason. Joining clubs like this at Stockton is honestly the best way to really get yourself out there and find some great friends who you have things in common with, people who you can feel comfortable with and who will accept you just the way you are.

Today is the Celebration of Service Showcase lead by the Office of Service-Learning, Office of Student Development, and the Honors Program. It is in F-wing Atrium from 10am to 2pm. This event opened with Marc Lowenstein’s introductory remarks. His remarks were titled, “The Past, Present, and Future of Service Learning at Stockton.”

I went to support these different presentations and service projects. Both of the organizations that I did my service projects were there and had an area in order to recruit more people, which made me happy. Circle K and Water Watch are the two organizations that I have volunteered with. Circle K does various activities throughout the week and the one that brings the most joy to me is sewing teddy bears and stuffing them for children that have a terminal illness. Water Watch held a beach sweep last semester when we all went to Atlantic City to clean up the beach and I found out that they are hosting another one at the end of April that I plan on attending.

I was also able to stop by Student Development’s station in order to learn about the alternative Spring Break where students go to North Carolina and work with Habitat for Humanity and build a house for an underprivileged family. I plan on trying to do that next year because I personally think that is a very effective way for me to spend my Spring Break, by helping others that need it. This Celebration of Service was very helpful and was an easy way to get a quick glance of all of the opportunities that Stockton has to volunteer. I cannot wait for next year when I will be able to dedicate even more time to the lives of others.

On March 22^nd the Grants Office shared in Stockton’s celebration of its 40^th year by hosting the 12^th Annual Day of Scholarship. There were students that showcased their scholarship throughout various presentations. I went to the presentation at 2:05 pm, called Too Much Disney or Not Enough? We were instructed that if we agree with something that the speaker says to jump up, clap and yell “GO MICKEY!!” If the presenter says something that we do not like we are to give a thumbs down and say “booo,” if the speaker really says something we do not like we are to angrily and sternly say “DONALD DUCK!” Beverly Vaughn, a professor of music, was very energetic. We put Mickey Mouse on trial to decide if there is too much Mickey or not enough; Mickey includes all Disney merchandise as well. Nai and Joy supported that there was not enough Mickey and that there will never be enough Mickey. Their first point included that Disney movies promote morals. The second major argument is that Disneyworld and Disneyland bring children a new experience that no other vacation can replicate. Christen and Shriah were on the too much Mickey side and they had many arguments. Their first point is that Disney corrupts children for money; once they have one piece of merchandise they crave more for example to gather all of the characters from all of the movies. They also pointed out that some of the princesses put up with violence from men and are too dependent on me. They believe that Disney displays too many families where the main character’s parents have died. I think that the too much Mickey side had better arguments, but I personally love Disney.

Chris came to Stockton last night to perform a magic show for us and he is actually a Stockton graduate himself. He has been a two time survivor of cancer and has started his own foundation that is a nonprofit organization.

He is actually the youngest person to perform magic at the White House, in Washington D.C. He was also recently featured on the show Criss Angel’s Mindfreak. He started off his routine with just a few simple things like juggling and a Chinese yoyo. He was very entertaining and really engaged the audience. He used many volunteers in order to keep everyone awake.

He somehow managed from an invisible deck of cards to find a real deck of cards and pick out the correct one. He also made a $50 dollar bill turn into a one dollar bill and then he cut open a lemon to find the original fifty, but the catch is that a girl in the audience was holding the lemon since the beginning of the show. I am really surprised and intrigued as to how magic actually works. He even had a girl pretty much levitating on stage! It was definitely an event that I would recommend to my friends and I would go to again if I was ever given the chance.

After the headache so to speak of the first semester Professor Rosner smoothed things out with the Service Learning Office in order to make our honors experience much better. We have a paper that needs to get signed whenever we go to a dialogue or reflection the staff member from service learning signs it. This helps alleviate the added stress of being a guinea pig from the fall semester. In the fall semester we were required to go to three dialogues and two reflections; now we only have to go to one dialogue and two reflections. I think that the two-page write ups after the service learning projects are extremely helpful because they help you reflect the most. You get a sense of exactly how important your service is whether it is on-campus or off-campus or short-term or long-term. Any amount of volunteering is beneficial to both the volunteer and the organization. I have always enjoyed volunteering but I never sat down and thought about the difference that I make during my volunteering. I also think that the service learning aspect of the Honor’s program is an awesome thing to be able to put on your transcript because it shows that you went above and beyond the call of duty during your four years of college. Not every school offers the same opportunities that Stockton College does. I also think that Stockton does an excellent job making your volunteer idea come to life.

Monday November 19^th can best be described as a perfect storm.  Two short papers, a four page rough draft, a full annotated bibliography, and a 12 page lab report were all due, with an intimidating biology exam to study for.  Needless to say, there was very little sleep to be had, but plenty of stress to go around. It wasn’t until the sun set that the pace slowed, and a breather could finally be had.

My friend and I have developed a tradition here at Stockton: to end any stressful day with copious amounts of eating.  We headed to N- Wing dining, disappointed to find a Thanksgiving dinner that had reached full capacity. And so we were forced to consume the over-priced food of the Campus Center, still hungry after the meager meal.  The night seemed doomed to fail, but then an E.D.I.BL. poster caught my eye, advertizing free food with Chef David Gordon.  Of course there was a catch, namely that the free food consisted of bugs.  But we were hungry and intrigued, and so headed over to the Event Room for what promised to be an interesting event.

The room was just filling up as we got there.  Ignoring the ominous sign of required waivers, we found our seats and chatted nervously.  We had no idea what to expect of a man nicknamed “the Bug Chef”, and so were pleasantly surprised when he took the spotlight; he had an agreeable sense of humor that was paired with an entertaining quirkiness.  As the frying pan heated, he talked about the practicality and tastiness of bug eating.  His points focused on protein and the wastefulness of traditional foods, noting the various cultures around the world that munch on insects.  Surprisingly, the entire room seemed to be nodding in agreement, myself included.

The time came for the actual cooking and consumption of the bugs.  We were to prepare everything from tarantula to grasshopper, watching in both disgust and admiration.  He waved the specimens in front of us nonchalant, explaining the exact methods for cooking different pests.  He asked for volunteers, and almost every hand in the room shot up; feeling brave, I added my own to the sea of arms.  My friend was shocked and disgusted, and did her best to pull down my arm. The subsequent struggle grabbed the attention of the Bug Chef, and I was called up to the front.

The dish was fried, breaded scorpion.  The creature was thrust into my hand, with orders to soak it in milk and roll it in cornflakes.  I was instructed “to really get it on there,” and cautioned not to neglect the tail, for that is evidently the chewiest section.  Cameras flashed, recording the progress of the unusual task.  I was surprisingly tolerant of the ordeal, and was in fact hoping for a taste.

Although I never got to try a scorpion or even the tarantula, the night can be considered a success.  Chex Mix with crickets proved to be a suitable distraction for stress, and chocolate covered grasshopper was enjoyable enough for second portions.  In the end I am glad that spontaneity led us to this event, for it gave us an interesting experience that will be difficult to forget.  And while I am proud to be one of the few Americans to have willingly eaten an insect, the urge is now gone; I do not see myself joining E.D.I.B.L. any time soon.  Still, a candied- grasshopper is never out of the question.