Lolla No Booza was another event run by the Stockton Entertainment Team that was a blast. At this event there were educational games, prizes, and lots of fun. The event was around Halloween and everyone was encouraged to dress up for the event. My roommate and I went as Minnie and Mickey, which there were a lot of but some people got really creative with theirs. One costume was a social butterfly in which she dressed up as a butterfly and taped the logos of many different forms of social media onto her costume.

The activities at Lolla No Booza were almost all educational. Most of the games made you answer questions about alcohol and the effects it has on the brain and body. Another game involved the players to wear goggles that made it feel like you were drunk and throw a ball to try to hit the target to give players the sense of what it feels like to be drunk. Playing this game was a lot harder than most people expected because you thought you were throwing the ball straight at the target but you turned out to be very far off from the target.

Some of the activities were just for fun though. For example there was a stand for face painting and temporary tattoos. There were also two people making balloon animals for a little while too. There was also a photobooth with lots of props to use for the pictures. Another thing that was there was a spot to make music videos with a green screen behind you. I did not get a chance to do this because the line was very long so I chose to participate in the other activities instead. The best thing in my opinion that was there was a mechanical bull. The group of friends that I was with decided we were going to have a competition of who could last the longest on the bull. In case you were wondering I came in third out of five of us… (It was a lot harder than I expected).

Of course since it was a SET run event, there were prizes. For each game you won, you received a ticket and that ticket was placed in a wheel like the ones used in a bingo game and a certain amount of tickets were drawn from it. Each time names were drawn, they were posted on the projectors and then those people got to go over to the table and pick a prize. At the end of the night, more names were drawn for grand prizes. One of the grand prizes was a trip to Cancun.

As you can see, this was probably one of the best events SET has run thus far. Lolla No Booza makes me excited to attend more SET events throughout my career at Stockton.

On April 25, 2013, I attend Stockton’s Celebration of Service. I originally thought that this event was going to have tables and tables of students wishing to display their service efforts in the past semester. I was rather surprised to find that there were only a handful of service projects being displayed. The area by the library where the Celebration of Service was occurring was rather bare, and I was disappointed to see that not a lot of students wanted to share their projects.  I give a lot of credit to those students who were willing to display their hard work and efforts and I applaud them for their generous efforts in trying to make the community a better place.

One of the projects that caught my eye was called Clean Ocean Action. Clean Ocean Action is a project involving the cleaning up of the oceans after Hurricane Sandy. Anything that involves the revival of the shores after the hurricane immediately grabs my attention. The students that were running this project asked me to fill out a brief survey. The survey asked me questions regarding the beach I attend and how it has been affected by Sandy. It also asked me if I have been turned away from my beach due to the ruins of the shore after the devastating hurricane. The survey also asked how much I would be willing to donate, time or money, in order to help revive our shores. A bribe to filling out the survey was that you are actually put into raffle to win a free gift basket! The boys were giving out free bumper stickers to help raise awareness of this particular issue which is extremely relevant to a lot of our daily lives.

After having attended Celebration of Service, I was really disappointed that my roommate and I didn’t display our Jersey Strong Tee Shirt project. I think this would have stood out amongst the projects that were displayed and would have really caught people’s eyes. If we decide to continue working with this project, maybe we will document our efforts at next year’s Celebration of Service!

On September 10^th the Noyes Museum of Art hosted a panel about climate change. On this panel were reporters, scientists, and artists. The artists here represented those who created the works being displayed in the exhibit Frozen Earth: Images from the Arctic Circle at the museum. Each panelist was given a ten minute time frame to talk about climate change, or his or her own experiences.

Jeff Niemitz began by giving a background on climate change. Niemitz explained how climate change is a continuous process of the Earth and water becoming warmer. Since the water is becoming warmer the snow and ice melts which limits the amount of radiation being reflected. This in turn makes the water absorb more radiation and become warmer which starts the process over again. The next speaker was Michael Lemonick, who was the editor at Time. He spoke about how he has been writing about the greenhouse effect and ozone hole since 1988.

Amy Lipton was the next panelist. As an artist she had a unique perspective on climate change and showed examples of her own work. Lipton explained how portraying climate change is sometimes difficult saying something along the lines of “climate change is hard for artists to deal with because it is an abstract concept.” Lipton was a participant in The Arctic Circle Foundation which Aaron O’Connor spoke about next. O’Connor explained that The Arctic Circle Foundation is a program that allows people of any profession to go to the Arctic Circle.

Overall, the climate change panel was extremely informative and entertaining. The panelists were from different professions which allowed for many perspectives to be heard concerning the complex issue of climate change.

The Wellness Center is a truly enthusiastic department of our school that is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of Stockton’s many students and faculty members. Each week, the Wellness Center sponsors a variety of exercise and fitness classes in order to motivate students to become more active, and give each of us the tools to make smart decisions in order to combat the dreaded “Freshman Fifteen.” Students and faculty members have the opportunity to participate in free Boxercise, Yoga, Judo and Zumba classes on a twice-weekly basis, which encourages all of us to want to live healthier lives.  

            For me personally, coming into college was a difficult transition. Aside from leaving me home, my family and a very close-knit group of friends, I now had to grow accustomed to making positive life choices that would be beneficial in the long run. At first, it was very easy to fall into the trap of college cuisine. Fast food options tasted far better than the healthy stuff, and a meal plan put virtually endless plates of food at my disposal.  I had always been a rather healthy eater at home, and I never truly recognized the benefits of consuming solely self-prepared, home-cooked meals. Thankfully, I was able to realize early on that I was not making the healthiest choices, and I began to clean up my diet and start regular exercise regimen.

            I began taking Zumba classes through Stockton and the Wellness Center in the fall, and it never felt so good to move! The instructors of the class compose upbeat, energetic routines that truly get students on their feet and dancing. Soon Zumba became a part of my weekly routine, and my friends were coming along as well. I watched the class size continuously increase as more and more students came to the same realization that I had a few weeks prior, and soon the gym was full. I am so thankful to attend a school where these unique exercise options are available for students free of charge, and to live in an environment that encourages healthy choices on a daily basis. Choosing to attend Zumba classes at Stockton and actively participating in each routine was the first step for me in reclaiming the version of myself that I knew before college and the temptations of a meal plan.

One of Stockton University’s clubs, Circle K, held their first meeting on Wednesday, September 16th in room F111 of Stockton’s academic wing. The meeting began with the introduction of the officers and a description of the club. They said that Circle K is a worldwide club for college aged students who are passionate about community service and leadership. Then they welcomed all new members and got into the heart of the meeting, which was talking about the service opportunities for this semester.

They explained that Project Linus is an opportunity for students to make teddy bears and pillowcases for sick children in local hospitals. Next, they talked about Atlantic City Rescue Mission. This service project allows students the ability to help prepare and serve dinner to the homeless people of Atlantic City. A third service project that was mentioned is serving with the Salvation Army. This entails helping younger kids with their homework and playing games with them at an after school program. Another project for this semester is the opportunity to travel to Spring Village, a retirement home, and play Blackjack with the elderly residence. This is a way to give older members of our community some fun and allows the students to interact with the residents as well. Another service project that was mentioned is with Campus Kitchen. During this project, Stockton students partner with students from Atlantic City High School to make meals for the homeless. The last off-campus service project that was talked about during this meeting was horse rescue. This allows students to be able to assist in the feeding and grooming of rescued horses.

The final service project, which takes place on campus, gives students who do not have time to leave campus an opportunity to help the community with different service projects each week. For convenience, this project takes place right before the Circle K meetings every Wednesday night. Overall this meeting was very informative and gave a lot of good information about service opportunities around the area. Circle K seems like a great club to have on campus because they are so focused on helping others.

This week, Stockton is savoring the colorfulness and diversity of our second-annual International Celebration. The campus center food court has been adorned with flags from countries all over the globe, and foreign films are being shown in the Dunkin Donuts coffeehouse each afternoon at 2:00. Additionally, Stockton is hosting it’s annual Multicultural Connection Dinner in the campus center event room on Wednesday evening, and a “Geodome” has been set up in the C and D Wing atrium that allows students to experience 3D tours of various destinations around the world. One of my favorite aspects of this celebration has been the new and exciting variety of food being offered in N-Wing and Homestyle Kitchen, celebrating a different culture at each location every day this week.

From Middle Eastern Dosas to Iraqi Pink Rice or Filipino Beef Stew, the new options at some of Stockton’s most popular dining locations offer students and faculty the opportunity to expand their horizons and step outside of their typical culinary comfort zones. For the less adventurous, or simply those looking for something sweet to snack on, Homestyle Kitchen also offered French eclairs and cream puffs on Monday, and delicious South American churros on Wednesday. My personal favorite dish so far this week has been the Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice dish, although Tuesday’s vegetable dumpljngs took a close second. The unique cuisine options gave everyone who eats on campus a break from the typical dining options, and helped me personally realize that I am not as picky of an eater as I used to be.

As teenagers and young adults, we tend to forget that life exists beyond the walls of our schools, homes or workplaces. Though it is easier to live within the comfort our little bubbles provide, it is inevitable that someday each of us will encounter a language barrier or cultural difference that prohibits us from connecting with another human being. America is known as a melting pot, and I truly feel that our diversity deserves to be recognized. Additionally, both businesses and healthcare are now expanding beyond the figurative boundaries of our country and spreading their services abroad. With this in mind, I personally believe that it is crucial for students to further their studies of foreign languages and cultures, so that we might one day be able to bridge the gaps that separate different parts of the world. Stockton’s International Celebration is a wonderful way to encourage students to open their eyes to the diversity of our world, and hopefully inspire us all to continue to explore the various cultures around the globe.

As a Computer Science major, I particularly enjoy the Stockton Computer Society; it’s a student organization for those technically inclined people who really love computers. Every Thursday at 4:30 pm there’s a different module or activity focusing on how computers work and how we can do cool things with them. Typical computers aren’t the only focus in this club – they actually have a Lego Mindstorms set which contains programmable components to create robotic Lego constructions. At a recent meeting those present learned how to make panoramic image spheres using the same technology as in Google Earth’s street view. At an upcoming meeting there will be a computer building module – going through the process of putting a computer together piece by piece. The best feature about this club is that it’s open to anyone – no experience necessary. In this club, technologically inclined students can explore the complexities and amusements of computing alike – all while finding people with the same interests as them. Activities range from the simple to the advanced, and guided learning and practice is exercised so that no matter what one’s skill level is, anyone can still follow the guidelines. This club offers something cool to do and learn about each week within the domain of computers and modern technology. To get started in this club you’ll have to contact Professor Roubos in D wing since the venue changes each week. There’s no doubt that people can do fun and interesting things with computers, and in the Computer Society, we can show you how to do just that!

On November 19, 2012 my roommate and I attended Stockton’s fall a Cappella concert. It was a beautiful combination of popular songs sung by three different a cappella groups. As a whole, all three groups are called Stockton a Cappella. Stocktata is an all girl group and the youngest of all three groups. The Stocktones is a co-ed group of college students that attend Stockton College. The third group is called Stockapella and is the oldest and most experienced a cappella group at Stockton. This group competes with other a cappella groups across the nation. Stockapella began competing in 2011 and every competition since that point, they have qualified for the quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. That is an incredible feat! What is even more exciting for me personally is that my boyfriend is in this group!

            The show was a huge success. There were more people in the audience than seats. Each group wore a different color, accented throughout their outfits. Stockata, the all girls group, was given the color purple. Their clothes were splashed with bits of purple and their particular songs were written in purple in the program. The Stocktones were blue and the Stockapella group was yellow. These color differentiations made it easy to see and distinguish who was in which group. It was also interesting to see what some students would do with their color! One of the girls in the Stocktones actually dyed her hair blue!

Stockton a Cappella opened up with “Some Nights” by F.U.N.  It was beautifully sung and the harmonies were phenomenal. This song is one of my favorites to listen to, so this excellent performance of it made it exponentially more exciting for me. Some of the other songs that were sung were: “Give Your Heart A Break” by Demi Lovato, “Summer of ‘69” by Brian Adams,  “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” by The Script, “Over My Head” by The Fray, and “Happy Ending” by Mika, in addition to about ten other songs. The closing song, “Happy Ending” by Mika, was described as very special to the Stockton a Cappella groups because it has been a tradition to close the concert with this song. They also invite all of the Stockton a Cappella alumni to come to the stage to sing it with the current members. This concept is familiar to me because in my high school’s winter choir concerts, we had a tradition of singing Carol of the Bells and O Holy Night. We, like Stockton a Cappella, would invite all PTHS alumni to join us in singing O Holy Night on stage. I think this is a great way to continue to involve the alumni in something that they used to love so much.

Not only was I glad that I came to this concert to support my boyfriend, but I also thoroughly enjoyed every song that was sung and performed. These students worked so incredibly hard to reach this final point, and you can tell that their hard work paid off. They all had large grins on their faces and they looked like they were having a great time as they swayed with the musing, bounced their knees, and tapped their feet. As a performer, I know how empowering it is to hear that loud audience cheer for you. At this concert, the audience didn’t cheer after every song, they screamed. They loved every minute of the concert, just as my roommate and I had. I will most definitely attend more Stockton a Cappella concerts and I know others will too. I think they should move their concerts over into the PAC where there are more seats!

            I was three years old when I first stepped into the mirror-surrounding walls of a dance studio. After this moment, dance slowly became my life. By the time I was thirteen years old, I was in the studio six out of seven days a week, eating my dinner in the waiting room between classes, and doing my homework on the benches outside. I thrived on being onstage; I lived for the glitter and glam. I was obsessed with rhinestones and the loud music that would play as I performed. Throughout the course of my dance career, I took lessons in tap, jazz, lyrical, ballet, musical theater, pointe, and acrobatics. My dream when I was a young girl was to become a professional dancer when I grew up. I loved everything about the life of a dancer.

            It is hard to believe that Dracula, performed at Stockton College on October 24, 2012, was the first ballet that I have ever attended. Dracula was a performance executed by the Atlantic City Ballet. The Atlantic City Ballet Company is made up of dancers from nine different countries across the world.  One of the things that I found particularly exciting about Dracula was the fact that I knew what all of the dance moves were called that they were doing throughout the play. I knew when they had made a mistake or when their performance was absolutely beautiful. If I hadn’t been a dancer for ten years, I would not have been able to pick up on such minute things like these.

What was so different about this experience for me was that the entire story was told through dance and not a single word was spoken. I am used to watching television or musicals where the changes in intonation of the actors indicate the moods and feelings of the actors in the story. Being that I do not know the story of Dracula, the fact that it was being told without words made it that much more difficult for me to understand the plotline. If I had known the story of Dracula like I know Cinderella, or the Little Mermaid, I would have probably gotten even more out of it than I did.

The majority of the dancing was spectacular, especially by the lead women in the show. They made every movement look so simple and so graceful, which is awe-inspiring considering I personally know how difficult those moves actually are. There were a few points in the show where I noticed that the dancers weren’t synchronized with each other. Most of the time, this occurred when the younger dancers were performing.

As much as I wanted to see a beautifully executed ballet with flawless dancers with years of experience when I was watching Dracula, I was very pleased to see that they incorporated their younger dancers in the performance. I was a younger, inexperienced dancer at one point, and I would have loved to have been given an opportunity to dance in the same production with people as experienced as these dancers.

I am very glad that I went to see this ballet because it brought back a lot of memories from my dance past. Seeing things like this makes me miss dance because I loved it so much. However, I have moved on and I couldn’t be happier in the place that I am in now. As much as I would love to go back to dance, I think it’s best for me to keep it in my memories, and continue to move forward with my life.

            August 16^th was my first day at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. I was the first one of my friends to leave for school and I was also one of the first ones to move in at Stockton. I am currently a member of the Stockton Ospreys field hockey team. Continuing to pursue my passion for field hockey threw me into college two and a half weeks early for preseason. I was placed in an apartment with two other girls on the team, also known as complete strangers, and was surrounded by apartments filled with other strangers. My choice to play field hockey at Stockton also stripped me of a proper “goodbye” to my family. Moving into my apartment entailed my parents dropping my belongings off in the apartment as I was taking my concussion baseline test. That was it.

            I am incredibly close to my family, meaning this abrupt goodbye was incredibly hard on me. Not only was I trying to adapt to a college which was two hours from my home, but I was also trying to get used to a new coaching staff, a hectic practice schedule, and a team of girls who I have never met before. Needless to say, I was beyond overwhelmed. My stress ended up turning into sub-par performance on the field and countless tear-filled phone calls to my mom and dad. I began second guessing my love for the sport, and started preparing myself for that talk with my coach that would ultimately place my field hockey career on a shelf.

            Moving into my actual dorm room with other freshman flipped my perspective on everything from new friends to being so far from home to field hockey. On August 27^th, my parents and my siblings spent hours with me unloading the car, decorating my dorm room, and organizing all of my belongings into my new home. At this point, my practice schedule was beginning to lighten up and classes were about to begin. My free time quickly vanished and as a result, I had less and less time to think about home.

            Deciding to stay on the Stockton field hockey team was probably one of the best decisions I have made in a long time. I now have a close knit group of friends that are also freshman field hockey players, in addition to twenty other friends. I continue to have my good days and my bad ones, but that comes with the territory, field hockey or no field hockey. I love being involved with the team and having something to take up my free time. I thrive on being busy and field hockey keeps my daily schedule quite eventful. It devastates me that I almost gave that all up because of my insecurity being in a new place with so many aspects of life that I was not yet accustomed to. I am so incredibly proud of myself for pushing through one of the hardest transitions in my life.

            The Stockton Field Hockey team has made it through about half of our season so far, playing nationally ranked opponents and handling referees that make game-changing calls. Our record does not nearly represent the talent that we have, but as a team, we are pushing through, and gradually regaining our hunger for victory. We are out on that field to have fun and to do what we love. I pushed through those tears and the stress of being new; my team can push through losing streaks. Whether I am handling my own personal problems or team difficulties, we are all in this together; we are the Stockton Ospreys.