I enjoyed going to this event even though I am not that into poetry. It was better than I had expected it to be. I found him to be pretty funny and since he was from New Jersey I was able to understand some of the references that he made. For example, he had a whole poem about how he had worked at Great Adventure on the Rolling Thunder ride and talked about this girl he met there who he was interested in. I grew up going to Great Adventure and have rode Rolling Thunder, so I liked being able to relate to that a little bit. He also had a few poems about fatherhood, he discussed his own childhood as well as his two daughters.
I also thought it was interesting how he had a poem about slaves. Gregory Pardlo had an interest in slave narratives, so he had read some of them and ended up making it into a poem. I never really thought about taking something that you were interested in reading and turning it into a poem. He also had other different ideas like this, such as his poem that was written as a description of a class which he thought would be interesting to teach. This idea came about from him having to write course descriptions. Overall, I was surprised that actually enjoyed it and it was a nice change to attend an event such as this.

At 6:30 p.m. on September 21, 2016 in the Campus Center Event Room, the Stockton students and faculty were provided with the experiential opportunity to listen to the guest speaker, Akhil Reed Amar, hosted by the Political Engagement Project/American Democracy Project, the Office of Service-Learning and the Office of the Provost. To provide some background, Mr. Amar is a professor and law and political science at Yale University and engages in many cases as well as writes for widely-known papers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. The session began with the distribution of a handheld Constitution book to all the individuals who attended and as the speaker came out, he introduced some general historical facts. A few of these include: The Declaration of Independence was penned on the Fourth of July, 1776 and National Constitution Day is on the Seventeenth of September, originally signed in 1787. These facts helped to open up the main session in which Constitutional rights and interpretations were discussed.

The Constitution is constantly being publicized to vote for or against it and there is partially a secular vision which is associated with it. In addition, as the values and morals of America continue to change, a concern is how strictly an American should abide by the laws of this document. However, in contrast, the British do not have a democratic constitution and their government seems to function in an orderly fashion which might suggest the possibility that the Constitution can be rendered useless if the same results are provided. The idea that there was a democracy revolution is fascinating in that the “big bang” of implementing such a document into the laws of the country began with America and then spread to Western Europe. Following this lecture in which the audience was supplied with an analysis on the importance of the Constitution, there was an opening for any questions.

An essential portion of this informational event was realizing that the foundation of Stockton University is built on the basis of the Constitution since Richard Stockton was one of the signers of the most important documents in American history. This connection which my school holds truly allows me to appreciate my school and education for enlightening with from a liberal arts perspective. In relation to the Debate Days and the Election which just passed, this dialogue highlighted the paper which America was built upon and how each of the presidential candidates was able to uphold these Constitutional rights through their platforms and campaigning. This session was entirely enjoyable on the basis that one was educated in preparation for the elections, as mentioned above, and was provided with an unbiased view on the Constitution. I would recommend this to any individual of any major who wishes to learn more about the history of America. Although this was a one-time event, similar organized dialogues constitute an expansion of information in the political science world. In summary, the Constitution was a document written once; however, its laws should be considered continuously throughout the days of America.

On Thursday, October 6th I attended the veteran’s monologue panel.  The panel consisted of approximately 12 students.  These students acted to convey the personal stories of veterans.  The students presented the stories rather than the veterans because it was thought that they would better evoke feelings from the audience as it enabled more of a connection to the ordinary, nonmilitary-involved viewer. At the beginning of the event, the student speakers were situated in the audience so that the they would blend in with the crowd, thus enhancing their relationship with the audience members so that they would appear to be an everyday student rather than someone who volunteered to regurgitate the stories of veterans. When it was time for the event to begin, the student panel walked up onstage, while still wearing their backpacks and carrying books making their presence relatable to the viewers.

Prior to speaking in front of an audience, students were assigned the task of interviewing a veteran and obtaining a story from them that they would be able to present.  Based on the veteran’s memories of war, the social environment; or milieu; of boot camp and of war in general is much different than that of everyday life.  One of the veteran’s stories explained how life truly began for him at boot camp as it was quite the, “cultural shock.” After re-entering civilian world, many of the veterans thought they would be able to move on past war and be joyous to be back but it appeared that life in the civilian world had been put on hold while everyone else moved on. At times many of the veterans would feel so alone in the world regardless of the number of people around them.   The veterans recollected how they had to change their initial moral beliefs upon entering the military.  One veteran explained how prior to being employed he was an atheist but, “Once something extreme happens, once you witness the horrors on the battlefield, you will pray to anyone and anything in hope that there is some greater force out there looking over you.”

Additionally, one of the veterans returned home after deployment and stated, “This isn’t the America that I fought for.” Before he left for the military, he remembers fighting for a country formed by the kindness of those who live in it but when he returned home he was only greeted with the hate and disrespect that citizens exhibited towards one another .  There is now doubt and mistrust everywhere and a lack of courage and compassion.  We rise and fall as one nation and, “Even though we are all unique in America,” the veteran mentioned, “That’s what makes us great.”

Recently, on October 6th, I attended the Stockton Myths and Legends event. This event was hosted by a few of Stockton University’s original staff and students. This event, which was a part of University Weekend, was held in the Campus Center Event room. The panel of original staff and students who were speaking sat at the front of the room behind a long table. As the event started, each individual member of the panel introduced themselves and then began to share their fond memories and experiences of the original Stockton.
Unfortunately, the audience turnout was not that impressive. It’s upsetting that this event wasn’t as popular as many other University Events because it really was a valuable learning experience. It was enjoyable to hear original staff members talk about how the school started out and how different the school is now. It even made me kind of sad that things are so different now because the panel discussed how much closer the staff and students were back in the original days. The Stockton they described sounded like an atmosphere that balanced a fun, laid-back attitude with hard-working academic habits. The event lasted about two hours, both of which were filled with interesting anecdotes and facts.
I really enjoyed this event and it made my love for Stockton grow. I had never really thought about the history of Stockton before, but now I am glad I know more about it. To my knowledge, they do this event every year during University Weekend, so I look forward to attending this event next year.

November 8, 2016, was considered a monumental day for me, as well as thousands of other Americans. This election was the first one in which I was old enough to vote, and as a first-generation American, this civic right was an especially significant one to exercise.

The days leading up to Election Day brought forth high levels of anxiety. It seemed as though my entire environment was an organized chaos characterized by doom, hatred, and fear. Numerous reminders called attention to Election Day madness: news reports broadcast their final analysis reports of who would win what states, Snapchat released various filters urging people to vote, and almost every conversation on campus mentioned “Trump” or “Clinton.” I had never known the election process caused so many unsettling emotions and unforeseen stress. Fortunately, the Political Engagement Project and Office of Service Learning made the voting process much easier. By providing a voter shuttle that brought students to and from a nearby voting site, there was almost no excuse for students not to vote.

It was only within half an hour before I left campus when I decided who to vote for. My nervousness gradually increased as I headed towards the Arts and Sciences circle to ride the voter shuttle. After about five minutes of waiting, a white minivan showed up, and the driver welcomed me and another student with open doors. I mentioned to the driver that this was my first time voting, and that I didn’t know what to expect. However, I was reassured that voting was a very simple process.

Upon arriving at the voting site on Pomona Road, a few tables and voting booths were set up. My name was not in the poll book since I live in a different county, but nonetheless, I filled out a provisional ballot by hand and cast my vote. I then received a patriotic “I voted” sticker from the voter shuttle and took pride in my action. It was just a matter of hours until America would find out who would be the next president.

Later that night, an Election Day Party, hosted by the Stockton Political Engagement Project, was held in the Board of Trustees Room. We ate pizza and gathered together as we watched polls close throughout the country. The restlessness grew as more results were continuously updated. Like a New Year’s Eve countdown, the news projected ticking clocks that increased angst as the seconds decreased. Each percentage, each blue number, each red number, were indicators of triumph or disappointment. America watched as the fate of our country changed right before our eyes.

By midnight, Trump was leading in electoral votes. My minority self— Asian, female, first-generation American, educated—was in shock. I tried to convince myself that maybe Clinton still had a chance at victory. But with only a handful of states whose electoral votes were still undetermined, the projected numbers just wouldn’t add up. I went to sleep dreadful of what I would wake up to hours later.

The Wellness Center’s yoga class was an event full of exercising the mind and body. This program is hosted by Stockton University’s Wellness Center. The Wellness Center hosts an array of events that encourage living a healthy lifestyle. Their events include several fun activities such as zumba, meditation, and yoga. Yoga classes are held twice a week on Tuesday from 6:30 to 7:30pm and Thursdays from 2:30 to 3:00 pm. Tuesday classes are held at the Lodge at Lakeside and Thursday classes are held at the Campus Bookstore.
I attended the Thursday yoga session on October 13th. Before starting, I was a bit hesitant because I am not flexible and have never participated in a Yoga class before. The first ten minutes were without a doubt nerve-wracking because everyone seemed to understand the different stretches. I was unsure what to expect and showed up in the comfiest clothes I owned and my grandmother insisted I bring her old yoga mat. Once I saw a familiar face, I felt confident and finished the remaining twenty minutes. The class definitely taught me to try new things and that stepping out of my comfort zone can be okay. Yoga, I learned, can be a healthy way to relieve stress which is important to me while I attend college. The week of the 13th, for me, was full of essays and tests that made my week feel full of havoc. The session certainly was relaxing and I found it a positive way to calm my mind. In only thirty minutes, I was able to learn new poses such as the warrior stance and downward dog. I am more conscious of my breathing techniques and feel more prepared for future classes.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the Stockton event and will strive to attend more yoga classes and try new activities hosted by the Wellness Center too.

The Troy Stende Keynote Social was an event full of ice breakers and the opportunity for socialization. This program was part of Stockton’s Welcome Week, which is a week-long series of events designed for incoming freshman. The social was held on Friday, September 2^nd, 2016 and hosted by Stockton’s T.A.L.O.N.S and R.As. The interactive event was led by Troy Stende, the three-time recipient of the Association for the Promotion of Campus Activities’ “Best Campus Speaker.” Stende walked the students through several ice breakers such as small group activities and rock-paper-scissors. Within the 90-minute event, students were shuffled around the room while testing their memory of previous interactions with other incoming freshman. The overall experience was very upbeat and energetic.

               The event began in the Campus Event Room where all of the students were seated on the floor. Music was playing and a large group of people were dancing to the music in the middle of the room. As the event began and everyone settled down, Troy Stende introduced himself and discussed the importance of college. He asked everyone to participate in several small and large group events which were designed to encourage socialization. A main focus during the event was the high five. Stende instructed that whenever a person met someone new, the two would give each other a high five. This social connection was a major tool in helping students feel less tense and nervous.

               In my person opinion, I thoroughly enjoyed the event. I am a shy person and am hesitant when it comes to meeting new people. The overall atmosphere of the program was very welcoming which eased my nerves. I found the event to be very helpful and encourage that the event continues to be a part of Welcome Week at Stockton University.