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.

Even though I am a first semester freshman, one of the programs that really interests at Stockton University is studying abroad. As a commuter who lives at home, studying abroad really appeals to me because it would give me an opportunity to experience the world outside my comfort zone, and take a step forward toward independence. One of the steps to study abroad is to attend a Study Abroad 101 workshop. There is a meeting every month, held by Natalja Manger, the Study Abroad and International Advisor. On October 13^th, I attended the Study Abroad Workshop in room F111 where I learned what it takes to actually study around the world.

One of the first things I learned at the workshop was that only 1% of college students around the country actually study abroad. This fact really astonished me because I know many schools offer students the chance to study abroad, and I am surprised more students do not take advantage of it. Also, I am now more motivated to be part of the 1% so I can set myself apart from other students. Natalja Manger showed us the step-by-step process of looking for different programs, how to apply, and the different deadlines. Finally, we learned very important information about how to fund our ventures to study abroad. We learned that financial aid, scholarships, and grants can be applied to our cost of studying abroad. Since the cost can be lowered, the prospect of studying abroad seems possible despite a student’s financial concerns. Applying to study abroad is a very elaborate process, but with the help of the Stockton Portal, our preceptors, and Natalja Manger, studying abroad seems feasible and less daunting.

In conclusion, I am very glad I attended a Study Abroad Workshop early into my time at Stockton. Studying abroad seems like an amazing opportunity and attending the meeting helped me get one step closer to changing my dream into reality.

I have always loved music and singing. I especially love a cappella music. I love how people can make the sounds of instruments with their mouths to make beautiful, spine chilling music. It’s incredible. My boyfriend is a part of Stockton’s A Cappella group, therefore I didn’t even have to bat an eye before I agreed to go see his concert on April  15^th.

Stockton’s a cappella group is composed of three smaller groups: Stocktones, Stockata, and Stockapella. The Stocktones is a co-ed group of college students who like to sing for fun and enjoy the a cappella style of music. Stockata is similar to the Stocktones, however Stockata is an all girl group. The final group is Stockapella. Stockapella is a co-ed competition group that represents Stockton in competitions similar to those featured in the recent movie Pitch Perfect.

Stockapella , the competing group, is a three time quarterfinalist for the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA). The ICCA is the competition that was featured in Pitch Perfect. My boyfriend is a part of this group, and had a solo in this particular concert. I was so proud of his performance and the performance of all of this other friends in the group.

Some popular songs such as Viva La Vida by Coldplay and Hero by Bonnie Tyler were sang with beautiful execution and precision. I personally enjoyed Some Nights by Fun. and You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins. My personal favorites are the songs I can sing or hum along with!

I will also be a proud supporter of Stockton’s A Cappella. I love the music they make and how beautifully they always sound. I will always have an aspiration to learn how to beat box, and maybe I can get one of the beat boxers to teach me a little something! Keep working hard, Stockton A Cappella, you sound beautiful with every song you sing!

     As a freshman commuter, I started to realize by the first week of school that making friends would be harder for me than it would be for the students who live on campus. Lucky for me, Stockton held an event called The Get Involved Fair. The fair took place on  September 16th and 17th from 11 am to 4 pm in the Main Campus Center and the A through N Wings. The Get Involved Fair included over one hundred clubs, various service opportunities in the community, and the different sororities and fraternities. The Fair was a great way to learn about different clubs and an even better way to build future relationships.

     First of all, I learned that there are plenty of clubs to join on campus. There is a club for almost every subject and interest group. The club leaders were very friendly and helpful, and really encouraged everyone to sign up and learn more about what their clubs had to offer. I walked passed religious clubs,”artsy” clubs, science clubs, and so many others. There were also different opportunities to give back to the community, like volunteering to tutor or even traveling around the globe with the Peace Corps. No matter what one’s interests may be, there was most likely at least one club at the fair that pertained to that interest.

     Overall, I am really glad I went to The Get Involved Fair. Making friends and getting involved can be really overwhelming, especially when all the upperclassmen talk about the lasting impression of college friends and the professors stress the importance of resumes. The Get Involved Fair allowed for students to dip their toes into different groups and interests, and to receive information about the vast amount of opportunities Stockton has to offer.

One of the most exciting things about college in the spring is the amount of people that you see in the quad by the freshman dorms. People are playing volleyball, playing catch, longboarding, sunbathing, doing homework, and the list goes on and on. Also, being a college student, we tend to gravitate toward locations and events that serve free food.

On one of the most gorgeous days of the semester so far, the Neighborhood Watch here at Stockton decided to hold a barbeque in the freshman quad. It was advertised everywhere and there was endless amounts of free food. There were hamburgers, cheeseburgers, veggie burgers, turkey burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, pretzels, lemonade, iced tea, and water. It was delicious!

I think what I liked most about this event, aside from the free food, was the fact that students that were not solely freshman were there. There were upper classmen over by the freshman dorms, something that you don’t usually see. It was like a decent amount of the school was coming together to enjoy the gorgeous weather, free food, and the nearing of the end of the semester. It was awesome!  This event in particular reminded me of what I pictured college would look like!  Hopefully there will be more events just like this before the semester ends!

The Sherlock Holmes play took place on a cool, rainy Friday evening that added to the mysterious mood of the play. People of all ages filed into Stockton’s Performing Arts Center and took their seats among the rows. The quiet chatter amongst viewers stopped as the lights slowly dimmed and someone stood in the shadows playing the violin; the play was about to begin.

The first hint that this play would stray from the traditional Sherlock Holmes stories was that the infamous detective was played by a woman. Still sporting the usual garb of the character, she walked into the light and quietly talked with her partner, Dr. Watson. The first mystery was similar to its original manner of delivery, full of suspense and mystery, though this play wove in humor through its characters and use of props.

The second and the third mysteries captivated the audience like the first act and made them wonder how Sherlock Holmes would catch the villain. Though Sherlock Holmes was wrong in the second mystery and let the notorious Irene Adler get away in the next act, Holmes clearly demonstrated her experience as a detective and expressed her skill in deduction.

After the last act’s mention of Sherlock’s nemesis, Moriarty, the crowd was left to wonder about the cliffhanger. The five actors came onto the stage and took their bows as the viewers cheered and applauded their performance. The audience collected their items and went back into the rainstorm, their minds full of mystery and the infamous Sherlock Holmes.

I have always taken part in my hometown’s Relay for Life. Therefore, I am used to the traditions and the general idea of the night. This event is usually held around a track and is an overnight fundraiser ran by the American Cancer Society. You have to pay a small fee in order to participate, but the money that is raised because of those fees in addition to donations, is donated to the American Cancer Society to continue the funding to hopefully find a cure for cancer.

This year, Stockton held its own Relay for Life. I was thrilled because I loved doing these events at home. It was a bit different because it was held inside the Big Blue gym, which I have never seen or heard of before. There were also no tents, which were where people slept when the event was held outside around the track. What was great about the indoor scenery was that the music played by the DJ was heard everywhere, regardless where you were walking on the “track”. Also, there was an hour of Zumba! I mentioned in one of my other posts how much I love Zumba!!

What was so incredible about this specific Relay for Life was that the entire field hockey team decided to take part. Numerous clubs and groups at Stockton decided to participate in Relay for Life, but we were the only athletic team at Stockton to be represented. I thought this said a lot about us as a team. We all had matching purple head bands that said “HOPE”. We all had each other’s back when the atmosphere got emotional, which again, was very moving.

I loved how involved my team was in this particular event. It says a lot about the well roundedness of the team and how much we like to stand together and unify with each other on and off the field. It means a lot, not only to be a part of a collegiate sport, but to have a group of people who have your back and want to participate in events like this together.  I hope we participate again next year!

Three days before Welcome Week marked the beginning of S.O.A.R., or Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat. Two hundred Stockton students packed all of their stuff into their cars, moved into their dorms, and said goodbye to their parents. They grabbed their bags and drove off on buses to Camp Ockanickon. The camp was located in the woods and was spacious and pretty. The lake reflected the entire sky, and the paths wound their way through the tall trees. The setting was very calming and simple, a reprieve from the bright and distracting world that we are accustomed to.

The three days passed like minutes and were packed with activities. One of the most popular activities was the high ropes course. People strapped into their full-body harness and donned helmets while climbing up walk walls and rope bridges. The most popular activity was the leap of faith where participants had to climb up a narrow pole, stand on top, and jump off, attempting to hit a ball high up in the air.

The days were filled with sunshine and activities like swimming in the lake, canoeing, and archery, while the nights were filled with comfort food and games. We could admire clear night skies and stars that were not clouded by the pollution we were used to at home. S.O.A.R. was so memorable because it removed comfort zones, allowed memories to be made and friendships to bloom.