Hurricane Sandy devastated much of the New Jersey coastline, destroying countless homes and leaving millions without power for days on end. Monmouth County, where I live, was hit particularly hard by the storm. The boardwalk that I stood on exactly one week earlier no longer existed, and the beach towns I frequented were in shambles. I returned to school after days of sitting in the dark with my family, feeling guilty that I could enjoy electricity while they were still without power. It was that very night that I came up with the idea to design a tee shirt that could be sold to benefit the recovery effort.

I wanted to get started as quickly as possible, so in a matter of a few hours, I came up with a design reading “Revive, Rebuild, Recover” and threw together a Facebook page to determine if people would actually be interested in purchasing the shirts. Overnight, my Facebook page received over two hundred “likes”, and countless supporters expressed interest in my idea. The following morning, I contacted a local printer in Mays Landing, who offered to print the shirts for simply the cost of materials. We decided to sell the shirts for fifteen dollars each, and donate all of the proceeds to the Red Cross’s disaster recovery effort.

            I enlisted the help of my roommate in order to accomplish this project, who eagerly took on the role of secretary, creating spreadsheets and charts to keep track of our finances. Within one week, we had sold 46 tee shirts. After placing and delivering our first order, we figured we had reached the end of our fundraiser. We had successfully raised five hundred dollars for the Red Cross, and we were extremely satisfied with our efforts. We didn’t realize just how wrong we were. In the following week, our sales doubled, as we sold almost a hundred more shirts and raised another thousand dollars. As it turns out, our first week was only the beginning of even greater things to come.

            To date, our shirt sale has brought in well over $2,000. I am truly shocked at how an idea that I came up with on a whim has grown into a truly successful fundraiser for those who could really use a helping hand. While sales have finally died down, our efforts have not gone unnoticed. We have received much praise and encouragement from the Office of Service Learning, who even suggested we form a club to continue selling shirts and generating new ways of aiding the disaster recovery effort! Even though it has been months since the hurricane, there is still a lot of work to be done and many people who can use our assistance. We aren’t sure what the future has in store for our fundraising efforts, but we won’t give up until our boardwalks are back, business is booming, and everyone can return to their homes along the shore.

On the rainy evening of October 2, 2015 a professional group of five actors and actresses put on a performance of three acts of the tales of the infamous Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in Stockton’s PAC (Performing Arts Center). The performers presented their own variation of the stories of “The Adventure of the Copper Beeches,” “The Adventure of the Yellow Face,” and “A Scandal in Bohemia”.   Despite the weather, the weary viewers still came to see the show, taking their seats they waited with anticipation for the lights to dim and the show to begin.

The room went dark, with the growing light of the spotlight encompassing a sole figure on the stage, the hum of the violin they were playing growing louder. It was Sherlock Holmes. Then with the knock of a door, Dr. John Watson had entered and the show had begun. The production deviated from the original stories in the manner of adding short bits of comedic outbursts, actors/actresses playing characters of the opposite gender, and, most noticeably, the portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as a woman. The production stayed true to the stories for the most part, sometimes with direct quotes form the story, but the changes made no difference in the retelling of the stories, other than making them more captivating and interesting.

Overall the production was well worth the walk in the rain. The concluding scene of shock and suspense as to who this Moriarty was left the crowd on the edge, disappointed at the fact that the show was over, as the lights came on.

            In high school, one of my proudest accomplishments came from being a member of the Relay for Life committee, which consumed a great amount of my time actively planning and executing one of the most successful charity events in the country. Relay for Life is an overnight walk and community event that celebrates the lives of those who have survived cancer, remembers those who lost their battle, and pledges to fight back against this terrible disease. I joined the committee in my high school four years ago for Howell’s first-ever relay, and was overwhelmed with pride when I realized how much the event grew over the four years that I helped run the event. During my senior year, we put on our most successful Relay to date and raised over $60,000 for the American Cancer Society.

            When I found out the American Cancer Society was now bringing Relay for Life to the Stockton community, I knew I wanted to be involved. I organized a team with the newly formed Health Science Club, and we attended the event unsure of what to expect. Typically, Relay for Life events take place outdoors on a track, where participants walk laps throughout the night to signify that cancer never sleeps. Our Relay took place inside of Big Blue gym due to inclement weather, but the event was successful despite the location change. The event raised over $20,000 for cancer research and ACS patient and family services- not bad for our first year!

            Next year, I would really like to join the planning committee here at Stockton so that I can contribute to the growth of our event in the same way that I was able to in high school. I know that Stockton is capable of expanding our participation in the event, and I have made it my personal goal for our school to raise $60,000 by the time I graduate as well. If a group of high school students can do it, Stockton certainly can as well! In the upcoming years, it would be wonderful to see every club and Greek organization participating in Relay for Life.

            Cancer knows no bounds. Everyone has either been touched by the horrible disease in their own personal lives, or knows someone else who has had to deal with the struggle associated with cancer. I lost my grandfather to cancer, and one of my friends from home is currently fighting for his life as well. I want to know that I am doing everything possible to rid the world of this awful disease, and work towards creating a world with more birthdays.

Going into convocation, I did not really know what to expect. The whole freshman class had just completed reading Whistling Vivaldi by Claude Steele. The point of the book was to have people understand stereotype threat and how society could help diminish these stereotypes. A majority of the freshmen class piled into the PAC thinking they were just going to hear the same boring lecture we always have at these types of gatherings. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns walked out and immediately brought us into the conversation by having us talk. She included us into the conversation instead of just lecturing us.

She proceeded to talk about her research with Claude Steele and the experiments she had done. The conclusions that she came to were quite interesting to hear about and related much to the information that Whistling Vivaldi included. Valerie Purdie-Vaughns was very inspiring and strongly believed in what she was saying. She connected to her own life and her own college experiences to relate to us while teaching us how to reduce stereotype threat.

Convocation was a very memorable experience and I am grateful that the freshmen class was given an opportunity to have someone related to our common reading come and speak to us. Stereotype threat is a huge issue in our society and I think everyone should read Whistling Vivaldi and listen to the research by psychologists like Valerie Purdie-Vaughns.

            For as long as I can remember, my house has always been full of music. My dad has been in various bands throughout the years and the radio is always blasting classics while he works on one of his many home improvement projects. My little sister plays six instruments, and I have sung as a member of my church choir since I was twelve. Though I am not involved with any of musical organizations while at school, I jumped at the opportunity to see the Stockapella concert on campus last week with my roommate.

            The show featured Stockton’s three different a Cappella groups: Stockata, The Stocktones, and Stockapella- each with it’s own unique style and sound. The curtain rose to all three groups on stage together singing a chilling rendition of Fun’s Some Nights that truly started the show off on a high note. Following the opening performance, each of the three groups sang a selection of songs showcasing their own unique sound. First up was Stockata, our newest all-female vocal group. One of my favorite performances of the show was their rendition of Madonna’s Like A Prayer, led by soloist Gabby Marrone. Stockata was followed by the Stocktones, a co-ed vocal group that sang several more alternative song choices, but finished their set with an upbeat rendition of Bonnie Tyler’s Hero featuring soloist Sarah Baginsky.

While all three groups are composed of truly talented singers, it was evident the best was saved for last. The final set of the evening was performed by Stockton’s award-winning competitive a Cappella group Stockapella. Stockapella has won several awards, including Best Choreography and Best Vocal Percussionist at the Quarter Finals this year. After witnessing their performance at the spring concert, it was evident why the group has been so successful. From chilling solo performances of Mumford and Son’s The Cave by Andrew Treuer and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black by Chrisina Cibotti, to a tear-jerking rendition of Phill Collin’s You’ll Be In My Heart, Stockapella was truly in a league of its own.

            The show concluded with all three groups reconvening on stage for their traditional farewell version of Happy Ending by Mika, during which a Cappella alumni are invited back on stage to sing with current students. It’s evident the a Cappella program at Stockton is truly a family environment, and enjoying their performance on Monday night reminded me of my own musical family waiting for me at home.

Stockton University hosted its annual family weekend from October 8^th to October 11^th, although many of the main events occurred on Saturday, October 10^th. Saturday morning began with a parents’ breakfast at 10am (an atrociously early time for a Saturday, as college students believe) in the Campus Center. After the breakfast, families gathered in the court outside of K-wing to prepare for the parade. Students were given “boom whackers,” which, although they were intended to celebrate the parade floats, also functioned as dueling weapons for rival siblings and friends. Directly after the parade, which showcased floats from many of Stockton’s clubs and organizations, students and families were directed to parking lot 5, which is in front of Big Blue, for the carnival. At the carnival, anyone (as long as he or she met the height and weight requirements) could participate in any of the carnival activities. These activities included bounce houses, obstacle courses, a rock wall, and tables with representatives from different organizations at Stockton. One of the popular activities was an inflatable dueling platform, where friends and foes tried to knock their opponents off of a platform using an inflatable wand. Another activity that both students and their younger siblings enjoyed was the bungee trampoline. The participant was secured into a harness that was attached to bungee cords. Once ready, the participant was able to jump on the trampoline and, if they dared, perform backflips.   For the students and families that enjoy sports, there was a men’s soccer game on the field next to Big Blue. Since the weather was beautiful, many families also took nature walks around Lake Fred before saying goodbye to their students and heading home. The last activity of the day for students was the Osprey Ball, which included food, dancing, and a photo booth. Overall, University Weekend was a success in entertaining students and families and building Stockton’s community.

So… Hello again! I have news! I did a SET cupcake war event and won 3^rd out of 8! When I went to the event room I didn’t think that I would be competing, I thought I’d just be watching and eating some free cupcakes, but I got a partner and we were assigned a table. The way the game works was that the first round you and your teammate grab one cupcake flavor and ice it with another flavor of icing then decorate the cupcake using the icing, sprinkles, and fondant that was provided. The catch here was that you had to decorate your cupcake to fit the theme. The first theme was animals and my partner and I gravitated toward an elephant. We put together the elephant ears and trunk out of blue fondant and then covered the rest of the icing with blue sugar. We were given ten minutes and when the time was up, we presented our work to the judges. The judges based their decisions of the winner of four categories: taste, creativity, theme, and how it overall looks. In the first round four out of the eight people were illuminated. My teammate and I got third and then came the second round. The second round’s theme was sports. My teammate got the idea of making a baseball diamond. I cut the cupcake to make it look more like a diamond and used the excess cupcake to make bases. We used chocolate icing and pound cake and we put green sugar on top of the icing to make it look more like grass. I had another idea at the last second to take some of the extra cupcake and place it on the back to look like a stadium where the people would sit. For a final touch I put a bat on one side of the cut cupcake and a baseball on the other. The funniest comment I received on this cupcake was “Oh the judges already ate it?” Anyway we won first place, probably just for creativity.  So we made it to the next round and the category was holidays. My teammate and I chose to do a Christmas present. We cut the cupcake into a square and I decided to cut a hole in the middle of the cupcake and put rainbow sprinkles to symbolize the gift that would have been inside the box. We chose red velvet cake so the judges would see both red and green. We decorated the plate with a festive Merry Christmas and hoped for the best. This was the best cupcake we had done together so far, but we lost by 2 points. It was a great time and I had a lot of fun and at the end of the night we got to eat the leftover cupcakes!!

The Honors Experience at Stockton University is a program for the incoming freshmen or transfer students who will be in the honors program. This year it took place from June 22^nd-June 23^rd. At this the students got to meet a few of the older students in the honors program as well as the freshmen and transfers who attended the event.

To start off the two days everyone went to a room and went over each other’s name and a fun fact. After going through every student, Irish step dancing was next on the schedule. At first everyone was hesitant and wasn’t sure why we were doing it. After a few hours of trying to learning and attempting the dance it was time for a different activity. All the students got some free time and could either play volleyball or go back to their room. Playing volleyball was fun because everyone was doing it. There were about 20 students at least on each side of the net, and it was easy to meet and bond with your fellow classmates. After a little bit of free time it was time for dinner, which was a taco bar.

After dinner the students learned about service learning, which is a main component of the honors program at Stockton. All the students got to be a part of a service projects that the older students were running. One of the projects was making dog toys for a local shelter, and another was making care packages for homeless people. After finishing each project the students were a part of a reflection session to go over what was accomplished in each project.

Later on that evening all the students went to a “Whose Line ” show preformed by the theater club. This show is an improv show and all the actors, who are students at Stockton, were extremely funny and would pick random students from the audience to be a part of the show. After the show was over it was time to go back to our rooms and get ready for orientation the next day.

The overall experience was a success in my mind. It helped to introduce important concepts of the honors program while incorporating fun activities. The honors program did a good job to keep the students entertained, and I would recommend it for other incoming freshmen in the honors program to attend.

Being that I have the amount of credits as a sophomore, I was qualified to apply for the Stockton Foundation Scholarship. This application required that you get two letters of recommendation, one of which had to be from someone a part of the Stockton faculty. You also had to attach a copy of your unofficial transcript and you had to write a 250 word statement about yourself.

That seemed easy enough for me, so I decided to give it a shot. I had no problem getting the letters and my transcript. But once I hit the 250 word statement, I got stuck. Have you ever tried to write about yourself in 250 words? Not only are you writing about yourself, you are trying to convince a panel of faculty members that you deserve whatever amount of compensation that they are willing to give to you to repay you for your hard efforts. You think to yourself, 250 words is easy to write. I can do this. Until you sit down with your computer in your lap, and you realize that you have way more than 250 words about yourself that you would like to tell this panel. This was definitely a struggle for me, considering if I listed the amount of things I’m involved in or have been involved in, I would use up the 250 in an instant. I needed to figure out how to weigh what was important and was worth elaborating on briefly. I needed to try and figure out how to get into these people’s head, to try and figure out what they would consider worthy of receiving this scholarship.

I did my absolute best with the 250 word statement and I think that it summed up who I am and what I stand for very well. I have yet to hear back from the panel of reviewers but I am keeping my fingers crossed!

Going away for college and leaving home can be a scary part in someone’s life. For incoming freshmen at Stockton, the experience doesn’t have to be as intimidating. Stockton Outdoor Adventure Retreat (SOAR) is a two-night, three-day program for incoming freshmen that sign up early enough. This summer, the program ran from August 25^th to August 28th at the YMCA Camp Ockanickon.

After moving into the dorms and saying goodbye to family and friends, the students went to an auditorium to get shirts, a bandana with our tribe color, a backpack with our tribe color, and various other things that would help throughout the trip. Every person was assigned a tribe and a color that they should stay with for the whole trip. The tribes were comprised of people with the same major or similar majors and 4 Talons, or leaders of the tribe. After going through a few icebreakers and mind games, we were ready for the buses to take the tribes to the destination. After 45 minutes the groups arrived on the buses and everyone gathered their belongings and went to set up the cabin.

The next three days were jammed pack with events for everyone to do. Team building was a huge component to the retreat. Every day there would be at least 2 team-building exercises. These activities could range from climbing onto high obstacles in the sky to making a simple tribe chant. On the retreat there were also a lot of activities based on how to make friends. These activities ranged from games to meet new people and be silly to simple icebreakers to remember everyone’s name.

Overall the retreat was a good experience and taught the freshmen that attended how to open up, make new friends and how to be apart of a team. I’m happy that I was able to go to SOAR and learn valuable skills that will help me throughout college. My favorite part of the experience was conquering my fears and jumping off one of the high obstacles. It made me feel so much more confident in myself. I think that the Office of Event Services, the group who helped make this possible, did a great job and hopefully they continue this retreat so more freshmen can enjoy it.