Tag Archives: Stockton

Things Hurricane Sandy has Taught Me

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Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, and while we all may salivate at the thought of mashed potatoes and turkey legs piled five feet high, many students will return to Stockton and scatter to tie up any lose ends of their fall semester. Finals will begin, underclassmen and upperclassmen alike cramming to complete late night study sessions. The majority will turn to the espresso at the Bean’s List to roll out of bed in the morning and truck through their final exams. Frankly, in the life of college students, finals season isn’t really much to be thankful for. But I implore that the students of Stockton take this time of thanks giving to reflect on the many gifts life has to offer.

Hurricane Sandy has taught me many things. It has taught me that, in times of great need and despair, humanity is truly caring. Just recently, a woman from Barnes and Noble’s customer service took the time to ask me how my family was fairing even as I was yelling at her from the other line of the phone. She saw that our college was in an area affected by Hurricane Sandy and wanted to make sure we were all okay. It was at that moment that I realized that I’ve been worrying about the less important things in life. Rather than make a scene that my The Perks of Being a Wallflower novel was sent to a man named George in Monroe Township(and NOT me), I’m thankful that this woman took the time to show her concern for the areas of New Jersey ravished by Hurricane Sandy. I am thankful that my family is safe and my home is intact. I am thankful that we still have a college to take those dreadful finals in.

Stockton has truly risen to its full potential in this time of need. Clothing and food drives have taken place, and Dean Pedro Santana has offered his compassion and commitment to students who have experienced devastating loss. Clubs like Water Watch have devoted their time to help residents of the barrier islands and surrounding areas pick up the pieces and rebuild their communities. Katherine Austin, a fellow Honors student, has initiated a t-shirt sale in which all proceeds will be donated to the American Red Cross. Perhaps Stockton is so involved because this devastation hits so close to home-outside of our windows, down the street, maybe even our own homes. But I would like to think that our community would care even if this hurricane were in the Gulf of Mexico or on the coast of California. The Stockton family is composed of some of the most caring, compassionate, and devoted human beings that I have ever met; Hurricane Sandy has opened my eyes to this.

I am thankful to spend this upcoming season with my family. I am thankful for my home, my friends, and my church community. I am thankful for the students and faculty at Stockton who have stepped up in this time of devastation and reminded me that humanity is truly good. These are the things Hurricane Sandy has taught me.

 

Koresh

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I remember my first trip to the Philadelphia Art Museum. It was a chilly November morning in 2002. I wrapped my tiny hand into my aunt’s palm as we toured the colossal museum. It was that moment that I first fell in love with art, and the awe-inspiring power it contains.
Art comes in many packages. It is more than the stroke of a brush on a canvas. It is the symphony of clashing metal, the concordance of pitch and tune. It is the whim of a sculptor’s hand, and the curve of the human body. Art allowed man kind to express the rawest emotions before the words for such emotions could be found. It produces a sense of wildness and stirs the soul.
“Koresh”, a dance performance hosted at Stockton’s Performing Art’s Center on October 16, 2012, was an exquisite example of art in its most magnificent form. It was wild, untamed, and captivating. It forced the audience to connect with the primitive self that society condemns, spurring a surge of pure and raw emotion.
The costume designer of Koresh rarely ventured from the realm of a neutral pallet. This color choice ensured that extravagant patterns and hues would not detract from the beauty and movement of the human body itself. Little props were utilized, nor were they needed. The simplicity of Koresh and its composition is what made it so powerful. It forced its audience to connect to the primitive, ancestral roots that are often ignored in a continuously advancing civilization.
The moment that art is first discovered by a human being is inarguably one of the most magnificent discoveries in life. It is an outlet of emotional release that man otherwise finds difficulty expressing. Koresh brought me back to that nine year old self, craving more of the beauty that art eternally captures. It is in these moments of discovery-these moments of pure bliss- that we are reborn.

Project Linus- Paying it Forward

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I believe in paying it forward. I still remember my first trip to the Ronald McDonald House in the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. It was the first of many visits throughout my niece’s three week hospitalization. As fall approached, Evelyn began to bald, and became extremely self-conscious of her new appearance. Upon one of my visits, I discovered that a local church group had knitted hats for the oncology unit and left them in the Ronald McDonald House for children to choose. Evelyn chose a simple purple hat with a flower on the side. She wore her hat through the winter months and to this day still treasures the garment. This gesture, as simple as it was, will remain with Evelyn forever.
Circle K is the largest community service organization on our school’s campus. One of the many project opportunities sponsored by this group is known as “Project Linus”. At Project Linus, I was given the opportunity to hand-craft a teddy bear that will eventually find its way into the arms of a hospitalized child suffering from a terminal illness. The project was simple, fun, and meaningful.
I was never given the chance to thank the group responsible for Evelyn’s purple hat as she lost her hair to chemotherapy. Project Linus gave me the chance to express my gratitude and impact at least one life the same way Evelyn’s was impacted that day. I believe in paying it forward, whether through a knitted hat or a hand stuffed bear. Sometimes the smallest gestures make the most colossal difference.

By: Rachael Stieg