Thankful

Hi Everyone,


Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! It was a very chilly thanksgiving here in Chicago. I think they said it was the coldest thanksgiving in twenty some years! Crazy how cold it has been so early. It normally does not get this cold until Januaryish. When there is no snow but it is so cold. You look out the window and think "oh its not that cold outside" but then you walk outside and that cold wind hits your face.

It has been a fun Thanksgiving break. On Tuesday, I had a meeting for my internship downtown Chicago with the hotel staff where the conference I have been planning is going to be at, then I took my sister to lunch at The Walnut Room. It is a really pretty restaurant inside of the flagship store of Macy's. It was Marshall Fields. It has been open for like 100 years.

Here is a picture of my sister and I there.


Then on Thanksgiving day we did a 5k Turkey Trot Run to raise money for local charities. It was really a great time. There were over 6500 runners. It was pretty crazy. I had my best time in a 5k time ever. It was a great flat course to run.

Here is picture of me and my sisters from the race:


The rest of break I have spent relaxing with the family, trying to get mentally prepared for these last few weeks.  Yes, we are all wearing donate life shirts. We ran the 5k as part of the "Team Illinois" we are all big organ donation supporters.

This break was great to just be home and spend the time with the family. It made me realize how blessed I am to have such an awesome family! I thank god everyday for the blessing they are today

Hawks Make it to the Elite 8!

Just wanted to share this fun email that went out to all students on Friday night!

Hawk Fans,

Thanks to all who attend last nights Midwest Regional Soccer Victory!!  The crowd, and the team were outstanding!  Tomorrow, we have a chance to earn a trip to the NCAA Final Four in Men's Soccer, in Augusta, GA.  This would mark the first time for the team to advance to the Championship Round of the NCAA Tournament.  Let's get behind the team tomorrow, and make the day an event to remember.  Game starts at 1:00, but be on the lookout for updates throughout today, for events leading up to the game.  Let's turn out our students, alumni, faculty, staff and fans.  Come to the events, bring a friend, rally your sorority or fraternity, bring your dorm floor.  Last night was a great turnout.......how many more can we bring tomorrow?  Cheer Squad, I need you there!  Dance Team, I need you there!  Rock E. I need you there!  Drummer, I need you there!  Student Senate, I need you there!  Social Mentors, I need you there!  Alums, I need you there!  Athletes, I need you there!

Activities will start at 11:30 with food, music and fun.  Be on the lookout today for details on Rockhurst Social Media, and emails.  Text your crew now.......let's get this celebration started!!!  We can build momentum by attending the Women's Basketball Game tonight at 5:00 in Mason-Halpin.  The Chiefs will be around next week.......This is a weekend for our community!  I look forward to seeing all of you at the games this weekend!!

Athletics will provide free tickets for all who attend!!!  Wear your blue.

Coach Burns
GO HAWKS!!!

Sibling Rivalry

Hi All,

Hope you have been having a good week! This past week the Rockhurst Men's Basketball team played at Loyola University in Chicago. Loyola U. in Chicago is a Division 1 school so if you listened to the radio or watched the ESPN ticker close enough you could see Rockhurst's name. It is one of the few times that Rockhurst's name is on there. I was listening to Chicago radio that morning and hear Rockhurst's name mentioned.

As I mentioned before one of my sisters attends another one of the Jesuits colleges. She goes to Loyola U. in Chicago. So her and my Dad attended the game (we had a little sibling rivalry) I even convinced her to wear her Rockhurst gear (for at least half of the game). Rockhurst played well but ended up loosing to Loyola U. Better luck next time Hawks! On Friday Nov. 26th the Rockhurst Men's basketball team plays at the Sprint Center if you happen to be in the Kansas City area make sure to come out and cheer them on! More details about that game can be found on the Rockhurst website.

This game at Loyola used to be over winter break back two years ago when it was I went. It was fun to watch the team in my hometown!

Thanks to my sister for the pictures!

Catching up after being gone

Hi All,

So sorry for the blogging delay! I was at a conference all last weekend! It was the National Collegiate Honors Council Annual Conference. It took place down at the Sheraton in New Orleans. It was an awesome conference full of nerdy people from honors programs at colleges and universities nationwide. The conference website is: http://nchchonors.org/annual-conference/2013-conference/

This was my first time ever being in New Orleans so it was a great escape from the routine and ordinary of the semester. Especially at this time in the semester when we are in the midst of a long stretch of full weeks it was nice to take a little vacation. It always makes coming back a transition and busy catching up from all the work that didn't get done at the conference. New Orleans certainly has a unique flavor to it. It grows on you after a little while. Haha. The French Benigets (or something like that. Not quite sure how you spell that) but there are super good in my opinion they are ten million times better than donuts. The hotel was pretty awesome we stayed up on the 32nd floor.  Great view, great workout room and a nice pool. More to come on the conference in the coming weeks!

This the my fourth National Collegiate Honors Council Conference. I went to present on behalf of the Rockhurst University honors program to present on best practices for fundraising your honors program. It is a great honor to be asked by the honors director to go and present at these conferences.


The theme of the conference was conflict, transformation and creolization. The description of the theme was, "Since its beginnings as a French colony in 1718, New Orleans has ever been a focal point of social and geopolitical conflicts. Evolving from the intersection of Native Americans, French and Spanish explorers, colonists, nuns and priests, as well as African slaves and free people of color, these confrontations resolved over time into a new synthesis by a process now known as Creolization. The cradle of jazz, Mardi Gras, and savory Cajun cuisine, New Orleans is a paradigm for the creativity that emerges from multicultural interplay. With the resurgence of Spanish language and culture brought by a new wave of immigrants following Hurricane Katrina in 2006, as well as the incursion of new investors in abandoned areas, cultural conflict and development continues to color the city. The resulting confrontations among values, languages, religions and artistic endeavors will continue to transform the city of New Orleans as a rich and unparalleled source of creative cultural synthesis."