Back at it.

A Screenshot of the NEW RU website :) 

Hi everyone. I cannot believe we are already done with a week and a half of the second semester. I apologize for not getting my first blog entry of the semester up sooner it has just been really busy. One of the things that has kept me busy this last week Rockhurst launched their new website. If you have not seen it yet check it out! It is much improved and easier to navigate.

            I cannot believe that it is almost February and there is not any snow on the ground in Kansas City. In fact I just looked at the weather and it is supposed to be 64 degrees here tomorrow so there is no snow in our near future. I know I was talking to my family back home in Chicago and they got seven inches of snow one time and then they have had a few other smaller snow falls. I enjoy one or two good snow falls for me growing up all my life in Chicago it is just not winter without a few sizeable snow falls. Last year around this time Rockhurst had three snow days!

            This semester looks to be an exciting semester for me with a nonprofit finance class, an accounting class, a global business class, and Honors Macro Economics. Additionally I am taking an independent study to further explore what I started to research with a group of students in Haiti over Christmas break. The week before classes started I took a trip down to Haiti with a group of 5 other Rockhurst students and two faculty members. Stay tuned for my next blog post for more about the Haiti trip including some pictures. It was just a wonderful experience and I could not have asked for a better group of my peers to go with. 

Hope you have a great week!

Finals Week

Hi all So believe it or not finals week is here. I honestly do not know where this last week has gone to. Between last tests, projects, preparing for finals and all the Christmas activities going on around campus this last week was so quick. As I write this I should really be studying for my accounting final tomorrow but I figured I needed a break. It is so weird to think that in five days I will be home for the Christmas break. Yesterday morning my CLC (Christian Life Community) went to volunteer at a clothing distribution for low income families. The organization had collected 1.2 tons of donated clothing and our role was to get the clothing sorted and set up for the families to come in. It was a great way to spend a Saturday morning. After all isn’t that what the Christmas season is all about?

            This past week one of the organizations I am in sponsored Zumba classes as a way to de-stress. I had never done Zumba before but I found it to be a fun and a nice chance to relax.  So tonight is the annual Student Senate Midnight breakfast. As I think I mentioned in a previous blog entry I am on Student Senate so I am helping to serve breakfast to all the students that come tonight.

            Finally, last night was the annual Rockhurst Ceremony of Lessons and Carols presented by the Center for Arts and Letters and the office of Alumni and Constituent relations. It was a great concert. The Rockhurst Choir sounded great. I am always a big fan of holiday concerts and then of course the best part they had a free reception after the concert with holiday cookies J.

Hope you have a great 2^nd week of advent.

Here is a quote from one of my favorite Christmas songs called Give This Christmas Away by Matthew West: “Give this Christmas away If there's love in your heart Don't let it stay there Give this Christmas away And your life will be changed By the gift you receive When you give this Christmas away Give this Christmas away You have the power Just give it away Give it away, give it away”

Thanksgiving

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I really enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday. For me the Thanksgiving holiday is just such a nice time to reflect on all the blessings I have been given with over the last year. Our families church back in Naperville, IL does a very nice Thanksgiving mass where the homily consists mainly of time for those in attendance to share if they want how they have been blessed this past year. My sister came home from college and my Grandma came in so it was nice to spend thanksgiving with them. I think my sister Hannah (the only one of us three still at home enjoyed a break from the quietness although she is not fast to admit it). Again I asked her if she wanted to be my guest blogger and write my blog entry for me but she did not take my up on the offer.

My Dad, Hannah and me hanging Christmas lights.

This Thanksgiving break was shorter than last year. Last year we got the whole week off and this year we only got three days off plus the weekend. In case anyone was wondering I was not one of those inline at 10pm on Thanksgiving day waiting for Walmart to open. My question is what happened to Thanksgiving being a day to spend with family…at the rate society is going black Friday might become black Thanksgiving. Any who those are just my thoughts.

So this is the last week of classes before finals. I cannot believe I am almost done with three semesters of Rockhurst. Next week is finals then CHRISTMAS BREAK! It was nice being able to tell my parents this morning when I left that I would see them in only 12 days.

The two days of classes last week were a little crazy I had two big exams in those days. Both of them went pretty good I think. One of them took my like three hours… It was all writing too. I have never had my hand cramp up so badly.

I hope everyone enjoys this advent season.

As we enter into this busy holiday season I would like to share part of song with you:

“ I need a silent night, a holy night
To hear an angel voice through the chaos and the noise
I need a midnight clear, a little peace right here
To end this crazy day with a silent night
To end this crazy day with a silent night” I need a Silent Night by Amy Grant

Shortest Week of the Year

Hi everyone,

So I am excited... I get to go home Tuesday night. We only go to classes for two days this week but those in those two days I have a paper due and two big tests so it should be an interesting week. When I get back from Thanksgiving break I have 4 days of classes then 4 days of finals. Then I am done for Christmas break :) It is hard to believe I am already done with one and a half years of my college experience. 

Hope everyone has safe travels where ever you might be going over this Thanksgiving weekend. 

Ill post a longer entry later in the week. 

It's almost 70 out and Thanksgiving break is only 9 days away!

Hi all, Well it is 8 days and counting till Thanksgiving break! (really only 6 days of classes, 5 for me because I do not have class on Friday). I am very happy I had a pretty productive weekend this past weekend. The weather was awesome this weekend. The temperature yesterday was around 70!  On top of getting  a lot of school work done. I also went out for breakfast with my Aunt on Saturday at First Watch which was very enjoyable.

The Rockhurst Men’s Soccer team played Friday night winning and also played yesterday (Sunday) as well. Their win on Sunday advanced them to the Elite 8 and gave their head coach Tocco his 600^th lifetime win. So congrats to Coach Tocco who is also my Professor for Accounting. The team plays next weekend out in Pennsylvania. If you want to stay up on how they are doing make sure to “like” Rockhurst University Athletics” on Facebook. (as a side note I am the one in charge of updating the Rockhurst Athletics Facebook page).

Men's Soccer team after their win on Sunday

            Last week was just such a crazy week. I had the nonprofit breakfast which I helped with on Monday morning. Then that afternoon I did week one of a four week volunteering stint at a local YMCA with their afterschool programs as part of my nonprofit administration class. That evening I spent a majority of it preparing for the Dinner with the Industry event sponsored by the Dean’s Student Advisory Board. I coordinated the online sign up for the event. That Dinner was Wednesday night and it went really good. It was a great event were students who signed up got a free three course dinner and got to network with a industry member from a field that interested them. This event serves as a great way to get internships. There were about 30 industry members at the event and about 100 students; which was comparable to the numbers we had last year at the event. On Friday I assisted with the Resident life event Beyond Words (which I have decided to make a separate blog entry later this week probably).

Quote for the week: “For with God nothing shall be impossible”-Luke 1:37

P.S. I am not sure if it is too early but as I write this I am listening to Christmas music…It just makes me so happy. The Christmas season has always been one of my favorite times of year.

            

The good (busy) life.

So I apologize in advance that this entry will be shorter. I will have more time to post later in the week. This is just a really crazy week for me (or at least crazier than normal).

One of my friends last year recruited me to help the Association of Fundraising Professionals in Kansas City with a breakfast for National Philanthropy to honor those who have given back to the community. It was a super nice event. I did the audio and visual stuff for the breakfast and awards presentation. I am sure I will elaborate on this event at some point later one. (I have a confession there is a test I should be studying for right now but I really wanted to post.). But procrastination is the life of the college student right?... Well not for me normally I try not to (and succeed at not procrastinating 95% of the time).

On Wednesday night there is an event on campus called Dinner with the Industry sponsored by the Dean’s Student Advisory Board (which I am a part of). We bring in about 30 local professionals in all careers and give students (all majors invited) to come network and have a free three course dinner. Which college student will pass up free food right? Well sorry to cut this short but I have an American Government test I should get back to studying for.

So my quote today is going to be from the song Ride of Your Life from the What a Girl Wants movie. Come on here’s your chance. Don’t let it slip right through your hands. Are you ready for the ride of your life. Your dreams are riding on the wind. Just reach out and pull them in and get ready for the ride of your life” 

Board of Directors

So I figured I would make an entry of what I submitted as my candidate statement for the NCHC Board of Directors:

I am a sophomore at Rockhurst University, double-majoring in Nonprofit Leadership Studies and Accounting.  Rockhurst University is a Jesuit university and one of the major tenets of the Jesuit mission is service to others. This has always been an important value in my own life.  This past year, I had the honor and privilege of becoming a kidney donor to my Dad.  I am currently working with a grant from the Helzberg School of Management at Rockhurst University to coordinate a trip to Haiti, inspired by a service trip to Haiti that I took in high school. At the NCHC 2011 conference, I was a student moderator for two sessions and a session presenter. At Rockhurst, I serve on the Honors Student Association Executive Board and as a Student Senate Representative on the Honors Advisory Committee. Since I have been VP of Activities on the Honors E-Board there has been a tremendous increase in student involvement in activities. Further, last year, Rockhurst hosted the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities Honors Conference and I played a major role in the planning of the conference and presented a session.  I also had the good fortune of attending the NCHC 2010 conference, where I volunteered with conference set up. I am also the Desk Manager of 19 Desk Assistants in Corcoran Residence Hall (the site of our Honors Housing) as well as co-president of a student health organization on campus and serving on the Student Advisory Committee for the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance in January. A student seat on the Board would only allow me to further serve others.

The opportunity to serve on the Board of Directors for NCHC would provide me valuable experience with nonprofit organizations, which would be applicable to my major in Nonprofit Leadership Studies. Moreover, I am tremendously dedicated to the honors program. By year’s close I will have already completed the required 24 honors credit hours. Additionally, I will have half of my nonprofit courses completed, so I have a strong understanding of how nonprofit organizations work. Finally, Kansas City is located only a few hours from the site of the annual board of directors meeting in Lincoln, which will ensure attendance at the required meetings. I humbly ask you to consider me for the two-year student board position. Thank you.

This will soon be online at http://nchchonors.org/2012_nominees.html along with the other candidates that are running. 

Hope you have a great week! 

"There is no telling how many miles you will have to run while chasing a dream" - Author Unknown