We're in our second week of school, about to start the third and I'm already starting to feel the pressure of school weighing down on me. I have homework out the wazoo and so many things for CAB and Dateline that it's driving me insane. I'm sure I don't want it any other way, I get bored way too easily and if I keep my work load heavy then I won't get bored and I'll be able to have a lot of fun doing a lot of things even though it doesn't seem like I'm having that much fun- but I totally am. :) LOL

 But this was a good weekend for me! I went to the Mount's first home football game yesterday and we beat the Wilmington Quakers 21-7 so that was pretty awesome! I went with my friends Sam, Jimmie, Tom, Nicole, and others. We had a ton of fun hanging out in the perfect 80 degree weather! :)

 Then today we went to the Newport Aquarium. When I say we, I mean the executive board of the CAB (Campus Activities Board). There was: Ally the president, Brittany the VP, me as publicity, Molly our secretary, Brittani our Cincinnati Connections Chair, then also James and Justin our 'assistants', then also Tim Bessler, the Assistant Dean of Students. We got to go on a private tour of the Aquarium. We were checking out the space for the upcoming Spring Formal on April 18, 2009. Dates fill up fast for functions at the Aquarium so we had to act fast and we had a ton of fun this morning! We were seeing things most people don't get to see on a normal trip there and we were talking about some amazing things we can do for our dance. One thing that I know I'm super psyched about is the animal encounter. We have the chance to get a penguin or two to come and hang out with us during the dance! They come in a little wagon that says penguin mobile on it and then we can take pictures, pet, and 'play' with them in about 25 minute increments. I am SO excited about that! I mean I know the dance is a fars way off and we have to get through Homecoming first (October 24th) but this is just so exciting and so different from what the Mount is used to that I am just dancing out of my skin trying to be patient and wait for this to happen! This is gonna be one THE premiere events that CAB will be putting on this year and I am just SO excited! (Can't you tell!? Alright, alright. I'm shutting up! lol)

 Later tonight I get to hang out with my family as they come to visit me. My mom really misses me and even though we talk every day, she still misses me. Dorming is different than living at home, obviously. But it's different in the fact that I feel like I'm living in some sort of weird hotel kind of thing and that if I want to go home, I can at any time. I just really miss my pets (two cats, Milo and Domino, and my dog, Ranger) and sleeping in my own bed... But this is where being busy comes in and that way I don't have too much time to think about all those things and those people that I miss the most...

 It's a goregous day outside and I can hear through my open window the soccer game going on in the stadium across the way. I feel like going outside and doing whatever I feel like... So go out and enjoy the sunshine and blow off some start of term steam! :) 

 

 

 

 

 

The first is me and Tom at the game. Tom's a fellow blogger. The second is the final score of the football game. The third are two of the penguins that could visit us at Spring Formal. And the last is part of the ballroom that the Aquarium has that we can use if we so decide to. :)

           WOW!!!  I can’t believe it’s the end of the semester and that this is my last blog.  It’s hard to believe how fast my four years of college went.  Now that I am getting ready to graduate, I think of the day I started college and how I have grown as a whole person since then.  Freshman year was about adjusting to college and becoming familiar with campus resources.  It was about exploring my interest, skills and values by trying my interest, joining a club and / or organization, and meeting new friends.  This is the year I found myself taking on more of my own responsibility.  Sophomore year was about building my career foundation and junior year was about gaining experiences related to my major.  These were the years I found myself maturing into a young adult.  Senior year was about attending career fairs and looking for a job for after I graduate.  This past year, I have found myself to be continually working hard in school.

          If I can leave you with any advice about college or the Mount, I would suggest in making the most of your college experience.  You can do this by spending time with your friends and staying involved with campus clubs / organizations / activities and / or events.  Overall, I am very pleased with my college experience at the Mount and I will miss it.  I feel the College has prepared me well for my career and the real world.  I have no regrets as to how I spent my time in college; it has been educational and fun!  After I graduate, I would like to be active with the Mount Alumni Association.  It has been a pleasure and a privilege to be a student blogger and I have enjoyed sharing my experiences with you.  Have a terrific summer!!!         

Hey everybody! And Hello again from the Mount! I can’t stay to talk too long today, I’m working tonight at the thesis opening for the Interior Design majors. As an artist, it’s really wonderful to see what the older students are capable of doing, and it’s awesome to see the stuff they’ve put together!

It really is moving almost to see the displays. What these senior students are showing is the culmination of four years worth of hard work, and it’s a condensed project showing all the skills they’ve learned. And after this, they’ll be leaving us, out to either continue their education elsewhere or to move on to work in the real world. I wish them all the best of luck!

It’s coming to the end of the year! Just one more school week left, a few exams, and we’re outta here! Thankfully, as an art major, I have a lot of final projects, and a big portfolio review in design, but not too many exams. At least, not too many this semester. : D

At this time of the year, when I’m watching all the senior students working on their final work here at the Mount, I start looking forward to working on my own capstone.

The capstone program is something unique to the Mount. It’s a culmination of everything you’ve done here at the Mount. It’s not really supposed to focus on the core curriculum, but also not entirely on your major. It’s a complete representation of yourself as a person, and what you’ve learned here at the Mount.

The exact definition of what are capstone is can be found here. http://inside.msj.edu/departments/acad_affairs/ccep/capstone/

A capstone project is really versatile, it can be almost anything that a student thinks of, as long as the student can demonstrate how it integrates disciplines, and shows the learning outcomes of the college.

Brand new this year was the first phase of the recycling program here at the Mount. For the first time this year, the College has recycling receptacles in the Seton Center, and they’ve given a recycling bin to each of the rooms for the residents to use for recycling. This entire program was suggested in a presentation that one of the graduating seniors presented last spring. He laid out a several year plan for making the College a recycling campus. And so far, I think it’s worked well.

Well, most of us art majors won’t be creating recycling programs for the Mount. The art majors create a culmination of their art skills. But you’d be surprised if you come down to see what these art students have done, you’d be amazed at what the students come up with. I’m really looking forward to seeing the interior design majors’ work up tonight for the first time!

P.S. Folks! Just thought I’d add in a little extra! Here are some pictures I took at the Thesis opening on Friday night! The place was paaaaaaacked! We really filled it up with people. I was so glad to see so many people in our art gallery!
 

Today, the Mount’s very own Greek house (strictly academic and no actual house that would consist of a stereotypical Greek house), Alpha Phi Omega, decided to raise money for awareness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and their goal was $250. And if they reached that goal, then 5 teachers would dress up in odd- and I mean odd- “costumes.”

The participants would be: Dr. Jim Bodle would be a “gangster,” Dr. Buffy Barkley would be a “natural wonder,” Dr. Meg Riestenburg would be a “recycling bin,” Dr. Elizabeth Murray would be a “skeleton,” and Dr. Jozef Zalot would be a “Bengal’s fan.”      The goal was to raise the money outside of the Fifth Third Dining Hall- they just asked for your loose change and any extra donations you could make. And then the teachers also walked around with tin containers collecting money as they walked along. As of today at noon, when the teachers got dressed, the money raised was just about $487.00, according to Scott Day (who I heard announce this amount at this time). I’m not sure if that’s counting anything else they collected today or not.      

And the teachers did just what they said they would do. Jim was a “gangster”- including his Freud tattoo on his arm and Mickey Mouse clock around his neck,  Buffy was a butterfly- a natural wonder in this world (I thought like the Great Pyramids or something but apparently not haha- shout out Buffy!), Dr. Murray was a skeleton in her black skeleton t-shirt and socks, Dr. Zalot- a Patriots fan (he had that t-shirt on underneath his Bengal’s jersey)- wore a Shayne Graham #17 jersey, and Dr. Riestenburg was a green Rumpke recycling bin- flowers and all. I’ve included pictures below, courtesy of Alex Griffith’s camera. J     

I’ve included the website to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society if you’d like to learn more about MS (http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx). It was very entertaining to see the teachers dress up. What was funnier was there was a tour of high school students that walked right through the “parade” of teachers and I made sure they would see what they were getting into and the fun we have the Mount. It was a very funny sight to see at lunch time. I thought I’d share the fun with y’all. Enjoy! J

 

This weekend, I went to see Rodger & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma here at the Mount.  Although the College has put on many productions in previous years, this was my first time attending one and I am glad I did.  It was great!!!   The Mount took it up a notch this year to bring everyone a bigger musical and it gave our students a quality experience in theater.  The actors and crew members worked hard for over the past month to bring us this fine production.  Many of the people who were in the musical were from a variety of majors and had multiple abilities like acting, singing, dancing, etc.  I really enjoyed the musical because the backdrops, props, and effects used were excellent.  These elements made the whole experience more realistic.  As an audience member, the musical performance kept my interest and the cast were able to touch my emotions and feelings in the way they intended too.  I had a good Saturday night because the musical was definitely exciting, fun, and worthwhile.  I am glad I got to go because I was able to see and support some of my friends who were cast members by being there.  If I weren’t in my senior year, I would probably consider trying out for the musical myself since I enjoy dancing.  Next year, the Mount hopes to bring us another outstanding production, so come and see it!

This semester, I am taking a course called MGT 450 Seminar in Management:  SIFE.  Students in Free Enterprise is a partnership between higher education and business.  The College SIFE program is a partnership between students, business and the community.  As a member of this chapter, I am able to develop partnerships and projects with profit and non-profit organizations through program design, active participation, and a presentation focus on SIFE competition. In this class thus far, I have had the privilege to work on “Roger Grein Philanthropic Project” Campus Connects which links higher education and diverse communities.  As a class, our goal is to identify non-profit agencies that would most benefit from a SIFE distribution.  The grant we have been entrusted with is equal to $5,000.  The Students in Free Enterprise will receive $1,000 for its administration and four $1,000 grants will be distributed to four surveyed agencies.  They will be chosen by their responses to a Request for Proposal prepared by the SIFE team.  It is anticipated that the $1,000 grant per each individual agency will provide them with seed money to continue their start up or to help them sustain their efforts.  I have also had the chance to meet and spend time with the children at Kids Café.  At the agency thus far, we have worked on the computers and have presented our improved, fun and educational game board to the children.   Yesterday, I had the opportunity to attend and participate in the 2008 SIFE USA Regional Competition.  It was held in downtown Cincinnati at the Westin Hotel.  Several students from our class and I presented our outreach projects to panels of top level business executives and entrepreneurs.  There were six teams in our league.  Out of six teams, only four could place and we were one of the four that placed.  We received a second runner up trophy.  We worked hard and put a lot of time and effort into our presentation and project.  This was a good experience for me because speaking in front of an audience gave me practice for improving my communication, team building, and management skills.  SIFE and the SIFE program at the Mount are wonderful programs to be involved in.  It has enhanced my education and has made me a stronger person for the business world. 

Hooray for Spring Break!!!    I can’t believe it’s here with only six more weeks of classes left in the semester.  Plus, graduation is quickly approaching for us seniors.  This week has been fun and relaxing thus far, and there has been a lot to celebrate.  St. Patrick’s Day was on March 17^th, but many people began partying over the weekend.  Whether you are Irish or not, many people celebrate this holiday by wearing green, and drinking “green beer.” 

On Thursday, the sun was out for the First Day of Spring (I love spring because it is one more season closer to summer which is my favorite season of the year) and the official start of “March Madness” begun.  My friend had me fill out a bracket just for fun to predict which college basketball teams would win in the tournament.  As of now, I am doing really well and I don’t even follow college basketball that much.  Last night, some of my friends from high school and I went out to the bars’ to celebrate our friend’s birthday which was actually on St. Patrick’s Day.  We had a great time!!!  It was nice to spend time with them and catch up on each others lives. 

Side Note:  Although you will develop new friendships in college and throughout life, it is important to stay in touch with your friends from high school as well.  As you get older and you may not see some of your friends as much because they have parted their separate ways, know that true friends will always find a way to keep in touch and be there for you.  I have many wonderful friends and people in my life, and I am thankful for them. 

Also, Easter is during Spring Break this year, so I will be celebrating this holiday with family and friends.  The best part of the day for me is going to church and thanking Jesus for saving us by giving up his life on the cross.  Happy Easter!!!

 
When applying for a job, there are many things that employers will look at when considering you for the job. They will look at your past employments, as well as your schooling. However one of the most important things that employers will look at is your computer skills. With everything changing in technology today, it is really important that people have good technology and computer skills.

           

The one computer skill that is the most important, especially in the business field is Excel. Excel is computer software that allows you track down financials as well as create charts and graph. It is a very easy to learn program, and here at the Mount, they have classes that will teach you how to use Excel.

           

Spreadsheets is a business class here at the Mount that teaches you how to use Excel. It will go through all the steps on how to start a worksheet as well as how to use the many features that Excel has. There are two different types of Spreadsheets classes that are offered here at the Mount. The one is a regular Spreadsheets class that will go into depth on everything that there is to know about Excel, as well as show you how to do absolutely everything in Excel, which is a 3 credit hour class. The other is Spreadsheets Basic which is a 1 credit hour class, which doesn’t go into depth as the regular spreadsheets class, but teaches you all the basic functions of Excel. If you come to the Mount, I strongly suggest that you take one of these two spreadsheets courses. They can be extremely helpful for you in the future.

This semester has been the hardest for me in college, but it is now finally time to relax with Spring Break here in a few days. I like Spring break because it’s a chance to take a week off before the end of the year and catch up on homework, or for most people sleep! I really don’t have exciting plans for over the break, mainly because I need to make some money so I will be working everyday.

            For Spring Break I will be working at my Cincinnati Reds job, working in the Retail Warehouse. It is a fun job because of the fact that I get to work down at Great American Ball Park. The atmosphere working down there, especially during a game is awesome. Baseball is one of my favorite sports, and to be able to have a job around a sports team is a dream come true. Of course, I will relax as well. Next Thursday starts the NCAA Men’s College Basketball Tournament where there will be games all day long on both Thursday and Friday, which of course is extremely exciting. Overall, I am ready for a laid back spring break. It has been long awaited, because of the tough semester I have been going through. It felt like I had homework every night, and to have a whole week of no homework sounds really good right now! However, once spring break is over, it will be down to crunch time with about a month and a half to go before graduation. But for now, all I am thinking about is Spring break!

Although I have found each of my classes to be beneficial to me in some way, there are several courses in which I have enjoyed the most.  In COM 100 Spoken Word, I was able to enhance my understanding of interpersonal and public communication processes and practices.  I was also able to develop effective listening and speaking strategies which are needed in personal, academic, and professional life.  Overall, I found the course to be educational as well as fun because I had the opportunity to create my own speeches and present them to the class.  The course is listed as one of the core requirements, so all students will take this class.

 In COM 300 Advanced Composition, I learned how to write nonfiction works.  The writing assignments involved descriptive, expository, and persuasive writing.  Overall, I have learned style and methods to meet the needs of a variety of audiences.  I took this course because I had planned to get a minor in Communication Studies, but I know I will not be able to complete all the required courses before graduation. 

One of my most favorite classes that I have taken within my major has been BUS 260 Business Research.  In this course, you learn how to gather information and make decisions in business.  For this course, I had to complete three reports/projects which were not necessarily hard, but time consuming.  For the first assignment, I had to interview a decision-maker of my choice (which was a retail manager) to learn more about how decisions are made in organizations.  By conducting the interview, I have learned that being an interviewer is much more difficult than it appears to be.  It takes talent to get the other person to open up and express themselves.  For the second assignment, I had to use library resources and other secondary sources to research a company and report my findings.  The third assignment involved data analysis using SPSS.  Not only did I have to give a written report of my research findings, but an oral one as well.  My professor played the role as my supervisor and I was the analyst discussing my research findings.  This particular assignment was somewhat challenging, but the purpose for completing this assignment became more clear in the end.  Overall, this course has provided me with some practical information and it has helped prepare me better for success in business.  I feel my writing has improved a lot since I started college and these courses have contributed to that skill. 

The Mount offers many great courses in which I believe you will like.  Remember:  Learn everything you can from your courses whether it is a course within the core requirements or within your major and pay attention in class.  I know it will help you once you are in the workforce. : )