Archive for December, 2008

December 30, 2008

December 30th, 2008 by emhest09

I am happy to report that the paper writing went well and I ended my semester successfully! Looking back I was very lucky with the classes I took this fall; as a history and English double major I usually get asked, “How do you do all the reading and paper writing?” but I have never seen it as a hassle. This fall was the third time I have taken only English and History classes and though it was tough at times, it helps that I truly enjoy both subjects. Rhetoric was probably my favorite class this semester, maybe even at Holy Cross; it was something very different for me and it certainly wasn’t your typical English class. We did read passages on the art of rhetoric and wrote papers as well, but most of our grade was focused on our speeches and I think the practical art of Public Speaking is something I realized I not only enjoyed, but was good at!

Public speaking was central to my many extracurricular activities this past semester. My involvement with CAB grew, especially through the NACA conference that I attended, and it was mostly due to the presentations, committee meetings and proposals I contributed to. Looking back I realize that I have not talked as much as I should have about my other major commitment this past semester-Senior Interviewing (which is really unacceptable, considering I spent 5-7 hours each week working with admissions)! Unfortunately my time as an interviewer is over, it’s only a first semester post because students usually do not interview in the Spring, but next semester I will continue to give tours and talk at some open houses. I have been thinking a lot about Senior Interviewing since going out to dinner with my mentor Amanda, Tran from admissions and fellow interviewers (everyone’s first time at the Soul Proprietor should be on the college, DELICIOUS!) I am so lucky to have had the chance to work that closely with admissions, it opened a new path for me that I had never thought of before and allowed me to meet really amazing students. It’s bittersweet to realize I won’t be at Holy Cross when they embark on the same journey I did three and a half years ago, but I have faith that the class of 2013 will be one of the best yet, if the students I have interviewed are any proof!

The last days of finals are always some of the most crazy and strenuous of the year; my mentality is always “you can relax and sleep when you go home”…therefore I basically collapsed when finals were over. I returned home to a beautiful Christmas tree, a roaring fire in the fireplace and candles in the windows and while I adore Holy Cross, I was happy to leave it for a few weeks to spend time home for the holidays. I had a great Christmas, we always spend time in Holyoke which is where most of my family lives and is about 15 minutes from Northampton. The one downside to seeing my family is the question I got at least 20 times on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day… “so what are you doing next year?” I didn’t help that my cousin Danny heard me complaining about it and proceeded to tell EVERYONE who would listen that I was graduating in the Spring and that they should ask me what my plans were. This break is really forcing me to face the fact that my future after Holy Cross is a reality and I need to start building it for myself. I am lucky to know what I want for a future career, and I think I will use the rest of my break to figure out how to achieve that goal!

For your enjoyment, I attached some pictures of our “Christmas-y” room at school, the ice storm we had, and various holiday pictures (including the Heston annual Christmas card picture, complete with college sweatshirts)!

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December 1, 2008

December 1st, 2008 by emhest09

I am going to start this entry by saying that I really should not be writing it. The
list of things I have to do stretches for miles (slight exaggeration, yards
would be better) and I should probably either be doing things on that list or
sleeping in preparation for doing the things on that list. I am sure most of my
fellow classmates can commiserate with me, the study rooms are packed and
though Thanksgiving definitely left us a bit more relaxed (and in my case, very full) there is still a lot to be
done before the end of the semester. I remember one of the girls I interviewed recently
asked me if Holy Cross was extremely hard and if students had a one track mind
towards their academics. I responded that yes, Holy Cross was one of the most
demanding liberal arts colleges in the country but that students were not
necessarily solely focused on their work but that they were passionate in all
areas of their Holy Cross careers. Right now, for instance, I am feeling very
passionate in writing about Senior Ball but about five minutes after I finish
this I will probably become even more passionate about finishing the 10-12 page
paper I have due on Dorothea Dix….onward to Senior Ball!

Every class here at Holy Cross has some sort of dance. The
first year it is OppKnocks (which I wrote about before), then a sophomore semi,
a junior dance and finally Senior Ball. I slipped up many times and called it “Senior
Prom” but that is essentially what it is; everyone gets dressed up in their
finest and heads off to venue for a nice dinner and dancing. This year’s Senior
Ball was at the DCU center in Worcester which was great because it meant that everyone could go and the number of
tickets was not restricted. The day of the dance was a lot of fun; I went with
my friends to get our hair done (after class of course!) and then put on my
dress and took thousands of pictures. The worst part of the night was
definitely the walk up the hill to Hogan, possibly the furthest building away
from the apartments and the one with the most hills in between. I am not that
great at math but I will say this:

Hills + wind gusts + sub zero temperatures + high heels +
ball gowns = MISERY

Luckily that did not last long and we were able to board the
buses to the DCU center without incident. I had a fantastic time at the dance
and as we were leaving I felt the strange urge to cry and cheer all at the same
time. The night was a complete success, great fun and a memory I will never
forget, yet it was over. Maybe that is a parallel for senior year in general
but the feeling that my time at Holy Cross is drawing to a close is certainly
becoming stronger. Luckily I was able to drown my sorrows in a plate of
pancakes from the Boulevard Diner; Lexie, Amy, Jimmy and I went there in our
ball gowns and tuxedos right after the dance and got a hearty breakfast….at
1:00 a.m.

I have attached pictures and was glad that my family and
friends got to see them over Thanksgiving Break. It was great to relax with my
family for the past few days and while Thanksgiving Break itself always seems
like one big tease, the holiday is wonderful. About 25 members of my extended
family gather together at my grandmother’s house to gorge ourselves on a 30
pound Turkey ,
complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, jubilee roll and about
four different types of pie. Being with my family is always a joy and this
break was just what I needed to get back to work!

That being said, I am starting to feel a bit antsy from
being away from my work for this long…perhaps I will get back to paper writing!

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