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A new beginning

June 7th, 2009 by emhest09

 

v.   grad·u·at·ed, grad·u·at·ing, grad·u·ate

  1. To be granted an academic degree or diploma
    1. To change gradually or by degrees.
    2. To advance to a new level of skill, achievement, or activity: After a summer of diving instruction, they had all graduated to back flips.

I honestly have no idea how the past four years went by that fast. It seems like only yesterday I was taking my first tour of the campus, interviewing after the long walk through the “hall of presidents” in Fenwick, then finally arriving at Holy Cross, only to have the car be swarmed by fellow Crusaders, professors and even my class dean. It seems mere weeks ago I was standing on Hart lawn while my parents put their hands on my shoulders and blessed me before returning home after the Mass of the Holy Spirit. Two nights later was my only bout of homesickness, lasting all of three  minutes before my new friends invited me to watch a movie in their room. It can’t have been more than a month since I boarded a plane for Luxembourg or gave my last hugs to friends traveling abroad. Senior Ball, trips to Dunkin Donuts Friday mornings, Cranium nights and Baccalaureate Mass…weren’t those all last week?

If you haven’t been able to tell, I have been walkingaround in a perpetual state of disbelief for the past few weeks since my graduation. I don’t think it will really hit me until next September when I am not unpacking in Worcester, maybe then the tears will come. Until then I have the very fond memories of graduation to look back on as well as a very exciting future ahead of me. Graduation day started at 5AM when 100 or so teary eyed Seniors sat out on Hart lawn watching the sunrise over Worcester. After one last trip to Dunkin Donuts with Amy I packed up a few things before changing into my robes, fumbling over tassels, pins and capes as I went. I could not believe the organizational skills involved in planning our line up for graduation; Row 8 Seat 2, stay in your assigned seat don’t shift if the person in front of you isn’t there, stay standing until after the blessing and SMILE! The long march down was a time of reflection for me; I looked around and saw dear friends, casual acquaintences and (at this so called “small school”) plenty of people I swear I had never seen before. I thought of my family, who I knew were sweltering in the bleachers after arriving nearly an hour early, I thought of the professors I saw lining the way, shaking our hands and cheering us on, and I thought most of all about my friends, people who I had no idea existed four years ago yet who had had such a strong impact on my life I couldn’t imagine being without them. As I rounded the corner on to the field, I could finally hear the music and saw the huge crowd of families as well as about a third of my class already seated. That was the moment I almost lost it (I didn’t though, much to the dismay of my sister who promised me I would be bawling at some point that day-sorry to let you down Katherine, you know it takes A LOT to make me cry). Receiving my diploma, proof of four years hard work and listening to speeches from distinguished guests, administrators and my good friend and name twin Elizabeth Mary Anne Morse, all helped me realize what an experience my past four years at Holy Cross have been.

Afterwards there were many hugs, some packing and one of the most meaningful “Hi’s” I have ever had. Obviously many pictures were taken throughout the ceremony which I have posted for all to see. Driving home was surreal as was the rest of the evening, though that may have had to do with the fact that I slept for less than two hours the previous night. Slowly I have been getting back into the swing of things but like I said before, I will probably have some sort of melt down later, when I realize I am no longer a Holy Cross student.

Luckily I have quite an adventure ahead of me, one which seems very good so far! I am currently sitting at my desk at Providence college after completing my first homework assignment as a Grad student. I moved in and began the PACT program last Wednesday and so far it has been wonderful. The sense of community and acceptance I feel here is at the same level as Holy Cross with the added bonus of the fact that everyone here wants to be a teacher. That shared passion has been inspiring, plus it helps me feel at ease when other people spout Shakespeare in the middle of a wiffleball game, discuss math lesson plans over dinner or have “reading nights” while baking chocolate chip cookies, all activities that have gotten me strange looks in the past. We have been on retreat the past few days and classes start tomorrow; I also have a trip to Cape Cod to look forward to on Wednesday, meeting with the principal of Pope John Paul II high school where I will be teaching next fall.

So here I am, ready for a new beginning but not quiet over the past. It is an odd place to be but one that is strangely comforting at the same time. I am so excited for the future and the past is still with me as clear as it will ever be. Holy Cross has been the journey, blessing and joy of a lifetime and my four years there made me a better person. I will bring that thought with me into my classroom; I want every student who walks into my classroom to be a  better person when they leave it…I have Holy Cross to thank for that.

 

Thanks for reading and God bless,

Elizabeth

 

5AM graduation morning

Getting my diploma!
Getting my diploma!

The end is near…

May 18th, 2009 by emhest09

The end is 4 days away to be precise! Four days is all the separates me from my amazing undergrad career and the “real world” everyone has told me about. I am hoping this “real world” is even half as good as my time spent here, these four years will be hard to top!

The past week was the perfect mixture of relaxation and work, vacation and home, friends and family, a great way to lead up to Senior week! Last Sunday to Tuesday I went to Cape Cod and stayed with some of my friends there. We shopped at the Wellfleet flea market, frolicked in the FREEZING ocean (for about 3 seconds, we just stuck our toes in), journeyed to Provincetown and explored the multiple Yarmouths (we stayed in South Yarmouth, but saw Yarmouth, West Yarmouth and Yarmouth Port). The trip was a lot of fun, especially because I will be living in Yarmouth Port and teaching in Hyannis for the next two years! I got to show the high school I will be teaching at to a lot of my friends and even tried to find the house I will be living in! I can’t wait to start that new chapter in my life and though my mom warns me that first year teachers have no time for fun, it will still be nice to live in another part of the state for a while at least.

After my time at the Cape, I went home for the remainder of the week. It was so nice to be home, relaxing and spending time with the family. I also got to work at the library which was a lot of fun, very enjoyable and certainly profitable. I was glad I got to relax and do work that I love for those few days because this week will be a bit crazy! Senior Week started yesterday and my friends and I have created a fun schedule so we can squeeze every last second out of the time we have together. Fun events include a Senior reflection lunch, where I will be able to hear speeches from some of my friends, a trip to Culpeppers for brunch, going to hike around Purgatory Chasm, and maybe even filming a horror movie (don’t ask). Mixed in with those fun activities will certainly be some bitterweet goodbyes. I already aid goodbye to my underclassmen friends and today my boss Cathi from Religious Studies took me out for an amazing lunch. Graduation day will certainly be emotional, I honestly don’t know how I will handle it. You’ll find out soon though, don’t worry!

A bit too cold for a swim

A bit too cold for a swim

Future teachers!

Future teachers!

Flying a kite in P-town!

Flying a kite in P-town!

Spring Weekend and the End of Classes

May 10th, 2009 by emhest09

Spring has been in full swing the past few weeks, it is really amazing to see the flowers and beautiful trees blossom in so little time and I can’t remember a warmer end of April and tart of May! We definitely lucked out with the weather for Spring Weekend and it has been a great way to end my last year here. This was my first year not being directly involved with Spring Weekend; last year I was overseeing the committee who ran it, the year before I was running it myself and my freshman year I was shadowing the people who were running it in order to run it the next year. Needless to say I sat back and relaxed and was able to go to almost all of the events without running around trying to keep everything in order. Alexandra, Mary Beth and Emma, the girls in charge of Spring Weekend, did a fantastic job with “Springelodeon” and they brought together all of CAB to bring some great events and fun times to the campus. The Spring Weekend Kick-off began the weekend with a great food, a balloon man, trivia and tattoo artists (temporary of course) in Kimball. On Friday we had the big Spring Weekend Comedian (Judah Friedlander from the TV show 30 Rock this year) and after that was the Figure it Out Game Show where I had the pleasure of “slime-ing” a fellow student.

Saturday was by far my favorite day. First of all, it was actually HOT and the sun was shining all day long (resulting in my sunburn and about a million more freckles). My friends and I sat out by Easy Street on a blanket and watched the Easy Street Fair, which had cotton candy, free ice cream and decorate your own Frisbee. After that, I went to see my friend Lexie present her honors thesis which happened to be about my two favorite books Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. It was great seeing her speak and I am really happy I was able to support her, writing over 100 pages deserves a round of applause at the very least! That was it for academics that day though because after that I stayed at the Spring Weekend carnival for literally four hours. The carnival had all sorts of rides, inflatables, and games and I ate far too much fried dough. As the sun set, people started walking up to the Hart Lawn and at 9:00 when it was all dark, an amazing fireworks show began. It was honestly the best of all four years and I have to admit I got rather sentimental watching the fireworks on my last Spring Weekend ever. I think the point of Spring Weekend is to allow college students to relax, have fun and most importantly embrace their inner child. I think this years Nickelodeon theme, coupled with the fantastic weather, did just that.

The last part of Spring Weekend is concert day (if you go back a year in my blogs you can read all about it). The 6:30 AM wake up call and the 3:00AM bedtime are never fun but strangely the hard work and dedication is. The concert itself, featuring Lupe Fiasco, was out of this world, he is a phenomenal performer and the crowd loved the show. The volunteers were also great this year and it is always impressive to see an entire stage go up and be brought down all in one day. As a “Last Concert” tradition, Jimmy, Julie, CAB’s adviser Ben and I all went to the “Bully” Diner and ate breakfast…before going to bed around 4:30AM. College life is unique to say the least.

This past Thursday marked the end of my undergraduate career. All paper, exams, homework and quizzes are done…for now. It is hard to wrap my mind around it because I technically go back to school on June 3rd, though not at Holy Cross. Like I said in my last entry I will be taking classes at Providence College to get my Masters and I just recently found out that I will be teaching at Pope John Paul II high school in Hyannis for the next two years! It is so exciting to think about what the future has in store but obviously the next two weeks leading up to graduation will be bitter sweet.

I leave for Cape Cod tomorrow for a few days before heading home to work at the library for the ret of the week and then….Senior Week! Don’t worry, I’ll write a few more blogs before graduation but for now feel free to check out some Spring Weekend and concert pictures!

Picnic-ing on Easy Street!

View of the carnival

taking down the stage

taking down the stage

With Alexandra...obviously sad over the end of Spring Weekend!

With Alexandra...obviously sad over the end of Spring Weekend!

Congrats to the class of 2013!

April 17th, 2009 by emhest09

I am still getting used to this new way of blogging so bear with me! Sorry for the lack of entries in the past month, it’s been insanely busy and I was waiting to be sure that all of you lovely readers could see this blog!

First and foremost CONGRATULATIONS TO THE ACCEPTED STUDENTS OF THE CLASS OF 2013!!! A special shout out has to go to the students I interviewed who got in, I was excited to see each and every one of your names on the list. Admissions has a fantastic night when the Senior Interviewers call all the accepted students they interviewed to congratulate them and answer questions they may have. Most people had around 10-12 students….I had 21! Luckily Jim in admissions made us all delicious baked goods so I got to take bites between calls and it was wonderful to hear from everyone again. The Open House this Sunday should be fun and hopefully lots of people come, it is really a great opportunity to see the school.

As I mentioned, the past weeks have been busy though not necessarily with school work. Instead, I have had to put a lot of time and effort into my future plans after graduation (the idea of sitting in my room crying can only go so far). I was accepted into the Providence Alliance of Catholic Teachers (PACT) program as well as the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and after much deliberation and thought I decided to go with PACT. Through this program I will be earning a free Masters in Education degree from Providence College while teaching in a Catholic School for two years. I am really excited, I can’t wait to teach! I think it didn’t really hit me until I had my first interview at St. Mary’s high school in Westfield; as we walked down the hall the principal pointed to a classroom and said “that could be yours next year”. Seeing the physical room sent me into a state of shock, excitement and nervousness…but all in a good way. I will keep you posted as to how the job search ends up!

In addition to future planning, I am still swamped with CAB work. Spring Weekend is right around the corner (this year’s theme is Springelodeon) and fireworks, game shows, the big concert with Lupe Fiasco, and the Carnival are all on the agenda. It should be a great time and a lot of pictures will be taken, get ready!

February 27, 2009

February 27th, 2009 by emhest09

How in the world did February go by so fast? I know it is the shortest month but I just can’t believe it is March already! The passage of time was something I was forced to think a lot about this past week when the senior class had their “100 Days Ball”. 100 Days is a dance just for members of the senior class that supposedly marks 100 days until graduation. My roommate Kena did the math and there were actually only 91 days but I will take the extra nine if the college is willing to give them! The dance was a lot of fun and a unique experience to have a great event just for my class; the Purple Key Society did a great job planning it and everyone seemed to have a great time.

Last week was also a big one for the Holy Cross Men’s basketball team. On Saturday they played our big rival Bucknell….and lost. It was really heartbreaking but I did enjoy seeing the randomness of some Holy Cross students. In the attached picture, see if you can spot the chicken (no, I am not joking). The game on Wednesday made up for it though, we beat Navy in a real nail-biter! The game was especially fun because my grandmother, aunt and two cousins came up from Holyoke to see the school and watch the game with me. It was great to see them and having my parents come the next day was another treat! We walked around campus (well, my mom and I did while my dad sat in the room with a broken foot). I showed off the new science complex and then made a trip to the bookstore WITHOUT BUYING ANYTHING! That’s a big achievement, believe me.

It has been a fun-filled past couple of weeks but what I have really been looking forward to is Spring Break, specifically Appalachia! This will be my third time going to Appalachia through the Spring Break Immersion Program  and this time will be a little different because I am a group leader. My group of 14 students will be driving, yes driving, 10 hours to a town called Waverly in rural Virginia. There is another Holy Cross group at our site and a Boston College group as well and it seems like we’ll be doing some construction work, lots of painting and even some dirt moving. We will immerse ourselves in the community there and work to make it better in any way possible. Waverly is also home to the world’s oldest peanut museum so that will obviously get a visit. All kidding aside, I really cannot wait to head down there. It may not be as relaxing or tropical as Florida or the Bahamas, but I feel that doing a service program like this leaves you spiritually and mentally invigorated, though maybe not physically. I attached a picture of my group from sophomore year (Rural Retreat, VA) and junior year (Glasgow, VA)…can’t wait to add more!

I have written so much about the Appalachia program in some of my applications for programs after graduation that it comes as second nature now. I am currently applying to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) and the Providence Alliance for Catholic Teachers (PACT) program. I will definitely write more about those as the time for decisions gets closer but my next entry will probably be full of lots of exclamation points and excitement over my week in Virginia. I will have many pictures and probably some videos, wish me luck!

Jo
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February 15, 2009

February 15th, 2009 by emhest09

You know you are from New England when you break out the flip-flops the minute it goes above 45 degrees. We have had a stretch of nice weather which has definitely helped in melting all the ice around here and while more snow is predicted for the upcoming days, at least it won’t keep building up! School has been moving right along, I can’t believe there are only 13 days until Spring Break!

Speaking of Spring Break, I am going to be spending my 7 days on an Appalachia service trip for the third time in a row. Holy Cross has numerous immersion programs but there is a special place in my heart for Appalachia. Each year about 250 students spend their break in either the Gulf Coast or Appalachia, living simply and trying to make a difference within a community doing everything from demolishing houses, to painting bathrooms to working with students. This year I am lucky enough to be a group leader and will be headed to Waverly, VA with 13 of my classmates. I can’t wait and obviously many pictures and videos will be taken so you can all see what it is about!

There is still a lot of work to be done in my classes before leaving however and since I just realized I never described what I was taking, I will do that now! I have to say I am a bit proud of myself and my ability to plan ahead. As a double major in History and English I am currently in 2 elective courses in my last semester of college, not too bad for having to take upwards of 20 classes to fulfill both majors! One of my electives is Introduction to the Old Testament with Professor Murphy. I haven’t taken a religion course since freshmen year even though I work in the department and it is great to study a part of the Bible I am not as familiar with. My second elective is education: social & political change with Professor Dobles and by far my favorite part of this class is the CBL (Community Based Learning) that goes along with it. Every Thursday afternoon as part of the class I go over to Heard St. school in Worcester and work with two third graders (Brooklyn and Brittany) in an after school program devoted to preparing for the MCAS tests. I have grown very close with them and I love being around kids and helping them learn.

My other two classes are fundamentals of music and artist’s books. I took the music class to fulfill my art requirement and it is something I have always wanted to take so I can learn to read music again (I played the guitar until 6th grade) and learn to play the piano. Artist’s books is my last English class to fulfill the major though it is something completely different from any other English class I have had. We study books with the viewpoint of an artist and since the course has a studio art portion, we are working on making our own books through printmaking. To give you some idea, the first day of class Professor Sweeney brought in a delicious cake which had “I am a Book” written across it and pages made out of icing. We spent the majority of that class trying to figure out what constituted “a book” in the traditional form. My favorite part of this class so far would have to be the field trip to the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester; it is truly a hidden gem! We toured the stacks of over 2 million newspapers, manuscripts and prints, all made before 1876…it was a librarian’s dream come true!

Next week will be a bit stressful with papers and tests, but I am looking forward to presenting at two information sessions for Admissions! On Tuesday and Friday at 11:15 in Rehm library I will help talk about admissions, the application process and Holy Cross in general in prospective students. Hopefully all goes well!

January 28, 2009

January 28th, 2009 by emhest09

Since returning for my last semester of college…..sorry I need a moment….alright, I am better now; since returning for my last semester of college I have had two great experiences that have helped my deal with the fact that this truly is the last semester. The first was Senior Convocation which took place the day before classes started. As freshmen, we attended freshmen convocation in St. Joseph Chapel where some students volunteered to speak on their hopes and expectations for the next four years. This time around we heard speeches from students reflecting on the past three and a half years (read them if you have a chance!) as well as musical pieces, one of which featured my roommate Kena playing her double bass! Probably my favorite part of Convocation was Dean Peace’s speech which brought everyone to their feet. It began:

We are blessed.
We are blessed to be.
We are blessed to be here.
We are blessed to be here now.

Which then led, naturally, to a discussion of penguins. Yes, penguins, you read it right and really there is no better image then a bunch of scared yet intrepid baby penguins to associate with the class of 2009. Some of us are ready to leave the ice sheet while others (I would put myself in this category) will simply wait to have the tide draw them away. It was a very moving speech and convocation in general was a great way to start the year.

The second wonderful experience I had to start off the year was at the 2009 Vault Reunion in Amy, Delia, Alicia and Erin’s room. I lived in a hallway called “The Vault” freshmen year; the name comes from the fact that it is one of the only halls that is split boys and girls with a huge, thick metal door separating the two, creating a vault-like atmosphere for the girls. It was a fantastic hall of about 22 girls and I still count many of them as my closest friends here. Carlin 411 happens to be all Vault girls (original roommate pairs too!) and they decided to have as many of the girls over as they could and the turnout was larger than expected! It was so great to just hang out with freshmen friends and seeing how everyone had changed…for the better of course! I think it speaks volumes of the community feel of this college that so many of the Vault girls remain great friends and even roommates (like Kena and I!) to this day. I put up a couple of pictures from the reunion of roommate pairs, the entire vault and (for old times sake) a picture of all of us three and a half years ago at freshman convocation!

I will finish this entry with a short list of great things at the school, I will fill you all in on my classes next blog after I have had a few more of them!

  1. ITS, or Internet Technology Services for the common folk like me. I came back to school with a really bad computer virus (thus the lack of blogging) and after a quick my computer was fixed in less than 24 hours. This would not have been a happy occasion if I had not backed up my files on my roommates external hard drive so I will restate what has been told to me since freshmen year…BACK UP YOUR FILES!
  2. Parents. Not just my own but those of my friends who have sent me Christmas socks and Asian food on occasion, it’s great that families are brought together through friends made here at Holy Cross. Sorry for not blogging more Mrs. Mullen!
  3. Birthday night at Kimball. Once a year there is a wonderful dinner in Upper Kimball devoted to birthday and especially birthday cake. In the past there was a large spread of various frostings and cakes which we students could use to decorate our own birthday cakes. I guess some students who shall remain nameless would get carried away with frosting so this year the good people at Kimball decided to have 12 different huge cakes, one for each birthday month. May was the best though I might be a little biased.
  4. Peach Cobbler at Kimball. I don’t really like it but Amy really does so I will mention it, she was in Spain last year (read her blog!) and they took it off the menu for the fall semester, leaving her heartbroken…luckily it’s back!

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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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November 18, 2008

November 18th, 2008 by emhest09

I always tell prospective students and their parents that I want to go through my college years putting every penny in my rather large tuition bill to good use and over the past few weeks I have definitely done that! I attribute “success” in college not just to a good grade on a paper or an award of some kind, but rather to having experiences that shape you as a person and that profoundly move you. Over the past four years I have had numerous experiences like this but there are two I want to write about at length because they meant a lot to me in the past few weeks.

The first was Election Night, November 4, 2008. This was the first election I was able to vote in and I actually sent in an absentee ballot in Mid-October. Our campus is VERY politically active and since I literally live right next door to the leadership of the College Democrats on campus I knew that election night would be special. On Tuesday Nights, CAB usually runs the 10 Spot, a time between 10 and 12 when student musicians can take over Hogan basement and play music. For November 4th, CAB teamed up with the Student Government Association (SGA), College Democrats and College Republicans to turn the basement into a political center of the campus. There was music being played, in typical 10 Spot fashion, but there was also a large screen and projector with CNN running and a map on the wall which was colored in as the state’s results came in. In Crossroads (Hogan Basement), the tension grew with each state – cheers, boos, and excitement pouring in from all directions. By 10:00 there were probably 150 people down there and as Wolf Blitzer announced the projected winner I watched as the majority of students cheered and hugged, members of the College Democrats (many of whom had worked for two years with this campaign) burst into tears, and people from across campus poured in to the building to watch history, regardless of their political leanings. Everyone stayed through his speech; I called my parents twice almost in tears with just the enormous weight of the experience. As a history major, these are the moments I learn about and to actually be living it is something I can’t even describe. My dad kept saying “remember every second of this” and I know I will; I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here at Holy Cross in this moment of History and it’s just another “success” the college has brought me.

The second event took place last weekend; we sent the largest CAB delegation ever to the NACA (National Association for Campus Activities) Northeast Conference. This conference was for all the programming boards of North East colleges and it gave us the opportunity to see potential acts that we can bring here, talk to agents, then book acts at cheaper prices than normal. I had gone to this conference as a sophomore but I definitely got more out of it this time. I got to see “showcases” which included a harmonica playing rap artist, a hypnotist and a multitude of comedians; I got to attend marketplaces and (as treasurer of CAB) handle the booking of all the acts, talk to agents and get LOTS of free stuff. Most importantly for me though was the experience I got with the Educational Sessions, one of which I ran! Jimmy, Ben and I ran a session on “Mentoring Within Your Organization” and we had about 50 people who all seemed really interested in what we were talking about. In typical fashion with our personalities, Ben talked about the research that goes into mentoring, Jimmy talked about the structure and execution of mentoring within Holy Cross CAB and I talked about the personal touches and experiences associated with good mentoring practices. We got a lot of comments after we spoke and I definitely used some of the skills I have learned in my Rhetoric class this semester in my part of the presentation. CAB also saw some success in the NACA awards; our brand new website (http://college.holycross.edu/studentorgs/cab/) won “Best Student Designed Website in the Northeast” and Jimmy won one of only four Student Leadership Awards that were given out at the conference! It was very exciting and our presentations, awards and experiences will definitely work to cement CAB’s place on campus. I attached some pictures of the fun so everyone can see!

My next entry is going to be devoted to a much more trivial matter, but another “success” I hope…Senior Ball!!!!

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