Serious Senioritis

Alright, I have to admit, I am falling victim to a severe case of senioritis. Classes are winding down, it is finally sunny outside, and graduation seems so close. The last thing I can do is focus on schoolwork.

But, in more exciting news, Beckee and I have decided to go to Costa Rica after finals! I am beyond excited. The package we got includes two nights in San José, two nights in Arenal, and two nights in Monteverde. The exciting/terrifying part is that we have to drive ourselves from place to place. It is going to be quite the adventure. I just need to get through seventeen more days of classes.

Then, when we get back from Costa Rica, there are a ton of exciting Senior Week events going on! Tickets go on sale this week and are limited, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I get to go on the Martha's Vineyard day trip and the Mohegan Sun overnight trip. It will be a nice way to wrap up my time at Suffolk.

Moving Right Along

Happy Spring Break, blog readers!

So, the semester is more than halfway over, I have a week off from classes, and the sun is shining. I don't think I could ask for anything better.

As much as I would like to sleep in every day during Spring Break, it has been pretty nice to keep busy. I have been working here in Admissions, and tomorrow I will head home for a few days. I am especially excited to go home (minus the part where I go to the dentist) because I will be doing some of my observation hours for Teach For America. Before I go down to the Mississippi Delta for training, I am expected to do preparation work, which includes observation hours at nearby schools. Then, on Saturday, I am headed down to Florida for an Accepted Students Reception! I hope to see some of you there!

Then, when classes start up again on Monday it will be crunch time. I have lots to do before the end of the semester and very little time to do it. Between getting started on final papers, finishing my InterFuture work, and preparing to move 1,500 miles away, I have a lot on my plate. But, obviously I can't complain. It is a plate filled with lots and lots of very good things!

It's Pay Day!

I have had a lot of time for blogging this week. That is definitely a good thing since my time as an Ambassador is limited and I really enjoy keeping this blog! 86 days until graduation!

I meant to write about this in my last post, but last week a bunch of us headed over to the Copley Society on Newbury St. because our fellow Ambassador, Julie, was chosen to show her work at their Annual Student Show! She is pretty fabulous. I am so happy we were able to celebrate such an amazing accomplishment with her!

I am looking forward to next week because starting on Monday, my mom and I are taking a weekly meditation workshop. It runs through the month of March and is at North End Yoga, an amazing studio that I went to fairly often when I lived in the dorms. Now that I'm living in Somerville (and am plagued by having to pay rent), though, I haven't been there in a while. I am excited to de-stress with this workshop, though, and it will be nice to see my mom a bit more often.

Short post today. Time to go to class. Have a safe and relaxing weekend, everyone!

Picking Up Speed

Happy Middle-of-the-Week, blog readers!

For the first time this semester, I have been feeling bogged down with schoolwork and stress. I had been keeping on top of things like reading and assignments especially well, but lately it has been piling up. Hopefully this weekend I can catch up on everything so that the rest of the semester will go smoothly.

Of course there are always events on campus to keep my mind off the never-ending stress of school. Last night, Jonathan Kozol, education activist and author, spoke in the C. Walsh Theatre. I found out about it at the last minute, and am so glad I did. Kozol was so engaging, and especially relevant to me because of my plans to teach in the Mississippi Delta as a Teach For America Corps Member.

Tonight I start up again at my internship at Teen Voices. I will be working with a different group of high school-aged girls from last semester, and we will be working on an article about sexual health among young people. I was very excited when I found out we would be working on this section, since I did my InterFuture research on condom awareness and access in high schools.

I am so happy this week is almost over. It's been raining and dreary, and I am more than ready to have a relaxing weekend at my apartment. I will be working quite a bit at Banana Republic, but I am hoping to find some me-time, too. And then, before we know it, it will be March. Where did the time go? We are just about two weeks away from Spring Break, but for me that also means being two weeks away from my Praxis Exam. I need to take three Praxis Exams in order to receive my certification to teach in the Mississippi Delta, so it is extremely important that I pass. Needless to say, I am a bit stressed about it.

Time to leave the office and head over to Teen Voices. Enjoy...the rain?

Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

It is a slow, snowy Tuesday in the office so I thought I would catch up on some blogging. The semester has gone surprisingly smoothly so far. I have yet to be too stressed out, and am keeping my fingers crossed that things stay that way. We just returned from a long weekend, so that definitely helped keep me sane.

Thursday night a bunch of us went out for fellow Ambassador, TJ's 21st birthday. There was a great turnout and it was nice to spend time with everyone. I also spent a lot of time working at Banana Republic and getting homework done this weekend, but ditched the studying on Sunday for a Valentine's Day celebration with some wonderful fellow singles.

But now it's time to get back to the daily grind. I had my Women in Literature class this morning, which I absolutely love so far. There are only twelve of us and there is a great dynamic between us and the professor. Then, I had an InterFuture meeting, at which we discussed our timeline from now until the end of the semester. Although I have been back from conducting my research in London for almost a year now, I am still working on the United States portion of my study, and need to finish up my project as a whole. I am aiming to have it turned in by mid-April. Eek! So much to do before then.

One of the most terrifying, yet thrilling realizations I recently had was that I will be leaving for Teach for America training (also known as Institute) on June 8th (just two weeks after graduation!). I am sad I won't be able to spend the summer with everyone in the city, but am beyond ready to embark on the next phase of my life. As much as I don't think I can take myself seriously enough to have a real person job and wear real person clothes and surround myself with other real people (the more I think about it, though, I'm not even sure what "real" means) I feel prepared. If there is one thing I have learned after almost eight semesters as an undergraduate at Suffolk, it is that I am capable of more than I ever thought possible. There have been times I have wanted to curl up in a ball and die (difficult classes, roommate issues, InterFuture conferences), but there is nothing more fulfilling than surviving all of these things, and being a better person as a result. That is how I know I'm ready.

So, here's to being ready for life. Or the next part of it, anyways. Enjoy the snow.

Hello February!

I've been seriously slacking on my blogging this semester. With the new paperless system in the office, things have been a little hectic, and there is always tons of work to do.

The start to the semester has been an exciting one, though. I am loving all my classes so far (even my science requirement. Weird), and have enjoyed getting back into a routine. I worked a lot over Winter Break, but still felt like I had a lot of down time. It's nice to be back.

Since I do not work as an SU101 Teaching Assistant in the spring, I have a little more free time this semester. I decided to go back to writing for the Voice, and my roommate, Sarah and I have picked up our radio show for Suffolk Free Radio again (www.suffolk.edu/radio Fridays at 4:00!). This week, for the Voice, I wrote about an improv show I attended last week in the C. Walsh Theatre. Suffolk's improv troupe, Seriously Bent, performed with cast members from the Improv Asylum, and best of all, the show was free!

In very exciting and relieving news, a couple weeks ago I found out that I have been accepted as a 2010 Teach For America Corps Member! I have been assigned to teach elementary in the Mississippi Delta region, so I will be living in either Mississippi or Arkansas. It is going to be a huge change, but I am absolutely thrilled! The scariest part is that I leave for training June 8th, just two weeks after graduation. It is all going to happen so fast!

I am trying not to get ahead of myself, though. I still have a semester to get through, an InterFuture project to complete (eek!), and an internship to get through (starting at the end of the month I am returning to Teen Voices until May).

Starting Anew

Happy New Year, blog readers!

I can't believe it is already 2010 - the year I will graduate from college. I am back in the office a couple weeks early to catch up on hours, but soon I will begin my very last semester here at Suffolk. I will save the sappy, nostalgic stuff for later, but it really will be hard to leave this place.

Break has been a much needed escape from classes and stress. The end of the semester was wonderful, though. Winter Ball was a blast and Haley and Rachel threw an Ugly Holiday Sweater Party at their apartment. I went home for a week during Christmas and spent a lot of time working and catching up with old friends. The picture on the left is me with my best friend Jamie at my house on Christmas day. I came back to the city shortly after Christmas and spent New Year's Eve here in Boston for the first time. My roommate and I went to dinner in the North End and to the Improv Asylum's New Year's show. Then, we headed over to my friend's apartment in Brighton. It was a great way to ring in 2010!

Next week, a friend and I are driving down to South Carolina for our friend's graduation from Marine Corps boot camp. It's going to be a long trek, but I am really looking forward to going. It will be a nice way to wrap up Winter Break.

Then comes time for classes! This semester I am taking Women in Spirituality for my Philosophy minor, The Built World for my 2nd science requirement (ugh, leaving this until the last minute was a terrible life choice), an English Honors Seminar and Women in Literature to finish off my English major. I will also be returning to my internship at Teen Voices where I will mentor a small group of high school-aged girls as they develop a section of the magazine. I had a great time there last semester and am excited to go back.

Time to go give a tour. Here's to one last semester as an undergrad!