Presidential Scholarship weekends are so busy, but SO fun! I can’t wait until February 20th, so I can meet all of the potential candidates. As a senior, this is my last scholarship weekend. If you are coming to one of our scholarship weekends, get excited!
If you ever have any questions, feel free to ask.
As everyone already knows, I love my internship with the St. Louis Blues! In the Community Relations Department, we spend our time focusing on people in the community. The St. Louis Blues 14 Fund embodies everything a charitable trust should. On Sunday, we had our third annual casino night. Our 70s Disco Themed “Sunday Night Fever” was an event to remember! Once my friend gets me a picture of our outfits, I’ll make sure to post it.
With almost four hundred guests, a band, blackjack, poker and craps, who couldn’t have had a great time? We dressed up in 70s style clothing and hit the dance floor! I love being a part of an event that raises so much money for such a great cause. Learn more about the St. Louis Blues 14 Fund at www.stlblues.com. Find a way that you can donate, too!
In March is Dream Night with the Blues. Here, you can play air hockey and the Wii against Blues players! I can’t wait.
It’s crazy to say that I’m ALREADY back at school! I came back early for winter training as an RA, and though I’m sad I had a short break, I’m happy to be back with my friends!
My winter break was WONDERFUL! I spent Christmas eve at my fiance’s house, and then woke up bright and early (or dark and early) to drive to Texas. My mom’s family gets together every other Christmas. Of course the weather was crazy on Christmas day! We drove through Illinois in terrible rain and caught ice in St. Louis. I feel like there were more cars off the road than on it. What a sad way to spend the holiday! Because the roads were so bad in Oklahoma, my dad decided we’d have to detour through Tennessee. We spent the night in a little town in Texas and finished our journey to my grandma’s house on the 26th.
We had three wonderful days in Texas, and then left to go to Big Cedar, a lodge about ten miles from Branson, Missouri. We had a great time! It’s a huge fishing lodge on a lake with ponds everywhere. I really got a workout whenever I needed to eat, because our room was at the top of a huge hill! My dad has always wanted to go there, so we figured we would do something extra special for his birthday.
My sister and I calculated how long we were in the car over the course of break, and it totaled over 60 hours! When I wasn’t in the car, I was doing some wedding planning. I am happy to say that I now have a venue, photographer, florist and dress. I would show pictures, but I can’t give away the secret!
Classes start Monday. Hopefully they will go well!
I always look forward to Thanksgiving. Though the idea of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and warm apple pie are always desired, I mostly anticipate the memories I get to make and cherish with my family. My mom and sister always give in to Black Friday shopping after my hours of begging. I don’t even need to buy anything when I’m at the stores; I simply just love to be in the hustle and bustle of everyone around me. Though this has been a yearly tradition since I was fourteen, I’ve never seen the stores so packed. There is a new “midnight madness” at a mall by my house. Everyone runs around and goes NUTS. I first ran straight to Jamba Juice to get my Strawberries Wild with an energy boost. I knew I was going to need as much help as I could get to stay awake through the night. For the first time, Greg came with me. Since we’re now engaged, I thought it would be a good idea to expose him to what he will be partaking in for years to come. He actually did pretty well! After this weekend, I think he’s a keeper.
The rest of the weekend was devoted to wedding planning. I never knew how hard it could be! One of the hardest parts is setting the date. With such busy schedules, there are only a few weeks that we are actually free. When we take family reunions into the equation, we are left with just one weekend. Now the second hard part? Finding a venue that still isn’t booked! Since we’re both six hours from home, it’s going to be pretty difficult to plan everything. Luckily both of our moms are wonderful and more than willing to help out!
When I wasn’t eating, shopping, or planning, I was taking my dog for walks. My dog tore his ACL and had to have surgery last summer. The recovery process has been long and trying for him, but he’s getting better! He got a nice long walk from me every day that I was home. Since my parents work and gets dark so early, I think he’s already going through withdrawal.
As I look back on my Thanksgiving break, I realize how thankful I am for all the opportunities set before me. Thanks to YOU for reading this blog! Let me know if you have any topics that you’d like to see me pursue over the next few weeks! I’m always open for suggestions.
Next you’ll find a picture of me and my fiance, Greg!
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I can’t believe it’s almost Thanksgiving! I have had the time of my life this semester, and I feel like there is something excitng going on every weekend. On Saturday, NOVEMBER 14, 2009, I went to the St. Louis Zoo with the freshmen Presidential Scholars. We had an AMAZING time. But why do I stress that this was in November? Because we randomly had a sunny 70 degree day! Forest Park was PACKED. Everyone was taking advantage of what we consider this special day. I feel like I got my exercise for the day just for walking to and from my car.
At the zoo, some of the upperclassmen Presidential Scholars manned stations for a scavenger hunt. We had lymericks giving the freshmen clues of where they could find the next upperclassmen. My partner and I were stationed at the hippos (which everyone agrees was the best location). We got to hand out clues to the silver snakes, blue barracudas and orange iguanas (just to name a few). It was SO MUCH FUN! The freshmen were running around the zoo frantically trying to come in first. Being pres scholars is a blast!
If you meet the requirements for the Presidential Schoalrship (listed below), I urge you to apply! SLU has so much to offer all of its students. If chosen as finalist to interview for the scholarship, you will get the opportunity to visit Saint Louis University for the weekend. You can stay overnight with students, sit in on some classes, meet some current pres scholars (like me!) and completely immerse yourself in the wonderful campus life that SLU can afford you. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me or the Office of Undergraduate Admission! We’re always happy to help!
Applicant Requirements for Presidential Schoalrship (taken from SLU’s website):
When I was growing up, I considered myself a rink rat. My sister and I figure skated and my brother played hockey. If I wasn’t at school, you would find me at our local ice arena. Since high school (when I quit skating), I’ve felt a small void in my life. But NOW, my life is complete 
I get to attend numerous Blues home games and help out with the silent auctions and memorabilia and raffle sales. I have the time of my life at all the games! I’m finally back in my element and to really put the icing on the cake, all the money that I help raise goes to different charities in the St. Louis area. I can’t think of a better way to spend my spare time during my senior year!
There are two Blues games this week: one on Thursday, October 29th, and the other on Saturday, October 31st! Why not come support a great cause??
TOURS! (And being a tour guide, of course!) Today, just like every Monday and Friday at noon, I gave a tour to prospective students. I only had three families to give a tour to, and it made their visit that much more special. I’m known as the “Queen of Random Facts” by some tour guides. I like to point out things that aren’t pertinent to SLU’s history but very unique to our campus. I also like to talk..a lot! I always tell campus visitors that they can ask questions throughout the entire tour, interrupt me if I’m talking too much, or slow me down if I’m sprinting a marathon. That tends to be one quirk about me: once I get really, really excited about something, I talk one mile a minute and don’t take any breaks.
This morning started off a little windy, but when it came time for my tour it was absolutely gorgeous! The sun was shining and the sky was the most beautiful blue. I couldn’t have asked for better weather. Everyone who visited today seemed to love the campus. (But honestly, who wouldn’t?!) One of my favorite things to do while on a tour is brag about everything that SLU has to offer. As a result, I end up taking a little more than the estimated one hour. The families seemed to enjoy it though. I could see their smiles light up as I talked about things that interested them, and I heard some of their comments they made to their family members. On a day like today, I didn’t want the tour to end. Instead I wanted to sit down with the families and continue to spread my passion for SLU.
But, of course, the time came for me to finish the tour. I thanked two families for visiting as they left for meetings. One family was left. The prospective student asked me how many tours I give per week. When I told her that I give two, she quickly questioned whether or not I enjoyed it. Obviously I told her yes! For me, there is nothing like sharing all of the wonderful qualities that SLU has to offer. Why do I like tours so much? Aside from the fact that I get to tell everyone how spectacular SLU is, it brings me back to my own indecisive college application process. When I visited SLU for the first time, I was shocked at how different it was than what I expected. The campus didn’t just include buildings and streets: it had ponds and flowers. And to make things even better, SLU has a one-of-a-kind feel to it that I didn’t sense when I visited any other college. As corny as it sounds, I told my mom that I was going to be a Billiken as we walked back to Laclede Parking Garage after my tour.
Normally when trying to impress others, people get advice to “put their best foot forward.” But when it comes to SLU, it’s hard for me to stop bragging. Do I talk about our bountiful green space and flowers in the middle of the city or the half of a block walk to Grand Center? The numerous dining options or the view of the Gateway Arch from campus? The 95 programs of study or the hundreds of professors with terminal degrees? The one-of-a-kind community or the never ending opportunities? See what I mean?? Saint Louis University has something for everyone, but we’re missing one thing: YOU!
Now it’s YOUR turn. Be Unique. Be Outstanding. Be a Billiken.
Just when you think SLU couldn’t get any better, it does! This weekend was AMAZING! SLU always has a wonderful homecoming weekend, but this one surpasses all the rest!
On Friday, we had an amazing concert with Sam and Ruby, The Maine and Eric Hutchinson. It was a REALLY good concert! Even better, the forecast said rain, but we had a perfectly clear night! On Saturday, we had the homecoming parade. I’m an RA for the Village Apartments (aka the BEST place to live on campus). We handed out FREE Ted Drewes Custard. We like to go above and beyond people’s expectations: we got the normal flavors (chocolate, vanilla and strawberry), but we added in some Reese’s, cookie dough and Oreo! It was a lot of fun to watch the parents swarm to our table for the free custard. Who could pass up free Ted Drewes? I know I couldn’t!
Grand Center is right down the street from SLU. The city closed off a section of Grand Blvd, and they had a huge event called Dancing in the Streets. I’m in an awesome Photojournalism class, and I took pictures of the event for it. It was a LOT of fun. SLU students and their parents filled the street as professional and amateur dancers took the stage. Come next year, because no one wants to miss out on this awesome event.
Lastly, there was the homecoming soccer game against Tulsa. The teams went into double overtime. SLU did an awesome job, but lost at the last minute.
Now I’m getting ready for another week of class and work. You all should come visit SLU. Maybe I could be your tour guide!!
I can’t believe I’m already a senior! It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman searching for all of my classes.
My schedule is completley FULL! While I have no spare seconds to sit and relax, I find my time filled with fun-filled learning! My classes are, like PBS says, “fun and educational.” I’m taking classes in Newswriting, Photojournalism and the Theory of Free Expression. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE being a Communication major! If you visit SLU, you should try to check out the new Communication Department in Xavier. The renovations are to die for!! Talk about top-notch technology for STUDENT USE!
On Thursday I drove down to Clayton Studios to record a radio spot for SLU! Listen to KISS FM in Chicago (103.5) to hear my commercial!
I normally coordinate a 5K run every Labor Day weekend. Since I’ve been so busy at school, I’ve just been helping my mom whenever I get the chance. I went home on Friday evening to prepare for the Saturday morning race. I was shocked to see that 187 people registered for the race! Up to this year, our record was approximately 120. In good ol’ Chicago, it was the perfect day for a race. It was sunny but not too warm. Our fruit table of apples, bananas and watermelon was a favorite, and our ice cold water satisfied everyone’s needs after their runs.
On Sunday I went to church and had a cookout with my parents at my fiance’s (I forgot to mention I’m now engaged!) house. It was a lot of fun! I got back to St. Louis last night, only to wake up and do homework before an exciting (and downright hot) day at Eckert’s Orchard Farm in Belleville. I picked some lovely Honey Crisp apples and bought a tasty vanilla waffle cone with Snickers topping at the farm. Then I listened to Shakin Dave as my custard quickly melted in the warm September sun.
Now I’m back and in the study mode. Wish me luck as I make my way through week 3 of classes!
I promised I would fill you in on what my life was like this summer. And guess what? The time is NOW.