Katrina Black '18

December 6, 2016February 9, 2017

Holidays on the Hill

Doors in wrapping paper, stockings lining the coffee shop counter, and the Kimball cafeteria filled with crafts, free cookies, and Santa?

Yes, it’s my favorite season on the Hill – the holiday season. I wrote a post about this last year, entitled “Miracle on College Street,” and if I was feeling the Christmas spirit last year, then I’m drowning in it this year. From literally decking our hallway in all things Winter to blasting Christmas music in October, I have been anticipating this time of year for a while now.

My fellow fool and friend Lauren and I before we sang at our Christmas a cappella show.

However, my roommate and I do love to joke that though it is the most wonderful time of the year, it’s also the most stressful time. Papers and projects are coming in hot. Finals are coming up soon. Winter is coming full force. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with all the work and even the change in weather.

Still, every year this time rolls around, I always find comfort in the sweet spirit on campus. Yes, one of my friends just pulled an all-nighter and yes, one of my other friends has two 20-page papers due in three days, but there is something about the holiday time and this hill that makes everything (even if momentarily) okay.

Sometimes it does feels as if there’s just too much to do and absolutely no time to finish it all. Then, when I catch up with friends over a Kimball Holiday dinner or I go sing carols with much of campus and the Worcester community at the Tree Lighting, I can find the silver linings. Or in this case, the silver bells.

My residents were truly feeling the Christmas spirit and got really creative with the board outside of the room. — My residents were truly feeling the Christmas spirit and got really creative with the board outside of their room.

Our a appella group, "Fools on the Hill," at our Christmas show. — Our a cappella group, “Fools on the Hill,” at our Christmas show

So, the blog take-away is: Indeed, there is no place like home for the holidays and I will soon learn that Holy Cross will become a second home to me. Yes, I’ll have a lot to do, but I’ll have wonderful friends and a warm community to remind me how blessed I am.

April 30, 2015

Baltimore

Hi, guys.

This blog post will definitely have a different feel from my others. As many know, hundreds of thousands of people have reacted to the death of Freddie Gray in numerous ways. For Baltimore, many (but not all) reacted with violence, rioting, and looting.

Situations were so intense that the National Guard had to step in and a curfew was declared in the city. However, the pleas that “Black Lives Matter” still rightly-so resounded across the world, across the Holy Cross campus.

This afternoon, a prayer was held by the campus ministry leaders and chaplains outside of Hogan. It was a simple program, one that got directly to the point. We stood there, students and faculty, praying and hoping for justice. We wanted justice not only in Baltimore, but everywhere.

Here is a section from the Invitation to Pledge we all read aloud:

“WE pledge to examine our own biases and positions of privilege through self-reflection, and earnestly work to resolve them.

WE pledge to live by compassion and be consciously inclusive of all individuals.

WE pledge to affirm the value of diversity.

WE pledge to promote understanding, inclusion, and mutual respect, and thus build community within all races, ethnicities, and cultures.

WE pledge to transform our institutions into authentically anti-racist and anti-oppressive communities of action.

WE pledge to advocate for justice, demand equal opportunity for all and so help create a beloved community for everyone to share.”

I have the program and pictures attached below. The photos do not accurately display how many people were gathered today.

March 13, 2015

Springing back after Spring Break

Spring Break ended this Monday, March 9th and the transition back into Holy Cross was quite complex. Either break caused me to forget how much work I have here on The Hill or professors were simply eager to start teaching again.

First off, my Spring Break was truly great. My roommate and I basically embody the quintessential, Hollywood-esque idea of college — roommates turned best buds who travel to each others’ houses over break. I went down to her hometown for the first few days of Spring Break and it was so much fun, quite different from the kind of city-life I’m used to.

Then, we travelled back up to Connecticut and I got to show her where I grew up. We even got to travel to New York to visit one of our Holy Cross friends. That’s right, Holy Cross students are friends off-campus as well, believe it or not (this was more or less a sentence my roommate wanted me to include and I actually really like it. And you thought I wouldn’t include it).

In any case, once I returned to campus, I had to distance myself from Netflix and buckle down. I had a great amount of homework due, as well as some papers. It felt as if my courses had doubled in intensity. How did I deal with this, you ask?

Well, that’s the thing about The Hill. Even though it seems like the schoolwork is never-ending, the community and atmosphere around campus will keep you sane. Maybe you’ll have friends who will make you cry of laughter when you want to cry of sorrow. Perhaps you’ll find that one professor who really understands your mindset. Heck, Kimball could be serving my, er, I mean your favorite mint chocolate brownies (I promise you, they’ll change how you see the world).

I also had Fools to fall back on as well. No matter my mood, going to rehearsal always makes me happier. Our a cappella group has such a tight bond that it’s impossible to leave feeling anything but ecstatic.

So, the blog take-away is: Here at Holy Cross, you get the whole package. 1) A rigorous, and I do mean rigorous, education. 2) A gorgeous campus. 3) A community so accepting and so welcoming that you can’t help but smile every single day.

Below Spring Break pictures from left to right: 1 & 2) At the beach and 3) At the Reservoir in New York City