Organization Thank Yous

Hey, guys!

Well, it’s happening. My first year here at Holy Cross is slowly, but surely coming to an end.

Projects, presentations, and papers are all due this upcoming week. Everyone is undergoing a period of pressure right now, attempting to stay steadfast until finals. However, once Friday arrives, Spring Weekend begins! That’s why the anticipation for Spring Weekend is so great — something to look forward to.

Sadly, Spring Weekend is not here yet (nor is Jessie J). But Fools on the Hill and CASA are! I wanted to make a thank you post for the organizations I am a part of before the year ends. Both Fools and CASA have been so amazing to be a part of and I am so grateful to be a member of such fantastic organizations.

CASA has given me so many laughs and memories this past year. I began the year as a timid, CASA first-year intern, and now I am ending the year as an imminent CASA Co-Publicist.

My parents are both Jamaican and I grew up in a Caribbean church and community, so joining CASA really eased some my fear of not fitting in at Holy Cross. During set-up for our first campus event, another CASA member and I went off campus to get true, authentic African and Caribbean food. Needless to say, I was overjoyed. We returned with patties, samosas, fried rice, and so much more.

In terms of Fools, I had never been in an a cappella group before Holy Cross, but I am so glad I joined one. Fools has truly helped me adjust to campus. It provided me with comfort during stressful weeks and when I needed to smile, it reminded me that I have hilarious, musically-inclined friends.

Our Fools Senior Show is this Thursday, when we will sing many songs from this past year.

Here are some examples of our 2014/2015 songs:

Ain’t It Fun by Paramore

Fallin’ by Alicia Keys

Blackbird by the Beatles

Stay with Me by Sam Smith

& a Beyonce Medley

Thank you, CASA and Fools, for making my first year on the Hill a great one!

So, the blog take-away is: Holy Cross has a myriad of incredible organizations. These groups will not only be fun to join, but will also make Holy Cross feel more like home. 

Below: An assortment of Fools Pictures and CASA Culture Night Pictures (shout out to my fellow decorations committee folks)!

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The Hill

Hi, again!

Looks like I’ve got a hectic week ahead of me. Being involved in organizations has proved to be quite the challenge, but ultimately I’m still extremely happy. Nevertheless, with a heavy workload (German research paper due, English paper due, History team assignment due, plus all the additional work) and a heavy organization workload (two new songs for Fools on the Hillpreparation for CASA‘s Head-to-Toe Fashion Show, hosting for Prospectives, and, you know, keeping up with my blog), I feel a bit overwhelmed.

However, the great thing is — Holy Cross knows this. I don’t mean they know that they’re assigning a lot of work (which I’m sure they do know), but I mean they know that we feel overwhelmed and they are there to help. My professors actually like to know what I’m involved in and when I explain that I have/had an extremely busy week or weekend, they understand — but they also want me to understand that I’ve still got to get that work in.

Regardless, I’m happy here on The Hill. I have a fantastic roommate, who watches Netflix with me when I just cannot tolerate another Greek play and belts out Sam Smith songs with me. Moreover, I have fantastic FRIENDS! I had to leave a friend’s birthday get-together early for Fools rehearsal and someone saved me a piece of cake AND party food. This may seem minuscule and minor, but food is a big deal to me – I now deem that person to be especially special.

This blog post was certainly not as focused as my others, but below I wrote a little poem that should sum everything up. 🙂

So the blog take-away is: Life on The Hill can get hectic and life on The Hill can get hard, but life on The Hill I will never discard, for I know every day someone will make me smile and I know in the end it will all be worthwhile. 

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First picture: My hectic November calendar. Second picture: Cheering on the Crusaders at a football game (I honestly do not understand football, but it’s all about team spirit, you know?) Third picture: Walking up from Kimball. I honestly see Holy Cross in this filter 24/7. Fourth picture: Walking from Kimball again, but from a different, beautiful path.

The week before Fall Break

Not only is FALL my favorite season, but Holy Cross students also have a week-long Fall Break! To say I am excited is truly an understatement. Though I love campus and everything about it (honestly, it’s incredible), I am also quite excited to go home for a bit. Yet, I have heard that once home, all I’ll want is to come back to my second home here. I guess we’ll see!

I am sure you are interested in what campus is like before this short vacation. So, here is your peek of the week before Fall Break.

1. Papers/Midterms. It’s kind of like high school in that sense. You know, when teachers decide to give a million assignments before break. It’s doable, though, because this is college! You’ll have enough free time to get your work done. Hang out with friends and have fun, but remember to finish your work so you’re not cramming before break.

2. Info, info, info. There’s a lot of different activities here on campus, so you’ll be getting a ton of emails about things you can get involved with. Also, emails about shuttles are essential to read. Tomorrow, I am taking a shuttle to New York, which is very convenient for me. So, though you may get a thousand of them, you should read your emails.

3. Celebrations. People are excited to go home or to basically have a stress-free week on campus. Some of my friends are staying at Holy Cross this week, which I think could actually be very fun. Campus to yourself and you get a chance to meet some people you probably wouldn’t during a regular, busy week (like football athletes, perhaps?)

There is your overview of the week before Fall Break!

So, the blog take-away is: Though I will be sad to leave such a fantastic and unique campus, I will also have the great opportunity to go home during October. However, this means I’ve got to get my homework and papers done, study hard for my midterm(s), and make sure I stay focused until Friday. Then, and only then, can I celebrate!