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October Owls

Seriously, whooo would’ve believed September would fly by fast?

Well, actually, I did. As mentioned in probably every blog post before this, my time at Holy Cross has indeed flown by like an owl flying to catch its prey (prey, in our sense here, is graduation). Not only are we in the second month of the school year, but Homecoming has already passed as well. Yes, Homecoming, when all my once senior friends return and indirectly remind me that my time at Holy Cross is nearing its inevitable end.

The Wheeler Resident Assistant Staff from two years ago is still obsessed with each other. Here some of us are reuniting.

 

However, it’s not all bitter. As you may have guessed, it’s bittersweet. I’ve already made so many wonderful senior memories in my classes, in Figge, and in different departments. People often make senior year the year of “yes.” People fear missing out, so they say yes to every and any event. My approach is slightly different, but with the same sentiment. Whether it’s going to a professor’s Office Hours for either help or just to catch up or heading out to Boston for a Girls Day with my closest friends, I’ve decided to only say yes to things my soul feels absolutely content with.

 

 

Reading a beautiful poem entitled “A Flor e a Náusea,” meaning “The Flower and the Nausea” for the Holy Cross Fossil Free organization. I love attending events I find empowering and essential and I was honored to read at such a special event.
Taken by Anthony Saltarelli ’18

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Taking time to stop and reunite with friends I haven’t seen in a while. This was a glorious day and definitely made my soul happy. Ran into so many lovelies.

 

 

My sister and a friend of mine flew down to Atlanta for a weekend for a surprise engagement. My soul knew I’d want to be there, even though I still very much had a lot of homework due for when I got back. This is a picture of priorities in action, as my sister and my friend headed out for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turns out my soul likes to do a lot of things at night. I’ve always been a night owl, but it’s reached a whole new level during my time at Holy Cross. Don’t get me wrong, I love me a good sleep, but I also love being able to have a full, meaningful day (even if that means having a late, late night of work). Holy Cross has always reminded me to see and find God in all things, so even though my schedules can be beyond packed, I can dissect the day to find little moments of peace and contentment. I have no doubt that this ability to discern what I need from what I want, what I think from what I feel, and so on will help me in the long run. Throughout my time on the hill and especially as a senior, I’ve learned that being intentional with my actions can only ever be beneficial.

 

 
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Senior September

So, we’re here, right? In September. Surprisingly (though it shouldn’t be a surprise after three years on the Hill), it’s already freezing most mornings. I put a good chunk of my winter clothes in my first laundry run of the year.

In other, more relevant news, senior year has begun! Classes are in full swing, everyone is reuniting with friends who were abroad, and seniors are grappling with the fact that this is their last year. Thankfully, I’ve got a great staff on the Figge Hall staff. We gelled right away — something that is quite rare, and there is a level of trust and comfort that is wonderful to see in a staff.

I’ve gone through Resident Assistant (RA) training three times and this summer’s training was definitely one of the best. Being a senior RA is definitely different from my two years as an RA in Wheeler, one of our first-year halls. Everyone is kind of on their own groove as a senior, especially since they have their roommates, a kitchen, a bathroom, and everything else in their apartments. My goal is to still create a warm atmosphere on my hall and in the building so that our last year on the Hill is still welcoming and encouraging.

Excited for this year and grateful for a wonderful staff!

 

This was one of the first days of training. In fact, I think this was the first day.

 

This was the last day of training. <3

 

This was after we found Nemo. There was a training scavenger hunt and the theme of training was Disney.
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July & August

Disclaimer: This was written in August, but is being posted now because work is the real deal. 

Officially got back home from Jamaica at 3:45AM Friday morning and now all of a sudden I go back to school in four days. To say this summer flew by would be the understatement of this speedy summer. I remember backing up my Wheeler room vividly, so to think I’ll be moving into Figge as a senior seems surreal.

As promised, here is the recap of July and August I will probably tell all of my friends when I see them in a few weeks (and days).

JULY

July consisted of summer camp and getting ready for our upcoming trip. I’ve always loved working with children, as I’ve always been able to put myself back in the mindset of those younger than myself. In other words, I understand the importance of the newest TV musical or the fun in making group pool dances. What I love most about being a counselor is having the opportunity to invest and influence the minds of all of my campers. I have strong memories of my own summer camp experiences, so I hold myself accountable as a counselor.

AUGUST

August consisted mainly of one thing: Jamaica. Whether it was planning for the school opening or for stuffing last minute clothes into our suitcases, we had Jamaica on our mind this entire month. What made this trip so special was that a bunch of our friends and family traveled with us down to the island; my family-friends, church members, and of course my immediate family joined us for an unforgettable trip.

The school we have been dreaming of building for the past seven years is finally open! The ribbon cutting ceremony was beautiful and sweet, a gathering of people determined to sow seeds into the lives of the young children of my mom’s hometown.

We also had a chance to explore the ever beautiful island more than we ever had before. We found the most beautiful beaches and even went bamboo rafting, celebrating a successful foundation. So much love.

Here are some pictures below:

The one room school the 60 children used to go to school in.

 

 

The new multiple-room school with indoor plumbing, a cafeteria, and a principal’s office.

 

 

Bamboo rafting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me, one of my longest childhood friends, and my sister’s friend from high school.

 

 

 

Cousin love!

 

 

 

Clear, clear water! So beautiful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
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Little Shop of Horrors

Don’t feed the plants.

In other words, College of the Holy Cross’ Alternate College Theater (ACT) put on a production the 80s musical, Little Shop of Horrors. The unique thing about this year’s musical is that it was directed by 2015 alum Julia McCarthy, who previously directed a musical her senior year. Click HERE to read more about Julia and the production.

Every year, the college presents wonderful productions of both plays and musicals. Recently, they have put on “Middletown” and before that “Hamlet” and “Chicago.” ACT also has smaller, more improv-heavy events like Midnight Theater or The Festival of One Acts. Here are some photos from Little Shop below:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always loved musical theater and always wanted to do it here on the hill, but I knew I didn’t have the time to balance everything. However, eventually, I kind of just decided to do it anyway and I’m so, so, so glad I did. Sure, there were many late-nights (and forgotten meals), but the outcome was more than I could’ve hoped for. The cast, crew, and band were all so amazing and I am forever grateful for Little Shop. 

So, the blog take-away is: I should follow Nike and just do it — that “it” could be trying out for a club sports team, joining an organization, talking to the cute guy in my Bio class, or even quitting the activity I’m no longer interested in. During my time here on the hill, I should aim to do what is both feasible and fun, but ultimately allowing myself to do what makes me happy. 
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Family

Hello, again!

I have been absent for too long, so my greatest apologies. My schedule has been super packed this Holiday Break, but I regret not having posted more during my break. I mean, what’s not to post about family, friends, and food?

This break has reminded me two things: 1) Why I LOVE my family and 2) Why I LOVE Holy Cross.

1) My family has always been so supportive and each and every member is so important to me. They inspire me to do good and every day I hope to make them proud. Seeing my  parents and my siblings made me so happy. Seeing my little cousins, er, who are actually not so little anymore, caused my heart to swell (really, it’s like they’ve grown five inches since I left).

Their support and their perennial love makes me want to succeed in anything and everything I do, not just for me, but for all of them. They almost drowned me with questions about how I felt and how I was doing, but they were concerned mainly with how much I missed Holy Cross.

The answer: a lot. Though college brings work (and work on top of that work — see my post about that here), it also brings such fun and laughter and learning and friends. My friends and I stayed in touch over break, sending “memes” or funny quotes to each other and even exchanging Christmas gifts.

It has been the best experience of my life, as many often say, and though I am not eager to leave my wonderful family back home, I can’t wait to join my family back onthe Hill.

So, the blog take-away is: I love my family, both families – the one I grew up with and the one I grow to love more and more each day on the Hill. 
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Work on the Hill

My apologies for my absence these past couple weeks! Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday, so I was extremely excited for Thanksgiving Break, even if it meant some time away from the Hill, and I tried to finish all of my work before it.

But alas, I am back and of course, work is back with me. Work becomes a dear friend here on the Hill, one who never leaves your side, a constant companion. In fact, sometimes it feels as if I spend more time with work than I do my other friends. However, it is important to know that work understands that distance makes the heart grow fonder. In other words, make sure you SOCIALIZE and TAKE BREAKS and LEAVE DINAND LIBRARY. Work will understand.

In all seriousness, when you’re happy in your social life, you’ll definitely be motivated to be happy with your class work as well. December break is two weeks away and for Holy Cross students, that means readings, essays, assessments, and the ultimate final exams. It is possible that when you hear the phrase, “there is a lot more work in college than high school,” you might brush it off as a cliche or a tactic used by teachers to get you to buckle down on your assignments. I’m here to tell you — that is a huge understatement.

Clearly, there is a lot more work in college than in high school. As I said, work becomes your best friend. However, there is much more work beyond just your classes. Please, I urge you, to work on getting closer to people in your hall. Please, work on becoming involved in any way you can on campus. Work on finding out what is you want to be remembered for or what it is you want out of your college experience.

Work on making memories and work on getting out. Homework is always important and will always be salient, but homework doesn’t last the same way memories and experiences do. This may all sound really corny, but I believe it’s true. I am in the process of finishing an essay due tomorrow, an essay due Thursday, and an essay due the 11th, but I still make sure I take time to work on getting to know my RA (note the picture of those fantastic sugar cookies we just made in the kitchen)!

So, the blog take-away is: Work will become my best friend here on campus and I will be very devoted to our relationship, but I will not limit my experiences to just work. No, at Holy Cross, I will have experiences in my faith or in an extra-curricular activity or in simply branching out. Here on the Hill, I work on having the best four years of my life. 

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From left to bottom: A sugar cookie I am very proud of made for my friend Victoria, another picture of the insanely delicious sugar cookies my roommate and I helped decorate with our RA, Megan, and lastly the CASA E-board at our November Head-to-Toe Fashion Show.
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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 Hill, preparation 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.