The Diploma is There...Graduation 2014

At Coe, graduation is a full weekend event. I was lucky enough to have my dad, grandparents, aunt, brother, and sister attend the weekend festivities. On Saturday, the day began early with Honors Convocation. I formally received the Charles Cannon award as the distinguished English major, as well as the Delta Eta Book award for my hard work both in and out of the classroom.

The weather was great on Saturday and it was nice to casually walk around campus, running into many of my friends. I showed off the caf cuisine to the family before we headed to the library for the Phi Beta Kappa initiation ceremony. As soon as I walked in, I saw my good friend Ashley, who had arrived earlier in the day for graduation. Ashley and I are English major buddies and we also roomed together in NYC. She graduated in December and moved out to New York. I hadn't seen her since December so needless to say, we were thrilled to be reunited. The initiation ceremony was very nice, complete with signing the Phi Beta Kappa member book and learning a secret handshake. After the ceremony, my family and Heidi's family got to chat and take photos. Haley joined the bunch and bam! it was like we were back in freshman year. It was so good to see both of them and celebrate graduation together.

The day didn't stop there. The next event was Baccalaureate. We donned our robes and motorboards and lined up behind Sinclair. It was the first moment where it really felt like, yeah we're graduating. Baccalaureate itself was very nice. Our speaker was Reverend Wayne Meisel. He was an excellent speaker along with the student speakers. They all talked about all the potential our futures have and all the good memories we have from our time at Coe.

Then the day gets a little crazier. My dad, brother, aunt, and I hopped in a car bound for Mt. Horeb. My younger sister, Hannah, was on the junior prom court. The prom just so happened to be graduation weekend (because that's how my life works, everything happens at once). We got back just in time to watch court walk and to see my sister crowned the prom queen! I was one proud sister.

The Queen!

Post-prom pictures, we hopped back in the car and went back to Coe. It was totally worth it. 

The next morning, it was graduation. It was surreal to put on my robe and head to the Victory Bell. As I stood in line, waiting to ring it for the second time, I kept thinking about my past four years at Coe. I thought of all the friends I made, the mentors I gained, the things I learned, the papers I wrote, and the experiences I had. It was overwhelming, so many good memories contained on and off campus but all related to my time at Coe. When it was my turn to ring the bell, I stepped up, got into a stance and rang it with as much gusto as I did four years earlier. I rang the bell with a smile on my face knowing that this end was the start of a new beginning.

From there, we walked to our seats on the library quad (and I'm so thankful it didn't rain during our ceremony). When the Dean read my name and I walked across the stage, the same sorts of feelings I had at the bell rushed through me. On stage, there is a large duct tape arrow directing you towards President McInally. I felt all my Coe memories being directed towards the President. Here I was, finally accepting my diploma and the best part was, I helped picked the man I was shaking hands with. The moment lasted only a few seconds, but it was one of the proudest moments of my life. I had a huge grin across my face.

I did it.

After the ceremony, we got about 20 minutes of photos before the rain started. Here's a sample of some of the photos, more to come! 

English majors unite!

Angela and I

Hayleigh, Hailley, and Kyle

Heyo Wisconsinites!  

Ha(il)leys

Ryan and I

Alison P. and I

Ariana and I

Hailley and Heidi, roommates for three years! :)

While I didn't have to move out because of my May Term, it was tough to see many of my friends move out. Millie especially. But, as everyone kept telling us, this wasn't the last time we were going to see each other. 

What a weekend, right? Hard to see my undergraduate time at Coe come to a close, but so glad I could celebrate it with my family and closest friends.   

Another Admitted Student Weekend in the Books!

I know I've been a little behind on the blogging; it's hard to blog when I've been traveling! Last week, I got to visit Boston to check out one of the four graduate schools I'm deciding on. And on Wednesday, it's off to Seattle for another visit. Some might wonder when I go to class. I promise, I go and I do all my homework!

But this post isn't about graduate schools (that's coming later). Instead, I want to talk about how much fun I had meeting admitted students during Coe's annual Admitted Student Weekend!

Just like Scholarship Weekend, Admitted Student Weekend (ASW) has a soft spot in my heart. It was when I competed for a Writing Center Fellowship, met many of friends, and also was "reunited" with Heidi after our families met in February.

I was able to help plan, organize, and run the Writing Center Fellowship Competition this year. It was so much fun and ran so smoothly. It was great to meet 50, excited, passionate, and interesting high school seniors. Some are already Kohawks, ready to come to campus this fall, while others are just like senior-in-high-school-Hailley, who was not sure where she was going to go when she came during ASW. We got to share lots of stories and also show off all the neat things they could do at Coe.

Friday night was spent with friends, mainly in the Writing Center, doing a little homework, but mostly unwinding after an intense and fast-paced day. I woke up on Saturday and headed off to a panel. I was representing FYS and was part of a panel that consisted of Melissa Rose, the head of Orientation, Leann, the head of the bookstore, and a fellow student, Taylor, who has been a CAP (College Adjustment Peer). We had two back-to-back presentations, both which were full (the last one was even standing room only!). Again, so many great students and their family members were there. I hope we answered their questions; they sure asked a bunch of great ones! I finished my Admission shift by giving "Decision Made" tours, designed for students who had already deposited. I got to show them the ins and outs of Coe and get some of the business stuff (like their Gmail account) all set up. It was an awesome idea and definitely rose to the top of my favorite types of tours to give.

I did more homework Saturday and Sunday (it never ends!). With the nice weather, there's always a part of me that wants to just go outside, but the academic inside me keeps me on track.

Lots of great things happening in my life right now. More updates coming soon. And hopefully some delicious study break muffins!

If You Build It, They Will Come: We Built a Fort

This semester has definitely been one-of-a-kind. It's been a great combo of busy, fun, stress, and excitement.

What I love about this semester is that my friends and I value our sanity and therefore, I think our creativity has skyrocketed. We find ways to keep each other sane and be productive.

This past week, based on a suggestion from Professor Keenan, Millie and her roommates (Kat and Sarah) built a fort for us to do homework in. Hence why we have the clever title of this post (shout out to Field of Dreams and We Bought a Zoo). The fort happened post Zumba and we (me, Millie, Kat, Sarah, Tai, and Vanessa) thought the fort was a stellar idea. I have to say, I think we have the best fort around.

As a study break (and after we had been quite productive in our fort), Millie and I made some muffins. This time, we made raisin bran muffins with chocolate covered sunflowers seed (shout out to Grandma Joan for a great purchase). They were different than our past muffins but soft and delicious.

Because Millie and I were a little behind on our muffin making, so we made some blueberry-lemon muffins with a crumble for a snack in our English seminar class. They might look a little odd, but they were delicious. I've also discovered that my blog and muffin adventures have created quite a following on campus. A big shout out to all the faithful Coe readers, especially Bryce, for keeping up and enjoying our muffins!

In terms of academics, my thesis has been printed and handed out to my committee. We're currently in the process of setting a date to defend. I'm excited for the defense and can't believe it was over a year ago that I first discovered Mary Robinson and began research on her and her sonnets. 

As for my other classes, they are picking up. This weekend will be full of homework, from writing a paper on Jane Eyre, to working on a French translation project, and even watching videos for my statistics class.

  

Well, back to my homework. It might be dull outside today but I've got plenty of pep to conquer today and the rest of this week! 

Happy Monday!

So funny story. I began writing this post on Friday afternoon, with the little bit of down time that I had. The blog post began, "While I don't want to jinx this good, spring-like weather, I also just can't help but proclaim that it is absolutely gorgeous today in Cedar Rapids..." 

When I woke up this morning and discovered Cedar Rapids had gotten a light (and I mean light) snow dusting, I sort of kicked myself for jinxing the oh so nice weather off. Hopefully those spring like temperatures will return soon because I'm ready to not wear my winter jacket when I step outside.

The trend of the time post-Spring seems to be busy. Last week was super fun. For example, Angela and I got rubens and shamrock shakes on St. Patrick's Day, I spent some solid time in the Writing Center both doing homework and catching up with consultants, and really nailing out my thesis. 

Photo compliments of Angela and her iPhone

I also got to have lunch and later listen to a lecture by Dr. Waitman Beorn. He and Professor Keenan actually were in graduate school at the same time. His area of focus, and the topic of his book is about the Wehrmacht (the German army) and the Holocaust in Belarus (country east of Poland). Dr. Beorn is currently the Louis and France Blumkin Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at the University of Nebraska - Omaha. Professor Keenan had asked if I was interested in having lunch because of May Term last year. Of course I said yes, I wouldn't dream of passing up an opportuntiy like that.

The lunch was great. Myself and five other students had the pleasure of eating and discussing history for an hour. Dr. Beorn was awesome and we covered all sorts of interesting topics. It was nice to have intense, academic discussion on the memorials our group encountered in Berlin, Krarkow, and Warsaw. Felt pretty good to bring that information back to the front of my brain! 

Friday night, Dr. Beorn had this talk with the Coe community. I learned a lot and as I realized while on my May Term, there is so much we don't know about the Holocaust, especially once you get further east than Poland. The focus of Dr. Beorn's research is on the German army and their complicity. The myth exists that the Wehrmacht were not part of the atrocities of the Holocaust. Dr. Beorn makes us question that myth and ultimately, we are forced to ask some tough questions. 

My weekend was packed with balancing homework and relaxing and letting my brain rest. On Sunday night, one of the sororities on campus, Alpha Sigma Alpha, held their annual Spaghetti Dinner to raise money for one of their philanthropies, Special Olympics. I went with Rina and it was delicious. It was great to see many of my friends who are in ASA in their best red and black and also to support a great cause. 

This week has all the same promises of being equally busy. Will do my best to keep you up to date. Also, Millie and I are long overdue for some muffins, so that's going to happen. We proclaim it! 

 

Inauguration Weekend!

Last weekend was spectacular. As the title suggests, it was Inauguration Weekend for President McInally. For me, I had been waiting months for the inauguration. While President McInally has been our president since July, this ceremony really sealed the deal (essentially made it official). It was a time for the Coe community to be together as well as a chance for us to show off our new president to colleges across the United States.

I of course broke out my favorite red dress (Kohawk pride) and my new pair of heels. I got a lot of compliments on my very classy ensemble and I would just respond saying, "It's Inauguration Weekend!"

The program from the inauguration

Friday afternoon was the ceremony. It took place in Sinclair and was well done. The Concert Band had a prelude, our International Club brought in flags from the various countries our students are from, and the Concert Choir and Chorale sang. Representatives from different groups both on and off campus made pledges to support President McInally, one of Dave's mentors from Allegheny College gave a great speech about our president, and Dave Carson (Chair of the Board of Trustees and someone I had the opportunity to get to know on the Search Committee) made the whole thing official with the big presidential necklace (excuse me, medallion).

President McInally with his official presidential medallion. Dave Carson is behind him and the man on the left is Richard Cook, Ph.D. and President Emeritus of Allegheny College. Photo from Coe College's Facebook page.

I think the best part of the ceremony was hearing President McInally speak. He directed about 99.9% of the speech towards us, the students. He told us that himself and all the faculty and administration on Coe's campus believes in us and our potential. He discussed what a liberal arts college is not and what it is. The speech was stunning (there were some tears shed by some students and if not tears, definitely goosebumps). 

For me, I spent the entire inauguration thinking back to February 2012 when I got a phone call asking if I might like to be part of the Presidential Search Committee. I said yes, not knowing the adventure I would embark on. I had an interview, was asked to be one of the two student representatives and then on a snowy day in late February, found myself on a conference call with trustees, faculty, staff, and one other student (aka Max) who I would become friends with as the search continued. I thought back to reading files in Stuart Hall on a Saturday afternoon in late July, and I thought back to going to Chicago and meeting Dave McInally for the first time in person. It was incredibly rewarding to see President McInally up on Sinclair's stage. I can't tell you how thrilled I am he is our president. 

There was an extremely nice reception in the caf post inauguration where I got to chat with some Search Committee members who had come back for the occasion, some of my professors, and my peers. 

But Inauguration Weekend was not over. It continued on Saturday night with the Presidential Ball. This year it was held at the convention center at the newly remodeled Double Tree Hotel in downtown Cedar Rapids. It was an excellent event, filled with friends, fun, good conversation, and lots of dancing. Unfortunately, I was having too much fun to take a lot of pictures so this one was the only one I got (good thing it's such an excellent photo)

L to R: Kat, myself, Millie, and Kelsey

So all in all, an excellent weekend. While no muffins were made, I think Inauguration Weekend is pretty darn special all by itself!

THE FINAL SEVEN WEEKS (and muffins)

If you can believe it, yesterday I began the last seven weeks of my undergraduate time at Coe. I feel like I keep saying this feels so crazy, but I just don't think I can say it enough.

I picked up my degree audit today, so graduation is most definitely on the horizon. While graduation is near, for me, tackling the next few weeks will be my biggest challenge. Lots is happening before the end of March so it's time to buckle down and get work done. The biggest project I have on my plate is finishing up my thesis. Melissa (thesis advisor) and I are planning on having me defend my thesis by the end of March. While that is exciting, it's also a little scary. My thesis is in good shape, but lots needs to be done before I am ready to defend it. Aka it's revision time!

The other project I'll be tackling is deciding on my post-graduation plans (aka graduate school). See my post tomorrow with my Spring Break recap for more information.

With all this a happening, it's easy to see how I could be a little stressed. Lucky for me, I've got a great friend Millie and we've got our muffins. So amid stress yesterday, we took a break and made some muffins. Did you expect anything but? We decided to revise an old recipe, the mocha-almond muffins, but substitute chocolate chips for the almonds. We also got to try out our brand new muffin pan (big shout out to Grandma Joan for the snazzy muffin pan birthday gift) while wearing our new muffins aprons (big shout out to Millie's mom for our equally snazzy aprons). The muffins turned out to be delicious and our stress was averted.

Isn't that a nice pan? 

Make sure to check back tomorrow for my Spring Break recap and then again on Thursday for exciting news about my final Coe College May Term!

Midterms, muffins, birthdays, and the start of Spring Break!

Good news! I made it through midterms (as if there was any doubt!). It was a hairy week, and I think it was combination of many big projects coming due and two non-major tests I was stressing about. On top of these academic items, it was not only my birthday week, but Millie's as well. So obviously much celebrating to be had!

We started the week with our weekly muffin making adventure. After a "throw a bunch of ingredients in a bowl because we're making MUFFINS" last week* (which turned into delicious peach guava muffins), we decided to make vanilla muffins in honor of our birthdays. To spice it up a little more, we added funfetti icing. Pretty atypical for a muffin (because they look like a cupcake but taste like a muffin [so less sweet]), but Millie and I believe in breaking the boundaries of what muffins can be. They turned out pretty awesome, despite the fact one of our friends described them as "a girl (or guy) who sends mixed signals," which we had to admit was clever.

They were DELICIOUS

The week began, and I found myself swamped with a couple big projects for my English seminar class, a translation project, thesis writing, and prepping for both a statistics and French test.

Tuesday was Millie's birthday. It was an excellent day, complete with Zumba! As you can tell from the blog posts this past summer and then this semester, Millie and I have a lot of fun together. She's a wonderful friend in all sorts of ways and I am so glad we get to spend this final semester together! 

A photo collage of Millie and I :)

Friday finally arrived and by high noon, I was all done with midterms and just about on Spring Break. What made this day even better was that it was my birthday! The sun was out and not nearly as cold as it had been earlier that week (thanks Mother Nature!). The afternoon was equally busy, with two tours in Admissions and finishing up some Writing Center items before the break really began.

I spent Friday night with my friends. We ate dinner at Hacienda's, a Cedar Rapids staple restaurant. It was great to just have a night off, without worrying about homework or upcoming tests. 

I headed back to Wisconsin earlier today. My Spring Break will be relaxing and we can only hope some warmer weather will appear (because it is Spring Break). It's hard to believe that after this week, I will only have seven weeks left at Coe as an undergraduate.

Oh my gosh, that's kind of scary to think about. Thankfully, there will be many more adventures in the next seven weeks to keep my mind off of our impending graduation. 

NOTE: That wasn't the first time Millie and I made something without a recipe. Remember that one time we made a cake? 

Warm Up Week

After way too much snow, the weather warmed up (the 30s). This meant lighter jackets and lots of puddle hopping. We keep crossing our fingers for spring to arrive earlier, especially since our Spring Break is around the corner.

Midterms are next week, so it's no wonder what my weekend adventures will be (aka homework parties). I've also been up to some extra fun stuff including:

• Hearing a presentation by Monica, my professor who taught the class on Barcelona, about her life in Spain and how she ended up in Iowa.
• Been hard at work on my clarinet solo for this semester (it's a piece by Mendelssohn). 
• My love for being an English major grows with each seminar class I attend. Currently we are talking about Jane Eyre, and I really have to integrate all my knowledge from my previous classes into discussion. I love making new points and really pushing myself in discussion. It really confirms why I decided to be an English major (it was most definitely the right choice).
• Zumba is still going super well. Such a great study break.
• The Writing Center blog is off and running. I love writing my weekly Thursday Furniture Feature.

Well, better get back to preparing for those midterms. I have two tests on my birthday (the 28th) so once they are done, I can celebrate! 

Coffee, Good News, and Prospective Students

Another week has gone by, way too fast of course. This week was especially busy as the Admission Office and campus in general prepared for Scholars Weekend. If you've read my blog before, you know that Scholars Weekend will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my second visit to Coe and a lot of great things occurred on that Friday and Saturday back in 2010.

But before the weekend could begin, I had to (of course) focus on schoolwork. I had a lot on my plate and so coffee became a very important part of my routine. I liked to brew a few cups of coffee, sometimes even late at night, before digging into some homework. The coffee keeps me awake and it's delicious.

The good news of the week was that I received acceptance letters into two graduate programs. Woot! While I have not decided where I would like to go next year, it's nice to know that I have options. My path to become a children's librarian has shifted into focus a little bit more.

And then came Scholars Weekend. It's so great to see so many prospective students on campus. Campus is abuzz with excitement. I also had the privilege to help out with the students competing for the Williston Jones Scholarship. This scholarship provides full tuition for four years to three high school seniors. It's one of Coe's most prestigious awards. The candidates who competed this weekend were outstanding students and people. I had a great time getting to know both the students and their families.

The rest of the weekend will be spent doing homework and catching up. Some more muffins will most likely be made, so be on the lookout!

Massive List of Things A-Happening!

So I'm a little behind on blogging, so enjoy a list of things I've been up to and look forward to more frequent updates in the month of February.

• Last weekend, I studied at a variety of places. Friday night, Millie, Kat (Millie's roommate), and I spent some time at Starbucks for that coffeeshop atmosphere. Then on Saturday, I introduced Millie to the Cedar Rapid Public Library (and we got some good studying in). 
• On top of studying last weekend, we also had a great group come to campus. On Saturday night, I attended a concert by Imani Winds, a wind quintet. They were stunning. I was mesmerized by the clarinet player. She had a clarinet that I had never seen before, using lighter color wood, with her own special bell and barrel. Every player was amazing and they worked so well as a group. They only played music written for their group, which was neat to hear; their pieces were truly one of a kind. Here's a clip of them playing, while this wasn't a song they played at our concert, it still shows off their talent and passion.

• Last Sunday, the Writing Center hosted its annual Chili Cookoff. It's one of my favorite Sunday Dinners in the WC because I love chili and the point of the event. We show off the Wilderness Field Station and have current students who have spent time up there promote the station and the opportunities that come with it. The Field Station is one opportunity at Coe that I wished I could have experienced during my time at Coe, and therefore, will promote it whenever I can! 
• For a mid-week study break, Millie and I made more muffins! This time, based on the ingredients we had, chose a recipe from the world-wide-web. A blueberry one. They turned out well (look at us gaining experience) and were delicious. Can't wait for this week and what we'll make.
• Got to burn off steam and stress with Zumba this week. I enjoy the catchy music and it's good for me!
• Heard about the Fulbright. Unfortunately, I did not make the first round. While I am disappointed, it simply means a greater and grander adventure and Plan B awaits me post-graduation.
• Watched a great movie for French class called Bienvenue Chez les Ch'tis. It's a wonderful, hilarious movie that plays off the French north and south stereotyping each other. Enjoy the trailer!

• Over in the Admission Department, we are getting ready for Scholars Weekend. It's crazy but we are so excited to welcome so many excellent prospective students to campus! 
• On Friday, I headed home for a weekend visit. My brother is back from some international travel and my sister has started a new semester of her junior year of high school. After some snow tubing yesterday, we are looking forward to an excellent Super Bowl Sunday! 
• I think those are all my updates. Stay tuned for more news soon!

Wild About...

This past week was excellent/awesome/amazing in every aspect. Classes went well and I lucked out with a great schedule. With my bookshelf full of new books and folders with fresh syllabi, I've got much to look forward to.

My Friday afternoon ended after working in Admissions with a visit from Millie. We drank hot chocolate (it was pretty chilly in Cedar Rapids) and talked about our week.

All warm and cozy in our sweaters

Saturday was also an excellent day. After working out and doing a bit of homework, Millie and I went on a thrifting adventure. We were in search of a side table/stool/bench of sorts for my room, but we didn't find anything that particularly caught our eye. Instead, we found some other neat stuff including a great book about muffins.

Yes. Muffins.

Let me explain. An inside joke Millie and I have centers around muffins and our love for them. So to find this, let's say, "classic," book all about muffins was like hitting the jackpot. 

We are indeed "wild" about muffins

With this book in our possession, the only sensible thing to do was make muffins. Our choice was a mocha almond muffin, which didn't turn out too bad.

Millie and our muffins

We have much to learn about the art of making muffins; lucky for us there are lots of recipes in the book. Our plan (which is subject to change) is to attempt a new muffin recipe each week. It will be our chance to destress and work on our cooking skills. Needless to say, we are "wild" about this new adventure. And of course, this blog will be updated with our muffin escapades.

On top of muffins, we made some cookies (just to double check our oven is fully functioning) and then did some homework. By this point, our friend Chloe had also joined our adventure. And luck has it, the three of us are in the same English seminar class. The topic of this class is Manners and Marriage and our first book is Jane Austen's Emma. And what better way to think about the book but watch a cultural adaptation...aka Clueless starring Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd? 

Essentially, we ended our night perfectly. 

Today was filled with homework. Since we have no class tomorrow for Martin Luther King Jr's birthday, my schedule looks pretty light. If this is what week one looked like, I cannot wait for the other 13 weeks of this final semester.

2013 Recap

I say this every year, but it's so hard to believe that 365 days have gone by and 2013 is almost done. It will probably take me a good month of writing "13" and then attempting to make a 3 look like a 4.

In a classic Writing Center reflection moment, When I look back on 2013, I see a lot of great things. This was by far an amazing year. A lot of it probably had to do with being in New York for the first four months, but the fun definitely didn't stop in April. So here it is, my stroll back through 2013, I've even included some photo slideshows. Enjoy!

I must begin my 2013 recap with New York Term. I managed to write 85 blog posts during my time in the city (that's almost one a day). My internships were out of this world and I'm so incredibly thankful for those opportunities. I also saw some of the best theater, cinema, art, music, and dance NYC had to offer. I became closer to many people on the trip and had some pretty neat professors to show off all that New York had to offer. I was also incredibly fortunate to be near my aunt, uncle, and their family, allowing some great memories with them.


After New York, I came back home for a little bit before embarking on another adventure. This time it was to Germany and Poland. I spent a little under two weeks exploring World War II and Holocaust memorials (dark tourism as I learned on the trip). While it was a tough subject, I was lucky enough to have an amazing professor and solid group to make it a memorable May.


Then it was summertime! I spent my summer at Coe, for the second year in a row. Not only did I have fun at work, helping plan Iowa Private College Week and getting ready for the first-years to arrive on campus, I also had a great apartment! I lived with three other fantastic friends of mine and had the opportunity to become really close with Millie and Hayleigh. We spent almost all of our free time together (and got into lots of shenanigans) and it made for my best summer yet!


And then it was time for senior year. It has already gone by way way way too fast. I had the honor of being on Homecoming Court, ate dinner with the Board of Trustees for being a Clark Merit scholar, had dinner with my professors, kept building relationships with my friends on campus, and learned a lot in my upper level (and lab science) classes. I also started to figure out what I want to do post-graduation. Still waiting to hear from the Fulbright Committee and also began my graduate school search.


I can only imagine what 2014 will bring!

Heyo Mt. Horeb!

I'm writing this blog post while sitting at my kitchen table...in Mt. Horeb.

That's right, my finals are over, I've survived them and now I'm home for a couple of weeks. Finals weren't nearly as bad as I expected. I think that means I was prepared to take them (or write them as demonstrated in the originally 15 page turned 25 page paper I turned in).

And this past week, I accomplished a lot more than taking two tests and finishing off one 25 page paper. I also...

• Completed my sixth semester of clarinet juries. I played the second movement from Robert Schumann's Fantasy Pieces. While the link I've attached features a cello as the solo instrument, it's such a beautiful piece, I wanted you to hear it. So just imagine the cello magically turns into a clarinet and there I am, playing away! 
• Mailed out contributor copies of the newest issue of the Coe Review. I can't wait for the authors to get a hold of the issue. Over break, I plan to upload the issue to our website and post some picture from our publication release. Woot! 
• Watched my roommate, Emily, and several other senior theater majors perform in a student-created and student-produced show for their senior seminar class. It was about body image and very well done. They performed shortly after I turned in my final paper, so it was a nice celebration of sorts. 
• Had dinner on two separate nights with two of my professors. Wednesday night I ate dinner with Melissa, my thesis advisor, and on Thursday, my sophomore year globalization class had dinner at our professor's house (Kimberly). Both nights were fantastic and such a good way to end the semester. I think this also highlights the strengths of our professors at Coe. They want to know you as a person and this more casual setting allowed us to talk about lots of different topics. I think these relationships we build with our professors are out of this world and help to make Coe feel even more like a family. 

And now I'm back with my Fargo family. It's good to be back and to have a break. Of course, I've got lots of writing to do and can't wait to dig into some books for fun! I've got a few posts I want to write, so don't worry, this blog will be active for the next couple of weeks. 

Happy holidays! 

Last Week of Classes Update

Earlier this afternoon, I had a conference with Dr. Bob for our Writing Center staff development class. Our "final" project of sorts was an online e-Portfolio, a way to preserve our writing during our time at Coe. Another important aspect of this portfolio deals with much self-reflection. While we were looking at my portfolio, Dr. Bob clicked on a link of this blog and I realized I hadn't posted since my 500th post celebration.

Whoops. 

So this is my mega post to make up for that. I had a great Thanksgiving Break (although I had lots of work to keep up with so it wasn't much of a break). When I got back to campus, it was December 1st and therefore, time to start gearing up for finals. This past week was my final week of classes and other than one class tomorrow, it's time for finals.

Here's a recap of this past week. In terms of my classes, I took my final astronomy test and kept working on my English seminar paper (a 15 page paper on Toni Morrison's novel, Paradise). These and a few other projects kept me plenty busy and up late at night. 

On Friday we had the Coe Review publication release party for our poetry issue. The issue came in on Wednesday and looked fantastic. I am incredibly proud of this issue and was thrilled to show it off on Friday. Our release was in the PUB, included free coffee drinks, snacks, and a poetry reading. 

A very excited me with the poetry issue

On Friday night, the final Blindspot of 2013 was happening and I went to support my friend, Ariana, who was performing. I also took part in the late-night movie. It's an event sponsored by our Student Activities Committee (SAC) where they essentially "rent out" the movie theater to show a current movie to Coe students, FOR FREE. Yes, for free! The movie was Hunger Games: Catching Fire. I went with Ariana, Peter, Paulina, and Ryan. It was a good group and I enjoyed the movie. Having read the books, I knew the plot and thought it was a good adaptation.

Saturday was composed of working on my seminar paper. Alison P and I escaped to Panera for unlimited coffee and hours of productivity. Ariana, Alison P., and I hung out Saturday night, taking a break from homework and overthinking our finals schedule. 

Then, this morning, I participated in my very first Lumberjack Festival. It was an event sponsored by one of our fraternities on campus, Phi Kappa Tau. They were raising money for Serious Fun, an organization helping kids with serious illnesses. During November, several of the guys had participated in No Shave November so the main event was bidding on shaving their impressive beards. On top of that, the guys had made an excellent brunch: pancakes, sausage, and eggs. After eating, we could play some games and just enjoy a Sunday morning. Flannel was the outfit of choice so the PUB was packed with various colors of flannel and plaid print. It was a lot of fun and for a good cause, so what's not to love?

Angela and I in our flannel!

The rest of my Sunday consisted of homework in the Writing Center; I found a spot, camped out, and had a lot of fun. We also saw how many people who work in the Writing Center supported Lumberjack Fest because of this pretty photo:

A bunch of pretty good lucking consultants

It's been a good week. Still lots to do between tonight and Thursday, when my final paper is due. I'm sure it will go by fast, and I'll be sure to keep you up to date.

  

Blithe Spirit Review

When I'm giving a tour, one of my favorite parts is taking the student into the Dows Fine Arts building. You first walk in and are immediately surrounded by amazing art (all done by Coe students/staff/alums mind you). But instead of milling in the lobby, I make a beeline for our theater.

Our theater is built in a round but what is even cooler is the way we make sets. My favorite tours occur when a set is just beginning to be built or when the set is completed and finished. Our set team at Coe turns out some amazing sets, which makes the play that much more enjoyable.

On Thursday, Hayleigh, Alison P., and I went to see Blithe Spirit, a comedy by Noel Coward. I knew most of the people in the cast and the stage manager was none other than my roommate, Emily.

It was a pretty good performance. Although it did make me miss seeing theater in New York City (hard to believe it's coming up on a year since I first arrived in Manhattan for New York Term!). The show was funny (it's all about a senance bringing back an ex-wife and the shenanigans that occur because of that).

Another neat part of this show (besides the set) was that we had a guest director for this production. Peter Craze, recently retired from working at the Drama Studio of London, knew some of our theater professors and accepted our invitation to direct this show. He had even met Noel Coward once (got to love those program notes). I've heard great things about Peter from Emily and other cast members; it's so neat we were able to bring in someone for a new perspective on this show.

Blithe Spirit ended last night, but no fear, Coe always has more productions coming up. Next on the docket is City of Angels, a musical for your enjoyment in the spring!

Coe Review Update

Good news, the Coe Review is being printed!

It all sort of happened in a rush. The end of the semester kind of crept up on us and we suddenly realized, it was time to really put the issue together.

Lucky for me, as managing editor, I get to work with some of friends and overall fantastic students. Our poetry editor was Ariana, a good friend of mine. So it was no trouble for us to get together, chat about poems, and create an order of the accepted poems. I had a few late nights putting the issue into InDesign (big shout out to one of our production editors, Taylor, who was a rock star and helped with it). With this copy, we were able to have our manuscript readers give it our first edit and find some errors before we even sent it in for a proof.

Errors fixed, we submitted our issue to Cornerstone (the printing company we use). In less than 24 hours (heck, less than 8 hours) later, we got a PDF proof back. It was then time to call in our editors over the weekend to check for those final errors. Once we were confident, we sent it back to Cornerstone and they began to print copies.

I'm extremely proud of the issue. This was definitely a learning semester for me; I gained some important leaderships skills and really began to understand how much I love being managing editor. I know my pride in the Coe Review will increase even more with our publication release (December 6th!).

I'll post more once we get copies and I can geek out on the issue and take photos of it. But I was just too proud to not say anything now!

Board of Visitors Lunch

This lunch happened a couple of weeks ago, so I apologize for the delayed post. I was asked to come to a lunch with Coe's Board of Visitors. These are people who have Coe connections (mainly that they are alums) and want to be more involved with Coe in the future. During their visit, they needed to eat lunch and what better time to meet some current students and professors?

I was asked to this lunch to discuss my May Term to Germany and Poland with Professor Keenan. She was there as well and two other May Terms were represented along with representation for our Wilderness Field Station.

While it was nice to chat about my May Term (and let me tell you, I never get tired of talking about my experiences in Germany and Poland), I throughly enjoyed hearing about what others did. And (somewhat selfishly) hearing about those experiences helps me gather more stories to tell on tours when the situation arises.

I learned more about the May Term to the Thailand/Burma border where students taught at a local school (my friend Haley went on that trip) as well as the trip to Spain with Monica, the professor I had for my fine arts honors class my sophomore year. Finally, I got to hear more about the benefits of spending a few weeks at Coe's station near the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. Not only do students get to take a class but they also get a credit while canoeing and exploring the wilderness. They all sounded like amazing opportunities and just reminded me of all the cool things my friends and I have the privilege to be a part of.

This lunch was a fantastic opportunity to meet fellow Kohawks and also hear more about the amazing things my peers have done. My pride continues to grow for both Coe and my peers and I'm so happy to be a part of this family.

Cedar Rapids Famous...Sort Of

Well despite the somewhat crappy weather (lots of rain and chilly temps this week) and being sick (I basically lost my voice Monday/Tuesday), I am having a pretty fabulous Thursday.

I got up early to run errands and get some work done before my class. I had my normal lunch time break and just as I was about to head into class, I got a text and a tweet saying that a representative from the Cedar Rapids Convention & Visitors Bureau was speaking to our student ambassadors and mentioned how much they enjoyed my blog.

Needless to say, I was flattered. What was even better was coming back to my apartment to find out that the Cedar Rapids CVB had posted on their Facebook page about visiting Coe, along with a link to my blog.

Wow. Wow. Wow. See photo for proof! :)

I'm so jazzed and just another thing to love about today. I love blogging and can't wait to see what new readers arrive on my page. AND, a big shout out to CRCVB for providing that needed motivation to catch up on the posts I'm behind on. I won't let you down! 

A Few Homecoming Links

It seems like Homecoming was weeks ago, but I have a few links to pass on. Sorry for the delay!

"I think this must be like my 20th panel..." November Campus Visit Day

Yesterday I was up early and in the library for our November Campus Visit Day. Cedar Rapids and Mother Nature teamed up for some nice weather and the icing on the cake was the exceptionally wonderful families I got to interact with.

Read more