SJC Student Blogs

I am officially an alumnus of Saint Joseph's College. So, that being said, I guess this should be my final blog post, then.


I turned in my final final on Thursday; I spent the rest of my HUB money on lunch. I then spent the rest of the weekend reveling in being done with my undergraduate career. Thursday night was a Pack the Pub event. Friday was a brunch, in which I got to give a toast to the senior class (perk of being class president); then that night, we had a senior movie night where we watched the Hangover (irony!). Saturday, there was a picnic moved into the Ballroom because of inclement weather. That was about the time my parents and grandparents rolled into town. (My grandparents drove up from Tennessee.) They spent the night at the local bed and breakfast--the White House on Park Avenue. Two SJC professors run it; they used to pay me to clean the toilets; it was a pretty sweet gig.

Anywho, my family attended the Baccalaureate Mass. The Baccalaureate Mass is a special service which celebrates our academic achievement. As Senior Class President, I gave the welcome for the mass (another perk), and with the assistance of my fellow class officers, awarded the Faculty Awards. Each year, the senior class awards three awards—Religio, Moralitas, Scientia—to three faculty members. That evening, there was a dinner, a dessert/reception where we played the senior slide show (my fellow class officers were awesome enough to put it together), and there was a bit of a dance. The rest of the night was spent enjoying the final night. We successfully did that, to put it mildly. And we continued to do it after the sun came up.

We commenced Sunday. It was cool. It was surreal. I'm educated now... Also, my final perk as the Class President of 2010 was to speak at Commencement. That was pretty nerve-racking. I spoke at my high school's commencement ceremony, but this was far more terrifying. I don't know why. But I wrote a speech, and I think it went pretty well. I had quite a few people—my fellow classmates and parents I had never met—tell me I did an incredible job; even causing people to choke up and cry. I included my speech at the end of this post, if you're interested (at least, it's what I typed; what I actually said varied a bit).


I can't believe I'm done, really. If any perspective students find this, please consider SJC. It's treated me well for four years.









Every time I have bumped into Dr. Nichols this semester, he’s always had the same thing to say. “Short, Michael” He calls me Michael… He and my mother are the only two. “Remember to keep it short.” So I had to tell him that I’m going to get him back for every Core Lecture I had to sit through. I was going to pass out notes, bring a projector so I could draw diagrams, the whole nine yards. So, faculty, consider this payback…

And speaking of my mother, I would like to begin by thanking the faculty for moving our Commencement Ceremony back to Sunday, because you’ve saved me a good deal of money on a Mother’s Day present… Also, Happy Mother’s Day, Mom… I love you…

Albert Einstein once said, “Never think of the future—it comes soon enough.” However, today it almost seems impossible to not think of the future… Our time here at Saint Joseph’s College has all been a quest for the future… We have passed all of the right classes, and now it is time to take that next step into the future, no matter whatever direction that next step needs to be… Now that the future is going to come hurling at us faster than the speed of light, we must hope and pray this education gives us the strength, courage, and capacity to meet in head-on…

It is meeting these challenges head-on that we are going to have no choice but to do every day of the rest of our lives… But we should be ready… We’ve read all the Core books—okay maybe that’s not the best example… We’ve attended all the lectures—dang, I guess that won’t work either… Well, like I said, we’ve passed all of our classes, and now we are ready… All we need to do is embrace these challenges the future will inevitably bring us, and overcome them with pride… When I student taught last semester, I always told my students to not think of the test or quiz I was handing them as a challenging exam, but simply as an opportunity to achieve—yes, I was that guy… It’s like Mary Poppins once sang, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.”

One lesson I have learned one thing during my four years here that I want everyone to know about, it’s just that. Take reality, and the future that follows, with a dose of optimism… No matter how large a dose you need—whether it is the 20-milligram dose you need to finish your Core 10 presentation, or enough optimism to fill the reflecting pond when you listen to Avenue Q and they sing “what do you do with a B.A. in English” (But that may just be me)—the optimism will aid in every situation, changing it for the better…

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said… “what lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us”… So while we reflect of everything awesome we have been a part of in four years—whether it be October 8th, 2008 or celebrating the Basketball team’s awesome run to the Elite Eight—those things lie behind us… And we have enough optimism to take care of whatever future lies before us… But what lies within us, after our four years at Saint Joseph’s College? Is it the vignettes from House on Mango Street? Maybe… But more likely, it is Religio, Moralitas, and Scientia… More likely, it is the wisdom, strength, courage, and tenacity to do anything we want to do, and be anything we want to be…

On behalf of the Class of 2010, I would like to thank all of the faculty and friends, family and mentors—especially moms—for coming and celebrating our achievements. I speak for all of us when I say that we wouldn’t be sitting here without your love and support… And to my classmates, congratulations! I hope nothing but the best for all of you with your future endeavours… I can’t wait to be the creepy drunk alumni with you… I would like to leave everyone with words rehearsed by the cast of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee so often… “Goodbye. Goodbye, goodbye” Esto Dignus Saint Joseph’s College.

Five finals down, and two to go...

I've got a final to take in fifteen minutes, then my last one is a paper I've to turn in tomorrow at 1 p.m. So that's my plan for tonight; write my last paper as an undergrad. I can't decide if I want to pull one last all-nighter, just for old-time's sake, or if I should write it in the evening, sleep well, and then finish in the morning.

Tonight is the degree-signing party. It's the exciting part because the thousands and thousands of dollars we pay for our education is going to buy us the pen they use to sign our degrees.

It's been really weird saying goodbye to underclassmen, knowing that I may never see them again, depending on where my future ends up taking me. I don't like it...

That, and at this point, I can't really be in denial. In four day, I'm graduating... I really should start on my speech for Commencement. (The Senior Class President gets an opportunity to saw something after the degrees are passed out).

One final down, six more to go...

Today, only having one final and a tour to give, has been a pretty chill day. I had tea this afternoon and watched the rain fall. Now, though, I'm prepping for the three finals I'm taking tomorrow. Oh, boy...


It's really becoming surreal. Everyone is asking me about my plans post-graduation. I wish I had something to tell them.

So, it is Friday night. It's been a blur since I last updated on Wednesday. I've probably written more papers (or at least pages of papers) in the last two days than I did through my first three years of high school. I've had a grueling couple days. But, it's all done now. I mean it. I attended my last class as an undergraduate today. I've got to take seven finals and I'm officially educated.

It seems like I've given millions of tours lately. And they've all been pretty fantastic. Today, I even gave a tour to someone from Elkhart (my hometown). They've all been great tours. That being said, we also had our End-of-the-Year Admission Soiree. All of the admissions reps and secretaries make a ton of food and anyone who works admissions--whether as a tour guide, office assistant or telecounselor--can enjoy a delicious and free lunch. They also give us wonderful goody bags of treats. This year, they even gave seniors these incredibly sweet travel mugs. Also, at the end of the year, they announce the end-of-the-year awards. I'll admit, I was really hoping to get tour guide of the year. I won it my sophomore year, and I really wanted to win again, because no one has won it twice. I totally did! I was super stoked. Below are some pictures from the festivities...

Like I said, I'm pretty drained from doing everything I've done. It's been a hella-busy week. This evening was the Joeys. The Colombian Players put on a cheesy-awesome awards show, similar to the Oscars (only cooler), where we celebrate the shows and give out awards. I won a Joey this year. I've never won a Joey before, and so I was shocked and overwhelmed. Theatre has meant a lot to me here, and so to be recognized for my role in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee really really meant a lot. I got up to accept the award and turned into a blubbering fool; so I'm pretty embarrassed about that.


Everything is coming to a close so rapidly. It's scary.

Working.
Working.
Working.
Lots due tomorrow.


Although, I've taken a break from working because my childhood just came back and said "hello, I'm awesome again". To understand what I mean, follow this link.

I picked up the Faculty Awards today. I sat through my last Core lecture today. I gave a wonderful tour today.
I went to my last Core class yesterday. I watched Glee yesterday. I took a final new photo for this blog (which will hopefully be up soon).


Just keep working.
Working.
Working.
Working.

"boredom murders the heart of our age while sanguinary creeps take the stage; and boredom strangles the life from the printed page..."

That's the song I'm listening to currently; It's entitled "Forecast Fascist Future" and it's by a band named Of Montreal. That song is from all the way back in 2005. I've been unnecessarily reminiscent lately; that is when I'm not working. I've been working a lot. In fact, I need to continue doing that when I'm done here...


Friday was the President's Senior Dinner--a quaint gala event honouring seniors, welcoming them to the Alumni Association and giving out the Senior of the Year award. I, as the senior class president, was required to say a few words. That was fun. I just kinda made it up while I got dressed, and people seemed to really like it.


Oh man! The Arcade Fire just came up on shuffle. The iTunes gods must be smiling upon me this evening.


Okay, so I need to get back to work... This is the last last week of classes I'll have as an undergrad...

I don't want all of these posts of mine to be about how busy I am, but... I'm pretty busy... Second semester your senior year is a busy time. There's always a ton to do. Today I gave my Core 10 presentation.

Core 10, the culmination of SJC's Core programme, requires each student to research an ethical dilemma, completing a 20-page paper and a 20-minute presentation discussing the positions on the dilemma as well as the Christian Humanist point of view. My presentation was entitled: Copyright or Wrong?: Piracy, Peer-to-Peer File Sharing and You. I took the stance that while downloading music on P2P networks is lawfully criminalized, it is an ethically permissible activity because it is beneficial--not harmful--to the music industry, the laws are not adequately applicable to digital media, and file sharing encourages community, a vital part of living a Christian Humanist life.

Okay, that's the end of my academia in this blog. It was a good presentation, I think. It was nearly 40 minutes long, after the Q&A session afterward. We've scheduled a senior karaoke night tonight; that should be fun.

Last night, at the pub, we had the English banquet. The English Department has a banquet every year where we sit, eat, and be merry. The English faculty are wonderful, and they recognize all of the seniors. Then the seniors get to say a few works. It was really great to be a senior and thank the faculty. The English faculty are just incredible. They're one of the reasons I value the education I've received here so much.


Well, more homework...

SO...

I've been away for a while... Pretty busy... Pretty overwhelmed... I've had a lot to do in the last week. Little 5 week is busy enough, and that excludes the actual academics and coursework I had to do.

SJC has a go-kart race every year. It's a traditional event full of fun and delight, if I could be any cheesier in describing it. It would take me years to list all of the traditions and hijinx that go into the week and then the race Saturday.

One noteworthy thing to mention would be Mr. and Ms. Puma... We have what's comparable to a beauty pageant for the men and women of campus. Ms. Puma was Wednesday and a rousing success. My dear friend Bailey won Ms. Puma. I competed for Mr. Puma, against my better judgment. I was nominated, and whimsically decided it would be a good idea. It was quite the event. I generated the most buzz for the competition because of what I was doing for the talent portion of the contest. Enjoy the video!

Friday was my final performance with the Improv Club. Saturday was the big race. I got to drive the pace-car, which was a sleek convertible we borrowed from one of the local dealerships. It was cool because I got to drive the President and his wife around a lap and a half. They're really great people. I got to chat with them before the race, and they are both incredibly sweet. I'm really glad Dr. Riegelnegg is here. Also, if you want to see any other photos from the day's events, Fr. Tim's website is the place to be. If you've not bookmarked it yet, do it!



The rest of my life is spent doing homework... And more homework...

It's done. I'm done. I just performed my final show on the SJC stage.


I don't know really what to say. The time I've spent in the theatre department has been some of the greatest.

When I was a freshman, I befriended Joe Stewart. I didn't know it at the time, but Joe is the epitome of theatre. He's just incredible. The first show our put on our freshman year was a Neil Simon comedy called "Rumors". Joe told me he was trying out. I was impressed, because there were only five guy parts in the cast. I thought that was a ballsy move for a freshman; I was impressed. A couple days before auditions, Joe told me I should try out with him. I thought he was crazy; I'd never done theatre before in my life. Against what at the time seemed like my better judgment, I did audition. It was a terrifying and nerve-racking experience. I hated it. Then, when the cast list was posted, I went with Joe to see if he'd been given a part. Not only was I delighted to see that he'd earned a role in the show, but to my shock and horror, I'd received a part as well. I was flabbergasted; I didn't know anything about being in a stage production...


I owe everything to Joe. All of the experiences, memories... everything. If it hadn't been for him, I wouldn't have gotten such incredible opportunities to be a part of something so special.

Especially this show... Before this musical, I hadn't been in a show since sophomore year. I didn't get cast first semester junior year, and then spent my semester abroad. I hadn't done a show yet this year. I saw this show when I was in New York, and I loved it then. When I first heard that we could be doing it, I didn't believe it would actually happen. Not only did it happen, it happened in such a grand fashion. The cast couldn't have been better. It really was a moment of perfect syzygy...



From Rumors to Putnam, I'm proud of everything I've done on stage. It's all been so incredible. I not only have Joe to thank, but John Rahe, the director who was willing to cast an awkward and lanky freshman without theatre experience. Thank you to those two men, and everyone I was lucky enough to share the stage with, and everyone who was kind enough to come and see a production I was a part of.

That's me. That's my character in the musical.
The show has come together, and the whole cast is super excited about it. Opening night is tonight, and it runs for three nights.


If you want to see more photos of the show, go to Fr. Tim's website. He's got some fantastic photos. (Also, my character for the show doesn't have the beard, only a mustache. I look awful with just a mustache, so it's worth seeing solely to laugh at me with a 'stache.)

So, one advantage of attending a Catholic institution is getting Easter Monday off. I've been at school all day working on homework, and then we had our first tech rehearsal for the musical. That being said, I'm super swamped with work (hence why I've been at school all day) and I'm super stressed because I desperately want the musical to be fantastic, and so this post is going to be more photos. I realised I had never upped any photos of the Habitat trip. So here, I give you Spring Break X, in all of its Mississippi glory.








I hope you enjoyed my informative captions!

So, because it's Easter, and I've been trying to get so much homework done, my post is going to be some photos from the trip to Massachusetts for the basketball team. Enjoy!

I'm on the road back to school at the moment. The bus has wireless internet access; we're traveling in style.

Speaking of traveling, I traveled with the band and cheerleaders to Springfield, Massachusetts to support the Men's basketball team competing in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. We took a ridiculously long chartered-bus ride there through the night and the game was last night (Wednesday). It was an unfortunate game; we lost pretty handily. We weren't as aggressive as we needed to be and the refs decided to turn their heads to a few obvious calls.

It was pretty sweet to be there and be a part of something no one in SJC history has ever been a part of. We didn't play as much as we would have liked, but that was to be expected as there was another band there, and they had other things to be playing during breaks and whatnot. Pictures to come.


Other than that, we're just riding on the bus. I'm doing homework. We're supposed to get back around midnight tonight, so I'll hopefully not be too exhausted for class tomorrow.

So I survived the comedy festival. People received my stand up pretty well. They seemed to really like it. I was a mess before the show, but now that it's done, I feel a lot better.

Also, as an update, I've let my friends talk me into going to Massachusetts with the band. So much for resisting peer pressure, right? Although, that being said, I've got a poop-ton of work to do. So with that, this is the extent of my post... short and sweet, I guess...

...in the Library!

I know. I'm lame. I'm just super loaded with work to do, and I'm facing a decision that could possibly make my life more complicated. If you haven't heard the word, the SJC Men's Basketball team is making national news. We're in the Elite Eight for the NCAA Div II tourney. And we're the first team in history to do so ranked eighth.

That being said, the team's next game is next Wednesday evening. There's a fanbus driving all the way to Massachusetts to support them. On that fanbus will be 25 members to form a pep band. INSERT COMPLICATED DECISION HERE. If I go, the bus leaves Tuesday evening. I will miss all of my classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Then (it gets more complicated), if we win Wednesday, we play again on Friday and so I'll also miss Friday's class and not get back on campus until Saturday.

This has been the hardest semester of my college career. I've got a lot to do--and a lot due, for that matter--in the next couple of weeks. I don't know if I can afford to be away from campus and my studies for so long. Now, obviously, I will be able to take things with me. But that's not the same.

So therein lies my dilemma.



And on top of this dilemma, I've been in a state of panic all week because (as I mentioned in my blog earlier this week) I will be doing stand up comedy on stage Saturday. It's turning out to be a pretty big deal. Quite a few of my professors plan on attending, which makes me even more nervous. Especially because some of my comedy is a bit on the "racy" or "offensive" end of the comedic spectrum. We'll see how it goes...


Alright... back to work...