Category: Grace Kearns

“Tuning Out the Noise” by Grace Kearns

Every coming-of-age movie I’ve watched in the past year copied and pasted the exact same opening scene: move-in day. Teary-eyed parents fade into the distance, waving goodbye to their little girl, as a Taylor Swift ballad cues the credits. The protagonist (with her unrealistically small number of suitcases) is greeted by the unbearable roommate, before later befriending the heartthrob boy-next-door. These movies, while entertaining, leave out the true meaning of move-in day. It is not just the start of a new year or the start of new friendships. In Newark, it is the start of house hunting season.

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“The Yellow House on the Corner” by Grace Kearns

Going home at the end of my first semester was bittersweet. As I filled up my suitcase, I packed away the people, places, and routines that had become a part of my daily life. It would be seven weeks until I returned to them. Once I completed my last final, though, I beamed at the sight of my mom’s car pulled up to the lightly-frosted Green. Suddenly, all I could think of was curling up in my childhood bedroom, the endless holiday baking about to ensue, and a houseful of siblings coming from three different states. I was ready to go home. Continue reading

“Aca-knowledging Little Victories” by Grace Kearns

If you found yourself on the second floor of Trabant Student Center on any Tuesday evening, you would think you had just wandered onto Barden University’s campus by mistake. In the cinematic masterpiece that is Pitch Perfect (2012), Barden University is home to four collegiate a Cappella groups. UD just so happens to one-up Barden with eight groups on our very own campus. 

As a first-year member of the MelUDees, I have yet to be in a Riff-Off or perform for the Obamas, and I (thankfully) have been spared from singing any horrendous mashups of “I Saw the Sign” and “Bulletproof.” However, to answer the question that all of my hometown friends and family first asked when I joined in September: yes, it is a lot like Pitch Perfect. I have lived some of the most iconic scenes in the movie, from the involvement fair, to performing gigs around campus, and even hanging out with the other a Cappella groups. My most movie-like moment so far, though, was competing in the International Championship for Collegiate a Cappella (ICCAs) last month.  Continue reading

“College: A Work in Progress and a Work of Art” by Grace Kearns

My earliest memory of campus takes me back to my little, four-year old pigtails, tied up with blue and golden bows. As I sat on my dad’s shoulders, he pointed out the very sports field that he used to play football on each week. For weeks after, I ran through the house, humming the “Fight Song”. With two proud Blue Hen alumni as parents, I felt as if I had heard all there was to know about the University of Delaware. During my first official tour, I couldn’t help but make connections. Old College was not just the postcard campus building, it was where my parents first met. Russell was not just a dining hall, it was where my parents would sneak in a quick lunch together between classes. And Main Street was not just a little stretch of shops and restaurants, it was where my parents went on their very first dates. That being said, I adjusted to life at UD pretty fast. It felt familiar. Honestly, this worried me. I worried that I could outgrow it too fast. Continue reading

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