Tag: community (page 16 of 19)

Naturally, Rebecca's favorite website.

The Joys of Registration

November 5, 2014 / / Comments Off on The Joys of Registration

I love many things: my family, UDairy ice cream (especially All-Nighter), good romance novels and America to name a few. Another thing that is high on my list of loves is course registration. Yes, I am a huge fan of the magical weeks when courses are published and classes are chosen. There are four reasons why this season is my favorite of all.

1). The Anticipation. Towards the middle of the semester, life starts to look a little bleak. Classes and extracurricular activities are in full swing and weeks drag on in a blur of midterms, papers and presentations. At this point, the light at the end of the tunnel flickers dismally. It seems as if there is little to look forward to, that is, until courses for the next semester come out.

The Registrar’s Office never tells the students the date that courses will be available; rather, they quietly update the database and wait for Twitter to blow up with the exciting news. The thrill of hearing that courses have been released is only beaten by the nervous excitement of looking up what courses are being offered and at what times. I admit that this year I perused UD Courses Search while walking across campus, only lifting my head to avoid getting hit by cars or aggressive bicyclists.

2). The Challenge. After the initial elation of searching for courses and examining the offerings comes the inevitable planning of ones schedule. For me, this becomes a puzzle that I spend far too much time trying to solve. It’s fun to play around with the different courses that are offered trying to find a schedule that I deem ideal (early classes with time for a lunch break). Naturally, after I find that schedule, I continue to make countless other options, just in case.

3). The Adrenaline. Now for the actual registration. This is the part that causes me the most anxiety. Will I get into UDSIS? Eventually. Will the system crash? Most likely. Will I get into the courses that I want? I sure hope so. These heart-pounding, palm-sweating moments are stressful, but completely worth it. There is such a sense of accomplishment after completing a schedule and being genuinely excited about the courses that I will be taking next semester. In a time where my current courses are cramming in assignments and information, it is a major relief to have something to look forward to.

Naturally, Rebecca's favorite website.

Naturally, Rebecca’s favorite website.

4). The Community. Never do I feel more like a UD student than on registration day. During registration, social media sites (especially Twitter) thrive as students make jokes and comments about their registration experiences. Reading about others’ experiences while I nervously wait to get into my classes not only makes me laugh, but also makes me realize that I am not alone in this adventure. It is fun to get to share what can be the struggle of registration with my fellow Blue Hens. In fact, I have never gotten more love (i.e. retweets and favorites) on Twitter than I did during registration last spring.

I can only hope everyone is as excited about registration as I am. And of course, may the odds be ever in your favor.

~Rebecca Jaeger

Tokens of remembrance from a memorable night.

Life’s Many Moments

October 14, 2014 / / Comments Off on Life’s Many Moments

This past weekend I traveled to New York City with my family to see Aladdin on Broadway. The show was absolutely spectacular and the amount of money and work that was put into the production was astonishing. There were gorgeous costumes, and the way they portrayed the scenes from the movie like the Cave of Wonders and the Parade were so creative and imaginative. My siblings and I left the theater in love with the show and talking excitedly about all of our childhood memories.

Tokens of remembrance from a memorable night.

Tokens of remembrance from a memorable night.

The next day I went to see the REPS’s Angels in America. This show was completely the opposite of Aladdin. It was a serious play with hard themes and exquisitely talented actors. Even though these two plays were dramatically different, they both were an outlet of creativity used to tell a unique story.

I started thinking about my story, and how University of Delaware has helped shape that. Have you ever just stopped walking on the way to class and thought to yourself, what am I really doing here? How did I end up here and where am I going? (That is…after you step off the path to dodge the incoming bicycles and long boards.)

There have been so many times in my life when I’ve pondered that exact question. Our lives are defined by a string of entwined moments that make us who we are. From being a Writing Fellow to living with Honors Freshmen, I realized that the Honors Program in particular has played a huge part in these significant “moments” of my college experience.

I soon realized that the moments I remember about my college career have not been when I was sitting in a lecture, but rather when I was out in the community doing something meaningful. I have seen Honors Students volunteering, creating their own RSOs, going abroad, and planning incredible events for their communities.

I love being in Honors because each and every student pushes me to be a better version of myself. It is not so much a competitive environment, but rather a collaborative one where people work together to make new strides.

Seeing these two shows definitely stand out as “moments” during my semester. They were amazing afternoons where I got to reconnect with family and friends and think about life. They even inspired me to continue writing a musical of my own. The project was on the back-burner, but if other people can write a show, shouldn’t I give it a try?

The moments that shape us during our college experience can mold us into a new person, or they can solidify our passions. So my question is…what moments will define you?

~Amanda Abrom

Da Vinci himself couldn't have done better

The Last Supper

October 8, 2014 / / Comments Off on The Last Supper

This October marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy barreling up and pounding the East Coast. It was one of the most destructive storms in history and it greatly impacted my freshman year.

Originally, the storm was poised to hit Delaware straight on. The University urged students to go home and cancelled classes for the beginning of the following week. Of course, not all students could make it home, and I was one of them. More than half of my floormates left and campus felt so deserted it was eerie.

However, being on campus for Hurricane Sandy was one of my most memorable experiences of freshman year. It started off with a wiffleball game on the first morning of the storm. We were told to stay in our residence halls, but we were rebels (and the weather wasn’t too bad) so we went to play on the turf in the cold wind and pelting rain. It didn’t last long (due to the weather conditions), but it was a blast.

My favorite memory was the last supper in the dining hall. Essentially, we all received an email telling us that the dining hall would be closing due to the storm and that we could pick up pre-packaged food to eat instead. Naturally, my floor coined this the “Last Supper” before the storm.

The dining hall that night was a mad house. I am not kidding when I say there were students grabbing enough sandwiches and drinks to last them for a week instead of two or three days. Some were actually filling large plastic storage containers food. It was a fight to get a place on line to grab the rations before they were gone.

But then we did something I will never forget. As this was the “Last Supper”, my floor thought it would be funny to recreate the similarly titled painting by da Vinci. So picture in the middle of all this madness, a group of people posing oddly around a table. The looks we got from others were priceless. Then, one of my floormates (shout out to the lovely Becca LaPlaca) superimposed our images onto that of the original “Last Supper”. It looked awesome! It is still one of my favorite pictures from college thus far.

Da Vinci himself couldn't have done better

Da Vinci himself couldn’t have done better

The rest of our hurricane break consisted of a Hurricane Banquet, where we all dressed up and brought our pre-packaged sandwiches to the lounge and ate together, and watching hours of TV while waiting for the power to go out (it never did). Fortunately for us and for the University, Sandy’s path changed, and Delaware did not end up getting the brunt of the storm.

It is certainly safe to say that that the weekend in October was one of my favorite memories of my freshman year and a moment that sums up my experience in Honors at UD. I mean, where else would you find a group of students who would appreciate (and enjoy) posing like a da Vinci painting on a Saturday night?

~Rebecca Jaeger

Mission accomplished!

Running with Nuns

September 24, 2014 / / Comments Off on Running with Nuns

On an overcast Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I participated in a 5K race that yes, involved nuns. Specifically, it was the Nun Run, a race that occurs to benefit the Jeanne Jugan home, which is a residential facility for the elderly in Newark. I went with the Catholic Campus Ministry who bussed over 100 students to run. And yes, the nuns do actually participate in the race.

I ran in the Nun Run two years ago, as a freshman, and I was excited to get to participate again. The free shirts that they give out are quite snazzy and its always fun to tell people that I have run in a race with nuns. This year, I gave myself two goals for the Nun Run: to not come in last place and to get a picture with a nun.

I always have many distinct emotions when signing up for and running a 5K. I start off by feeling quite good about myself when I register for the event. I mean, what better motivation to get in shape than having to run 3.1 miles in public? So, I sign up and think about all of the ways that I am going to train. But unfortunately, all I do is think about training. That’s right, I don’t actually do it.

So, race day rolled around and I was nauseatingly unprepared. It was 6:45am and I was questioning my sanity for signing up to run 3.1 miles at this hour on a Saturday. But of course, once I got to the race location, warmed up and got my free t-shirt (it was purple this year), I was feeling much better about my decision.

The race got off to a good start. It was a beautiful morning to run and I felt great about exercising at such an early hour. However, around mile 2.3, things started to get rough; I was feeling the burn with each step. As I started to slow down, I passed one of the home’s residents who was walking the race course. And I thought, if this elderly man can walk a 5K with a walker, then I most certainly could complete this race. So I did. One foot in front of the other, I made it to the finish line. And, I did not come in last; I actually finished in the top 23% of the runners. Not bad for not having run a 5K in almost 2 years.

So that was one goal complete, and as you can tell from the picture below, my second goal was accomplished as well (getting the picture was far easier). As much as I dislike some aspects of running a 5K, the feeling of accomplishment after completing it is unbeatable. I could barely walk, but I felt as if I could conquer the world. I will undoubtedly participate in the 2015 Nun Run and I vow to actually train for it; you can hold me to that!

~Rebecca Jaeger

Mission accomplished!

Mission accomplished!

Meet Our New Blogger: Amanda Abrom

October 3, 2013 / / Comments Off on Meet Our New Blogger: Amanda Abrom

There’s something amazing about writing. I love being able to choose words to paint pictures, tell a story or comment on the world around me. Writing is the basis for so many novel ideas and intriguing stories. Ideas can be presented in so many different ways just by choosing different words. I have been writing all my life, from journalism articles, short stories and poems. Without writing, I would have a hard time expressing myself.

Because of my love of writing, I am so excited to be a new blogger for the University of Delaware Honors Program! I am a sophomore English major with a minor in journalism. I also love singing, dancing, playing the piano, spending time with friends, coffee, traveling, and being an RA in Redding Hall, where all freshman Honors students live.

One of the best parts about being in the Honors Program was living in Honors housing in Russell as a freshman. Now, being a sophomore and an RA in Redding, I get to experience living with first year Honors students but with an entirely different perspective.

My floor in Redding Hall consists of 46 ambitious Honors freshman, two Munson Fellows and myself. Each day I get to talk to Honors students and ask them about classes and activities they are involved in on campus. The plethora of things these students do amazes me. The best things about my job are learning about each freshman and helping them connect with opportunities on campus. Even though I am not a freshman myself, I still get to live in the tight-knit Honors community. Dr. Munson still has his study break nights, residents still hang out in the lounge until late hours of the night and East Campus is still the best place to be. Even though the RA job is busy and time consuming, it has opened doors to so many new opportunities

I am so appreciative to be living here in the brand new Honors dorms. I remember watching all the construction last year and seeing the building go up week by week. Little did I know I would soon get the chance to live in Redding. Sometimes students complain about all the construction we have on campus, and the hassle it creates in our daily walks to class. However, I am so glad our campus is one that is always improving. Seeing the construction makes me excited for the future. It is fun to try and envision exactly what our campus will look like in two years, in five years, or even in twenty. Even with the construction, the University of Delaware campus is beautiful. Each day I enjoy my walks down the green, admiring the beauty of the buildings and our campus.

Being an RA in Redding Hall for the new Honors freshmen has really shown me that impact the University of Delaware Honors Program has had on my college experience so far, and the potential it has to shape my future at the university. I am thrilled to start writing for the Honors blog, and use my love of writing to share my ideas and give back to this community!

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