Home is Where the Heart is

So here I am, halfway through my first semester of college. I adapted to college life really well, but now it truly feels like home. They say “home is where the heart is,” and my heart is definitely here at WNE. I am officially settled in and I love it. Within the past few weeks I joined the Ultimate Frisbee team and I am so glad that I did. It is not recognized by the school as a sport, but the team goes to tournaments on certain weekends, and we play for two hours every day outside of the new CSP (Center for Science and Pharmacy) building. I have made so many new friends and it is a great way for me to stay active and have fun every day. I was really impressed by how good everyone is at the game. I am probably the least talented person on the team, but when I go back to Rhode Island I am going to be a superstar! Haha!

I also met with my academic advisor to get my mid-semester grades. I am very happy with my grades so far and if I can keep them up for the end of the semester I will be really excited. :) I am doing so much better than I expected to. I guess I need to raise my expectations for myself! I found out another exciting thing about academics within the past week, too. In less than three weeks I am going to be picking my classes for second semester! The schedule went up yesterday and I already know which classes I want to be in. I just hope my schedule next semester is as good as the one I have now!

-LyndseySJ

Falling Into a Golden Opportunity

The leaves are changing colors and the weather is reverting to the typical New England autumn weather.  Just walking around campus seeing all the different colored leaves on the ground shows how time has flown by.  It feels like the semester started last week, but it is already Halloween! Time just seems to fly by here at Western New England but as they say, time flies when you are having fun! 

I have learned so much this semester and have gotten to experience so many new things.   Just last week we had a speaker, Rick Burton, who spoke at WNE.  Mr. Burton previously worked for the United States Olympic Committee and now teaches at Syracuse University.  Professor Curt Hamakawa was able to bring Mr. Burton in to talk with students and the general public about his career in sports.  I had the opportunity to be invited to attend a dinner with Mr. Burton after the presentation.  I was honored to be invited even though I am only a student who is still mulling over my own future.  To be able to have dinner with such a distinguished guest was something I will never forget.

Working with the Admissions Office has been another amazing experience.  I have been able to give tours to many prospective students.  I have learned more about the school on each one and have enjoyed showing the school to close to 100 people thus far, with many more taking tours with other students. I hope to see you on one of my tours in the near future!

-Jason :)

Alternative Fall Break

During my Columbus Day weekend break, I had the opportunity to participate in Western New England University’s Alternative Fall Break. This volunteer experience was put together through our Center for Civic Engagement. We volunteered at the Children’s Study Home here in Springfield. It is an organization that houses at-risk male youth in the city to get an education and potentially reunite them with their families.

On the first day we took a tour of Springfield. We went to various impoverished areas, areas damaged by tornados, and even to the armory. We then went to what the Study Home refers to as “The Cottage” where the elementary-aged boys live. We played kickball with them and the kids had a blast. The second day, we played tag and whiffle ball with the boys. We also grilled hamburgers and hotdogs for them to eat for lunch. We then took them inside to play other fun games like Pictionary, Connect Four, and Jenga. We all really enjoyed ourselves and were just as sad to go as the boys were to see us go. On the third day, we visited the older boys’ home for high school-aged students. We played a volunteer versus study home basketball game. We won but all of the boys were very talented players. We then went inside for more games like pool, ping-pong, air hockey, and videogames. We had another hamburger and hotdog lunch and then played a long game of football. On the last day, we painted and hung curtains in the newest Study Home building for college-bound residents.

This was a very enriching experience and I hope that I can return to the Children’s Study Home again. There is actually a tutoring program being set up at the Cottage so that WNE students may be able to tutor the boys weekly. I would like to participate in that and would recommend that anyone who is interested to try it out as well.

We’re halfway through the semester!

Brandi

Friends and Family Weekend

For many students at Western New England the feeling of being homesick hits in October and so it is perfect timing for Friends and Family Weekend here at the University. This weekend was October 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th. It is a time for relatives and friends to come visit the campus and participate in various activities that go along with a different theme each year. This year the theme was Hollywood, so in the Campus Center there were caricatures available, having your picture with your family put on a magazine cover, and a brunch. Later in the day Saturday there is the football game that the cheerleaders and dance team perform at during half time, so their families are able to come enjoy time with them and see their children play in the various games throughout the game or perform at half time. It is a great weekend that allows families and friend of students to fall in love with Western New England’s beautiful campus and welcoming atmosphere as much as the student has.

Wishing you luck with your college applications and decision making,

Liz :)
 

Changing Colors

Back again at WNE! This past weekend was fall break, a four day weekend. It seems like everyone went home, and I was no exception. I brought my WNE friend, Ellie, back to Rhode Island with me because she is from Texas, which is a little bit too far away to go home for the weekend. I showed her the four most important things in Rhode Island: Wright’s Dairy Farm, Wright’s Chicken Farm, DEL’s Lemonade, and the Providence Place Mall. If you are ever in the smallest state, make sure you check out those four things. It was great seeing all my friends from home and my family, but it was really nice coming back to campus, too. Campus is so beautiful here. Being gone for a mere three days made a huge difference. The pictures below show the tree outside my window on Friday before I left, and then Monday when I came home. The colors are really pretty.

 

I met with my PA (Peer Advisor) today, also. Every freshman has a PA assigned to them before classes start that they meet with a few times during the year. The PAs are there to help freshmen students (like me) transition into college by having an upperclassman to ask questions and guide them. I met with mine today for the first time since school started. My advisor and I set goals for the rest of the year, and for the rest of my time at Western New England. The best part was later on when we got some free food at Subway! :) Having a PA is awesome and Matt (my PA) is really great and helpful.

Until Next Time,

-LyndseySJ

Create & Conquer : The Prelude

This week I'm going to keep it short and show you my clothing company's promotional video entitled "The Prelude".  My clothing company is called Create & Conquer and  I have been working hard to grow the organization while attending WNE. My creative marketing director Joe Johnson and I have been working very hard over the past month to show the world who we are. So check out these amazing visuals that we put together. Hope you enjoy!

The kid from Cali

Jay.thall