GNAC CHAMPS

Albertus Magnus College Men’s Basketball has done it AGAIN! GNAC CHAMPIONS! The guys have had a great season and have worked SO hard.  I am proud of them and their accomplishments.  This is the second year in a row they have won, third time in the last four years. 

I could not make the game against Anna Maria College but they won 87-80!

The Men’s team will be traveling for the NCAA tournament first round against Alvernia University on Saturday March 2^nd! There will be a fan bus in case you are interested in cheering on the team!
Good luck, boys! You made the Albertus community so proud!

GO FALCONS!

Falcon for a Day!

On Thursday February 21^st, the Albertus community welcomed some of the accepted students that may join us next year! The day started off with lunch in the TAG building, where Dean O’Connell addressed the students and encouraged them to be a Falcon.  Students sat with professors and tour guides and got our point of view the campus. 

 

                A student from Daniel Hand High School immediately caught my attention because he looked so familiar.  I worked in his classroom in the spring of 2012!  Shout out to Tyler Burzenski who stuck with my group all day!  It is such a small world and I am so happy he is excited to join the AMC family in the fall.  Five students were able to lead a discussion forum where we answered questions and gave our honest opinion on things.   We talked about our favorite staff members, time management, class schedules, and other questions first year students may have.  From there, Olivia Palmer and I led a tour around the campus.  After the tour the students were able to experience a mock class.  I stuck around with my students because I really enjoyed their company.  We concluded the day with pizza and trivia led by the Student Government Association. 

                I loved this event because students were able to see the campus on a regular day.  They truly were a Falcon for a day!  I valued the experience too, especially as a senior.  I won’t get to see these students on campus next year so I consider myself lucky to be able to talk about my experience at Albertus Magnus College.  It was a great day and I loved every moment of it.

Valentine's Day

On February 14^th of every year, people who are in relationships go a little love-crazy and buy extravagant gifts for one another, and those who are single go into a sad, self pity stage.  OY! This bothers me, always has.  I am not one to mope because I am not in a relationship and I’m not one to flaunt if I am in one.  I truly believe that you should show those you love how you feel about them more than once a year, just this blogger’s opinion.

This year, I decided to have the people I care most about over for a little party which I called “Anti- Valentine’s Day.”  My brothers, a few of his friends (who are like brothers to me), and my best friends came to my apartment for the evening.  It was such a blast and I will definitely be doing it again soon. 

My older brothers
Erik and Kevin

I was able to spend my Valentine’s Day with the individuals I care most about, and that is what the holiday is about, right?  No one said that you have to have a significant other to celebrate, or that you have to be miserable if you don’t.  Ladies, go out with your girlfriends and have a girl’s night! Pretend to be the ladies from the famous TV show “Sex and the City.”  I can promise that you will have a ball.  Guys, go out with your buddies… go to the Sportsplex in North Branford and play a few rounds of laser tag!  You don’t need to have a relationship to be with your friends.

My best friends
Mallory (Left) and Shannon (Right)

Erik Bentley, Kevin Bentley, Nick Genung, myself, Shannon Carrigan.

 

C'mon Nemo!

If you live in New England, you know how bad Blizzard Nemo really was.  Oh, we found Nemo... for sure! UGH!!!

I am not a winter love, by any means.  I pretty much hate it.  Everything about it.  BLEH! I would take Spring/ Summer weather every day for the rest of my life.  I love being able to go outside and not worry about being cold.  I love feeling the sunshine one my arms.  I like feeling the coastal breeze on my cheeks.  That is bliss.

We were SLAMMED with a terrible snow storm this weekend.  I have been going crazy! I stayed at my parent's house this weekend because I was supposed to work.  Yeah, that didn't happen on Friday or Saturday.  New London got over 2 feet of snow.  A little excessive, Nemo, don't you think??  I had serious cabin fever on Friday and Saturday.  I did have fun spending time with my older brother though, he is amazing.  I really look up to him.  On Friday night, my brother, his friends, and I played in the snow and had an absolute blast! We were throwing snow balls and tackling each other into snow banks because that's the mature thing to do, of course! (hehehe) 

For everyone that feels the same way as me... 130 days until summer!!!!

Happy

My goal when the new year began was to be happy and to make my last semester of my undergrad the best it possibly could be.  So far, I've kept that goal.  I am beyond happy because I have gotten to a point in my life where I don't want to waste time being bummed. I make it a priority to work (both academically and professionally), make time for my friends, and to create "me time," (even if it is just going to the gym for an hour).

On Mondays, I have a fairly busy day.  I go to class until 12, then eat lunch with friends, giving me time to catch up with them and just laugh.  I, then, go to the gym for about an hour and a half.  From there I tutor one of my old students from my student teaching experience.  I absolutely LOVE tutoring.  It reassures me that I was born to be a teacher and born to be a positive influence on students.  I have done it for about two weeks now, and cherish every moment I get to spend with this student.  This week was rather special because I was able to meet my friend, and fellow blogger, Olivia Palmer for Happy Hour at Chilli's! We had SUCH a blast catching up and joking around while sipping on a delicious margarita. 

Good friends are something we need to cherish.  I consider myself so lucky for having several good friends, that I can call on a drop of a hat. True friendship.  I have found that at Albertus, and that is something I will never take for granted.

Albertus Zumba

I really enjoy working out.  Generally, I go to the gym and do the usual: treadmill, elliptical, cross trainer, rowing machine, stairmill, weights, etc.  There is one workout that I love most of all because I do not feel like I’m actually working out: ZUMBA!  It is a dance party that burns so many calories. 

Victoria Gravina, who graduated from Albertus and now works in the Admissions office, is a certified Zumba instructor and runs classes a couple times a week.  On Tuesday, we met for a quick Zumba party!  We danced and laughed for the half hour before I went to class.  Other students saw us in the dance room and decided to join, it was such a blast. I wore my new Polar watch which tracks your heart-rate and calories burned and in a half hour I burned 350 calories. Not bad, huh?!  If you are interested in joining the party and workout with us, we are meeting Friday (February 1) at 4:45 PM in the dance room!  Hope to see you there! J

Emily Matousek, myself, and Victoria Gravina after our dance party!

Semester Two

The final semester of my undergrad began a week ago and it is already speeding by. It is such a bittersweet feeling... I'm excited because I have worked for four years towards this degree that I will get in a 110 days (not that there is a countdown on my cell phone or anything!) but I have also spent the last four years of my life here. I have done a tremendous amount of growing up while I have been a student at AMC. Like I said, it is bittersweet. There are more chapters to be written, but it is kind of sad to finish this one.

On a more upbeat note, I love my classes this semester! I am taking five courses:

1. Psych of the Exceptional Child

2. Literary Criticism and Theory

3. Seminar in British and American Literature

4. Senior Humanities Seminar

5. Digital Photography

I am most excited for Digital Photography because it has always been a hobby of mine and now (finally!) I get to take a class that REALLY grabs my attention. Since freshman year, I have wanted to take a photography class but all of my required classes seemed to be scheduled for the same time. Our first assignment was to do a self portrait and to play with reflections, this is what I came up with.

Kind of fun, right? I was pretty excited when the idea came to mind.
 
I am also starting to tutor with Professor Tronsky again! Such a fun and positive experience.  The tutors work with his psychology class once a week.  I am also doing some private tutoring which will be a wonderful experience. I am really looking forward to work with all of these students.