In which I share the reminders I have to tell myself whenever I get stressed (also, that cough I mentioned turned out to be the flu … stay healthy everyone!)

Try something new this week!

That’s a bit of a vague statement, isn’t it? Where would you even start on a campus with such a wide variety of activities and niches as ours? What if you’re a junior like me, and you’re already comfortable with how your life runs?

Here’s my personal example: This past week, I got a “real” coffee from Einstein’s, the little coffee and snack shop in our library. I know that doesn’t seem like much of an excursion, but hear me out. I truly dislike all hot beverages, and coffee – while it smells wonderful – does not taste good to me. What kind of college student doesn’t like coffee? This one.

But, the other day, I was encouraged by a friend to branch out and try what she called a “cafe mocha.” I have no idea what was in it, but I repeated those exact words to the barista and smiled confidently. AND, it was actually good. I enjoyed it (though I burned my tongue at the first sip).

So, this is me encouraging you to try something you thought you’d never like. Who knows, your tastes just may change!

Being a theater major, there is always a lot going on that can distract me from fully committing myself to my classes. With all the extracurricular things like auditions and rushing for Alpha Psi Omega, the national theater honor society, classes can be the last thing on my mind. However, I’m glad to be in a department that values classes over extracurricular activities.

When you are taking all theater classes you can get overwhelmed by just how much there is to do. The other day I realized not only am I learning lines for a scene in my acting class, but I’m also learning a Shakespearean monologue for my actor’s voice class, reading a new play a week for my playwriting and theater history classes, and working on projects and studying for tests in my costume history class. When you add being cast in a show, “Tartuffe,” and all the preparation for that show, it’s easy to get lost in all the work.

But like any other person who is swamped in work, you quickly learn the importance of having priorities. When you know what things take precedence over others you can easily achieve in your classes. Knowing that sometimes you will have to sacrifice hanging out with friends and having a social life to get things done is a part of taking responsibility for yourself and ensuring that you will do well in your classes.

This semester has really just begun and the best way to make sure you have a successful semester is to make sure you start off the right way.

Flexibility.

That’s been one of the key lessons I’ve learned so far in college: things won’t always go as planned, but it’s necessary to roll with the punches. I suppose all of life could fall under that advice, but I think it’s especially pertinent to college students.

What did I do today when my plans for lunch fell through? I decided to work my way through the Trible Library, making conversation with all the friends I could find. In Einstein’s alone, I chatted with old friends from high school and a new friend I met literally earlier this week. And, I sat for awhile at the IT services desk – not because my computer’s Wi-Fi needed fixing – but because the students working happened to both be close friends of mine.

There are days when nothing happens as it’s supposed to. But, those times can still be memorable. Make the most of the opportunities before you, and be flexible. You won’t regret it!

Playing college sports was truly one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. When I started playing lacrosse in middle school, I had no idea of the journey this sport would take me on. After all, I just wanted to hit people. Once I began developing a passion for the game a new goal popped into my mind, and after years of work I found myself lacing up my cleats on the Captains Turf Field here at CNU. The first couple months were basically all punishment and no reward as we constantly trained. Early morning lifting and afternoon conditioning became unbearable without an opponent to take your frustrations out on. Spring finally came around and we began preparing for actual games instead of measly scrimmages. Then, it was game day. Even though we had been training and practicing all fall and spring for this moment, I somehow felt unprepared. Being a freshman I knew I wouldn’t see much of the field, but I was terrified all the same. My heart pounded as we lined up outside of our locker room, preparing to take the field. The pounding only increased when the first whistle ripped through the air. This feeling of adrenaline and excitement continued through every game whether I was on the sidelines or playing. The road to participating in college athletics was long, strenuous and time consuming, but I wouldn’t trade those experiences on and off the field for anything.

Honor is often talked about in cheesy ways before great battles or pivotal moments in movies, but we take it to a further degree of seriousness on our campus. Our entire community is centered around honor and academic honesty. Obviously, cheating and plagiarism are examples of academic dishonesty, but a high standard of integrity is also expected outside of the classroom. Violating the honor code at CNU in any capacity can bring about serious repercussions, including expulsion. We expect honor to be upheld in all aspects of life here. Our intramural sports, for example, can and will kick you out for certain behaviors seen as hurtful to the community. The environment that our honor code has created on campus is truly unique and creates a place of trust and respect.

In which I brag about CNU and the amazing academics here

Leadership can be a tricky concept to define. It’s relatively easy to notice in those around you, but what exactly are you noticing? Are there physical characteristics or social qualities that automatically make someone a leader?

I was accepted into the President’s Leadership Program (PLP) before entering CNU. To be honest, I had a pretty strong pre-conceived notion of what made a leader and what didn’t. Sure, I had held leadership positions in high school, but I wasn’t loud or extremely outgoing. I wondered if PLP was a place where my type of leadership would be recognized.

After being in PLP for over two years, I can say I’ve had the chance to meet fellow students with every leadership type you could imagine. Servant leaders, charismatic leaders, follower-oriented leaders. And, I’ve seen them reach out to our campus to engage it wherever their leadership best fits. I’m a relational leader, so I’ve enjoyed co-leading a small group for a campus ministry; friends of mine have seen success as orientation leaders and Summer Leadership Adventure Program facilitators, E-board members of their Greek organizations, and captains of their intramural sports teams.

At CNU, there’s a place for all forms of leadership. I found mine, and I get the opportunity to see others discover theirs each day.

What an exciting two weeks for Greek life here at CNU!

Last week began and concluded sorority formal recruitment, and this week and next we have fraternity recruitment.

It is such an exciting opportunity on our campus to get involved with Greek life and see what positive things it has to offer aside from the stereotypes and myths we all have heard.

I luckily am able to speak about this from a personal (and fantastic) experience! I am a sister of Phi Mu here at CNU, and had the opportunity to serve as a recruitment counselor this past week. I worked with a group of about 30 women going through recruitment and did what I could to help them through the weekend and to help them realize which organization they would find their home in. During this time, I was completely disaffiliated from my organization in order to remain unbiased. While this was extremely rewarding on the potential new member side, it also proved to me how much my organization, and Greek life in general, has meant to me.

Greek life at CNU Is a whole different ball game than what we witness in the media. Greek life here has meaning, and places value in each and every member. These men and women are looking for an organization to better themselves, to challenge them and to make a difference on campus.

That in itself is enough of a reason to be excited about Greek life and how it is constantly growing and constantly being sought out by passionate students looking for a different kind of involvement. Working with women from all different organizations really proved to me how cohesive our Greek community is. While we all may have our different, organization-specific values and bonds, we all come together under the same roof to work towards the same goals of philanthropy, sisterhood or brotherhood, and campus involvement.

While they are definitely not the only ones on campus, members of our Greek community are student workers, volunteers, RAs, student directors, crew leaders, athletes – the list goes on and on. Being a part of such a special Greek community is not only a choice, but a privilege that should not be taken lightly.

We are here to be the change on how others perceive Greek life.

We are here to make a difference on our campus.

We are here to be better versions of ourselves.

So, welcome to Greek life to all the new members – may your experience be as positive and rewarding as mine!

What do you think of when you hear the word “service”?  Do you think of serving the homeless, or collecting cans for a food drive? In my opinion, service is completely subjective. It can be direct or indirect, but every bit of service is helpful. Like most people, I grew up learning the importance of serving others. I would help out at church, and one year my family and I delivered Christmas presents to less fortunate families in the area.

Here at CNU, I am a Bonner Service Scholar and I regularly work with the elderly community – about 10 hours a week. I have learned a lot of skills aside from just the issues surrounding the aging population: time management, how to write a press release and conducting surveys. A lot of people get overwhelmed with the unknown that is attached to “service.”  What kind of people will you be working with? Are they sick?  Will they think I’m helpful?  What if I don’t even make a difference or just get in the way?

It isn’t always easy to set aside the time to give back to the community, so how can you make it easier on yourself? One way is to be a part of something that excites you!

If you love animals, then maybe working with the elderly isn’t for you, but you could try to get involved at the SPCA or another animal shelter. If you love kids or want to have a future in education, then maybe after-school tutoring or a Big Brother/Big Sister program would best suit you.

Service means different things to different people. It may take you a while to figure out what exactly it means to you and how you want to use service to make a difference, but don’t stop trying. Be open to different service opportunities, even when they may not seem to be a perfect match. No matter the experience you will always be learning and growing from your failures and your successes.That is the best way to find your niche – and you will be helping people along the way!