Mardi Gras! Africa Night! RecycleMania!

(I did my Mardi Gras glitter mask all by myself)

Hey hey friends! Time flies by so fast when you're busy, working hard and having fun. I got quite a bit of studying done this week, as well as some fun extra adventures. Last night was Mardi Gras, and I am on the Student Traditions and Activities Board (STAB) so I was volunteering to help make the event happen. It was so much fun and we had a really good turn out. On Bourbon Street there were dancers, contortionists, psychics, musicians, and face painting, there were bands from LA and Phoenix on the next floor, a DJ and dance, and an illusionist. On the third floor in the Skyroom we had a casino with chips and everything. Our highest roller got 121,650 in chips and won an ipod touch, the second and third place winners got an ipod nano and a digital camera.

         The Aggie Recyclers and the USU Sustainability council kicked off Recyclemania this week. We are competing with 5 other colleges around to see who can recycle the most. We had information tables set up, and documentary going, fun recycling games, and free Aggie Ice Cream in exchange for a recycling pledge. We had a good turn out and got the word out to encourage people to engage in the competition and recycle.

        But my favorite event this week was definitely Africa Night! The African Students Association put on a really great night of traditional food, dancing, clothing, and music. It was so great and I met so many new friends. I met a friend from Ghana and told him how I was going to Ghana for a study abroad and he told me all about it and taught me some useful phrases in Twi, like εtε sεn? (how are you). It was great and I really enjoyed it!

Long weekend baby!

The week of love has passed and gone, and I spent Valentine's Day babysitting (which I am totally fine with...) I live in Salt Lake, so for this long weekend (President's Day) I decided to catch a ride home with one of my friends to spend some time with my family. This week was also BSU (Black Student Union) week and some of the events included a Gumbo Cookout, Black Out Loud, and a the Black Student Union also hosted its annual “Black and White Affair” soul food dinner Friday. The dinner included a variety of soul food and entertainment. The New York-based slam poetry group Words with a Pulse was SO amazing! Two guys kind of rapped/sang poetry and it was really powerful and moving. Wow!

Black Student Union is an organization established to promote a higher level of Black consciousness, advancement and mutual understanding among all cultures and people. BSU serves to provide information to its members and raise cultural awareness within the community at large.

'In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. - Martin Luther King, Jr.'

Aggies 23-0 woo!

Hey friends! Can you believe it? Yet another week has passed and the Aggies are still 23-0 in basketball. Phenomenal! But last night after the game, there was an after party at the Fun Park. There was a free dance, laser tagging, bowling and fun all over the place! After we got our groove on, my friends and I went to Village Inn for some sustenance. This week went by really quickly, from test to quiz to papers, dance practices, eating, and maybe even a little bit of sleeping ;) but it was great.

It was also really cool this week academically. In my college, the college of natural resources, when we are looking to hire a new professor the students are invited to meet the candidates, hear about their research, and even have lunch or dinner with them along with some other faculty or grad students. This week there were two candidates that came and presented their research. I had to opportunity to meet and have lunch with Dr. Brian Fisher and attend both of his presentations about climate change and social justice issues in Tuvalu. It was really awesome! I think it is great how the students are able to be a part of that and that the college cares what we think of the people that will be our professors. I love Utah State! :)

Rallying at the State Capitol

Hey friends! So I was definitely on the news like 5 times on Friday. There was a huge rally at the capitol for students around the state in support of higher education. Some state senators and representatives spoke to us on the front steps (there was tons of media coverage.) After, we went into the House and Senate chambers and wrote notes to the wonderful people who represent us as students and told them how we feel about the quality of our education at Utah State and how much it matters to us. There was a really good turn out of students from Utah State. We had two tour buses that went down for the rally and we had a really good time. The entire week was a week of activism. We had a rally in the Hub (where everyone eats lunch), after the basketball game we had a party where we made posters and signs and wrote our senators to prepare for the big day at the capitol. But I feel that students of higher education are the future of this state. we are the future leaders, voters, and taxpayers here. Higher education is one of the most valuable investments the state can make. For every $1 invested into higher education, the state sees $7 in return. It is beautiful! I love this school so much and my education here means so much to me. You will most certainly get an awesome education when you come here :)

CRAZY.....

This has been a bit of a crazy week, but that's ok, crazy is exciting right? But I finally got my laptop back from the shop. My hard drive crashed and of course I didn't back all of my files up, but at least it didn't happen in the middle of the semester or something. So NOW that I have my computer I am just grateful to have it back. The computer labs on campus saved my life! Each semester we get free print outs and you can get into any of the computer labs that are all around campus with just your student ID card. I was still able to all of my homework done and it wasn't too much of a hassle not having my laptop.

I'm working on my study abroad applications and meeting with my study abroad advisor. The Study Abroad Office has been such a great resource to me as I have been deciding my plans for studying abroad. I'm getting super psyched for the Study Abroad Fair. (I'll tell you more about that later...)
This week I also got my Aggie Blue Bike! What is that? Aggie Blue Bikes is a resource on campus from which any student can simply borrow a bike for free for the semester. All you need is your ID and a bike lock and they provide you with earth friendly t
ransportation to get you around campus. Not only does it save you the trouble of buying a bike or transporting yours from home, it saves the environment when you bike instead of drive. ABB is associated with Americorps and they are dedicated to helping the environment by promoting biking rather than driving. Once you check out your bike, Aggie Blue Bikes will fix it and teach you how to do do it yoursel for F R E E. Few people know about this awesome resource though, so make sure when you come to Utah State you get a free bike for a semester! Mine is a really cute cruiser and I love it :D

Epic!

As you all know this has been an important week. It was so exciting to have the new president inaugurated. During the day all throughout the TSC (Taggart Student Center) in the main lounge and in the ballroom the Inauguration proceedings were broadcast. Students and faculty, random passersby, whoever, we all watched the new president be inaugurated. It was really cool.
Not only that, but it was a long weekend because of Human Rights day (Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday), what could make this week better? The Arts and Lectures Committee had guest lecturer Kirk Bloodswirth, who was sentenced to death row for a rape and a murder he didn't commit. In 1993, he was exonerated by DNA evidence. His case was the first capital conviction to be overturned in the United States. Now at the helm of The Justice Project in Washington, DC, Kirk is now an advocate and a leader in criminal justice reform. And everyone at USU was able hear him speak and share his story at the TSC Ballroom. We had the opportunity to ask him questions and even shake his hand. It was definitely cool.
The Polynesian Student Union is just starting up dance practices for our big luau coming up in the spring. It sure is exciting!

Spring 2009 Here I Come!

So my friends, it is the beginning of a new year and a new semester and I am determined to work hard to meet my goals for the coming year. Not only is it a new year, but I am now a year older (cause I am really cool and my birthday is New Years...yep January first!) There is always a party, and everyone remembers it is my birthday, so it's pretty sweet. But now that the long needed winter break is over (which was very fun) it is time to get to work.
It is the beginning of a new semester and I really like my classes. I'm so excited to learn new things and meet new people. This year I am going to get up a little bit earlier, be more balanced, and make the most out of each day by using my time wisely.
The other night I went skiing at "The Beav" (or Beaver Mountain) and it was so much fun! Just about 45 minutes and you're there! There was sweet powder and lots of fun people. Regardless of if you board or ski, it's a fun place to be.
Right now I am working on my study abroad applications so I'll let you know how that goes.
Welcome back Aggies to the Spring semester!