Finals Week: Discovering Durick's Den and Study Breaks

Finals week is a very stressful week. There's a lot of studying to do in order to make sure you're prepared for your exam, but it doesn't mean that there aren't fun things around campus to do for a nice study break.

For example, last Saturday, comedian John Hodgman came to SMC. He was really funny and he made sure to engage the students in his jokes. At one point, he had 4 volunteers come up to the stage to read off a script. Fortunately, I was one of the four volunteers. It was a cool experience, and since I'm in the Programming Committee for Student Association, I was able to talk to him, get his autograph, and get a picture with him after the show. It was a great break from preparing for finals!

with comedian John Hodgman

So after the comedian, it was back to studying for the finals I had. This semester, my finals schedule was pretty manageable. I had only two in class finals today and Tuesday, and I'll be taking my last final on Friday. This round of finals, I've found my new place for studying in groups: Durick's Den. Durick's Den is in the lower level of the library, and it's filled with vending machines, sofas, booths, and chairs. It just has an overall really chill feel to it. Not to mention, the school has been providing cookies, tea, coffee, and hot chocolate for free during finals week in Durick's Den. Snack breaks are the best breaks because who doesn't love food?

Speaking of food, going to Alliot keeps me sane during finals week. It's good to just de-stress and hang out with friends. There were crayons on the tables last night for de-stressing and bringing out our inner child to draw and just have fun.

what my friend Brianna drew

Hope everyone has a good rest of finals week and remember...

MJD Major: Bergeron, Classes, and More!

I had a feeling that I wanted to be a Counseling Psychologist the moment I took my first Psychology class in high school. I really liked the idea of helping people out and in a way, saving them from their problems. So, I came to Saint Michael's as a Psychology major, in the hopes that I could one day be the female version of Dr. Phil.

I took General Psychology my first semester of freshmen year, along with Media Revolutions. I was so inspired by Media Revolutions that I decided to change my major to Media Studies, Journalism, and Digital Arts.Total 180 right? Well, not necessarily. The subject of Psychology was introduced to me around my junior year of high school, but writing and designing were always constants in my life.

In my elementary school yearbook, I wrote that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. I loved reading and writing books (okay, more like jotting down some ideas). Since I was only 11, I decided that maybe it was too early to begin my career as an author. I started writing poetry instead. I never thought about sharing my poems with anyone until I saw a submission for Girls Life Magazine. Without any hesitation, I submitted my poem. Immediately, Girls Life responded back to me and told me that they were going to publish my poem in their magazine. It was great to see that girls my age could see my poem and possibly relate to it. I believed that being a psychologist was the only way I could help people, but this poem made me realize that I could help people out by writing too.

The phrase "mother like daughter" is applicable for my interest in designing. As a web designer, my mom was usually working in Adobe programs. Intrigued by the programs, I asked her to show me how to do certain things, particularly in Photoshop. While my friends were using sites like Picnik and Photobucket for pictures, I was using Photoshop to adjust color levels and re-size images.

With that, I officially changed my major second semester of last year and I also declared a minor in Psychology. The Psychology minor still allows me to take certain classes that I was interested in before coming here. Either next Fall or when I return from study abroad, I want to take Sports Psychology with Dave Landers (who I've heard is great) and Psychology of Relationships and Marriages.


I'm also excited about taking more MJD classes. So far, I've already taken Media Revolutions, Digital Media, and Media Law and Ethics.

Media Revolutions with Professor Griffth: 

• learn about the history of media like television and radio
• do a group project about scenarios as if you were a Public Relations Representative
• connect other subjects like Psychology and Sociology to media
• go to Vermont Public Television on North Campus and see the television studio

Digital Media with Professor Swope:

• learn the basics of Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Illustrator
• read interesting articles and books about how technology plays a role in society
• create your own website in Dreamweaver
• create animations in Illustrator
• go on a technology fast for a week without your phone, e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook (it was an extra credit assignment, but it was still really interesting to see life without technology)
• combine pieces of images together to create one whole image (as seen below)

 Media Law and Ethics with Professor Griffth;

• learn about the First Amendment, specifically freedom of press
• learn about the court systems and the legal processes
• participate in discussions about ethics, libel, copyright, privacy, obscenity, etc.
• listen to guest speakers talk about their careers. Matt Valerio, the Defender General of Vermont, came this semester.
• present a project about an ethical dilemma that journalists face. We had to contact magazines and newspapers like the New York Times and ABC News to get this information.
• attend an arraignment at the Vermont District Court in Burlington for a project. It seemed like an unusual assignment, but it was fun and interesting to see law in action.
  
  

The Bergeron Center is where the MJD classes are. It is a lovely place for many reasons:
1) It is located right next to the tennis courts. 

Photoshopped image, although I do love tennis!

2) It is conveniently right near where I live this year (Pontigny Hall)
3) It is a building primarily for the Journalism Department. Whether you're there for a class or a project, you'll always see Journalism professors and students.  
4) All of the computers in the labs have the Adobe software programs installed.

another Photoshopped image of me casually standing on the tables in the labs

5) It is my second home on campus.


Overall, I'm really happy that I am a MJD major. There are so many opportunities that are offered through the major like working for the school newspaper or doing internships around the area. Now, what exactly do I want to do as MJD major? Right now, I am thinking about possibly doing something in Social Media Marketing or Television. I am looking forward to taking Broadcast TV and Video Story and Social Media Theory (a new addition to the program) and interning over the summer to figure out more about what I want to do.


Have questions about MJD? Psych? Tweet @laurenmazzz or e-mail me at lmazzoleni@mail.smcvt.edu

When You Don't Ski or Snowboard in VT

Going to school in Vermont brings up the question: Do you ski or snowboard? Well, fun facts about myself: I'm from New England, I hate the cold, and I don't ski or snowboard. "Wait, you go to school in Vermont and you don't ski/snowboard?" is often the response I get. Yes, it is possible to avoid hitting the slopes in the winter time if it's not your thing. There are still other fun things to do on the weekend around campus and the Burlington area.

Around Campus

• Watch movies: After a long week of classes, it's great to relax and watch movies with friends. If you brought movies that you've already seen multiple times and you want something new, check out the wide selection of DVDs at the library.
• Watch SMC sports games. Basketball games are very popular to go to around campus. Also, our hockey games are at an off campus rink, but people still go a lot to cheer on our team.
• Go on a Wilderness trip. The Wilderness Program offers trips throughout the year at a very low cost. During the winter time, you learn how to snowshoe or alpine climb through the trips that they provide. 
• Attend other on campus events: There is an e-mail that is sent out that explains all the weekend events. Last Friday, there was Jibfest, which is where the Ski and Snowboard Club build a ramp in the 300s field and skiiers and snowboarders compete to show off their skills.

Jibfest

     
 Next Saturday, John Hodgman (the Mac/PC guy) is coming to SMC as our Fall comedian. There are also many other things highlighted in the e-mail like events that RAs put on and events in Burlington. 

Around Burlington

• Head over to Church Street: Church Street is perfect for shopping, dining, and seeing a movie (as you can tell, I love movies.) 
• Go Ice Skating. The rink in South Burlington occasionally has a free skate. Last year, I went with my friends and even though I'm a pretty terrible ice skater, it was still fun!

Ice skating action shot

•  Go to Higher Ground. Higher Ground is a music and comedy venue about 10-15 minutes away from campus. Artists like All American Rejects, Mumford and Sons, Macklemore, and Switchfoot have came to HG.

• Go to Flynn Center. SMC has a cultural pass for students that allows them to attend performances at the Flynn.

Even though I'm not a skiier or snowboarder, I still buy a Smuggler's Notch Pass for $30 each year just in case my mind might change.

Recent Events

Things have been pretty hectic between doing homework, planning for study abroad (hopefully Ireland!), and packing to go home for Thanksgiving break. Here are some things I've done recently when I've had the time to chill:


Pizza Putt! I wrote a blog post about how awesome Pizza Putt is. It's always a great time to embrace your inner child and play laser tag, arcade games, and mini golf. Not to mention that SMC hosts a night where you pay 5 dollars for 20 game credits, unlimited mini golf laser tag, and pizza.

Brendan and Jeremy playing games (photo cred: Lauren Loy)

Internship Meeting! It's never too early to start thinking about non-academic or academic internships. Last Tuesday, I attended an information session that provided details about specific internships. I learned a little bit more about how academic internships work and how you need to set them up with Career Development prior to beginning your internship. What was great about the session was that Career Development gave us links to reliable job sites and tips on how to go about applying for certain jobs.

Alliot Thanksgiving!!! Sooo I actually didn't attend Alliot Thanksgiving this year, which yes, was extremely sad, but instead, I got to spend a lovely time with my mom who came up to visit. Alliot Thanksgiving is one of the biggest events of the year though. It kind of reminds me of Black Friday because there's a long line outside of the dining hall as everyone is waiting to get served great food (instead of getting discounts off of items.)

Mother/Daughter bonding time! My mom spontaneously visited last Wednesday which was great! I haven't seen her since the October break, so it was good to see her again. It made me really look forward to go home for Thanksgiving break!

Pitch Perfect! It's been a while since I've been to the Roxy theater to go see a movie. Alex and I decided to go see Pitch Perfect last night and it was hilarious! I totally recommend going to see it. Without giving too too much away, below is a clip from the movie.
      Hiking Mount Philo! To switch up my Sunday routine a little bit, I went on a hike to Mount Philo with a couple of my friends.   

View at the top of the mountain!

  That about wraps up my week of fun filled events. Hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving!

Schedule for Next Semester

Just thirty minutes ago, I hit the submit button to register for classes and hoped that I would get in all of them. The odds were in my favor because there were many available spots for my classes. I got all of the classes I wanted! Wooohoo!

Here's my schedule for next semester:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 11:00AM - 12:05PM
Christianity: Past and Present

Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:15PM - 01:20PM
History of Modern Ireland

Tuesday, Thursday 09:45AM - 11:20AM
Perception

Tuesday, Thursday 03:00PM - 04:35PM
Global Communications

Post- LEAP & Why I Love SMC Even More

When I stepped on campus for the first time, I immediately understood why I liked Saint Mike's. I knew just by the beautiful campus and the warm, welcoming people that Saint Mike's was the right place for me.

When I arrived on campus the first day for orientation, several orientation leaders were chanting my name as me and my family were pulling in. Right away, all the fears I originally had went out the window. I no longer feared about being alone in college or missing my family because little did I know, I was going to be creating my own family here at Saint Mike's.

As a tour guide, I'm often asked, "How's the community at Saint Mike's?" What may come across as an easy question to some people is one of the most difficult questions for me to answer on a tour. Multiple instances come to my mind to explain how Saint Mike's is a great community, but it's hard to construct all of these instances into a couple of sentences. The truth is, I could probably go on for multiple hours about explaining every single instance, but I'll name a couple that really stood out to me.

1) Having my professors tell me that they read my blog. Recently. my Philosophy and Children's Literature told me that they started to read my blog. It meant a lot that my teachers were willing to get to know me in and outside of the class. It just goes to show that they care a lot, which leads me to my next two points..
2) Meeting outside of school with my professors. Professors have pretty good office hours so you can meet with them outside of class to talk with them. If you cannot meet when they have office hours, they are generous enough to set up another time that works around your schedule. I recently met with my First Year Seminar teacher to talk about Study abroad recommendations and future plans. For my first year seminar, I took the Examined Life, where we wrote memoirs to help us do some self-reflecting. My teacher and I not only talked about future plans, but he also wanted to follow up on how the things that I wrote about were doing. It was awesome to see how much he remembered about my papers and how much he cared about how I was doing.
3) Being sick and having professors and classmates/friends check up on you. Last year, it felt like I was sick so many times that Health Services basically knew me on a first and last name basis. Luckily, I wasn't sick to the extent that I had to miss a lot of classes. For the classes I did miss, I sent my teachers e-mails letting them know about my absence. Instead of a simple feel better response via e-mails, my teachers extended it further by providing me with the notes and asking me if I needed anything. When I returned back to class, my teachers and classmates continued to ask how I was feeling to make sure I was better.
4) Going to a concert at Higher Ground and getting a ride back from someone who goes to SMC. The great thing about SMC is that everyone is always so willing to help someone out no matter what it is. I went to Higher Ground last year with a couple of my friends and we all didn't have a car to drive back. We were expecting to take the cab back, but then someone from SMC, who also went to the show, offered to give me and my friends back since she knew we were from there. Just a little thing like that speaks loud volumes.
5) Losing my Knight card so many times and always having it returned back to me. This may be another silly little thing, but it's good to know how kind people are to pick up my Knight card and return it to me immediately. It's also good for me because if my Knight card never got returned back to me, I have a very, very big bill from the Knight card office to pay so it saves me a few bucks!


and the newest addition to the list, which I must thank Alex for since she sponsored me on the trip..
6) Going on LEAP. What exactly is LEAP? Well, without giving too much away (since there are a lot of great surprises), LEAP is a Christian retreat (although you don't need to be Christian) that is built upon talks and fun activities that explore your religious thoughts and feelings. To me, LEAP goes beyond that general description. I got the opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new friends. With no concept of time throughout the process (because we could not bring cell phones or any other technology), I focused on living life in the now. I think the best part out of the whole entire weekend is finding out that when you're never alone because you have multiple communities that will continuously care about you and help you out. The people I met this weekend are just another community that I have within my communities. To see my LEAP community care about me with only knowing me for a weekend shows just how strong the SMC community really is.

The LEAP song and just to rise everyone's spirits up:

Ambassador Housing

Eight person suites include two bathrooms, a living room with couches and tables, eight single rooms, a refrigerator and microwave, and typically, eight suitemates to fill up all the single rooms. But, with my living situation this year, it's a little bit different. As I showed you all earlier through my video tour, I am fortunate enough to live in pretty "suite" housing. Most students go through the general lottery system to get housing, but me and my friend Lhanzi went through a separate lottery system for Ambassador Housing. The Ambassador Housing Program allows American students to host International students who are currently enrolled in the Applied Linguistics Department.

I started off this year with 5 other suitemates, leaving 2 open rooms in our suite. Two of my other suitemates are American students who also went through the Ambassador Housing lottery that me and Lhanzi did. My other two suitemates are Barbara and Suyeon. Barbara is from Venezuela, and unfortunately, she only was in the program for a short specific amount of time, so she went back to Venezuela in late September. It was interesting learning about the Venezuelan culture from her (including making a Venezuelan dish in the kitchen on our floor). On the other hand, Suyeon will be living in our suite all year, which is awesome!

from left to right: Barbara, me, Lhanzi. Also, Brendan and Adam in the back photobombing the picture

 

 

 

With our suite still having open rooms, we will spontaneously be getting other suitemates through the Ambassador Program. I just received an e-mail the other day saying how we're getting a suitemate from China, so I can't wait! So far, it's been a great experience learning about other cultures. Through my suitemates, I've also had the chance to meet a lot of international students from other countries such as China and Korea. 

From left to right: Oriana, Valentina, Johan, Barbara, Tan Wai, me, Lhanzi.