Hey readers!
So I'm sitting in the computer lab in Jeanmarie 288 (my favorite study spot, as many of you might know), finally getting to another blog post--it's been a while!
I've been quite busy with working in Admissions during the week and having shenanigans with my buddies on weekends. My Vermont summer is just flying by! Despite the rain, I've had tons of fun, and I'm glad I chose to stay here for the summer. It's nice to be able to spend some extra time at Saint Mike's, especially since I won't be here come Spring 2014.
"Hold up...what?"
Yeah, you read it right. I will only be spending the fall term of this year in Vermont. Fear not, readers, I will be back for my whole senior year, and I will also be blogging even during my absence from SMC. And you'll probably want to keep reading while I'm away, because I'll be blogging to you from MOROCCO!
That's right, I've been accepted to the SIT Study Abroad program in Rabat! I am SO stoked. While I'm there, I'll be doing research and working with Round Earth Media to create a journalistic piece, either in print or multimedia. And I'm staying with a host family. And taking classes. Oh, and learning Arabic.
Basically, my life is the best ever. Except for that I'm also slightly terrified. But I think it's healthy to be a little nervous! After all, Saint Mike's is my home away from home, and now I will have to create a new home away from home...away from home (did ya follow that?)
Anyway, I could talk about all of the emotions I have about it all day, but I won't. All I can say is that I'm so glad the application process and waiting period is over. It's like a weight off my shoulders! I have a destination, and nothing can stop me now. :)
So that was the big news, but I have something else for you too! As an Admissions intern, I get to do some pretty fun stuff, including giving tours every day. However, I have been working with Darcy and Sarah, the other two students in my office, and we've teamed up with Marketing interns Dom and Kathryn to create a summer video series! It's called First Year Fridays, and it's a continuation of the series that was filmed last summer. These informational videos are made specifically with incoming first-year students in mind so that we can tell you useful things about living at Saint Mike's and the opportunities that are offered in the Burlington area. If you want to learn more about the life of your average SMC student, definitely check out these videos, as well as last year's ones too! You can find them all on the SMC Youtube channel.
Here's the latest video (sorry, Blogger is having some trouble letting me embed videos today): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx0-6fC8NXg
I hope you're all having a great summer. See you soon!
-Lauren
Monday, July 8, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
MOVE Trip 2013: CRST Reservation, South Dakota
As most of you know, I've been avoiding this post for a while. I'm not totally sure why--I think it's just that I still don't know how to put this experience into words strong enough for anyone who wasn't there to understand the meaning. But that's the incredible thing about extended service trips with MOVE in the first place: nobody can ever fully understand it except for the people who were there with you at the time. That goes for every trip, every year. Even groups that go to the same place year after year do not have the same experience as the last group.
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, MOVE is Saint Michael's College's volunteer program, and it stands for Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts. MOVE has tons of programs that run on a regular basis throughout the year, from weekly events throughout the local community to extended service trips both domestically and internationally. Last year, as a first-year student, I went to Beaumont, Texas over my winter break and spent a week at the Big Thicket National Preserve, where my group learned about biodiversity and environmental protection and helped plant trees and take care of the preserve. For my second MOVE trip, which I got home from about three weeks ago now, I did something drastically different. I joined ten others from Saint Mike's for a trip out to South Dakota and into the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, to the town of La Plant. We volunteered to work with a non-profit group called Simply Smiles, and spent the week staying in their community center. Our group was a "guinea pig group" for MOVE, as last year was the first time MOVE ever went out to the reservation and it was a group made up entirely of student leaders who had led other MOVE trips in the past. This year was the first time this trip was open to all students to apply for. Luckily, we were pretty much the best group in the history of MOVE trips (please don't let the bias in this sentence make you be skeptical about the rest of this post...)
The reservation belongs to the Lakota people, whose roots trace back through generations to this land. As my group entered the reservation, the Simply Smiles staff reminded us that we were no longer in South Dakota or "in America" as we knew it. We were guests in someone else's place, and had to be respectful of that. Simply Smiles had been welcomed into the La Plant community a few years ago, and they were given the community center to work out of. They had been honored to gain the trust and respect of the people in the community, and paid it back with an equal amount of trust and respect. The reason for Simply Smiles' presence on the reservation is because it is an area of extreme poverty, with little infrastructure to help people survive. La Plant is a very isolated area, and people often have to fend for themselves.
Simply Smiles is "dedicated to building bright futures while improving the daily lives of impoverished children." It sounds like a general mission statement, but what it means is that it's taking on a lot of work and tackling several issues at once. That's why it's important to move slowly but steadily, and to make sure things are done correctly. The organization has had some success with their ongoing program in Oaxaca, Mexico, where they began. The CRST project is the first domestic project taken on by Simply Smiles, and they're the only outside group with a presence on the reservation.
So that's a lot of talking, but it's good to have some context before I launch into the whole story. We did a lot throughout our week on the reservation, but the best and most important thing we did by far was make connections. Despite everything else--the hardships, the poverty, the lack of resources or anything material--the best thing we could do for this community is show the people there that they are not alone. We ran a summer camp for the children in the community and spent time playing with them, laughing with them, and just getting to know them. The philosophy of Simply Smiles is that if we made one person smile each day, we were succeeding. Because when faced with so much struggle, it's difficult to smile.
Not only did we spend time with the kids, but we also got to know many adults and elders within La Plant as well. We helped Simply Smiles host a few community gatherings throughout the week, including bingo night, waffle breakfasts, and bison buger barbecues. As we sat down to eat with the elders, they would tell us about life in La Plant or teach us about Lakota culture. One of the highlights of the week was when Steve, a prominent member of the community, led a drumming ceremony for our group and told us about the meaning behind each of the songs they played. It was really great to see some of the younger boys learning how to use the drum, showing pride in their heritage and carrying on some magnificent traditions around our bonfire. We were all really happy to be included in the community, and to have been greeted with such a warm welcome.
During the mornings, when we were not holding summer camp, we'd work on projects that needed to be done around the community center or within the town. We helped finish renovating the kitchen of the community center, a project that had been started by previous volunteer groups, and some of us helped start a community garden.
One major goal for Simply Smiles on the reservation is to help provide adequate housing for everyone in the community. The climate in South Dakota allows for extreme weather, with incredibly hot temperatures in the later summer months and winter temperatures that can reach negative 50 degrees. The wind is incredibly strong when it rolls over the plains--I've never experienced anything like it. I can't imagine what that wind is like in the winter. And many people on the reservation live in homes that simply cannot protect them enough from this weather.
So, as part of our project for the week, we helped set up for what would be the first Simply Smiles-facilitated home construction project on the CRST reservation. These affordably-priced homes were designed by the people living on the reservation, who know better than anyone else the exact issues to consider when building them. The community members also help build the homes, and by involving everyone in each project, people begin to come together and support each other.
Although our week was too short for us to see the construction for the new home begin, it was really great to know that we were helping to prepare the area where it would be built. This included helping our friend Steve move everything out of his current home and begin taking it down so that the new house could be built in its place. I've been following Simply Smiles on Facebook, and the foundation has been completed. I can't wait to see pictures of the whole thing when it's done. It is one big step in a series of thousands of smaller steps to help build up this community, both literally and figuratively.
I could spend hours talking about this one week of my life. I could go into much further detail about these incredible kids; the older community members who I had the pleasure of meeting; the amazing resilience of this one small community; Simply Smiles as a group; my wonderful MOVE group who have become great friends and are possibly the only ones who wouldn't mind listening to my constant rambling; and my ups and downs throughout the week that the rest of my group, and probably the community itself, felt as a whole. I could tell you about how I loved and hated everything about this place at the same time, and try to explain how something like that feels. I could tell you about each of the people behind the many friendship bracelets covering my wrists; or the fact that not a day goes by when that one week doesn't occupy my thoughts and free time; or that I do not just want to go back but feel the intense need to. I could try to describe all of the mixed feelings about that week to the best of my ability, despite the fact that there are things I still don't understand and probably never will. I could even apologize for the long post or the dramatic language, but I won't, because I truly believe that this trip deserves more attention than anything I've ever done. There are a lot of things I will keep to myself, simply because I don't know how to put them into words.
All I will say is that if you're still reading, and if any of this has struck a chord with you, then this trip is for you. You might buy Simply Smiles coffee or send a donation, but if that doesn't sit right with you and you feel that you need to do more, this trip is definitely for you. What Simply Smiles needs in order to work, and what this community needs, is people who care. People who will set their lives aside for a week at a time, people who will forget about their own wants or needs (including the need to know or understand everything and the luxury of indoor plumbing), people who don't mind getting their hands dirty or being challenged with something every step of the way. If you want to volunteer to do something that truly takes all of you, and that you don't do for the "rewarding" feeling afterward but simply because it's something that needs to be done, then volunteer with Simply Smiles.
If you go to Saint Mike's, you can apply for next year's MOVE group: when the semester begins again, pay attention to application due dates. Although all of the trips are equally awesome, definitely consider CRST Reservation, South Dakota as one of your picks. It's truly a dedication, but it's entirely worth it. If you've never been on a MOVE trip, all I can say is GO. I guarantee that whatever your qualms or reservations about it are, none of them are comparable to your reasons for going. Once you go on one, you'll want to go on all of them. They will change how you see the world.
If you didn't click on the links throughout the post, I would strongly advise going back through and exploring. They will describe some things I mentioned more clearly than I did. And if you're interested, check out the Simply Smiles blog to hear from more of the volunteer groups. My group wrote three while we were there; check them out:
First Saint Mike's MOVE Blog
MOVE's Wednesday Blog
Last SMC MOVE Blog
Whatever you do, give it everything you've got.
-Lauren
For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, MOVE is Saint Michael's College's volunteer program, and it stands for Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts. MOVE has tons of programs that run on a regular basis throughout the year, from weekly events throughout the local community to extended service trips both domestically and internationally. Last year, as a first-year student, I went to Beaumont, Texas over my winter break and spent a week at the Big Thicket National Preserve, where my group learned about biodiversity and environmental protection and helped plant trees and take care of the preserve. For my second MOVE trip, which I got home from about three weeks ago now, I did something drastically different. I joined ten others from Saint Mike's for a trip out to South Dakota and into the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation, to the town of La Plant. We volunteered to work with a non-profit group called Simply Smiles, and spent the week staying in their community center. Our group was a "guinea pig group" for MOVE, as last year was the first time MOVE ever went out to the reservation and it was a group made up entirely of student leaders who had led other MOVE trips in the past. This year was the first time this trip was open to all students to apply for. Luckily, we were pretty much the best group in the history of MOVE trips (please don't let the bias in this sentence make you be skeptical about the rest of this post...)
 |
| Here we are arriving in South Dakota, prepared for the Big Red Bus to take us to the reservation! None of these photos are mine--as I said before, I barely took any pictures. This was taken by Josh Dufresne, a Simply Smiles staff member. The rest of the photos are by Carlos Sian, a member of the MOVE group...although I'm sure some were from the kids playing with his camera! |
The reservation belongs to the Lakota people, whose roots trace back through generations to this land. As my group entered the reservation, the Simply Smiles staff reminded us that we were no longer in South Dakota or "in America" as we knew it. We were guests in someone else's place, and had to be respectful of that. Simply Smiles had been welcomed into the La Plant community a few years ago, and they were given the community center to work out of. They had been honored to gain the trust and respect of the people in the community, and paid it back with an equal amount of trust and respect. The reason for Simply Smiles' presence on the reservation is because it is an area of extreme poverty, with little infrastructure to help people survive. La Plant is a very isolated area, and people often have to fend for themselves.
 |
| The Community Center, looking on from the back entrance. |
 |
| Some of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen were in South Dakota...and I live in Vermont, so I know sunsets! |
Simply Smiles is "dedicated to building bright futures while improving the daily lives of impoverished children." It sounds like a general mission statement, but what it means is that it's taking on a lot of work and tackling several issues at once. That's why it's important to move slowly but steadily, and to make sure things are done correctly. The organization has had some success with their ongoing program in Oaxaca, Mexico, where they began. The CRST project is the first domestic project taken on by Simply Smiles, and they're the only outside group with a presence on the reservation.
So that's a lot of talking, but it's good to have some context before I launch into the whole story. We did a lot throughout our week on the reservation, but the best and most important thing we did by far was make connections. Despite everything else--the hardships, the poverty, the lack of resources or anything material--the best thing we could do for this community is show the people there that they are not alone. We ran a summer camp for the children in the community and spent time playing with them, laughing with them, and just getting to know them. The philosophy of Simply Smiles is that if we made one person smile each day, we were succeeding. Because when faced with so much struggle, it's difficult to smile.
Not only did we spend time with the kids, but we also got to know many adults and elders within La Plant as well. We helped Simply Smiles host a few community gatherings throughout the week, including bingo night, waffle breakfasts, and bison buger barbecues. As we sat down to eat with the elders, they would tell us about life in La Plant or teach us about Lakota culture. One of the highlights of the week was when Steve, a prominent member of the community, led a drumming ceremony for our group and told us about the meaning behind each of the songs they played. It was really great to see some of the younger boys learning how to use the drum, showing pride in their heritage and carrying on some magnificent traditions around our bonfire. We were all really happy to be included in the community, and to have been greeted with such a warm welcome.
During the mornings, when we were not holding summer camp, we'd work on projects that needed to be done around the community center or within the town. We helped finish renovating the kitchen of the community center, a project that had been started by previous volunteer groups, and some of us helped start a community garden.
 |
| Measuring and cutting wood for the kitchen. |
 |
| I wasn't involved in this project as I was helping out in the kitchen, but many hours (and memories!) were put into the garden. |
 |
| Some of the more artistic people in the group worked hard all week on the sign for the garden! |
 |
| Sometimes we had projects that had not been expected by anyone, including getting vehicles unstuck from the mud. |
One major goal for Simply Smiles on the reservation is to help provide adequate housing for everyone in the community. The climate in South Dakota allows for extreme weather, with incredibly hot temperatures in the later summer months and winter temperatures that can reach negative 50 degrees. The wind is incredibly strong when it rolls over the plains--I've never experienced anything like it. I can't imagine what that wind is like in the winter. And many people on the reservation live in homes that simply cannot protect them enough from this weather.
 |
| When it rains, the dry ground becomes what the locals call "gumbo": heavy, clumpy mud that sticks to your shoes. This kind of soil isn't very productive for agriculture...or walking... |
So, as part of our project for the week, we helped set up for what would be the first Simply Smiles-facilitated home construction project on the CRST reservation. These affordably-priced homes were designed by the people living on the reservation, who know better than anyone else the exact issues to consider when building them. The community members also help build the homes, and by involving everyone in each project, people begin to come together and support each other.
Although our week was too short for us to see the construction for the new home begin, it was really great to know that we were helping to prepare the area where it would be built. This included helping our friend Steve move everything out of his current home and begin taking it down so that the new house could be built in its place. I've been following Simply Smiles on Facebook, and the foundation has been completed. I can't wait to see pictures of the whole thing when it's done. It is one big step in a series of thousands of smaller steps to help build up this community, both literally and figuratively.
 |
| It took all of us for a project of this size! This is another photo by Josh. |
 |
| How many volunteers does it take to move a doghouse? |
I could spend hours talking about this one week of my life. I could go into much further detail about these incredible kids; the older community members who I had the pleasure of meeting; the amazing resilience of this one small community; Simply Smiles as a group; my wonderful MOVE group who have become great friends and are possibly the only ones who wouldn't mind listening to my constant rambling; and my ups and downs throughout the week that the rest of my group, and probably the community itself, felt as a whole. I could tell you about how I loved and hated everything about this place at the same time, and try to explain how something like that feels. I could tell you about each of the people behind the many friendship bracelets covering my wrists; or the fact that not a day goes by when that one week doesn't occupy my thoughts and free time; or that I do not just want to go back but feel the intense need to. I could try to describe all of the mixed feelings about that week to the best of my ability, despite the fact that there are things I still don't understand and probably never will. I could even apologize for the long post or the dramatic language, but I won't, because I truly believe that this trip deserves more attention than anything I've ever done. There are a lot of things I will keep to myself, simply because I don't know how to put them into words.
All I will say is that if you're still reading, and if any of this has struck a chord with you, then this trip is for you. You might buy Simply Smiles coffee or send a donation, but if that doesn't sit right with you and you feel that you need to do more, this trip is definitely for you. What Simply Smiles needs in order to work, and what this community needs, is people who care. People who will set their lives aside for a week at a time, people who will forget about their own wants or needs (including the need to know or understand everything and the luxury of indoor plumbing), people who don't mind getting their hands dirty or being challenged with something every step of the way. If you want to volunteer to do something that truly takes all of you, and that you don't do for the "rewarding" feeling afterward but simply because it's something that needs to be done, then volunteer with Simply Smiles.
If you go to Saint Mike's, you can apply for next year's MOVE group: when the semester begins again, pay attention to application due dates. Although all of the trips are equally awesome, definitely consider CRST Reservation, South Dakota as one of your picks. It's truly a dedication, but it's entirely worth it. If you've never been on a MOVE trip, all I can say is GO. I guarantee that whatever your qualms or reservations about it are, none of them are comparable to your reasons for going. Once you go on one, you'll want to go on all of them. They will change how you see the world.
If you didn't click on the links throughout the post, I would strongly advise going back through and exploring. They will describe some things I mentioned more clearly than I did. And if you're interested, check out the Simply Smiles blog to hear from more of the volunteer groups. My group wrote three while we were there; check them out:
First Saint Mike's MOVE Blog
MOVE's Wednesday Blog
Last SMC MOVE Blog
Whatever you do, give it everything you've got.
-Lauren
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Vlog: Summer at Saint Mike's
LINKS:
MOVE, and specifically a South Dakota post
Simply Smiles
SMC Study Abroad Page
Visit Saint Mike's!
You can always message me on Facebook and email me at lkopchik@mail.smcvt.edu!
Friday, May 3, 2013
MACKLEMORE, P-Day and Finals Week!
Hey everyone!
So in case you haven't already seen any posts from our other fabulous bloggers (and also because I'm STILL so obsessed that I really need an outlet to discuss it), I'm going to tell you a little bit about last weekend's happenings.
Every year, the last weekend before finals is a huge, campus-wide celebration. The weekend kicks off with our Spring Concert, followed by the school talent show the next day, and then P-Day which is always the Saturday before the last week of classes and beginning of finals. P-Day stands for "Preparation Day", and it's sort of like the last hoo-rah before the real stress starts. There's tons of free local food (including Ben and Jerry's!), inflatables (such as a bouncy house) out on the 300s field, free henna tattoos and photo booth pictures, and lots of home-made t-shirts and school spirit!
The Student Association works really hard every year to make this an unforgettably amazing weekend, and thanks to this year's fearless leaders, Eric Jaukurri and (my future housemate!) Caitlin Shea-Vantine, it has been one of my best Saint Michael's experiences to date. The reason being summed up in one word...MACKLEMORE.
That's right, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were our Spring Concert this year. How incredible is that? I still can't believe it happened--and that I was in the FRONT ROW. I'm so glad that Sheila bugged me to get on line early, because we beat the 3,000 people who attended to the front of the stage. And she got some awesome pictures because of it!
So it was pretty much the best night ever...it was just so cool because Macklemore was obviously grateful to have such an enthusiastic crowd. He said more than once that we were his best audience in the past few shows, and I think it was really easy to tell that his music means so much to us. The Burlington area in general is pretty big into Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, especially since they came to Higher Ground this past fall.
But the thing that really made us happy to have Macklemore as our spring concert is that he definitely understood our sense of community here at SMC--and really took it to heart. Before arriving in Vermont, a few students got in contact with Macklemore's tour manager/fiancee. They told her about a student, Sam Brigham, who had just been unexpectedly diagnosed with leukemia and was upset that he'd miss the concert. Obviously he was already going through such a hard time, and Macklemore's music was helping him get through it. Macklemore was touched by Sam's story, so he went to visit him in the hospital. I don't know Sam personally, but when I heard about this story I could just imagine how much it meant to him and his friends. At Saint Mike's, everyone really supports each other, and it's obvious that this amazing group of people understood and respected that, and wanted to show their own support. Sam's story reached internet fame immediately after the concert, so Macklemore made a blog post addressing his thoughts and reasons for the importance of this visit.
I could talk about Macklemore all day, but I'll leave it at that. Just know that he's wonderful. And if you don't know any of his songs (or anything besides "Thrift Shop"), he's definitely worth getting to know. He has a lot of fun and silly stuff, but he also sends a really important message out to his listeners. "Same Love" addresses civil rights for same-sex couples and the need for hip hop to shed its common stereotypes. He also raps about sobriety, and the personal importance of staying off of drugs. His song "Starting Over" is about how he's become a role model for so many people, and his relapse left him disappointed with himself and afraid that his fans will be let down--but, as he says in the song, "If I can be an example of getting sober, then I can be an example of starting over." Writing songs about social issues, rather than perpetuating them, makes Macklemore stand out from a lot of other modern artists.
Check out a cool multimedia from the Defender about the set-up for the concert.
Okay, NOW I'm done talking about Macklemore. On to P-Day!
Well, it was pretty awesome. I took 841 photos by the end of the day. That's right. Eight-hundred-forty-one. I'm crazy. But I was also shooting P-Day for my Photojournalism final project, so I was just being thorough. And having a lot of fun.
P-Day is just one of those things where you had to be there. So, I'll let the pictures do the talking:
So, that was P-Day! Now if you're starting to think that Saint Mike's is just one giant freak show...well, I guess you're kind of right. But we DO get our work done! After all, it takes a lot of work to have this much fun as a reward. So, our blissful weekend of madness was over by Sunday morning, when it was back to the papers, projects, and studying. The last few days of classes went pretty smoothly, and now everyone is preparing for finals. I'm off to make a(nother) website for Global Comm. But I will definitely need to get outside at some point--it's a beautiful sunny day!
Enjoy your weekend and the great weather!
Lauren
So in case you haven't already seen any posts from our other fabulous bloggers (and also because I'm STILL so obsessed that I really need an outlet to discuss it), I'm going to tell you a little bit about last weekend's happenings.
Every year, the last weekend before finals is a huge, campus-wide celebration. The weekend kicks off with our Spring Concert, followed by the school talent show the next day, and then P-Day which is always the Saturday before the last week of classes and beginning of finals. P-Day stands for "Preparation Day", and it's sort of like the last hoo-rah before the real stress starts. There's tons of free local food (including Ben and Jerry's!), inflatables (such as a bouncy house) out on the 300s field, free henna tattoos and photo booth pictures, and lots of home-made t-shirts and school spirit!
The Student Association works really hard every year to make this an unforgettably amazing weekend, and thanks to this year's fearless leaders, Eric Jaukurri and (my future housemate!) Caitlin Shea-Vantine, it has been one of my best Saint Michael's experiences to date. The reason being summed up in one word...MACKLEMORE.
That's right, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were our Spring Concert this year. How incredible is that? I still can't believe it happened--and that I was in the FRONT ROW. I'm so glad that Sheila bugged me to get on line early, because we beat the 3,000 people who attended to the front of the stage. And she got some awesome pictures because of it!
 |
| My phone died, so these pictures were taken by Sheila. |
 |
| He was wearing an audience member's vest during "Thrift Shop"! |
 |
| Here I am before the show with Wanz (the guy who sings in Thrift Shop), Liz and Sheila on the right. Wanz was really nice and funny, and he likes hugs! |
So it was pretty much the best night ever...it was just so cool because Macklemore was obviously grateful to have such an enthusiastic crowd. He said more than once that we were his best audience in the past few shows, and I think it was really easy to tell that his music means so much to us. The Burlington area in general is pretty big into Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, especially since they came to Higher Ground this past fall.
But the thing that really made us happy to have Macklemore as our spring concert is that he definitely understood our sense of community here at SMC--and really took it to heart. Before arriving in Vermont, a few students got in contact with Macklemore's tour manager/fiancee. They told her about a student, Sam Brigham, who had just been unexpectedly diagnosed with leukemia and was upset that he'd miss the concert. Obviously he was already going through such a hard time, and Macklemore's music was helping him get through it. Macklemore was touched by Sam's story, so he went to visit him in the hospital. I don't know Sam personally, but when I heard about this story I could just imagine how much it meant to him and his friends. At Saint Mike's, everyone really supports each other, and it's obvious that this amazing group of people understood and respected that, and wanted to show their own support. Sam's story reached internet fame immediately after the concert, so Macklemore made a blog post addressing his thoughts and reasons for the importance of this visit.
I could talk about Macklemore all day, but I'll leave it at that. Just know that he's wonderful. And if you don't know any of his songs (or anything besides "Thrift Shop"), he's definitely worth getting to know. He has a lot of fun and silly stuff, but he also sends a really important message out to his listeners. "Same Love" addresses civil rights for same-sex couples and the need for hip hop to shed its common stereotypes. He also raps about sobriety, and the personal importance of staying off of drugs. His song "Starting Over" is about how he's become a role model for so many people, and his relapse left him disappointed with himself and afraid that his fans will be let down--but, as he says in the song, "If I can be an example of getting sober, then I can be an example of starting over." Writing songs about social issues, rather than perpetuating them, makes Macklemore stand out from a lot of other modern artists.
Check out a cool multimedia from the Defender about the set-up for the concert.
Okay, NOW I'm done talking about Macklemore. On to P-Day!
Well, it was pretty awesome. I took 841 photos by the end of the day. That's right. Eight-hundred-forty-one. I'm crazy. But I was also shooting P-Day for my Photojournalism final project, so I was just being thorough. And having a lot of fun.
P-Day is just one of those things where you had to be there. So, I'll let the pictures do the talking:
 |
| I took this right before the trike race, which is a tradition that kicks off every P-Day at 11AM. |
 |
| During the race (after just about everyone ditched the trikes and it became full-scale running), the Student Association was splashing water on everyone! |
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| One of the stations in the food tent was a local place called Ali Baba's. I had falafels...yum! |
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| Students get a free P-Day bracelet, and guests can buy one for $20. This allows access to everything for the entire day! |
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| Lauren Kilmister '15 rocks her own SMC P-Day shirt. |
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| The student band Business 2 Consumer. |
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| My friends Shawn (left) and Danny racing each other. |
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| Lauren Mazzoleni steadies herself in the bouncy house while Lauren and Cara jump in the background. |
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| Then there was this mind reader/sword swallower/fire eater dude. Not a big deal or anything... |
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| The day ended with a late-night breakfast in Alliot! |
So, that was P-Day! Now if you're starting to think that Saint Mike's is just one giant freak show...well, I guess you're kind of right. But we DO get our work done! After all, it takes a lot of work to have this much fun as a reward. So, our blissful weekend of madness was over by Sunday morning, when it was back to the papers, projects, and studying. The last few days of classes went pretty smoothly, and now everyone is preparing for finals. I'm off to make a(nother) website for Global Comm. But I will definitely need to get outside at some point--it's a beautiful sunny day!
Enjoy your weekend and the great weather!
Lauren
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Projects, Ice Cream, #Accepted2SMCVT, and (as always) Shenanigans
Readers!
I am so sorry for my prolonged absence on this blog. So much has been happening, and I keep forgetting that the semester is almost over. Just a couple weeks...and then I'll be halfway through college! D: Time is moving way too fast!
First of all, I'd like to inform you all that I've FINALLY finished my Global Comm Media Mapping website, which I have been working on for most of the semester. Everyone in each class was assigned a different country, and we had to do research on the country itself and the media environment. The culmination of our research was turning everything we found into an interactive educational website. My country was Malaysia. It was so interesting, but definitely one of the most difficult projects I've ever had! I found it difficult to figure out exactly what out of all of the information I gathered should be featured in my website. I was up late (or...early...) working on it, but I didn't quite mind--I had some company as my friend Lauren and I scrambled to put on the final touches at 8am while eating a wonderfully delicious (if not totally nutritious) breakfast of Teddy Grahams and rainbow chip frosting.
Anyway, the whole class did a really awesome job on each of their countries, and we're all really happy to see the result! You can view all of our projects here: http://journalism.smcvt.edu/webcourses/HomePages/GC2-2013%20Media%20Mapping%20HOME.htm
I've been working on a lot of other stuff for school too, since everything is wrapping up now. I have papers to write for Philosophy of Science, Technology and the Environment and for Environmental Problems, two classes I'm taking for my ES minor. I also have a final project for Photojournalism, where I have to photograph an event, person or other feature story and create a layout. Just recently I went to an art exhibit in Burlington, where I saw the opening of "Ecologies" by SMC art professor Brian Collier. It was an incredible event and I learned a lot about seed dispersal and the rejuvenation of wasted green space. I took pictures there, so I'm considering using that for my final. (PS: isn't it pretty cool that I'm finding ways to combine my major and minor? I just recently presented a prezi about how MJD and ES relate and cross paths, and I'm definitely trying to practice what I preach).
However, don't think it's all just doom and gloom here around finals time! Not only have my projects been interesting and (dare I even SAY it?!) kind of fun, but I've made time to do other things too. For example, after we all handed in our Global Comm projects, I went downtown with a bunch of friends from my class (including SMC blogger Juliana and the blogosphere's newest member, Sheila). It happened to be Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's, so we all celebrated the end of our project with ice cream!
Yesterday was Accepted Students Day here at Saint Mike's, and I was lucky enough to meet some of the class of 2017. I can tell already that they're a lot of bright, interesting, and fun people! I just recently became a tour guide, so I've been shadowing other tours to learn the ropes. I went with my friend Alex yesterday, and we brought a few families around campus and told them some of our favorite things about SMC. I really enjoyed it--not only was it nice to meet new people, but sharing some of my personal stories reminded me just how lucky I am to be here and just how much I love it!
By the way, if you couldn't make it to Accepted Students Day either this weekend or next weekend, you can follow along with the fun by searching the #Accepted2SMCVT hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
Other than that, I've had some fun spending my weekends with friends. We went into Burlington for dinner last night, and we're hoping for the weather to clear up soon so we can go watch a sunset on Lake Champlain. Until then, we'll have to settle for playing some laughter-inducing games like Quelf and Cards Against Humanity.
I hope you're all doing well and that this post was worth the wait. I'll try not to be away for that long again...but remember that I'm always in touch! Contact me @LaurenKopchik, lkopchik@mail.smcvt.edu, or Lauren Kopchik on Facebook and Formspring.
Best,
Lauren
I am so sorry for my prolonged absence on this blog. So much has been happening, and I keep forgetting that the semester is almost over. Just a couple weeks...and then I'll be halfway through college! D: Time is moving way too fast!
First of all, I'd like to inform you all that I've FINALLY finished my Global Comm Media Mapping website, which I have been working on for most of the semester. Everyone in each class was assigned a different country, and we had to do research on the country itself and the media environment. The culmination of our research was turning everything we found into an interactive educational website. My country was Malaysia. It was so interesting, but definitely one of the most difficult projects I've ever had! I found it difficult to figure out exactly what out of all of the information I gathered should be featured in my website. I was up late (or...early...) working on it, but I didn't quite mind--I had some company as my friend Lauren and I scrambled to put on the final touches at 8am while eating a wonderfully delicious (if not totally nutritious) breakfast of Teddy Grahams and rainbow chip frosting.
Anyway, the whole class did a really awesome job on each of their countries, and we're all really happy to see the result! You can view all of our projects here: http://journalism.smcvt.edu/webcourses/HomePages/GC2-2013%20Media%20Mapping%20HOME.htm
I've been working on a lot of other stuff for school too, since everything is wrapping up now. I have papers to write for Philosophy of Science, Technology and the Environment and for Environmental Problems, two classes I'm taking for my ES minor. I also have a final project for Photojournalism, where I have to photograph an event, person or other feature story and create a layout. Just recently I went to an art exhibit in Burlington, where I saw the opening of "Ecologies" by SMC art professor Brian Collier. It was an incredible event and I learned a lot about seed dispersal and the rejuvenation of wasted green space. I took pictures there, so I'm considering using that for my final. (PS: isn't it pretty cool that I'm finding ways to combine my major and minor? I just recently presented a prezi about how MJD and ES relate and cross paths, and I'm definitely trying to practice what I preach).
However, don't think it's all just doom and gloom here around finals time! Not only have my projects been interesting and (dare I even SAY it?!) kind of fun, but I've made time to do other things too. For example, after we all handed in our Global Comm projects, I went downtown with a bunch of friends from my class (including SMC blogger Juliana and the blogosphere's newest member, Sheila). It happened to be Free Cone Day at Ben and Jerry's, so we all celebrated the end of our project with ice cream!
 |
| I answered a trivia question correctly: Ben and Jerry originally wanted to make bagels, but it was too expensive! I was given this "front of the line" pass, but I wanted to stay with my group so I ended up giving it to a friend I saw waiting in line later on. |
 |
| Here I am with some of my favorite gals on Free Cone Day! L to R: Liz, Mikala, Juliana, myself, Sheila and Cara. |
Yesterday was Accepted Students Day here at Saint Mike's, and I was lucky enough to meet some of the class of 2017. I can tell already that they're a lot of bright, interesting, and fun people! I just recently became a tour guide, so I've been shadowing other tours to learn the ropes. I went with my friend Alex yesterday, and we brought a few families around campus and told them some of our favorite things about SMC. I really enjoyed it--not only was it nice to meet new people, but sharing some of my personal stories reminded me just how lucky I am to be here and just how much I love it!
By the way, if you couldn't make it to Accepted Students Day either this weekend or next weekend, you can follow along with the fun by searching the #Accepted2SMCVT hashtag on Twitter and Instagram.
 |
| My official Tour Guide t-shirt...Lauren Likes Saint Mike's! |
Other than that, I've had some fun spending my weekends with friends. We went into Burlington for dinner last night, and we're hoping for the weather to clear up soon so we can go watch a sunset on Lake Champlain. Until then, we'll have to settle for playing some laughter-inducing games like Quelf and Cards Against Humanity.
 |
| Can you picture it? That's what I thought...you're welcome. |
I hope you're all doing well and that this post was worth the wait. I'll try not to be away for that long again...but remember that I'm always in touch! Contact me @LaurenKopchik, lkopchik@mail.smcvt.edu, or Lauren Kopchik on Facebook and Formspring.
Best,
Lauren
Monday, April 1, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
"So, who's Sheila?"
Hey readers! Sorry I never made a vlog last Sunday, but as it was spent mostly in the car, I didn't quite have the time. You'll definitely get one tomorrow! I got back to Saint Mike's safe and sound, and I've been running around like crazy ever since! Spring break was relaxing, but now it's back to work...until Thursday, when I'll be on my way home again for Easter.
As many of you may have noticed, I often talk about my best friend Sheila on this blog...so much, in fact, that I made a label for her so that I can tag all of my posts that mention her!
Sheila and I are from the same area of New York and we went to high school together. We had a few classes together throughout high school, so when I found out that she was going to Saint Mike's too I was absolutely stoked! We grew much closer when we got to college, and I have to admit--having someone from my hometown here really helped me make the transition last year. Not to mention the fact that we're both MJD majors, so we have a lot in common, and we're still taking classes together to this day!
Anyway, I wanted to tell you a little bit about her because not only do I adore Sheila and her amazing family (her little sister Maggie will be joining us in the fall!), but she has just recently joined the blogosphere! Internet, you're in for a treat. :) Sheila started a blog for her social media class (which I am so jealous of because I'm not taking it) and she's planning to share some really cool insight about the MJD major at Saint Mike's.
So, if you're interested in hearing a different perspective of MJD, or if you've had enough of me, try Sheila's blog! Here's the link: http://imjustsheila.blogspot.com/ (If you like me, you'll LOVE her...she's a hoot!)
Thanks for reading everyone...and stay tuned, because you never know who might make an appearance on tomorrow's vlog! :)
Lauren
As many of you may have noticed, I often talk about my best friend Sheila on this blog...so much, in fact, that I made a label for her so that I can tag all of my posts that mention her!
Sheila and I are from the same area of New York and we went to high school together. We had a few classes together throughout high school, so when I found out that she was going to Saint Mike's too I was absolutely stoked! We grew much closer when we got to college, and I have to admit--having someone from my hometown here really helped me make the transition last year. Not to mention the fact that we're both MJD majors, so we have a lot in common, and we're still taking classes together to this day!
Anyway, I wanted to tell you a little bit about her because not only do I adore Sheila and her amazing family (her little sister Maggie will be joining us in the fall!), but she has just recently joined the blogosphere! Internet, you're in for a treat. :) Sheila started a blog for her social media class (which I am so jealous of because I'm not taking it) and she's planning to share some really cool insight about the MJD major at Saint Mike's.
So, if you're interested in hearing a different perspective of MJD, or if you've had enough of me, try Sheila's blog! Here's the link: http://imjustsheila.blogspot.com/ (If you like me, you'll LOVE her...she's a hoot!)
 |
| "We might as well be sisters" <3 |
Thanks for reading everyone...and stay tuned, because you never know who might make an appearance on tomorrow's vlog! :)
Lauren
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