August 31st, 2010

IT’S A MAJOR, NOT A LIFE SENTENCE: Political Science

A liberal arts education offers countless advantages to an education bound to one particular subject. Just ask Fran Boshell, an alumnae of Chestnut Hill College (class of ‘09). After working towards a degree in Political Science for four years, she realized her calling was far from Capitol Hill. In fact, it wasn’t far from the Hill of Chestnuts: she learned, after spearheading several initiatives on campus, that her calling is to work in the field of higher education.

I sat Fran down to ask her a few questions over some tasty Wawa hoagies. If you take anything away from our short conversation, let it be this: knowing what you want to do with your life by age 18 is so last year, and what you study for four years doesn’t mean it’s what you’re stuck with.

Name: Fran Boshell
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
Major: Political Science
Minor: Human Services
Year of graduation: 2009
Involvement on campus: Senior class president, Students’ Political Science Association president, Resident Assistant, Americorps Scholars in Service member

Why did you choose to study Political Science?
When I was in high school, I was involved in the Junior Statesmen of America (JSA) and I loved history classes and I love government. I thought that was the perfect major because that’s what I was very interested in.

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Tagged As: Major, Political Science, Wawa
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August 24th, 2010

IT’S A MAJOR, NOT A LIFE SENTENCE: English Literature

A liberal arts education offers countless advantages to an education bound to one particular subject. Just ask Brian Lackman, an alumnus of Chestnut Hill College (class of ‘09). After working towards a degree in English Literature for four years, he discovered his calling is mentoring students in higher education.

Name: Brian Lackman
Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
Major: English Literature
Minor: Religious Studies & Psychology
Year of graduation: 2009

Why did you choose to study English Literature?

I grew up loving literature.  When I was in high school I had teachers that made me fall in love with it.  At Chestnut Hill College professors like Dr. Lonnquist & Dr. Del Gizzo furthered my love of the subject.

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Tagged As: Career, English, Major
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August 10th, 2010

Wow! I feel like it’s been ages since I’ve written a blog. So much has happened at Chestnut Hill since the last time I’ve posted anything on here. One of the most memorable events that took place was graduation. Since I’m going to be an orientation leader this upcoming fall, I got to stay at college a few extra days (after the semester was already over) and help at graduation. I had become close with quite a few of the seniors this past year, so I found myself having a mixture of different emotions at the graduation ceremony. Part of me was excited for my friends. This was their time to shine, and to make their way out into the “real world”. Another part of me was sad, because I suddenly realized that they weren’t going to be coming back to CHC next semester. And the last emotion I felt went a little something like this: “WAIT A MINUTE! The seniors are graduating? This means that I only have one more year left before I’m the one who is graduating! That is scary!” I guess you could say that reality hit me pretty hard there for a moment.

After my friends had graduated, I started wondering what was going through their minds. I wanted to know what emotions THEY were feeling. So, I said to myself, why not ask them!? I ended up asking four of my friends a couple of questions related to graduation. Those people are: Brigiette Gordon, Ashlinn Steele, Mark Urmson, and Charquinta Sullivan. Below here are the questions that I asked, and their answers. Hopefully you will find the following to be interesting and insightful, just like I did.

Me: How do you feel after just having graduated from Chestnut Hill College?

Brigiette: “I feel accomplished, but I’m still in disbelief. It happened so fast that I have not totally digested that I have a bachelor’s degree.”

Ashlinn: “It still hasn’t quite hit me that I’m a college graduate, so I just kind of feel like I’m home for the summer. I think once August comes, and I’m not moving back to CHC, it will all hit me.”

Mark: “I feel like it’s not real quite yet, but I think it is starting to settle in.”

Charquinta: “I have to admit, as a new graduate from CHC, I am in disbelief that I am no longer in college. CHC has helped prepare me for graduate school and to become a top competitor in other programs that I have applied for.”

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Tagged As: graduation
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July 26th, 2010

For the last two weeks of May I had the incredible opportunity to go to Tanzania for a service learning trip with Chestnut Hill College, Rosemont College, and Marywood University. Going into this experience I had no expectations. I had no idea what the two weeks would hold and the adventures that it would bring. I entered into this experience with an open heart and mind, and was excited to receive from this trip whatever God had for me. Little did I know that I would be receiving more than any words can describe.

To actually get onto African soil it would take twenty-four hours of travel. The team would take a fourteen hour flight from New York to Dubai, and then another five hour flight from Dubai to Dar es Salam, Tanzania. In addition, we would have to endure a five hour van ride to Morogoro, the region that we would be working in.  I was a little apprehensive to take a fourteen hour flight across the Atlantic Ocean. I have never flow for that long, heck I have never left the continent before. To endure the long hours of travel I made sure my carryon bag was filled with Tylenol PM (a sleeping aid and my life saver on the flight) my iPod, and a book. However, my iPod and book were not really needed on the flight. I was able to entertain myself by watching a selection of films on my own personal TV that was attached to the seat in front of me.  A fourteen hour flight goes by fast when you have films like Lovely Bones, When in Rome, Invictus, and Leap Year to occupy you.

Before I knew it we were in Dubai. Though I was exhausted from the flight I was ecstatic that I was safely out of North America, and in another part of the world. My eyes were overwhelmed at what I saw in the Dubai airport. People from India, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and European were scattered about checking for flight times, shopping for souvenirs, and claiming their luggage. I had never heard so many different languages spoken, in one place, in my entire life. Plus, Dubai was known as one of the wealthiest countries in the world; it showed! The airport was filled with glamorous stores and palm trees. The airport also had rooms just for prayer, smoking, and had a quiet lounge. It was one of the most interesting airports I had ever been in my life!

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Tagged As: Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Service, Tanzania, Travel
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June 29th, 2010

An advantage of going to school in the Philadelphia area is having an array of restaurants, museums, parks, or stores to visit whenever you wish.  An advantage of going to school at Chestnut Hill College is having opportunities to go on trips with classmates and teachers to restaurants or parks and having fun in a new environment while simultaneously learning or putting classroom lessons to practical use.  Before the end of the semester, my Spanish Conversation class took a trip to La Tierra Colombiana and practiced speaking Spanish with each other, our teacher, our shuttle driver, and the servers at the restaurant.  I thought it was a great way to get some practice talking in Spanish outside of our typical classroom setting, and the food was AMAZING.  I ordered the Arroz con Pollo and was tempted to order another plate of it to take back to my dorm to eat as leftovers.  (Explore their menu.) The prices at the restaurant are decent as well; my food was just $10.50 and I was more than satisfied with the quantity of food.  I unfortunately didn’t have room to try dessert though!  That just means I’ll have to go back sometime and refrain from filling up on bread and lunch or dinner before trying the flan, cheesecake, pound cake, bread pudding, or ice cream.  Maybe I’ll start with dessert next time… 

If you truly want to experience the Latin culture of Philly, La Tierra Colombiana also hosts Salsa dance nights (or Bachata/Merengue/Reggaeton/etc) on some nights in a club setting of the restaurant.  I’m not too into dancing, but I’m sure it would be a great experience for the experienced dancers or the newbies who are just looking to have a fun time.

¡Gracias CHC por todas las oportunidades de practicar mi Español, y gracias Profesora Rogers por la introducción a un restaurante magnífico!

Tagged As: class trip, Colombian food, Cuban food, La Tierra Colombiana, phila, Philadelphia, Restaurant, Spanish classes
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June 7th, 2010

When I set out to write this post, the premise seemed simple: I’d tell my fellow students what they need to know to have a great study abroad experience based on my recent semester in London, England. After a few extended presses of the “delete” key, I realized that you deserve better travel advice than what I, merely a novice, can offer. That being said, I do have some anecdotal gems to share, but I’ve enlisted a few experts (to the like of Mark Twain) to provide the wisdom. I’ll stick to the commentary. Generically speaking, these great one-liners will get you through a study-abroad trip of nearly any length in any location, and may even sound impressive at a cocktail party somewhere down the road. See more after the jump.

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Tagged As: Europe, london, Study Abroad, wisdom
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May 10th, 2010

One of the best things about CHC is the knowledge that people care about you.   Teachers are helpful, staff is friendly, and there are always a ton of events planned with the students’ interest in mind- whether it’s a fun trip to an ice skating rink or Broadway show, or an open lecture about nuclear warfare, there’s something for everyone.  However, as graduation looms ever nearer and the need to find work in this tough economy is upon some students, I think it’s safe to say that the Career Development center is one of CHC’s most important places right now.

As an underclassman I hadn’t paid too much attention to it before but looking around now, it’s quite apparent that the folks over in Career Development are constantly organizing activities or information sessions to help students prepare for life after graduation.  If you walk in the hallway of offices on the third floor in St. Joe’s (where Career Service is located, along with Student Activities and other offices), maybe take a second to check out the bulletin board next to the soda machines.  There are pamphlets and papers with tips on how to prepare or dress for job interviews, etc.  Besides that, the diligent people in Career Development send out emails to all students with announcements about upcoming Career Connections trips, job fairs, or information sessions about interview etiquette, resume building, or other work related necessities.

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Tagged As: Alumni, career connections, Career Development, Career Services, Crown Cork and Seal, job interviews, recycling, St. Joe's
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April 29th, 2010

Monet once said that “the richness I achieve comes from Nature, the source of my inspiration.” Well, like Monet I have taken the time to be inspired by nature. Once in a while I just have to allow myself time away from it all and allow myself time to escape into nature to get reenergized and get inspired. I had the opportunity to do just that on two trips that I recently took.

The Beach

Over spring break, I took my own advice and had some fun in the sun at my favorite beach on the east coast Belmar beach in Belmar, New Jersey http://belmar.com/.  My best friend and I packed up my 1999 Toyota Camry and hit the road for a minnie road trip. With the happy sounds of Jason Marz in the background, we embraced the fact that we were taking a break from school work, family obligations, and all the other stresses of life to just enjoy the nature that God put on this planet for us to enjoy.

We did nothing special or out of the ordinary when we got to Belmar. We just grab our towels, laid on the beach, and watched the waves go to and fro. We also enjoyed Sub-Way sandwiches and good conversation. The day was a much needed break from everything.

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Tagged As: Belmar Beach, Belmar New Jersey, marshes, Nature, Pond and Streams, relaxation, wetlands
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