Scott

Hello everyone!

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve told you about life at SLU, I guess time really does fly when you’re having fun! So… Where were we?

Since the end of November I have been doing a ton of exploring, working and studying. The month of November was good; we had a long weekend for Thanksgiving break. During that time I went to the great city of Chicago with my girlfriend! During that time we explored the city and I met her friends and her PARENTS!! Nerve-racking, right? Well we’re still together, so I suppose it went well. We also went to my place in Detroit for a day or two. All in all, it was quite relaxing and much needed before the stresses of finals.

**Sorry for not having many filtered photos from Thanksgiving break. I took most of the pictures you see on my blog during winter break**

After November, the only thing on our minds was the dreaded f-word. That’s right, finals. Finals were pretty good this year. I spent a lot of time studying and a lot of time writing papers. I ended up having two papers and 3 finals. I’m glad that they opened up the Starbucks near my apartment, without it, studying would have been much more difficult. I would have to say that I am certainly satisfied with the way that my finals turned out. If you plan on attending SLU, or any college for that matter, my advice to you is start studying and thinking about your finals two weeks in advance. You should have learned almost all of the material by then, and giving yourself enough time to review is really helpful.

Many college students can attest that there are two wonderful feelings during the end of the semester. The first is turning in that last final, whether it is a five-page paper on Meteorology, or a two-hour exam on philosophy, finishing that final is the gateway into freedom! The second best feeling is that first day on Christmas vacation. You sleep, eat, go on Facebook, sleep again, maybe shower, text a couple of people, check twitter and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING… and it’s simply awesome! J

So, after my first day of doing nothing on break, I went around Detroit and spent time with old friends, my family and everyone else from back home. After the holidays, my girlfriend, Diane, came to Detroit to visit for a week, as well as my good friend from Germany, Niklas! Showing them the city was a blast. Before the last week of break, Nik and I took a trip to Chicago to visit Diane and our friend Sasha. We ate Chicago pizza and Nik really enjoyed the windy city— he’s now fully aware of why they call it the windy city now. Then, we went from Chicago to St. Louis where he spent a couple of days with me at my apartment. We went to the arch, Budweiser tour, a tour of SLU, the galleria, and the Delmar loop! Unfortunately there are too many amazing places to go in St. Louis, so I couldn’t show him my new home in such a short amount of time!

Now a new semester is underway and a new set of classes have begun. I am excited to see what the semester has to offer and what I will learn at this wonderful university!

Stay tuned for more updates on life at SLU and be sure to check out the pictures I posted.

Have a wonderful week and happy MLK day!

-Scotty

Happy Halloween everyone!! Now that you’re probably recovering from your Halloween chocolate binge, I thought I would write a blog to keep you updated on how my year has gone so far! It truly has been a long time and I have a lot to cover, so let’s get to it!

First thing’s first, classes are going well. I am taking Chinese, International Politics, Political Theory (a.k.a. Political Philosophy), and English. Now the titles of those classes might make them seem intimidating, but fear not, because they are still fun and interesting. I am in the library almost 5-6 nights a week memorizing Chinese characters, reading poetry, reading about war or reading books by old, dead Greek guys. One of the greatest things about college is the freedom to take the classes you want to take. Although the classes I’m taking this semester may sound dumb, boring or crazy to some, I absolutely love them. The fact that I can load up my schedule with classes that I love learning things about fills me with joy, therefore, when you get to college, you can fill your schedule with classes that tickle your fancy!

In regards to my other extra curricular activities and jobs, they are going well. I am still an RA, and I have to say that being an RA is a really rewarding experience, it’s a lot of hard work, it can be incredibly stressful and you have to be in situations that can be incredibly uncomfortable, but in the end, when you get the satisfaction that you helped a student get through a rough time, or make their year more positive, or just help make their stay in your Residence Hall more positive, then it’s completely worth it. Luckily for me, I got placed in a comfortable apartment complex as an RA, which is nice and I am very grateful for that, however, it still isn’t an easy or stress-free job, but like I said, when everything’s said and done, it’s more than worth it. If you have the opportunity to become an RA I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! You learn a lot about yourself, other students, SLU’s wonderful faculty and staff and a lot about the community here at SLU. Becoming an RA was truly one of the greatest learning experiences I’ve had here at SLU, I’ve made a lot of really amazing friends, met a lot of cool people and established some great relationships in the process. I would have to say that I am truly blessed to be in this position.

Thrivent is going well too! I helped hire on two new student interns and the three of us quickly became best pals! We all went to a training session in Wisconsin over the summer and we learned that we are quite an interesting group. We all compliment each other in almost every aspect and when we put our three heads together, we get a lot done. Let’s hope that show’s when we try and teach people about personal finance!

I’m sad to say that I had to resign from my position as Chief of Staff of the Student Government Association’s Executive Board, for the 2012-2013 academic year. Stepping down was an incredibly tough and humbling decision, and I knew that I had to swallow my pride and admit that I spread myself too thin. I had a full class load and 3 jobs; my grades started to slip, I didn’t hang out with my friends anymore and I just wasn’t the same person. But, I knew that I needed to do what was right in my heart. I don’t regret what happened, I learned a lot while in the position, met some amazing people and really fostered some great relationships. However, I knew it was time to move on. I’m glad that the E-Board was ok with my decision, they meant much more to me than I think they realize and I never wanted to jeopardize the relationships I had with them. I thank them from the bottom of my heart for letting me join on their ride to making a difference in this community and making SLU a better place. I know that they’ll be fine without me, for what that Executive Board can accomplish is truly limitless.

Needless to say, I have been growing in almost every aspect of my life so far this semester. Something I love about SLU, and college in general, is that it challenges you. You get put into uncomfortable situations, forced to make really tough decisions, but you can come out stronger and better for in the end. That’s what I’ve been doing, I always love to grow and to learn, and SLU helps me do just that.

That’s all I have for this post, thanks for reading and I will see you soon.

再见!

(See you again!)

-Scotty 

Hey everyone!

I am terribly sorry that it has taken me SO long to write another one of my blogs! But that’s okay; it just means that I have a lot to cover in this blog!

Finals:

Finals began about a week early. One of the advantages of being a social science major is all of the papers you have to write. I had about 15-20 pages of research papers due before finals even started! Needless to say, I was in love with school at that point! YAYY!!!….. Nevertheless, I worked hard on the papers and studied my butt off studying for finals. I have to say that I am content with the grades I received. It just goes to show; if you put the effort into studying, then you will get the results you want. I have to say, studying was much easier being able to go to the NEW AND IMPROVED library floors! They are seriously sweet! All of the tables, desks, carpets, chairs etc… are completely new and renovated! It was a nice, new atmosphere to get some much needed work done.

Final Decadence Concert:

            Yes, you read that right; this past May was my last Decadence concert. I got a job as the Chief of Staff for the Student Government Association and after lots of self-reflection, I decided to step down from the A-cappella realm. I will admit that I had a blast with my amazing a-cappella friends and am sad to leave them, but I must move on to do different things with my life. The “Battle of The Sexes” concert was a screaming success! Everyone performed perfectly; even the children we brought in from City Garden Montessori!

Summer:

            My summer immediately began with a leadership conference in Lansing, MI called MYLead. MYLead is by far my most cherished weekend of the entire year! It brings together hundreds of sophomores from hundreds of different high schools from across the state of Michigan and teaches them leadership skills, social skills, self-confidence, community building and enthusiasm. Having graduated from the program in ’09 and being a leader ever since, I felt as if I was a veteran this year! It was a fun and exciting conference that had a huge impact on my life; like always.

Now:

            After MYLead, I visited with my family for a couple of days and then took the long drive back to STL. Once I arrived to the LOU, I began moving into my new apartment in The Flats and began transitioning into my new job as an RA! It is exciting to come back to an apartment that I can call my own. Well, my life has drastically changed over these past few weeks, and I am so grateful that all of you have kept up with my blog and have read all of the (un)interesting things that have taken place in this amazing first year of my college career. I am truly blessed with all of the circumstances and situations that have taken place this year, and I am happy with the man I am becoming, and the man I will become soon. Thank you for following me, I am excited to begin another year of blog-swag next year!

By the way, I will be updating my blog periodically throughout the summer; don’t worry (: