Teenage Mutant Ninja Deephers

     Yesterday, Saturday, April 28th, and today, Sunday, April 29th, my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority, participated in Southern Connecticut State University's Relay for Life. This year's theme was 90's. My sorority's theme was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, we put a twist on it and were Teenage Mutant Ninja Deephers. Alpha Sigma Alpha was The Spice Girls. Omega Zeta Pi was Beanie Babies. My favorite part of Relay for Life this year was when Stefan Keller and Stephanie Guerrera got slimed. Keller and Guerrera each had their own bucket and were going around Relay for Life trying to collect the most money from the participants in their bucket. The person with the most money from the participants in their bucket won and got slimed. Keller and Guerrera were each given a poncho and goggles. The person that did the sliming stood on a chair behind Keller and Guerrera so they did not know which one of them was getting slimed. She ended up sliming both of them. There were three parts of Relay for Life this year that were very emotional. The first part was the keynote speaker. The keynote speaker had the same type of cancer that my boyfriend's mother had. That really made it hit home for me.  The second part was during the survivor lap, two little girls, were doing the lap. It was sad to see how cancer does not discriminate by age, and children also were diagnosed and fought cancer. The third part was the luminaria slideshow and lap. It was sad to see how many people were diagnosed and fought cancer and how many people lost the battle. I am happy that I participated in SCSU's Relay for Life with my sorority, D Phi E, again for the third year this year. I hope that sometime during my lifetime, there is no more cancer, and if there is, there is a cure for cancer so that no more people will lose the battle, and there will be more birthdays.

   Relay for Life raises both awareness and money for a good cause. However, Relay for Life brings out mixed emotions in me because I did not get much sleep from Saturday into Sunday, so I was exhausted all day today, especially at my scholarship luncheon and at work.

   Next year, I look forward to my boyfriend’s mother hopefully doing Relay for Life at SCSU. Her sister does Relay for Life, and I do Relay for Life. I believe that she should be a proud cancer survivor and that her and her immediate family should do Relay for Life.

Feelings of pride and confidence!

   At this time of the academic year, most students are overcome by feelings of overwhelming and stress. However, this year, I am not falling a victim of them. Instead, I am filled with feelings of pride in myself. I am accomplishing all of my goals. I was elected the Vice President of Academic Affairs of my sorority, Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority (D Phi E). I was elected the treasurer of one of my honors societies, Zeta Delta Epsilon (ZDE). I am getting inducted into two Greek Honors Societies this Wednesday, Gamma Sigma Alpha and Order of Omega. I am getting inducted into the Honors Society, The National Society of Leadership and Success and receiving the National Excellence in Leadership Award.
  There are a few events of the academic year that I am looking forward to, like Relay for Life, which is this Saturday and Sunday, my scholarship luncheon, which is Sunday, my ZDE end of the year banquet, which is Tuesday, and my D Phi E graduation dinner. I am not going to let feelings of overwhelming and stress fill me and not let me enjoy all of my accomplishments and events. I have worked hard for all of this and have been looking forward to it. I am going to be confident in myself that I am going to get all of my work left in my classes done, do well on my finals and STAMP test, and be happy because summer will be here, I will officially be a senior, and be that much closer to student teaching and becoming a teacher.

NEDA Week Reflection & D Phi E Proudness

This is a follow up to my last post. My sorority had a great turn out at our ANAD candlelight vigil. I believe that it was very informative and moving with Denise L. Zack, MS, LPC, NCC, assistant counselor from Counseling Services on campus, our guest speaker, and our readings by active sisters of D Phi E. Although when it came to open mic, no one came up and shared their story, we did accomplish our goal of raising social awareness about anorexia and other eating disorders, and next year, we hope to raise even more social awareness about anorexia and other eating disorders. My sorority was able to raise $212 to donate to ANAD thanks to everyone who supported us and bought a bracelet, donated their spare change at our candlelight vigil, and/or made a donation. My sorority and ANAD greatly appreciate your generosity and support.

Last week, we had one of our blood drives. Each person that donated blood saved three lives. The American Red Cross told our sorority that our blood drive saved 300+ lives. Again, my sorority and the American Red Cross would like to thank everyone who donated blood. We greatly appreciate your generosity.

Keep your eyes and ears peeled about Deepher Dude, which is my sorority's mock male beauty pageant. The goal of Deepher Dude is to raise social awareness about CF. Sisters of my sorority will be reading facts and statistics about CF throughout the pageant. This year's Deepher Dude theme is nautical. Our dudes compete in different categories such as formal wear, spirit wear, sports wear, etc. Our dudes raise money to donate to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Also, my sorority holds a fundraiser to raise money for CFF. In addition, there is a suggested donation at the door. My sorority and CFF would love your support! So keep your eyes and ears peeled about Deepher Dude, and we hope to see you there!

NEDA Week

I am a sister of Delta Phi Epsilon International Sorority (D Phi E). One of our philanthropies is Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD). ANAD promotes social awareness about anorexia and other eating disorders. It consists of information about eating disorders, an open mic, and more. This week is National Eating Disorders Awareness (NEDA) Week. Each year, we hold a candlelight vigil for ANAD. But this year, in addition to that, we are trying to raise more awareness at Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) and in our community, New Haven (NH), so we are having events all week. Today is count your blessings. You are supposed to make a list of everything you are grateful for. Tomorrow is count me in. You are supposed to collect any spare change and donate it at the vigil tomorrow night. Wednesday is count what matters. You are supposed to do something you love and wear purple to support ANAD Wednesday. Thursday is make it count. You are supposed to compliment someone Thursday. And last, but certainly not least, Friday is "DIS" count. You are supposed to ignore negative images that the media portrays. We tabled last week to raise awareness about ANAD and NEDA Week, and faculty, staff, and students pledged to participate in NEDA Week. However, it is not too late to participate in NEDA Week. You can make a pledge to yourself. Also, we are tabling this week and selling bracelets as a fundraiser for ANAD.

Please support ANAD and join D Phi E at our candlelight vigil for ANAD tomorrow night at 8:00 PM in the Michael J. Adanti Student Center Ballroom. We hope to see you there, and thank you for your support!

"Nate the Great"

This morning, my friend Megan and I volunteered as ushers at the Lyman Center for a children's performance "Nate the Great". It was presented by Theatreworks USA. There were 600+ people at the performance. Nate the Great was about a detective. He solves cases. His case today was to find the picture his friend, Annie, painted of her dog, Fang, for her mother for her birthday. Also, he had to find Annie's friend, Rosamond's, cat Super Rex. Super Rex was under Rosamond's couch. Annie's brother Harry took Annie's picture. Her favorite color is yellow. His favorite color is red. He painted over Annie's yellow picture of her dog Fang with red. It made the picture of her dog Fang orange. They found the picture of her dog Fang on Harry's easel. The performance taught children about the primary colors. The performance was based on the Nate the Great Books by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. I have never heard of the Nate the Great books, so I was talking to the schools as I was sitting them in the theatre, and they told me who Nate the Great was. Some of the schools had never heard of the Nate the Great books before planning their field trip to see the performance, so they went and read them so the teachers and children were aware of what the performance was going to be about before seeing it. I think that was a great idea, and if I have free time, I might go pick up a Nate the Great book and read it myself. After the performance was over, the children were so interested in seeing the actors/actresses and props behind the set.
Here is a link about Nate the Great.
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/natethegreat/

A Little Friendly Competition Between Colleagues Never Does Any Harm

I have an older brother, T.J., who is twenty-two years old. I am twenty years old. We are two years, one month, and nine days apart. Growing up, T.J. did not do well in school. He was intelligent, but he did not work hard.  I can not remember what grade T.J. was in, but he decided to change and start working hard. He then began doing well in school, and has continued to do so ever since. I always have done well in school. I am intelligent, and I work hard. Ever since T.J. began doing well in school, he always likes to compete with me each semester to see who can get a higher G.P.A. T.J. has beaten me every semester, barely, except for one. This past semester was our last semester to compete to see who can get a higher G.P.A. because this semester, T.J. is doing his student teaching. He hopes of becoming a secondary education history teacher after he completes his student teaching and graduates. Although I will miss competing with him to see who can get a higher G.P.A., I am happy that he is doing his student teaching this semester, and I hope he enjoys it, does well, graduates, and becomes a secondary education history teacher. I can not wait until I do my student teaching. I know the time is going to fly by between now and then just as it did for my brother. Within a couple of years, there will hopefully be three teachers in my house:  my father, my brother, and I. My dad is a science teacher at Joseph A. Foran High School in Milford. My brother wants to become a secondary education history teacher. And I want to become an elementary education and special education teacher. Also, there will hopefully be four teachers in my family:  my aunt, my father, my brother, and I. My aunt is a math teacher at Platt Technical High School in Milford.

Discrimination? I think so!

My father and mother met when they were teenagers at the campground my family goes to, Riverdale Farm Campsites in Clinton. Ever since my mother was pregnant with me, I have been camping. My brother has been an employee at Riverdale since May 2008. Yesterday and today, my brother is sitting at Riverdale's booth at the Northeast Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show. So yesterday, my father, my mother, my boyfriend, and I wanted to go to it. However, we were unable to because my boyfriend is in a walking boot, and they said that they do not have wheelchairs when I called and asked yesterday. At the end of last semester, my boyfriend broke his fibula while playing hockey. He misplaced his ankle and had to undergo surgery. He was in a cast and using crutches for about six weeks, and last week, he got his cast off and is now in a walking boot and using crutches. Getting around with the walking boot is easier than it was with the cast, but he is still getting used to it, hence he wanted to use a wheelchair. I do not understand how the Northeast Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show does not have wheelchairs. It is being held at the CT Convention Center. There, trade shows, conventions, and business meetings are held. On their website, they claim they are handicap accessible, saying that they are wheelchair accessible, have elevators and ramps, their bathrooms are wheelchair accessible, and that they have designated parking spaces for individuals with disabilities. Shopping malls and stores like Walmart have wheelchairs. How come the CT Convention Center does not? They are discriminating. They are not being handicapped friendly. I am sure that they do not care that they are discriminating but they should, one, not only because it is wrong, but two, because ultimately, they are losing business. By having wheelchairs, they are making individuals with disabilities' who use wheelchairs lives easier by them not having to get their wheelchair into their vehicle, not having to get it out of their vehicle, and repeating those two steps when they are leaving the CT Convention Center to go home. By not having wheelchairs, they are losing business on people, like my boyfriend, who does not have their own wheelchair. Also, they are leaving a bad taste in people's mouths that are or know someone who is being discriminated against because of this. By word of mouth by these people, etc., they are losing more business. If they do have wheelchairs at the CT Convention Center, than they should state it on their website and communicate better with events like the Northeast Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show that they do have them on site to rent, where they are located, and the process. Because my boyfriend is in a walking boot and the CT Convention Center does not have wheelchairs, my father, my mother, my boyfriend, and I missed out on going to the Northeast Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show. My boyfriend is not going to be in a walking boot forever, so we can always go next year. But imagine individuals with disabilities who do need to use a wheelchair forever. Imagine all of the different events they have to miss out on forever. It is not right that my father, my mother, my boyfriend and I had to miss out on the Northeast Recreational Vehicle and Camping Show yesterday, and it is not right that individuals with disabilities who do need to use a wheelchair forever have to miss out on all of these different events because of their disability. Public places need to become more accommodating, like shopping malls and Walmart!