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Stonehill’s Geographic GPA

Let’s talk location. As a New Yorker, I’m hardwired to have an affinity for prime real estate–it led me to my first apartment out of college (an amazing parlor level brownstone unit along the Brooklyn promenade!), but more importantly, it led me to Stonehill! On this Good Friday, here are five reasons why Stonehill’s geographic GPA lands a 4.0 semester after semester.

1. Craving a walk along Newbury Street? An afternoon Bruins (vs. Rangers, obviously) game? A walk through the Gardiner? Hop on the college’s complimentary shuttle and the metro Boston-bound T is at your fingertips!

2. Need to brush up on your tan? Pack your sun screen and enjoy the beaches of Cape Cod in forty minutes or less. Bonus points if you befriend someone with a convertible.

3. Have an insatiable appetite for Taco Bell, 7-11, Cumby’s, Chipotle, McDonalds, Burger King, Panera, Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, Cosi, Wendy’s…and so on? The comforting convenience of every fast food joint that ever existed is at your fingertips–they’re all within a ten minute radius of campus!

4. Itching to cruise fresh powder? The slopes of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and the Berkshires are just a Ski Club bus ride away. Catch some snuggly shut-eye on the ride up and attack the moguls like the winter sport maven that you are—and be back to Stonehill in time for the weekend festivities!

5. And finally, need to get home for the holidays? Reach out your arm, and you just might be able to touch the entry to I-95.

Happy Easter!

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A Stroll Down Spreekend Lane

This weekend marks the icing on the cake of my “I wish I were still at Stonehill” envy. For me, Spring Weekend was both a trip back to childhood and a celebration of my of-age destiny: when else can you spend your Saturday afternoon riding the carnival swings and eating cotton candy, and your Saturday night inside an insta-beer garden, getting “a little bit softer now” to “Shout?” No where but Spring Weekend at Stonehill, that’s for sure! On this rainy New York Wednesday, here are some Spring Weekend shots—one from each year of my life as a Skyhawk. From teal to green (thought not pictured–this bubble machine shot took the cake for sophomore year!) to yellow to pink (the best color saved for last, of course), I am always reminded of my Spring Weekend memories when donning the custom t-shirts my friends and I created and wore each time April rolled around.

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Stay in Touch!

When I chose the color pink, she chose the color blue. When I wanted to watch Gossip Girl, she preferred Dog the Bounty Hunter. When I wanted to go shopping, she’d opt for throwing a softball around. The list goes on!

When it comes to opposites, my college roommate, Justine, and I were as different as they come. But that didn’t stop us from becoming the oddest pair of inseparable buddies that Stonehill had ever seen between 2006 and 2010! For all our differences, we shared a mutual obsession with Taco Bell, Law & Order, laughing, Finding Nemo and talking—and our love of that last thing has kept us just as close in our post-college days as it did when our dorm room beds were arranged in an L-shape (perfect for pre-bedtime chit-chat).

Staying in touch with your college pals is tough! But there are a few ways to make it work. Here are some suggestions:

Keep up with silly e-mail threads. Justine and I constantly send each other funny memories. Whenever I see the subject line “Remember when…” I know I’m about to take a nice stroll down memory lane, even if it means reading about a time I did something klutzy.
Make phone dates. So as to not get lost in a never-ending game of phone tag, I schedule phone dates with my friends, as even constant texting can only go far.
Skype! There’s nothing more fun (or free!) than a futuristic video chat. I’m known to have Justine on Skype when I’m cleaning my apartment. I’m not sure she exactly enjoys this, though…
Snail mail pictures to each other, just because!
And finally, if you can, surprise your former roommates and best friends out of no where with your presence. Justine surprised us by coming up from Tennessee for Alumni Weekend, and it was phenomenal!

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5 Things to Start 2011

It’s been a few weeks since my “Snookified” Halloween post, so let’s get cracking, shall we? Since we last spoke, tons has happened in my crazy little life, so I’ll recap list-style. My college roommate, Justine, teased me daily about how I couldn’t get through the week without making multiple lists—people to call, papers to write, groceries to buy, shoes to swoon over, Stonehill events to attend and so on. Clearly, not much has changed. But oh, I digress. Here goes:

I got a new job! After six awesome, but knowingly temporary, months at Thomson Reuters, I moved on to a new role at ELLE. As in ELLE Magazine! As in the magazine that boasts famed Creative Director Joe Zee (as seen on MTV’s “The City”), who I now see semi-often through the rose-colored glass conference rooms on the 41^st floor of our Rockefeller Center home, which features sweeping panoramic views of New York City. Clearly, I don’t hate it! I’m a Junior Product Manager working on the magazine’s mobile website and iPad app, and learning lots each day. And for those of you wondering, yes, the accessories closet is as amazing as it sounds. Sadly, though, I am not privy to entering the magazine’s Mecca.
I got a new apartment! After seven months of epic-length commutes from Queens, I’ve bounced boroughs, and now live right along the promenade in Brooklyn Heights. I have a roommate named Alison, who I met through a pal of mine, and we’re leading a happy little life in our uber-fabulous bachelorette pad. Since I’m all about entertaining, you’re all invited to my upcoming housewarming. No joke. See you there. Bring chips.
I started freelance writing! Second to only Stonehill, writing is the love of my life, so to keep my creative edge going (and to add some extra padding to my entertainment budget, obviously), I’ve started writing on the side for a lifestyle blog. You can see my upcoming stories on how to host theme parties shortly. My first assignment was on reinventing toga parties for the post-college crowd…
I went to a lot of holiday parties. A lot. So many, that I didn’t post in December. Not an excuse, I know, but it was a very fun month!
And finally, I was named the newest member of Stonehill’s New York Council. I’m tickled pink with excitement, and can’t wait for my first meeting next Tuesday.

Until next time,

Kaitlyn

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GTL, Stonehill-style.

This past weekend, I learned that there is no better way to jaunt between the Big Apple and Beantown than by Bolt Bussing. Friendly passengers and a driver who looked like she won the lottery when I thanked her by name (Karla with a K, for those of you wondering) made for an enjoyable–and affordable!–trip up and down on the WiFi-equipped coach. (God bless le iPad. It really is a life-changing gadget!)

In a fit of spontaneity, fueled in part by my sister’s encouragement and my own wishes to relive college a bit, I traveled back to alma matter for the requisite shenanigans. After a low-key Friday night spent rooting the Skyhawks on at the basketball team’s home opener, Allison, my sophomore sister, and I hightailed to Wrentham for outlet shopping, where an outrageously purple printed Marc Jacobs dress topped my list of fabulous finds (More on my shopping addiction later–I promise it’s justified.). We then resumed the rooting for another victorious basketball game, before putting our primp on in honor of Mr. Stonehill 2010.

Of all Stonehill programs, Mr. Stonehill is the one nearest and dearest to my heart. Take these pics from my past as evidence: judging the contest as a sophomore and hosting it as a senior, I just had to see the boys shine on stage once more! While it pained me to not be up there along with them, the gentlemen shut it down, making me feel like a proud mama watching from the audience. Their “GTL” video was especially entertaining. Props to Matt Gorman for a job well done! His crown was well deserved, and I was excited to see him at the celebrations that followed, where the grin you see here was permanently glued to his face.

Unlike Alumni weekend, which was a blur of hugging people left and right in between the typical post-grad “Where are you working? Did you move out? Did you change your hair? Did you miss me?” type questions, the Mr. Stoenhill weekend allowed me to feel like I was truly back to Stonehill as a student–I even got to see some of the fabulous folks of the admissions office, namely the bow-tie adorned Evan Grenier and Tim Cushing, who also showed their support for the show.

As for my recent shopping addiction (well, not really recent…), I have some major news, which I will share in a post later this week. But as a preview, I have taken a new position at the magazine whose November cover is graced by the gal who taught us all how to lose a guy in 10 days. Go hunt a bit… and stay tuned for the news!

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A Little Something for the Fashionistas

For every clotheshorse on the island of Manhattan—and let’s be real here, that means just about every stylish and savvy female between the two rivers!—this week marks one of epic proportions. Fashion Week has begun! While I’m still yet to receive an invitation granting me front-row access to hobnob with celebs galore at designer shows, I’ll do what everyone else does: I’ll attend Fashion’s Night Out.

And that’s exactly what I did yesterday night, alongside two of my Stonehill housemates turned New York neighbors, Lauren and Emily. Heading to Soho (that’s “South of Houston Street,” for those of you less familiar with the metropolitan terminology), where the concentration of retailers is anything but wallet friendly, we hopped from store to store, keeping our fingers crossed for celebrity sightings. We must have been at the wrong place at the wrong time, though: icons such as Sara Jessica Parker, Rachel Zoe and even Vogue’s infamous editor-in-chief Anna Wintour were on the prowl, making appearances and pleasing crowds all across the city.

Despite our luck (though we did spot J.Crew’s creative director Jenna Lyons), it was an awesome evening! Lauren, who lives in a gorgeous studio in Gramercy Park, hosted Emily and me for some post-work appetizers, so we caught up on our busy summers while noshing on olives from Whole Foods. She currently works at ABC’s Marketing Research Department, and had great tales to tell about her time in the broadcasting company.

Emily also lives in Manhattan, but commutes in the opposite direction, working in insurance. She’s also getting certified to be a personal trainer, so you can bet I’ll be turning to her come vacation season! I loved getting to see my two old housemates–it was great to catch up, but even better to know how well the post-grad life is treating them.

Until next time,

Kaitlyn

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Kaitlyn Rose ’10

Name: Kaitlyn Rose

Class Year: 2010

Major: Business Management & English

Hometown: Garden City, NY

Favorite Professor: Prof. E.S. Vaughn

Activities: Student Government Association Executive Board, Programming Committee, Writing Center, Student Ambassador, Hall Council, Stonehill Theatre Company Publicity Committee, Freshman Orientation

Favorite thing about Stonehill: being a host at Mr. Stonehill 2009!

I’m Kaitlyn Rose, your resident alumni blogger, and I’m here to keep you updated on the goings on of a proud young alumnae! Since walking across the quad and receiving a dual degree in Business Management and English Literature this past May, I’ve returned to New York to live the big city life I’ve always dreamed of. Currently, I’m a member of the Markets Mobility Team at Thomson Reuters. In a nutshell, I get paid to play with iPads. No, really–I do! Alright, more specifically, I coordinate our product marketing efforts, which makes the position the ideal intersection of my academic background and personal interests. To see some of my work, check out the “Banker Coverage” iPhone app—I composed the content for its iTunes page!

At Stonehill, I was involved in every way one could be! An active member of our Student Government Association, I served as Executive Secretary during my senior year, which certainly kept me occupied! I was also a Student Ambassador (which is our fancy term for “tour guide”) the Director of Publicity for the Stonehill Theatre Company, a Peer Consultant in the Writing Center and a freshman Orientation Leader.

Aside from my extracurricular involvement, I was certainly as social as we social butterflies come—you could always find me decked head to toe in purple for various sporting events, cheering as loudly as my vocal cords could handle for our awesome and athletic Skyhawks.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about Stonehill or the post-grad life. And, for an additional Kaitlyn fix, check out my personal blog or Twitter!

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