Wow.  I can’t believe I’m going into my senior year! Seriously, time goes by so fast.

Welcome back everyone, and for those of you who are new to campus, Welcome to Stonehill!

The academic year just started this past Wednesday, and already, here’s what’s been happening on campus:

• Raining Jane returned to Stonehill, putting on a great performance in the Hill.  My housemate, and one of my best friends, Chris Borelli, was the opener of the night.  Click this link to check out some of his music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XzGyPiwpk0
• SGA had our annual Activities Fair on the quad, where over 80 organizations and clubs gathered to get interest from the student body.
• This weekend, we kicked off Welcome Back week with a Commons Open-House on Sat., featuring salsa dancing, Think Fast trivia, and a mentalist, who was awesome.  On Sunday, SGA Programming Committee showcased the movie “Bridesmaids” out on the quad through their big balloon screen!

First Years have all moved in, and it seems like they are having a great first week of school, which is so good to see.  It’s a different feel now, being a senior, it’s almost like all eyes are on us again, about what we’re doing now, and what we plan to do in the future.  Their are  lots of events specifically for seniors, which I’m pumped to be a part of this year.

UPDATES:

1. I’m growing my hair out, which I haven’t done in 4 YEARS!!! (long story)

2. The Northbridge Companies could potentially be my future, so stay tuned for that.

3. Aenigma is BACK. Be on the look out for updates on us.

Until next time,

Peace and Love.

If anybody is interested, here is my resume that you can take a look at, and see what I have done over the past 3 or so years.

Resume

PeaceandLove.

GUESS WHO’s BACK, BACK AGAIN…RANDY’S BACK….TELL A FRIEND!

Hello everyone!  It has been way to long since we last spoke, and I gotta tell ya, there has been A-LOT that has happened within the past few months.  What a difference a little time makes in someones life.  I’m currently going through many different emotions, with senior year coming up (yikes!), and doing my internship all summer, to orientation this past June.  I don’t want this post to be looongggg and drawn out, so I’ll keep it concise and to-the-point.  Here we go:

Summer Orientation 2011:  All great things must come to an end, right? WRONG! This year’s orientation was by-far the best orientation I have ever been a part of.  The Peer Mentor team, my group (GROUP 20!), and just the entire experience was one I’ll never forget.  This year, I was partners with my good friend, and junior Lauren Melaugh, and we were the Peer Mentors for Group 20:  The Moon Bouncin’, Star Hopin’, Time Travelin’ Space Cowboys.  All of the students were wonderful, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group to conclude my last summer orientation of my college career.  Wow: I am so rude, my apologies.  For those of you who may not be familiar with orientation, let me explain what it entails.  Summer Orientation is for first-year students and transfers, and they go through various acitivites and programs throughout a 2 day session:  group time games, speakers, lectures, breakfast/lunch/dinner, nighttime activities, playfair (which is one of the greatest activities ever created), and a closing ceremony.  Orientation, for some students, is a make or break for them in terms of going to Stonehill vs. not going to Stonehill.  By the reaction of the class of 2015 on the Facebook group (which any of you are invited to join), they all seemed to have had an amazing time!

By the way:  Here’s the link to all of the Peer Mentors doing Beyonce’s “Move Your Body” dance (which I taught them in 1 hour) – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQG906sZBbw

Internship: The Northbridge Companies
If there is one thing I would advise EVERYONE to do during your time at Stonehill or any other college, besides study abroad….do an internship.  Currently, I am interning for a company called The Northbridge Companies, who specialize in senior living.  Primarily, they work in the field of assisted living and memory care.  It’s funny how small this world really is because, the CEO of the company and his wife are actually alumni of Stonehill.  Also, the Vice-President of Operations for the entire organization is cousins with our very own Shane LaPrade, who works in marketing for admissions at Stonehill.  So, Northbridge is the corporate office (which I work in), and they oversee 4 (soon to be 5) facilities in Plymouth, Needham, Dartmouth, and Tewksbury (with one currently being developed in Burlington).  My internship is no normal internship.  I like to think that it’s actually better than a normal internship.  For the first half of the summer, I went to 3 of the 4 current facilities, shadowing different departments of each facility, including nurses aides, nurses, maintenance, housekeeping, Residence Care Directors, marketing office, and the Executive Directors.  The second half of the internship, which is what I’m doing right now, involves working side by side  with Shawn Bertram, the Director of Operations, and Sharon Ricardi, the Vice-President of Operations.  I am doing several key projects with them, that will effect the entire organization and the communities.  So far, it has been an amazing experience, and Northbridge is a phenomenal organization to work for.  I could probably go on an on about Northbridge, but I’ll save that for another day.

A few personal updates:

1.) My favorite summer songs are “Dirty Dancer” by Enrique Iglesias (feat. Usher and Lil Wayne), and “Don’t Wanna Go Home” by Jason Derulo

2.) I’ve managed to crash my car (on accident) and get a new one in less than a week and a half

3.) I haven’t gone to the beach yet….ugh.

Until next time:

PeaceandLove.

As the title states, I am in the midst of completing my resume (that I have started since freshman year), setting up interviews, and begin a search for the right internship in the healthcare field. As a junior, I think it’s perfectly n0rmal to be scared and worried about the future, one reason being that it is so unpredictable.  Also, I want the healthcare organizations to view me as a possible top candidate for their company.  I strive to perfection to the best of my ability, and I hope they can see that.

If there is any word of advice I can give to those who read this and are approaching their junior year, or just starting their college career…START LOOKING EARLY! START PREPARING EARLY! You don’t have to be completely ready to go out and get a job, but at least have a good foundation or status to begin looking for your place once you leave here.  The career services at Stonehill are awesome.  If there is one sector of our campus that I feel is very underrated, or at least doesn’t get the proper exposure that they should get, it is career services.  Now we see their e-mails all the time, which are great.  However, a lot of people on campus have yet to go to career services and utilize their resources to their advantage (unless they are studying abroad or doing an internship).  Nonetheless, starting my journey now, in my spring semester of my junior year, still allows me to have time to look for an internship and go through the proper channels.  However, if I had the opportunity to start earlier in my career, knowing what I know now, I would have.

Few Updates:

• March 25th @ 7, Class of 2012 Committee will be having our annual “Fashion For Life,” donating proceeds to the Make-A-Wish foundation.
• Seven Straight to Heaven will be making their debut in 2 weeks!
• H.O.P.E. is quickly approaching! March 12th is when we will embark on our journey’s…so exciting!
• I am a Peer Mentor for the 3rd year in a row, and I couldn’t be happier.  It’s a honor to be back on the team for my final year.
• I want to audition for “So You Think You Can Dance” again this year…do you think I should?

Until Next Time…

Peace and Love.

Hello my fellow followers (or lack there of haha),

First of all, Happy New Year! I hope the holidays and break was a tremendous one.  Secondly, I wanted to begin this year with a new post that will set the stage for what is to expect from me this coming semester.

Last semester was one heck of a start to Junior year.  I was introduced as the President of my class, Mr. Stonehill was a huge success.  I was a new student ambassador, and H.O.P.E. student leader.  The experiences that I’ve had thus far in the Mindful Living Community were nothing short of awesome.  I’ve met some amazing people along the way, and have created new relationships with those people.  I began to embark on the health care administration major path, and I am so glad I did.  I ended last semester with the best GPA I’ve had since coming to Stonehill, and I couldn’t be happier!

That was then, this…is now!  This spring semester is a whole new ballgame.  People are returning from abroad, I’m taking new classes (one of them being my African Music class, which I’m psyched about), and I continue with Student Ambassador, President of 2012, and H.O.P.E.  Speaking of H.O.P.E., I, along with 2 other leaders, will be leading the first meeting of 2011 for H.O.P.E.  It should be very interesting We have 3 great events coming up from the class of 2012 (including our annual fashion show).

As I set the stage for what will be a “roller-coaster” ride of a semester, I can’t wait to share the new experiences yet to come with you.  It going to be interesting, I can guarantee you that.

One thing’s for sure…you’ll never know what you’re going to get in this life.

Until Next Time…

Peace and Love.

Hello to all!  First things first, I hope everybody had a fantastic Thanksgiving (and you ate your faces off

What a crazy few weeks it’s been.  As of right now, I am rehearsing for the Dance Club show this weekend, getting things rolling with H.O.P.E. West Virginia (alongside my partners Deanna and Deirdre), and focusing on finals.  There have been a few things that lately I’ve been thinking about, that I’d like to share with you at this time.

Junior year is a very unique year.  You’ve already been through the first year experience, you’ve become acquainted with the college very well, and have solitified a major/direction of where you want to go.  During this time, friends go abroad, do internships, seniors are graduating, and there is a new class in town.  This is the time of year where you need to start thinking about “the future.”  The term “future” can either get students in college really excited, or in my case, make a run for their money (even though we’re paying for our own schooling).  I too have to begin thinking about the real world and decide what I want to do.  I need to do an internship for my major (it’s a requirement) in the summer, completing 400 hours.  This presents a few issues: 1. I may not be able to become a Peer Mentor again (which is my second favorite time of the year), and 2.  I may not be able to work as a Summer Ambassador for Admissions again.  Nevertheless, it has to be done, so we’ll see what happens. 

The other thing I’ve been thinking about is dancing.  I know this sounds a little weird, but I’ve been beginning to understand why I love it so much.  I was talking to a new friend of mine, Jess, on the top of the Hill at Donahue, overlooking all of Stonehill College.  There, we had a great “life chat” so -to-speak about passions.  Jess’ passion revolves around riding, and her horse, Indy (which by the way is a beautiful horse).  I revealed to her that my passion, I think, was dancing.  When Jess began to explain her passion for riding and the love of her horse, it really opened my eyes to why I love dancing.  When you interact with a horse, whether it’s riding or simply taking care of them, the horse feels what the person feels.  If one approaches a horse very timidly, the horse will become timid.  Jess described when she rides Indy: if she feels nervous before a jump, for example, Indy will feel that, and will become nervous, which is not good in any situation.   The connection that Jess has for Indy is the same connection that I have when I dance.  When I hear a song, I feel something, and I display what I’m feeling through dancing.  If I do not become one with the music, and hit the moves when I’m supposed to, everything is out of sync.  To me, dancing is a form of expression, a way of life that everyone can appeal to, no matter what age, sex, or background.  When Jess rides, she feels right in sync with where she is and how she feels.  When I dance, I feel my body aligned, focused, and excited.  The feelings that Jess and I feel with our passions is something I hope everyone else has the opportunity to feel.

Passion is a beautiful thing.  It allows you be free in a way, and only you can feel that way.   If I can offer one bit of advice:  If you have a passion, keep it, because this life that we live is more beautiful than evil, and we need to start believing it.  We only get one shot, so live it to the fullest, with no regrets, with truth, and with passion. 

As finals approach, it’s crunch time to make one final impression on the classes I’ve taken.  This is a very stressful time for all us here at Stonehill, for the simple reason that we all want to get home, break, and get ready for the new year!

(Side Note: They are coming out with “Michael Jackson: The Experience” video game, and you all should check it out, it’s insane!)

…That’s all I have for now. Stay tuned for the ending of Fall semester 2010, as I get ready for Christmas and New Years!

Until next time,

Peace and Love