Spring 2k13 Semester!!!

OMG, I cant believe we are already two weeks into the Spring semester! So far things are going great. The atmosphere on campus is different, but it definitely is a good change. I am very excited for this semester and to transition into my Junior year here at Neumann. Time is flying by fast, but I am enjoying every second of my Sophomore experience. It is a new year and new discoveries! I am optimistic and happy about my classes, and I am learning something new everyday!…I think every student here at Neumann feels the same way! It is going to be a great semester and a wonderful year!

One Love,

Fatim S.

Homecoming Weekend at Neumann University

Homecoming Weekend at Neumann University

Homecoming 2012 at Neumann was absolutely amazing this year. The NU Student Government worked some magic and had Ashanti perform for the student body. Ashanti’s performance was beyond energetic—-she had the crowd hyped up and on their feet singing along every hit song she sang over the years. I attended the concert with some friends here at Neumann, and when we entered the Mirenda center, the vibe of the place was nothing short of excitement and anticipation; the students, staffs, parents, and outsiders who came to see Ashanti were very thrilled to see her walk on stage with a smile on her face and ready to have a goodnight.

The concert started with her singing a few of her songs from the 2000s to early 2008, she interacted with the audience as she performed which had the crowd going. As she performed, she reflected back on the meanings of her songs and what messages she wanted the public to be aware of when they listen to her songs. The highlight of the night was when she picked out 3 gentlemen from the audience and had them sit in the chairs on stage. Her two dancers surrounded the guys and danced around them as Ashanti sang one of her sultry songs from previous years. One lucky gentleman had the privilege of dancing with Ashanti as she serenaded him with her songs—-it was a moment to remember.

The concert I thought was a great way to kick off the Homecoming festivities here at Neumann, it brought some joy to many students and made them feel like young adults having fun instead of being buried in college life and studies. The concert meant a lot to students who adore Ashanti and never had the opportunity to meet and see her in person before. I saw some students cry and even scream at the sight of her, especially when she came down from stage to get closer to the audience, and of course I also felt myself go deaf by the screams. Overall, it was an amazing experience and an amazing concert. I am very excited to see how the Student Government will be able to top this homecoming concert next year, and I cannot wait to see who will be performing. If any student government representative is reading this blog, I would like to make a few suggestions of who I want to see perform next year. Here goes my personal list: 30 Seconds to Mars, Foster the People, Maroon 5, Mumford and Sons, Rihanna, and Muse. Pick any one these musicians/bands, and you will be my new best friend! Sounds like a good deal right?, Right!.

With Love,

Fatim S.

Fallbreak/Midterm

Fall Break/Midterms

            Whelp, fall break is over and the mood around campus right now is a little bit depressing. Everywhere you turn there is a student crying out to the sky, “NO, WHY, it just flew by so fast!, I need one more day of rest” but its time to set our clocks back to reality. Eventhough we basically had one day of break including the weekend, that one day was very much needed—-with the chaotic schedules, exams, quizes, papers, and presentations, I would say one day of doing nothing is a gift sent from above. My own fall break was nothing short of reading and studying in preparation for the next chapters we will be discussing and testing for in my science classes, however I was not alone. Many Neumann students were also relaxing and opening up their textbooks to review for classes after midterm grades were posted up. Yes, midterms—the highlight of every college students’ life; of course most students will rebuttle this. But midterms are eye openers for all college students—-it is a way to advise yourself and start getting your priorities straight based on your performance in classes so far in the semester, and also congratulate yourself for being such a great student and getting good grades in all your courses, but of course you have to maintain those grades or work harder to bring them up more. If asked, I  would say my fall break was ok or maybe even relaxing, but that would be a lie. Truth is, I was excercising my brain cells, reading, writing papers, and going over notes because, well, I have to in order to stay on top of everything school related. Some might say I have no life, and I will not even bother to argue because I don’t, just focusing on school, that’s my life. I wish I could just pass out alseep for more than 10 hours right now, but then I will miss a class. Its bittersweet to say that fall break is over, but the 3 days of no class was beautiful.  For now, everything is back to business and classes resume tomorrow—HOORAY!! I think.

Goodluck to everyone with classes tomorrow, especially students with 8ams…set your alarms to 7am because that 5 minute more of sleep might just turn into an hour! Yes, you know what I am talking about, we have all done it.

Oh, do not attempt the above solution for stress reduction…Cheers!

Carpe diem.

Adopt-A-Highway and AIDS Walk

AIDS Walk and Adopt-A-Highway

This past September symbolized a great start to charity and service work. As a Sophomore at Neumann University I was encouraged to do some service activities. I took it upon myself to register for the AIDS Delaware Walk in Wilmington, Delaware and Adopt-A-Highway which is held every month here at Neumann. The AIDS Walk is held every year in Wilmington, DE in respect to AIDS affected individuals and to bring awareness to the AIDS epidemic that has spread globally. When I arrived at Wilmington, the scenery was absolutely beautiful and inspiring; there were a lot of different groups who also came out in support of the AIDS Walk. We were lectured on the history of Delaware and how grateful the organizers of the AIDS Walk were to see such a great turn out of people who have dedicated their time to support an event so heart felt. We walked a total of 3 miles in the Wilmington area, and there were people in every corner greeting us with flowers and applause as we made our way down the finish line. Walking across the finish line was a great feeling of accomplishment. I was very thankful to have participated in such a walk that meant so much to so many others; the love and sympathy expressed that day was very moving and inspiring. I am very proud to have participated in the AIDS Walk and I hope to do it again next year.

Another event I participated in this past September was the Adopt-A-Highway. Adopt-A-Highway is a volunteer service and environmental awareness program which is sponsored by the Students for Environmental Awareness Club (SEA Club) at Neumann. I am a member of the SEA club, and our advisor is Dr. Patricia P. Strobl. We started the Adopt-A-Highway by occupying sides of the highway in the Aston area around route 95 and up. We had plastic bags, gloves, and dressed in the appropriate clothes for work. As we started picking up dirt and waste materials from the side of the street that people threw from their cars etc, we became the center of attention for bystanders and people driving by that intersection. We were asked why we were randomly picking up waste materials from the side of the highway, and we simply replied that we cared about the environment and did not want to see it dirty. It was unbelievable the amount of waste we picked up from the side of the highways; we picked up tons of plastic, water bottles, cigarette butts, empty alcohol bottles, diapers, McDonalds bags, car tires, empty candy wrappers, and we even saw some dead animal remains. A lot of us were disgusted at these sights and repulsed that so many people would simply not care about what they threw outside of their car windows, polluting the atmosphere. However, as a group we managed to clean majority of the highways, and we had about 15 full trash bags filled with waste materials off of the highways. It is an absolutely great feeling to do something amazing to help the environment, and I will encourage many Neumann students to participate in Adopt-A-Highway every time it is held on campus.

Until Next time, take care readers and I hope you were inspired to do something in your community to benefit the people and the environment. One love.

Fatim Sannoh