Angelica's World

One component of NYU's Office of Student Activities is their Alternative Breaks program. Alternative Breaks is a national program (under the larger umbrella of Break Away) which provides students with alternative (drug/alcohol-free), direct service opportunities during their winter or spring break in various parts of the country (and even globally!). Though I have wanted to participate since being a student at NYU, there has always been some sort of scheduling or financial conflict which has restricted me from doing so. However, as the RA on the community service floor, I finally get to be involved with Alternative Breaks this year!

One component of our floor this year is to provide residents the chance to participate in an Alternative Breaks trip. My Co-RA and I researched numerous different organizations and finally decided to work with Essential 2 Life in Atlanta, GA. We are really excited about customizing the trip to fit everyone's interests and to spend the week with 12 of our residents!

And, in order to prepare for that awesome week, we had to spend this past weekend at the Shawnee Inn in PA at the NYU Alternative Breaks Site Leader Retreat. There were about 50 students there and we received training in diversity, fundraising, education/orientation/training, and reorientation. We also played some team building games outside in the gorgeous weather. Saturday night we had a campfire where we made s'mores and then played Capture the Flag and then on Sunday we canoed with our co-Site Leaders along the Delaware River. It was an amazing weekend. I met some really great people, had tons of fun, ate lots and lots of (yummy) food--everyone knows that's my favorite part, and got even more excited about my trip.

Two weeks ago I went with a few other RAs to go see Trouble the Water at the IFC. It is a film about Hurricane Katrina and the impact it had on the lives of so many people. It is a very telling documentary that brings you into the action and shows the viewer a perspective they may not have previously been aware of. I really enjoyed it and would certainly recommend seeing it if possible. I learned so much from it and it helped to make the horrific situation more real to me since, while I feel horrible and empathetic about what happened, I often feel rather removed from it because I live so far away and have never been to LA.

Just wanted to give a quick plug because it is definitely worth checking out and providing yourself with this rather eye-opening experience!

After over three years in college and spending tons of time in Manhattan, I finally had the chance to get out and see what life is like in a different college setting. In doing so, I figured, why not experience a school that is the complete opposite to what I've been exposed to thus far...and that is how I ended up at Penn State University.

This past weekend I went with three friends to visit someone at Penn State. I had been wanting to go for a while and had particularly wanted to see a football game. My friend was able to get tickets and walking into Beaver Stadium on Saturday was literally, as my friend said, "insta-smile"! My three friends and I were mid-conversation as we got to the top of the ramp--the entrance to the bleachers--and completely stopped, smiled, and took in the insanity that is PSU's 110,000 capacity Beaver Stadium. We proceeded to enjoy the football game as PSU destroyed Temple. And what would a Penn State game be without being thrown up in the air a few times...59 to be exact (after 21 points and 38 points)? I spent the rest of the weekend hanging out, relaxing, eating deliciously unhealthy food, and taking in the experience that I definitely do not have here at NYU.

While I know this is an NYU blog and it would probably be wise of me to speak highly of the school, I think it is important to point out that regardless of how amazing NYU is and how much I have truly benefited from being a student here...it is VERY different from other institutions. I feel that is something to be considered in making college decisions because NYU isn't for everyone, but neither is PSU. So once you decide on NYU and get here and make the most of the experience, take a weekend or two and visit friends elsewhere and be an honorary "real college kid" for a weekend--then come back and enjoy all that NYU and Manhattan have to offer!

At the beginning of each semester, every RA at NYU is required to have BASE conversations with their residents. These are basically just informal 1-on-1 conversations in which both parties get to better know one another. We discuss what's going on the residents' lives, what they have done and plan to do while at NYU and living in NYC and we make sure that they feel safe and comfortable in their new homes.

I finished my BASE conversations for the semester this evening. I really enjoyed these meetings and having the opportunity to just sit down and chat with the freshmen on my floor. I have had numerous interactions with them in passing or at programs but being able to catch up without having distractions and needing to be somewhere was great. I am so fortunate to have such amazing residents this year. I really hope that they continue to be as positive and enthusiastic as they are now because I definitely think we'll have an awesome year! My Co-RA and I, and our Faculty Affiliate, have some fun plans but our residents have also suggested some ideas that I hope we can put into action as well.

I am definitely looking forward to this year and continuing to build my relationships with my residents!

The San Gennaro Feast is an annual street fair that takes place along Mulberry Street in Little Italy for about a week and a half every September. I have gone the past few years with friends and this year I decided to take my residents. My Co-RA and I walked down to the fair with our residents tonight and let them experience it for the first time. Many residents bought delicious (looking...and apparently tasting) pizza along the walk down Mulberry Street and I had to buy a sausage and pepper hero. Every year when I go with my friends we go to an Italian restaurant but this year I decided I would actually take part in the whole experience and eat some absolutely delicious food. My Co-RA and I also treated our residents to pastries from Ferrara Cafe on Grand Street. Everyone loved their choices and seemed to have an enjoyable time. I encouraged them all to go back this weekend with their friends as the feast is going on through this Sunday, September 21...definitely check it out!

This summer I was a Steinhardt Orientation Leader. This means that I worked at all three Steinhardt Orientation Sessions in conjunction with the other OLs as well as Steinhardt faculty so that we could help all the incoming students get off on the right foot. We spent time registering them for classes and introducing them to NYU Steinhardt. I absolutely loved the job and having the opportunity to work so closely with the people in my department (Teaching & Learning!!!) as well as the chance to get to know so many incoming students (some of whom I see around campus and some who live in the building I'm an RA at and who come to visit me!).

Fortunately for me, being an OL opened up the door to another opportunity to become involved in the Steinhardt community. This morning was a Prospective Student Open House and I was able to serve as one of the students in attendance to speak with prospective students and families and answer any questions they might have. Upon arriving at the Kimmel Center and making my way up to the 4th floor, I began to "meet and mingle" with some families. I shared stories and experiences and any information I had that might help them in the decision-making process. Afterwards, I was speaking to one of my bosses and half-jokingly said that I should come back and work for Steinhardt after I graduate, as a recruiter.

After everyone heard Deans Carey and Brabeck speak, as well as one of my peers, we gathered together as a department to share information and answer more questions. My earlier comment resonated in my head as I continued to enjoy being a resource for these families. I love doing this (which is also why I am a blogger for Steinhardt) and hope that I can keep as many people as informed as possible...so keep the questions coming.

And if anyone from NYU is out there reading this, and you're hiring...let me know! :)

I just got back about an hour ago from seeing Rent on Broadway. I had seen it twice when I was a lot younger and definitely too young to understand most of it. It's closing on Sunday and I really wanted to see it one last time...and I'm so happy I did. The show was amazing. It was really cool being in the audience a) with so many people who have already seen it and know it and were very enthusiastic about it and b) knowing basically the entire show word for word.

The show is so incredibly well done and truly something I think people need to pay attention to and take to heart. I went with a close friend of mine who I was speaking with about the history behind AIDS and the revolutionary era that the story speaks of. Toward the end of the show I began thinking about the fact that, when I have children this will probably be a show that they come to see the revival of. The strange thing about that is knowing that there is such a historical context to the plot and wondering what the status of HIV/AIDS will be like at that point. Kind of crazy to think about.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Rent, since you won't be able to see it on Broadway I HIGHLY recommend you rent the movie. I actually was fortunate enough to go to an advanced screening of it my freshman year at NYU and have watched it multiple times since then. I think it was pretty well done and actually clarifies some things, especially set wise, that may be difficult to understand because only a few props change throughout the live performance.

And don't forget: no day but today...think about it and live it!

OutReach is a community service program I am EXTREMELY involved with. It completely changed my college experience and is a program I feel very passionate about. Basically OutReach is an introduction to community service in NYC for new NYU students (freshmen and transfers) that they participate in for 4 days prior to Welcome Week. The selection process is rather difficult as we try to keep the program somewhat small so everyone can get to know one another, and all of the leaders are prior OutReach participants.

I was a participant going into my freshman year then became a leader and coordinator, and then just maintained the role of coordinator for the follow two years. Basically I have helped to organize and run the entire program which I absolutely love. However, this year I did much of the behind-the-scenes work but was unable to attend the program because it overlapped RA training. I was really upset about it but tried to get over to as much of OutReach as I could.

I attended the guest speaker (who is also the Faculty Affiliate of my floor), their big Saturday project which was a carnival for children in the Starlight Children's Foundation hosted on our campus, as well as the tail end of the Saturday evening wrap-up. I heard some really great feedback from this year's OutReach participants and leaders and am so excited because four of the participants are actually living on my floor this year!

Essentially what we do at OutReach is divide the 75 participants up into 12 groups, each run by two leaders, that participate in three different community service projects (the third being the big final one on Saturday with the whole group) during the day and then engage in reflections before going out with their group to explore NYC at night. It's a truly phenomenal program and certainly an amazing way to kick-off your college experience. Almost everyone walks away from it a changed, more enlightened person, and says that their closest friends from college are the ones they met at OutReach--and my situation is no different. I just wish I could continue to be a part of the program in the future because it feels like it has become my baby since I've been here and it was really hard for myself, and all the other seniors in the program, to accept that it is our senior year and we do have to pass the torch and watch the flame grow! But I am certainly excited to do that because I know I'm leaving OutReach in great hands!

Two entries ago I wrote about how I had just moved in to my new residence hall and was getting ready for training to become a Resident Assistant. Well, the week was very successful and educational. I absolutely LOVE my staff and really think we're going to have a great year together. I got to meet some people from other building staffs and participate in workshops and info. sessions about many of the situations I may be dealing with this year. And, last Thursday night Residential Education hosted a trip to Chelsea Piers for all of the NYU RAs to go bowling. It was so much fun and my staff even started our own dance party...and I tied with someone else in my lane for the highest score (but it wasn't even very high, though I broke 100, so I'm not going to share it). Anyway, I just wanted to give a quick recap since I just talked about my excitement and anticipation in my last training entry.

This past Sunday was Move-In Day for all NYU Freshmen which meant that I acquired about 36 new students to be responsible for. The day ran more smoothly than I think anyone could have imagined and when we had our first floor meeting Sunday evening, I got to meet all of these incredible people. Everyone is so different but has joined our floor with a common interest and goal in mind--to help and serve others.

All week my Co-RA and I have been taking our residents to various Welcome Week events to help them get involved in the NYU community. Wednesday we went to an interactive workshop called Theater for Social Change which was facilitated by an Educational Theater faculty member who demonstrated to us the effectiveness of using theater (games) to open up dialogue about diversity and social justice issues. It was a very powerful session that my Co-RA and I are hoping to bring to our entire floor community this year.

That evening we brought students to a Spoken Word Poetry Slam which everyone seemed to really enjoy. We then learned about the Hip-Hop Theater Festival taking place September 23-October 11. This event was reintroduced to us last evening when we went to a screening of "On the Outs"--an extremely powerful film that follows the lives of three teens who get caught up with drugs, teenage pregnancy, and violence, and end up in and out of juvenile detention centers (definitely watch it). Following the screening, our Faculty Affiliate joined us for a discussion about the issues addressed in the film and it was incredible to see the open dialogue that my residents had. Our conversation touched upon many things and everyone contributed something very valuable to it. My Co-RA and I are extremely excited for this year because after only 5 days of knowing these wonderful people, we see the interest, intellect, and curiosity they are bringing to our floor and we can only what we will be able to learn this year.

I can't wait to see what this year has in store for me (and my residents) because social justice and community service are things I am very interested in and passionate about learning more about and I really think that I will be able to do that this year. But perhaps more importantly, I will be able to do it with a group of students who feel similarly and I (along with my Co-RA and Faculty Affiliate) get to be the person who provides them with this experience.