Business Casual

This is a dedication video to the one and only, Carl!

One thing that I love about Stern and NYU is that they encourage their students to take initiatives. One of my friends is the co-chair of ASTEP @ NYU, a branch of the organization Artists Striving to End Poverty. ASTEP's mission is to uses the collaboration of the arts- theater, dance, art, film, music, and other art forms as a tool to empower young people with creativity, knowledge, and a strong sense of self-esteem, factors which help them advance their lives and communities. Through ASTEP, my friend started Open Exchange, a project in collaboration with Essex Street Academy High School (ESA), as a way for NYU and ESA students to exchange ideas and learn about basically anything varying form the arts, to business, to body image.

On Saturday, I went to Essex for the first session with about 10 other NYU students. Essex is a progressive high school where students learn through project based activities, complete a portfolio, and call their teachers by their first names. I thought the school was pretty amazing with murals everywhere and a beautiful theater. We met some of the students and played some crazy theater games to get to know everyone better (also a majority of the NYU students were theater education majors).

The conclusion of the day was the best part. We had a discussion about expectations and what everyone wanted to get out of the program. I was expecting to hear things like painting and how to write a resume. Instead the topics ranged from green initiates and sustainability to tolerance and even African dance. We concluded by sitting in a circle and each answering the following statement: "My name is ____ and if I could change the world I would _____. I am who I am."

It was some pretty powerful stuff.

<3 Amy

Hi there --

Well, things have definitely calmed down since my last entry. I've officially accepted my offer from American Express, and (as of now) am planning to begin the full-time job come summer. Which means I'll have just about an entire semester to relax, travel, take my road trip, make some extra cash, and spend some time with a few very special people back home. Although my parents may not be the biggest fans of this plan of action, I'm extremely excited by it. An opportunity to take five months off -- with a great job waiting for me when I get back -- doesn't come around often. So I'm taking it :)

So now I have just over two months (wow....that's it?) to enjoy life as a college student living in NYC. On any normal day, I'd be stressed by the three looming group projects all due next week (plus a painting that I have barely started). However, this time around I'm doing my best to take it easy and soak up this incredible lifestyle (perhaps to my disadvantage...but oh well). Everything will ultimately get done, and hopefully well. (A good friend once told me that procrastination is a sign of perfectionism. Shh...it may not be true, but it's helped me accept and smile through many a late night.)

Anyway, how are YOU doing? Tell me something about your life. I've never much liked the idea of a typical blog, because most of the time it evolves into pages and pages of someone rattling on about the arbitrary details of his or her life. So. I want to know about yours. Any interesting stories? Questions? Statements?

Next time, I promise my post will be at least a bit more exciting. Why? Road trip to Salem, Mass. with two guests from home!!! :)

Very truly yours,
Julia

P.S. This past week I was talking on the phone with someone very dear to me, who said "as a general fact, most people should be a lot happier than they are." I agree wholeheartedly. So just do it. Be happy :)

Ni hao ma!?!?!?!?!

I will try and start every single new blog post with a new language welcoming (that was Mandarin for Hello, how are you?). Why you may ask? Well, I just got accepted into the NYU study abroad site in Shanghai, China! I know, it's awesome right! I am just as excited as the number of exclamation points in this blog post may indicate (very excited). Recently, I picked up my study abroad packet and dropped off my deposit. In just a few short months I'll be giving hugs and kisses goodbye to fly halfway around the world. This will be the first time I am going abroad, ever, so I am pumped. I even got some CD's from my library, and I "tried" to start learning some Mandarin (to check out the CD's click here). True Life, Mandarin is hard.

Anyway, besides all of that, so much has been happening. I am a Cohort Leader for the Cohort Leadership Project (a freshman social impact class), and my cohort made a great showing at a guest speaker class in the Skirball Center. They made me proud, so what? SOHO!

Midterms...yes, they are happening. I have one tomorrow, another Tuesday, and my last one next Monday. SO, these are busy times ahead. But it's ok, because I have this. Click it to see how I can actually procrastinate for more than three hours in one sitting.

I would like to write a little bit about my infotech class. We made websites and I really like mine. It is about me and my brother. Check it!

Lastly, I am a Wasserman Center for Career Development Peer in Career. Pretty much, I can help you with anything you need related to career preparation. We are having a really cool event that I am helping to organize with my Wasserman team. It's called "Find Your Inner Hero, unmask your career path." You get to go to the Wasserman Center (location link) and take a personality test to help determine what career might suit you best. It is based on superhero personalities, and THERE WILL BE FREE FOOD. So make sure you come, because it will help you find you career, and make me look good.

That's all I've got for now, stay tuned.

Keepin it Casual,

Justin

Hey all,

As I was waiting for my last class to start today, one of my good friends begins to unwrap a bagel. This isn't just any average bagel, but a bagel with herb cream cheese, lox, avocado, some sort of cooked vegetable and what looks like hummus. Happily munching on this king of all bagels, my friend explains to me that he went to 13th St. and 6th Ave. to Murray's Bagels, one of the very few places in New York that makes their stuff the old fashioned way -- hand-rolled, kettle-boiled and baked to perfection.

I think it's easy to forget in the midst of back-to-back classes, internships and activities of how many dining choices we have during the school day. I usually end up grabbing something at Campus Eatery or Pizza Mercato ($4 for two slices and a Coke!), though a few blocks away I can enjoy one of New York Magazine's best burgers of 2009 at Stand or an amazing mom-and-pop sandwich from Crosby Connection. It's these little things that make our part of New York so awesome to live in, not to mention adding a bit of tasty variety to our day. :)

So next time I perfunctorily head to Kimmel for a quick bite I may actually just head over to the real Bite or possibly explore a new restaurant -- a new lunch.

Have a great, delicious week,

Rachael

Hello Beautiful People!!!

I just had to let you know about how my school year started. (Pretty insane if you ask me)

So I"m in a group called Gentlemen-of-Quality (GQ) which is an all male club dedicated to community service and leadership development. Every year we throw a big social mixer (party) called Get acQuainted as a fun welcome back event and to reintroduce ourselves to campus. Well this year, because of unfortunate room changes we had to totally switch gears last minute.

There we were, two and a half weeks before the party was suppose to launch, scratching our heads at what we were going to do now. The next day, to my surprise, a recent alum calls and tells me that J. Cole, RocNation's first artist, wants to have a concert at NYU and wanted us to host it. (Talk about the Just-In-Time)

Well, needless to say we took the opportunity and in 2 short weeks we put together an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING concert also featuring NYU Alum NYLE. It was probably the busiest and most hectic 2 weeks of my life but it was totally worth it when I got to see how the event came together. About 450 people came, Ralph Lauren and other brands decided to donate stuff to us for the concert, our group was mentioned on major blogs from here to Texas, and the artists were phenomenal!!!

They don't just call NYU the #1 Dream School for the sake of it!!!!!

One Love,
Weedly

Hellohello!

I hope you all had exciting weekends. Mine was pretty awesome actually. I saw MIKA (love him!) in concert and made it all the way uptown to Washington Heights for the the first time!

MIKA performed at the United Palace Theater on 175th St., which opened in 1930 as a theater for vaudeville and movies. In 1969, it was bought by Rev. Ike Eikerenkoetter and was restored as a church. The interior of the building is really beautiful and ornate. You can kind of get an idea from the picture below (sorry someone walked by just as I was taking it). I can't believe it's still used as a church as well as a concert venue. Pretty cool.

MIKA really went all out for the show. It was almost like watching a Broadway performance with a crazier audience of course. There were props, set and costume changes, glow in the dark eye-lashes, puppets...

Here's another pic. (I wasn't that close, hence all of the people and barely being able to make out MIKA in the photo)

So if you haven't checked out his new album "The Boy Who Knew Too Much," do it now! You'll be dancing, I promise.

"Humphry, we're leaving"
Amy

Hello folks,

I know that most people think of their school as the best, but nothing really compares to NYU Stern. Everyone speaks about Stern being great because of its "strategic location" in the heart of NYC. (Which, to be honest, is pretty amazing.) However, this school is just full of programs and opportunities that really make your college experience great. Example: Prior to coming to Stern, I had only traveled to Canada (which really doesn't count if you ask me) and Haiti. Since Stern, I've studied abroad in Italy where I took the opportunity to backpack throughout Europe, then I went to China through the Stern International Studies Program, next I volunteered in Peru though Stern International Volunteers and now I'm getting ready to head to India during the winter break though the India Global Studies Program. Where else do you hear about students traveling the world to compare class theory to on-the-ground practices?
My mother is getting tried of not seeing me during vacations and my girlfriend is convinced that I just want to leave her, but how do pass up opportunities like these?
I just wish I had been logging frequent flyer miles, do you think I can get those past miles logged now?

But seriously, the academics and job placement is what makes students come but the programs and activities are what make us stay.

Much love,
Weedly Prospert

Hey baseball fans,

As you must know the Yankees just won the ALCS (American League Championship Series)!!!! It took six years but we got the title back. Now its time for us to win the World Series!!!

I'm sitting in a room full of people from New York to California (literally) who hold allegiances to a bunch of baseball teams. Fortunately, for me at least, the Yanks are the ones on top. This post is for all the Yankee fans out there!!!!!!

One love,
Weedly P

Hey all,

Phew, I just got back from spending the weekend back home in Cleveland, Ohio. You forget how awesome it is to hang out with your family until you actually see them again!

Though I won't bore you with the familial activities, chores, etc. of the past few days I want to say one thing -- the best part about leaving school and New York is coming back.

What do I mean by that?

Well I usually drive back to the city with my dad, a very long 8-hour car ride that seems to wind on forever. However, I don't really mind, because I'm just waiting for the big finish of seeing the New York skyline. Without fail, I get a rush of excitement when I first see the city skyline creep up on the horizon, quickly becoming beautifully designed, tall buildings that envelope the entire island. I drove in at night this time around, making it all the more awesome with the bright lights contrasting the black sky.

I mean, how lucky are we to go to school in this city? It's good to be home, but it's always great to be back.

To the Empire State,

Rachael