Fall Term Is Ending!

It's crazy to think I am just a few short weeks, two to be exact, from finishing my final fall term at Mercyhurst University. Some of my best friends and I were on Homecoming Court which was a really great opportunity to partake in. In addition, I was able to present one of the Senior Class Gift ideas to the President of Mercyhurst, which again was really amazing. Senior year brings in change, but wonderful opportunities and adventures also drift in with the tides of change.


I am ready to end the term though, and finish-up all of the class work that is going on, because I have exciting plans for Thanksgiving Break. My friend Rhona is from Dublin, Ireland, and I will be traveling to her house for Thanksgiving...even though the Irish do not celebrate the holiday! I have been to Ireland once before, but I am really happy to be going back. We will also be accompanied by our friend Alyssa. It is a good group going and we should have a really great time. The really exciting thing about this trip is that we get to stay with Rhona's family the whole time. I have met her family once before, but I am even more excited to get to know them better!

If going to Ireland for Thanksgiving wasn't exciting enough, our adventure does not stop there! We are also spending four days in London! We are technically flying on Thanksgiving....which will be a bit weird, but I think it will be cool to not experience an American tradition for once, and see how the rest of the world goes on without celebrating it. We did talk about Alyssa and I cooking a "Thanksgiving Dinner" for everyone, but we will just have to see if that happens.

One of the days that we are in London, I will actually be taking a day trip to visit my possible graduate school in Newcastle, England. The flight is only about an hour and ten minutes, and I will only be gone for the day. I am happy to have the opportunity to visit the school. Many students who study abroad rarely get the chance to visit the school beforehand. Although my future decision are still up in the air, I am hoping that by visiting Newcastle I will have more of an idea of what I want to do with my future.


Well, that's all for now. I will make sure to fill you in on everything that happened on our trip, and of course I will upload tons of pictures!

Carpe Diem Everyday!
Jeremy

Junior Year, time flies!

Me in my MSG gear!

My junior year at Mercyhurst was one of my most memorable academic years so far. In the fall I began working as the Public Relations Coordinator for Mercyhurst Student Government, and quickly realized how enjoyable this field could be. I helped generate open discussion on issues pertaining to students, and I lent a collaborative hand when planning events on campus. In November, I had the privilege of meeting MTVs reality television stars The Buried Life, who came to give a presentation in our Performing Arts Center.

Throughout the winter season, I was able to a lot of fun events both with MSG and my group of friends. We planned out annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony for the Mercyhurst community to participate in. My group of friends also celebrated our traditional Christmas Dinner Party where we got dressed up, went out to eat and even exchanged gifts. For once, the Erie winter was actually pretty mild, so I did not get too snowed in! The winter also brought about some big changes for Mercyhurst. While I started at Mercyhurst College in 2009, January introduced everyone to the brand new Mercyhurst University. This change will benefit students of Mercyhurst so much in the long run and is the right step for Mercyhurst, especially in the global market place. 

This summer I will be in Erie working for the admissions department. I cannot wait for a break from school work, but I of course cannot get away from the good old Hurst! I am sure that I will have wonderful summer adventures to report about and I cannot wait to share my senior year with all of you. Until August you will just have to anxiously await my return, but remember one thing!

Carpe Diem, everyday!

~Jeremy

50 Item Challenge

Bedroom with lots of clutter!

Closet with too many clothes!

So after living at Mercyhurst for three years now, it occurred  to me that I have acquired a lot (and I mean a TON) of stuff! While having more "stuff" always makes us feel better, sometimes having too much stuff begins to weigh us down. Some of you may have heard of the "100 Items Challenge", well I've decided to do a college version of it with the "50 Item Challenge".

I challenged myself with finding 50 items that I could give away to people that would make better use of them. Starting out on this journey, I assumed it would be easy to come-up with 50 items that I no longer needed...but after a while I quickly learned the truth. The first place I looked at for my items was my closet. We all have too many clothes, and there are people out there who could make way better use of those clothes. After finding seven or eight clothing items I no longer needed I made my way to my bedroom, which is so cluttered. Before I knew it I was finding unneeded items left and right! My pile quickly grew bigger and bigger, until I reached 38 items. This was the point at which I became stuck...I knew there had to be more to give away. Slowly but surely I managed to complete my challenge of finding 50 items to give away. It was difficult, but very worth it! Below you will find a picture of what I'm giving away, along with a list of some of the items!

Here are my items.

I managed to find things to give away like:

-Clothes

-Shoes

-Bags

-Books

-Stuffed Animals

-Coats

-Water Bottle

-2 Backpacks

-And Much More

So after doing this mini challenge, I challenge you to do the same. Are there 50 items laying around your house or dorm room that you no longer need? Are there items that someone else would make much better use of? Then why not let someone else have the items that you've been able to enjoy for a while. Not only will you be doing yourself a favor by de-stressing and de-cluttering your life, but you will be allowing others to have the things that you no longer need. I'd love to do this at least once a year, paying it forward never hurts.

Carpe Diem everyday, and help others while you do it!

~Jeremy 

Ambassador's Chrisgiving

Sarah B, Me, and Aldyn S. at Chrisgiving!

So today was the annual Ambassador's Chrisgiving, which is a holiday party that the Ambassador club has after Thanksgiving and before Christmas to get everyone into the holiday spirit. Every year, the theme of the party is "ugly sweater". It is really fun to see everyone dressed in their best ugly Christmas attire! Last year I really didn't do anything special, I just had a really (I mean so ugly) ugly sweater. This year, I wanted to do something a little more festive! So of course because I am a college student, I waited until the day before the party to put an outfit together...which may have actually worked out in my favor! Rhona and I went to the local Salvation Army to find some great outfits, and give back to others. While at "SalVo" I found the PERFECT sweater. In addition to the sweater I collected other wonderful pieces of Christmas cheer to make my "Mercy-Elf" costume even better!

Me, Rhona B. and Lindsay C. sporting our holiday outfits

The final product was an elf hat, an oversized sweater with tinsel and bells, and my TOMS shoes which I sewed bells on to make the perfect elf shoes! Although I was super excited to show off my Christmas cheer, the feeling quickly subsided when I walked across Mercyhurst campus "jingling all the way"! At the actual party, it was nice to socialize with the other Ambassadors, see everyone's outfits, and meet the new Ambassador pledges. After everyone feasted on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and desserts, it was time for the voting of the "ugliest outfits". I honestly did not think my ensemble was "in the running towards becoming Mercyhurst Ambassador's next ugly Christmas outfit", so I was not really bothered in paying attention to the whole voting. Much to my surprise, the social committee voted myself, and Nathan K. as the ugly outfit winners. In addition, Paige B. and Adam F. were winners for their combined outfit of "grandma got run-over by a reindeer"! All in all, it was a very great night and I loved hanging out with all the Mercyhurst Ambassadors. I'm going to have to start planning my costume for next year...what will it be....?

Me, Nathan K., Adam F. and Paige B. the winners of the "ugly outfits"!

Carpe Diem, no matter what!
~Jeremy