I love being a student at a Big Ten school. There are always great sports to watch, no matter what time of year! At the University of Minnesota, we have 23 Division I teams competing for Big Ten titles. Along with several thousand other students, my favorite sport in the fall is football. Who doesn't like football? With our wonderful new TCF Bank Stadium and our homecoming celebrations, the U of M is the most exciting place to be on a Saturday afternoons.
But my favorite spring sport is women's gymnastics. I love heading over to the Sports Pavilion and watching my ladies compete on bars and the beam. Tickets are free for students and you can buy ice cream during the meet! What could be better than that? This past spring was the wrap up of the women's 2010 gymnastics season, and also the last gymnastics meet of my good friend, Alexis Russell's career.
As Alexis flexed and flipped in her maroon and gold for the very last time, scoring top on the vault and bars, and winning all-around as well, my friends and I danced the night away! YES, DANCED! We celebrated Alexis and Jamie Bullock's (another senior gymnast and friend) graduation from the team with a banquet after the meet and I must say it was bittersweet! I am sure that I will still be attending the women's gymnastics meets next year, but it won't be the same now that she will no longer be competing. But, you know what they say...once a Golden Gopher, always a Golden Gopher.
I can't wait to see the next amazing gymnast that comes to the U of M!
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Dream Big! Vices to Verses Conference 2010
© Musikal Visions Photography (posted with permission)
© Musikal Visions Photography (posted with permission)
This past spring, the University of Minnesota's own Voices Merging hosted the third bi-annual Vices to Verses hip hop conference. I assisted in facilitating and volunteering with different parts of the event, but I was also able to enjoy the conference as a participant. The conference was free and open to the public with several different events, including a hip hop concert featuring local and nationally known hip hop and spoken word artists (Ill Chemistry, Truth Maze, Maria Isa, Dead Prez, Toki Wright), and dancing by local hip hop dance crews and b-boys/girls.
The concert also featured several local graffiti artists, photographers, and painters through an auction and exhibition. The conference was composed of various seminars and talks where the public was able to come and learn about hip hop culture. Topics included hip hop as social change, hip hop and feminism, hip hop and multiculturalism, dance, and spoken word (just to name a few).
© Ka Zua Melissa Vang (posted with permission)
It was amazing to look around and see that this three-day conference with a total of over 40 separate educational and inspirational events was organized and put together by my friends and fellow University of Minnesota students. It is amazing what college students can do with a bit of hard work, with a university that supports them and encourages them to dream big, and with the beautiful and rich cultural location of the Twin Cities. I can't wait until two years from now when I can attend again. It was a life-changing and motivational experience. I love my university and I love my city!
© Ka Zua Melissa Vang (posted with permission)
© Ka Zua Melissa Vang (posted with permission)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Live Where You Learn!
As a student, I have lived in four of the eleven residence halls and apartments that the University of Minnesota has to offer, so I know a lot about campus living as well as the communities surrounding campus.
I continue to return to University Housing each year because its nice to be a part of a community and the location is super convenient! Each residence hall has a bi-annually elected community council consisting of student residents. The community council plans and participates in community-building events such as volunteer opportunities, clothing and canned food drives, potluck nights, game nights, and dances.
My apartment building had a taco night this past weekend (which was really lucky for me because I had run out of groceries) and not only did I meet several new friends, but I also won a $20 Target gift card from a drawing just for showing up to the event! I already have a list of what I am going to buy with it.
Living on campus is about more than the convenience of walking to your classes--it's also about getting involved, meeting new people, and making some great memories. The friends that I made during my freshman year in Sanford Hall are still my good friends today. Although the U of M does not require first-year students to live on campus, it has been an wonderful experience for me and I can't recommend it enough!
If you haven't already applied for housing, keep in mind that the May 1 deadline for the Freshmen Housing Guarantee is approaching quickly! Click here to get started on your housing application.
I continue to return to University Housing each year because its nice to be a part of a community and the location is super convenient! Each residence hall has a bi-annually elected community council consisting of student residents. The community council plans and participates in community-building events such as volunteer opportunities, clothing and canned food drives, potluck nights, game nights, and dances.
My apartment building had a taco night this past weekend (which was really lucky for me because I had run out of groceries) and not only did I meet several new friends, but I also won a $20 Target gift card from a drawing just for showing up to the event! I already have a list of what I am going to buy with it.
Living on campus is about more than the convenience of walking to your classes--it's also about getting involved, meeting new people, and making some great memories. The friends that I made during my freshman year in Sanford Hall are still my good friends today. Although the U of M does not require first-year students to live on campus, it has been an wonderful experience for me and I can't recommend it enough!
If you haven't already applied for housing, keep in mind that the May 1 deadline for the Freshmen Housing Guarantee is approaching quickly! Click here to get started on your housing application.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Spring has sprung, another year is almost done!
As the snow melts and the days get warmer, I am realizing that after this year, I have only one more spring at the University of Minnesota as a college student. I am 3/4 of the way through with the current school year, and I'll admit that I am getting a little bit nervous about my post-graduation plans. It gives me peace to know that I attend a school where there are resources in place to ensure my success after I leave.
As a student, I have connected with various offices and departments at the University--where I have volunteered, studied, or held student positions and internships. I have taken advantage of the many networking opportunities available to me. But it is my advisers and the career center staff that have put me most at ease. They provide fantastic resources such as on-campus job listings, resume workshops, and various job fairs and events just for U of M students and alum. The University has 10 specialized career centers, so the advisers are incredibly knowledgeable about possible career paths for your major, graduate programs, companies that hire graduates from specific programs, and more.
Whether I decide to continue into a graduate program right away or to jump straight into the workforce, I know that the U of M will continue to support me. Now I just have to focus on graduation!
Visit the University's career services page for more information.
Until next time...
As a student, I have connected with various offices and departments at the University--where I have volunteered, studied, or held student positions and internships. I have taken advantage of the many networking opportunities available to me. But it is my advisers and the career center staff that have put me most at ease. They provide fantastic resources such as on-campus job listings, resume workshops, and various job fairs and events just for U of M students and alum. The University has 10 specialized career centers, so the advisers are incredibly knowledgeable about possible career paths for your major, graduate programs, companies that hire graduates from specific programs, and more.
Whether I decide to continue into a graduate program right away or to jump straight into the workforce, I know that the U of M will continue to support me. Now I just have to focus on graduation!
Visit the University's career services page for more information.
Until next time...
Hundreds of courses
In a previous post, I told you all about the different and exciting classes that I am taking this semester. For those of you who are just tuning in, here are some brief descriptions of my current classes...
I am taking an art history course that focuses on contemporary art and society, a course where I am learning about sociological research methods and ethics, a course about the history of Africana Studies as a field of scientific inquiry in higher learning, and a painting course that is about putting two-dimensional images on three-dimensional forms.
Because each class has such a specific focus, I have the ability to take my learning from general concepts to having an in depth knowledge about each subject. The advanced course options are definitely on my list of favorite things about the University of Minnesota. As a student at the U of M, I have so many different courses to choose from and they all can go towards my graduation!
Here are just a few examples of the hundreds of unique courses that students are taking right now at the University of Minnesota! Click on the class and view the course guide for more information about each course:
I am taking an art history course that focuses on contemporary art and society, a course where I am learning about sociological research methods and ethics, a course about the history of Africana Studies as a field of scientific inquiry in higher learning, and a painting course that is about putting two-dimensional images on three-dimensional forms.
Because each class has such a specific focus, I have the ability to take my learning from general concepts to having an in depth knowledge about each subject. The advanced course options are definitely on my list of favorite things about the University of Minnesota. As a student at the U of M, I have so many different courses to choose from and they all can go towards my graduation!
Here are just a few examples of the hundreds of unique courses that students are taking right now at the University of Minnesota! Click on the class and view the course guide for more information about each course:
- Theater, Entertainment With Attitude
- Advanced Studies in the Poetry of Rap
- Monsters, Robots, Cyborgs
- The Edible Landscape
- Japanese Theater
- Dead Sea Scrolls
- Rock Music From 1970 to the Present
U of M: A College Town
This past week, it was business as usual. I finished two new paintings for my class, did about 150 pages of reading, started two papers for next week, cleaned my room twice (my current apartment and my old bedroom at my parents' house) and of course I watched the Superbowl. I've never been a huge football person so for me it was more about the guacamole and the chicken wings. It was definitely not a bad week. I feel as though it was pretty productive, however I am a tad bit tired.
So I have decided that this coming week, it's all about me! I'm going to hit up some thrift shops with one of my girlfriends to look for a pair of (gently!) used jeans. I miss biking around campus so I think I might get some snow tires for my bike. Last but not least, I need to stop by the store at some point to get some cookies to send to my boyfriend who is studying abroad in Samoa this semester.
And wonderfully enough, I can do all of this without leaving campus. The University of Minnesota itself offers many services to students and is surrounded by several different campus communities that have everything a student could possibly need or want! Dinkytown has a post office, a grocery store, a bike shop, banks, restaurants, clothing shops, salons and much much more! Stadium Village is closer to my new apartment so I've been spending more time there these past semesters. Stadium Village has restaurants and salons too, but they also have a yoga studio and a flower shop along with several other businesses. (And let me tell you, that flower shop saved me last Mother's Day!)
If I want to leave campus, I know that I can always hop on the city bus and head to downtown Minneapolis or Saint Paul, to one of Minnesota's lakes, to the Mall of America, but it is great to know that everything I need is so closeby. We would love for you to come up for a visit and see our campus and its wonderful communities for yourself!
-Daisy
So I have decided that this coming week, it's all about me! I'm going to hit up some thrift shops with one of my girlfriends to look for a pair of (gently!) used jeans. I miss biking around campus so I think I might get some snow tires for my bike. Last but not least, I need to stop by the store at some point to get some cookies to send to my boyfriend who is studying abroad in Samoa this semester.
And wonderfully enough, I can do all of this without leaving campus. The University of Minnesota itself offers many services to students and is surrounded by several different campus communities that have everything a student could possibly need or want! Dinkytown has a post office, a grocery store, a bike shop, banks, restaurants, clothing shops, salons and much much more! Stadium Village is closer to my new apartment so I've been spending more time there these past semesters. Stadium Village has restaurants and salons too, but they also have a yoga studio and a flower shop along with several other businesses. (And let me tell you, that flower shop saved me last Mother's Day!)
If I want to leave campus, I know that I can always hop on the city bus and head to downtown Minneapolis or Saint Paul, to one of Minnesota's lakes, to the Mall of America, but it is great to know that everything I need is so closeby. We would love for you to come up for a visit and see our campus and its wonderful communities for yourself!
-Daisy
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Minnesota's winter spirit
I hope that you all are finally settled back into the swing of school after your winter break. I know I am! It took a couple of days for my body to adjust back to the cooler temperatures after my California vacation, but for the past several weeks I have been really enjoying waking up and heading outside.
I've heard some talk of snow in Missouri. I checked the Weather Channel and saw that there have been a few days of snow and then rain . . . and then some more snow and then some more rain. However, I have to say that one has never truly experienced winter and the full span of the seasons until they have experienced a Minnesota winter, and I'm referring to more than just the few feet of snow. I am talking about the hardy Minnesota winter spirit.
One of my favorite expressions of this winter spirit is the St. Paul Winter Carnival (dubbed "The Coolest Celebration on Earth") which took the last week in January. There is a huge ice sculpture competition, and for the large majority of us who aren't masters in the art of ice sculpting, there is also the snow sculpture competition. But there is more going on than playing in the ice and snow. The carnival also has plays, scavenger hunts, free ice skating, concerts! Most of the events take place within walking or busing distance from the University of Minnesota campus so it's very accessible to and popular with students.
The St. Paul Winter Carnival is just one of the many events that we have in Minnesota to celebrate the winter season. But don't fear, Missourians! We have just as many to celebrate the warmer months as well!
Until next time,
-Daisy
I've heard some talk of snow in Missouri. I checked the Weather Channel and saw that there have been a few days of snow and then rain . . . and then some more snow and then some more rain. However, I have to say that one has never truly experienced winter and the full span of the seasons until they have experienced a Minnesota winter, and I'm referring to more than just the few feet of snow. I am talking about the hardy Minnesota winter spirit.
One of my favorite expressions of this winter spirit is the St. Paul Winter Carnival (dubbed "The Coolest Celebration on Earth") which took the last week in January. There is a huge ice sculpture competition, and for the large majority of us who aren't masters in the art of ice sculpting, there is also the snow sculpture competition. But there is more going on than playing in the ice and snow. The carnival also has plays, scavenger hunts, free ice skating, concerts! Most of the events take place within walking or busing distance from the University of Minnesota campus so it's very accessible to and popular with students.
The St. Paul Winter Carnival is just one of the many events that we have in Minnesota to celebrate the winter season. But don't fear, Missourians! We have just as many to celebrate the warmer months as well!
Until next time,
-Daisy
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