Marveling at Life

Although I use this blog in a professional capacity, I thought it would be fun to provide a glimpse into my every day life. I got this list idea from Ashley from Sed Bona and Samantha from Mastering Oxford—these ladies are brilliant and certainly up-and-coming in the social media sphere. Without further ado, here's what I've been up to lately: 

Enjoying: My last semester as a student—at least for awhile!
Listening: Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do" 
Wearing: Camel & black J Crew heart sweater, old black pencil skirt, Banana Republic leopard print scarf, thrifted black heels, and black Ann Taylor tights.
Making: Edits to my resume and cover letter
Cooking: Instant Oatmeal
Drinking: Ginger ale over ice. The ice is key.
Feeling: Stressed. Very, very stressed. 
Reading: Textbooks :(
Looking: At my sweet little pup curled up on a pillow
Wishing: For a miracle & a trip to a tropical paradise
Liking: Season 5 of Downton Abbey
Waiting: To get my nerve up
Snacking: On cashews
Coveting: A pastel blue/periwinkle coat a la the Duchess of Cambridge
Hearing: My fan on for white noise
Learning: That taking a philosophy of religion course is a lot harder than I thought!
Loving: My internship with YCP's Alumni Relations Office
Watching: An Idiot Abroad with my family
Admiring: The grace and kindness of my friends
Getting: Excited for what the future holds
Wondering: What plans I'm going to make for my birthday
Playing: Every day & embracing my inner child
Noticing: That the future has started to look a lot brighter
Giggling: At random text conversations & how funny I think I am
Bookmarking: Profound HuffPost pieces such as this one on Nice Girls
Deciding: To take risks
Hoping: To continue improving upon my happiness
Contemplating: How to plug away at this thesis paper
Wanting: Better sleeping habits
Thinking: About my Twitter usage and how to increase my following 
Knowing: I am loved
Opening: A window and closing a door
Feeling: Content
Marveling: At life

#SpartaNation 2015

After ending the fall 2014 semester on a high note (yay for a GPA boost!), I enjoyed a lovely holiday and spent some quality time with my family and friends. Of course, my hustle mentality prevented me from having down time for too long.

 January 7th marked the beginning of the SpartaNation 2015 tour through NYC, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., Towson, and back to York. This was my second time acting as one of the #YCPRoadCrew members and couldn't wait for this journey to kick off. Last year's #YCPRoadCrew became a family, and I count many of the former Road Crew members as dear friends. Not only did we bond as a mini YCP Family, but the opportunity to meet with various York College alumni and prospective YCPers was a treat itself. I had made great connections last year and knew that this year would be no different.

Our journey started in Long Island and NYC. The highlight of this part of the trip was standing out on plaza of The Today Show in frigid 8 degree weather. Although at the time the windchill made the experience torturous, I can honestly say that it is a memory I will never forget and wouldn't change a thing about it.

The journey continued to Philadelphia, New Jersey, and DC, but around this time, I unfortunately came down with the flu and had to miss New Jersey and DC. However, in Philadelphia, we toured the Phillies and Eagles stadium--during which I practiced my acting skills and pretended that I have a substantial interest in baseball and football! Although the experience wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, I was surprised when we went in the locker rooms and found out that one of the Eagles players wears Crocs!!

For Towson, I was still under the weather from the flu so I missed out on the tour of Under Armour, but I did make an effort to come to the networking reception that evening and spoke with many alumni that I hadn't seen in a few months and reestablished connections with them.

Sadly, last night marked the last SpartaNation event. We ended on a high note back on home territory at the Strand in York. The attendance rates were stellar and the Road Crew was able to have one last hurrah together. I was also fortunate enough to be named a Home Town Hero during the director of Alumni Relation's speech and received a generous award that I will treasure immensely.

Although I'm sad that the tour is over, I can honestly say I made wonderful new friends and numerous connections. Networking is one of my favorite past times and was what I enjoyed most during SpartaNation. I cannot thank the YCP Alumni Relations Department enough for this opportunity. I hope I can repay them this semester by doing an excellent job as their intern!

If you're interested in seeing more of our adventures, our tagboard is available on the YCP Alumni page.

The End is Near

Representative Schreiber & some of Team 95

The beginning of the 2014-2015 marked numerous big changes for me. I resigned from my job at Career Development and instead accepted an offer to go work for the York College sponsored literary magazine, Story. The routine that I had established over the past couple of years was suddenly
disrupted and I had uncharted territory to figure out. This job change was 100% the right choice for me and I'm so happy to working with Story's amazing team. I'm getting back to my writing roots and it's a wonderful feeling!

At the same time, I also began interning with Representative Schreiber. I had a feeling that going into this internship that government work was going to be a whole new world and that assumption was right on the money. I've enjoyed every minute of working in the political arena, but most importantly, I've learned that my passion is bettering the world rather than getting caught up in bipartisan battles. I wouldn't change this experience for the world. Plus, it helps that entire staff is amazing and truly dedicated to their positions.

As the semester begins to wrap up, I'm craving graduation and getting started in the "real world." My college experience has never really been a typical one. Like I've always said, I'm an old soul so the traditional college scene doesn't appeal to me. But going out into society and making palpable change? Sign me up!

Of course, by no means am I wishing away my senior year. I know that I'm going to miss being here more than I can imagine in the present moment. This final semester is essentially going to be a celebration of all things Spartan green. Plus as soon as I graduate, I plan on getting involved with the young alumni committee (which I'm already kind of involved in...)!

Going back to visit at Career Development