Kayla Weimert

Make Better Mistakes Tomorrow

Ever play with a deck of cards when you were younger; go fish, old maid, crazy eights? Or even in recent years; blackjack, poker, spades? Can you figure out the one thing all these games have in common?

…

They all involve choice.

…

Face it: choices have surrounded you your entire life. What card should I keep? Which cards should I release? Which toy do I want to play with? What should I build with my blocks? What clothes should I buy? Which shoes go better with this outfit? What do I want to eat today?

Accept it: choices and decision making will forever be a part of your life. Where you live; who you marry, if you even get married; what career positions you apply for.

Realize it: you are currently in the midst of one of the most important choices of your life…which college you will be attending in the coming years.

…

Choosing the college with the best fit is a crucial decision, and it definitely takes time. Not everyone is fortunate enough to fall in love with a school off initial research. It takes communication with the school (the students too, if possible), curiosity, and initiative to truly figure out which school you believe you will be most happy at and satisfied with to spend the next four-ish years of your life.

The best way to determine if a school is the “right fit”, in my opinion, would be to visit a couple of your top schools and compare. Experiencing the campus – the energy, the activity, the interaction between professors and students, the atmosphere – will guarantee you the most genuine opinion of the college. You will not only have other people’s accounts of the college, but you will be able to establish your own opinion. However, I understand, sometimes visiting a college campus is not always possible due to distance, finances and/or classes.

If college visits aren’t necessarily in the cards for you, I would suggest completely fueling your curiosity. Talk to as many people as possible from the universities and colleges (admissions, as well as students); ask any question you have – no matter how outrageous it may seem. You want to be sure you have all the knowledge you can obtain before you make a decision, that way, you can make a fully educated and supported decision.

It’s that time of year again, when high school seniors are in the process of trying to make their choice. That’s the reasoning behind my above suggestions.

And since I have just gone on and on about the college choosing process, I should explain how I made my decision to attend Norwich University… The summer before my senior year kicked off, I was fully in college search mode; at that point, I was so sure I wanted to major in Architecture that I didn’t even consider a college if I wasn’t given the option. That’s how I came across Norwich. Flipping through a magazine that I had recently received on Private Colleges and Universities, I looked at every college’s list of offered programs; if Architecture was not on the list, I turned the page. The pattern continued until I turned the back cover. In the entire magazine, there were only two schools, Norwich and some school I’ve forgotten about now. Reading the article, I was instantly attracted to Norwich and the variety it offered; thus began my journey into the research of Norwich. After visiting the campus for a second time, I had fallen in love with what the school had to offer me, but especially the atmosphere. It was something unlike any other campus. At that point, I had made my decision: if I were accepted, Norwich was the school for me. A couple weeks later, I got the news, I was accepted. And so, preparation for Norwich began.

I hope the advice helps you out in some way. Any questions, feel free to ask; I would be glad to help.

“Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

MidSemester

Vermont is a middle of nowhere kind of state where there is nothing to do…That’s the thought of many people some days. What those people fail to realize is that there is actually quite a bit to do, especially this time of year. It just requires you to find it, and to be interested in it.

After last weekend, I am convinced there are a variety of things to do, just have to give it a search. Friday night, I went to Burlington (about an hour north of campus) with a group of friends to hear one of my friend’s brother’s band play at this little café/restaurant. The Skinny Pancake proudly presented The Four Legged Faithful.

Saturdays lately have been filled with apple picking, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes. I have not yet done any of those things, but next weekend I will be. And I know plenty of others have already enjoyed those fall traditions.

While I am sure there are things to do on Sundays, mine are usually quite consistent…Football and studio. Raised in a football family, I cheered for 11 years, so I am in love with football. It is part of what makes fall, Fall. Football, cider, leaves, colors, crisp air, it makes the season for me. From Maryland, I am a dedicated Washington Redskins fan, along with my father. Every Sunday we’ll talk, either before or after they play, just to talk about the game and how things have been going in general. With such a busy schedule, it was easier to set aside a time for my Dad and me to talk each week. Since my freshmen year at Norwich, Sunday afternoons, we’ve talked about the ups and downs of daily life, me about Vermont, and him about the family back home. I always enjoy those talks, and hearing about everyone; it makes the distance seem not so long.

Today ends our mid-semester, which in reality is just an extended weekend, meaning we only have Friday off classes, but one day is better than none. I stayed in Northfield for the break, but most people went home, leaving campus, and town quite quiet. It was a pretty chill weekend for me, though, full of volunteer work, movies, friends and homework. I enjoyed the slower pace for a bit. Now, however, begins the countdown to Thanksgiving Break... In less than four weeks, I’ll be on that plane, on my way to Florida to see my family (well, most of it) and to see the new house. I am pretty excited for that break, but there is definitely a lot that still needs to happen before then… As the name of this weekend states, it is only mid-semester. In the upcoming couple weeks, there is registration for next semester’s courses, there are project deadlines, field trips, and on and on.

“Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” John Wooden

Don't Blink

I would like to start by apologizing. I am terribly sorry I have not written in quite a while… Last Wednesday, things in studio went from the pace of the tortoise to the pace of the hare, in less than an hour; so not only have I been trying to get a grasp on my studio work, I have been dealing with a handful of other things.

Recently, I have been working to get the Habitat for Humanity campus chapter, which I am the President of, up and running. While doing that, I am organizing the events for the Alternative Thanksgiving Break being offered to the students that cannot make it home, or the students interested in volunteering over Thanksgiving Break week. Trying to find service so you can make contact with people across Central Vermont using a Verizon cell phone in Northfield, VT is about as difficult as finding a four leaf clover: possible, just difficult, time consuming, and requires patience. In case you haven’t visited campus, you should be warned that Verizon cell service is not the greatest on the Norwich campus. For some people, like me, it’s okay. You learn where your phone gets service and where it doesn’t, but starting out, it seems as if all of Northfield is a dead zone. Most people switch their service during their freshmen year; I, however, am one of the few that decided not to switch, crossing my fingers hoping that Verizon will get a tower here soon! Until then, I have to make phone calls standing in certain spots, hardly moving, explaining to the other person why they can barely hear me. Despite the challenge with the phone, I am making progress with plans for Thanksgiving. As of now, we have service activities planned for at least two or three of the days, and we have the “day off” generally planned as well.

Well, now that you’ve learned about cell phone service on campus, I should probably focus on the more important things…academics. Like I said, studio has finally picked up and all of us third years are well on our way to designing fantastic buildings. The project of the semester is for each student to design a new Performing Arts Center for Montpelier, VT. The site is currently in construction (our designs are hypothetical anyways). We started with site analysis studies and with mission statements for what we hope the building will be. Once our mission statement was put into words, we had to develop it further into a visual mission statement; it could be anything from a collage, a sculpture, a model, a drawing, etc. It didn’t matter how we presented it, it just could not contain any words. Every Monday, starting last week, we will be having pin-ups in studio to present the progress made on our designs for the center. It is interesting to see how much a design can change in only a week; as opposed to only seeing a design at the beginning of the semester and the end for final presentations…

Speaking of final presentations, it is amazing how fast this semester is going by. Next weekend is mid-semester break, and most people will be going home; after that, a month until Thanksgiving Break. And then, just about another two weeks, and everyone will be heading off for Winter Break, counting down the days until they return in January… It almost doesn’t seem like the semester is halfway over, but the calendar proves me wrong.

The confusion with the time of the semester may be linkable to the weather right now. For the past couple weeks, despite all the rain, we have still had warm, sunny, summer-like days. And it wasn’t until just two weeks ago that the leaves started to change. Mother Nature is trying to trick everyone, so then she can surprise the state when the first snow falls in a week…maybe two. We have had the first frost of the season, and the temperatures have started to drop at night, but it definitely is not as drastic of weather as it usually is this time of year…

Well, I should be getting back to my studio work. I am currently sitting at my desk in Chaplin, looking out the window with the mountain in the background, quite distracting, and quite thoughtful at the same time.

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." - Walt Disney

Love Like Crazy

Alumni Weekend at Norwich University…probably the most unique weekend to happen on a college campus. For an entire weekend, Alumni gather back to the Hill to reminisce about their time in college, and share their stories with the current Norwich students. And oh the stories they have… Yesterday, there was a lot going on for Alumni Weekend, including the Alumni Parade and luncheons for different societies. I had the pleasure of driving a golf cart around campus to provide rides for the Alumni that needed assistance, and while doing so, I enjoyed many stories and conversations about Norwich past. Three years ago, when I visited Norwich for the first time, my parents and I thought the golf carts driving visitors around campus was awesome. We never thought a university would go through the struggle; I guess when you consider all the hills and stairs of campus though, offering rides is a great way to accommodate and satisfy visitors. At that point in time, I never imagined myself to one day be driving people across campus in a Norwich golf cart…It was my first time driving a golf cart too. I cannot even tell you how many people asked how I got the job of driving a golf cart; for me, I was volunteering. By driving yesterday, I was earning service hours for my AmeriCorps commitment. Another hit for the weekend was the concert on Friday night. Norwich University got Lee Brice, singer of the hit song “Love Like Crazy,” to visit the small college town of Northfield, Vermont to perform a concert that was, in my opinion, a huge success. It was an amazing concert! The energy was high, the music was loud, and the crowd was enthused. I could not have imagined a better way to enjoy my Friday night. September was actually a big month here on the Norwich campus with Alumni Weekend having just passed, and Parent’s/Family Weekend being just before. Compared to the past two years, family weekend was quite relaxed this year. It was easy for them to get up here, but my Mom and Dad made it to NU to spend a couple of days with me. I took them to the football game on Saturday (Norwich football won!!); after, they took me grocery shopping since I was starting to run low on food. We had dinner in town before we went back to their hotel room where I played cards with my Dad. As I said before, it was a very relaxed weekend, which I was more than happy to enjoy a weekend like that. When my parents arrived Friday afternoon, they brought me a bushel of fresh picked apples from an orchard in Virginia! I was so excited when they showed them to me because that meant I was now able to make apple pie. The best benefit to living off campus, to having a house. I can bake! Whatever and whenever I want. Last weekend I made two apple pies, and today I made chocolate chip banana bread. My friends enjoy it just as much as I do because I’ll bring it into my classes so they can all get some. “The future…seems to me no unified dream, but a mince pie, long in the baking, never quite done.” – Edward Young

America, America, AmeriCorps

Just recently I realized that I could fill you in on the things that have been going on for me outside of the Academic world.

Two weekends ago was September 11, 2011. Ten years ago– a decade ago, half my lifetime ago – on that day, I was sitting in my fifth grade classroom at Mitchell Elementary School assuming it to be a day just like any other; however, as the day passed on, it slowly revealed itself as one that was all too unique. Unlike a normal day in the classroom, my teacher’s phone was ringing every other minute with a parent in the office ready to pick up and take the student home. It was not until I arrived home that afternoon that I realized what was going on… It was a day to be marked in history, a day that will never be forgotten, a day that has changed this country in ways never imagined.

In honor of all the men and women, Norwich performed their own tribute: an echo taps performed at 2200 (10:00 PM) on the Upper Parade Ground with both corps and civilian students gathered around. It is amazing to me how one incident that began as a small thought in some man’s head spiraled into an unforgettable event that continues to unite people, and this country, year after year.

I have already begun to tell you about the “firsts” of the semester: first week of classes, first project, etc. But I have yet to share about some other, more interesting, non-academic, “firsts.” The first football game was two Saturdays ago; unfortunately Norwich lost 29 – 7. It was a great start to the season, especially seeing so many Norwich students, and Northfield residents out there that day to support the team.

The weekend before, Labor Day Weekend, I actually had the opportunity to go to the Champlain Valley Exposition (Fair). My friend and I had tickets to the Sara Bareilles and Sugarland concert to be performed that Sunday night; we actually arrived a couple hours before so we could get food and see the animals of the fair before the concert. As it turns out though, we had plenty of time before. Shortly after we found our seats, the entire Grand Stand was evacuated. The concert was delayed for almost forty-five minutes as a nice storm went through. Fortunately, after the storm passed, the concert was on, and what a concert it was…The energy, the excitement, the crowd, it truly was an amazing time; being at the concert with one of my best friends made it even better.

My first time camping, ever, was actually this past weekend with the AmeriCorps team here on campus. Our Students in Service AmeriCorps team has a retreat in the fall each year; the retreat for the team this year was Saturday through Sunday. We all met up Friday night for dinner and to discuss what was to be expected over the weekend. Bright and early Saturday morning, everyone met up at the Mill (the campus café), so we could head off to breakfast together at the Wayside Restaurant, which is just a few towns over. After breakfast, our weekend of service began: assisting flood victims with whatever they needed all over Waterbury. Once the service hours for the day were finished, we made our way to Woods at Wihakowi (a campgrounds nearby that actually had parts greatly affected by the flood) where we would be spending the night. We arrived to the site, participated in a couple workshops about volunteering, etc, and then the night was free to us. We started the night by pitching our tents and chopping wood to set up for the bonfire. A portion of our group (there were about 18 of us total) cooked dinner, which was six different kinds of Hamburger (and Chicken) Helper. We had the ‘worldly’ variety: a Mexican dish, an Asian dish, an Italian dish, etc. Our group dinner was rather amusing as we discussed: if you were a cartoon character, who would you be? And why? There had to be some personal connection to your life though. As others were cleaning up from dinner, the bonfire was started; of course, it was as simple as I just made it seem. The wood was rather soaked from the recent rain, so it took the guys a couple tries to finally get it going good; however, once they finally did, it was roaring, and marshmallows were roasted for the building of s’mores. Over the s’mores more deep, insightful discussion was shared, with the random pointless comments thrown in as well, making it the perfect conversation. We all pretty much called it a night around 11 pm, except for the few who stayed up to make sure the fire went out. We were up again in the morning: the girls earlier than the guys, since the girls decided to have their turn at making breakfast, which consisted of eggs, bacon, sausage, and pancakes (both plain and chocolate chip). For our second day of service, the team was split; some went into Northfield to assist the flood victims there, while the rest of us stayed at the Woods to assist them. I was in the group that stayed behind; our tasks included moving stacks of lumber so it could dry out, and shoveling/bucketed mud out of the pool. I can gladly say, you could actually notice progress of mud removal from the pool by the time we were done for the day. We ended our retreat with pizza for lunch and a couple more hours of workshops. It most definitely was a good way to spend my weekend.

The only downfall of the weekend…the cold nights. Unfortunately, up here in Vermont, the temperatures have already begun to drop at night, leaving those who sleep outside in a tent, on the cold ground, not too happy. I had my sleeping bag, but for some reason, I still woke up shivering. Like I said before though, that was the only negative. This weekend definitely got me excited for the year to come…I am so ready to get things going with Habitat for Humanity, and start settling on details for the Alternative Break trips! And I cannot wait to see what other volunteer opportunities come my way.

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

My Best Days Are Ahead of Me

Last year, I received a scholarship award from AIA Vermont. Each year it is awarded to one freshman (upcoming sophomore) and one sophomore (upcoming junior) student. Because I received this award, this year I was invited to a Golf Tournament and dinner with AIA Vermont this evening to socialize and meet the organization that funded my award. The event was held at the Country Club of Vermont in Waterbury; that alone was enough to put me out of my element, let alone being at an event where I did not know anyone and was not sure what to expect. However, all in all, the night was rather enjoyable; that is until the sun set behind the mountains and it started to chill down.

As I was writing that, I realized I have yet to tell you all how my first couple weeks of class have gone. Beyond the obvious of things being quite busy already, it's all moving along smoothly and the routine of life this semester has set in.

Again, the studio semester began with a catalyst project, which is a fast-paced, two week long project; I'm not certain of the actual purpose of the catalyst projects, but I see it as a way of almost jolting our minds back into design mode after having the summer months off. It also serves as a research basis for the next project (usually what will be the semester long project). In the past, we've had to research and diagram a library and compile that information into one book, and we've researched an architecture firm before, which we then had to diagram the design philosophy of that firm. This year, we were divided into groups of three; each group was assigned an architect that they had to research the project designs of. After researching, we had to narrow down our findings to three buildings that really stood out to the group in some way. We had to analyze those buildings (comparing and contrasting) all the elements. From that analysis, we developed five principles of design, as well as diagrammed the three buildings. All of our research and diagrams were compiled into a book. And then came the final portion of the project...we had to build a scaled model of one of the three buildings we originally chose. The project was due last Friday. My group was assigned Jean Nouvel; the buildings we selected were the Guthrie Theater, the Copenhagen Concert Hall, and the Arab World Institute. When I have the opportunity to, I will post a photograph of our final project: the book pages pinned on the wall with the model seated in front of it, ready to be presented to the whole school of Architecture and ready to be critiqued.

"When you're curious, you find lots of interesting things to do." - Walt Disney

Do It Anyway

If you have not yet heard, as I am sure most of you have, Vermont was hit hard by Hurricane Irene two weekends ago. The storm kept most held up in their houses, apartments, dorms, etc. and for the few that did journey out on that Sunday, the trip was not the most pleasant. While we were not blown down by strong winds, we suffered drastically from heavy downpours leading to – what is said to be – the worst flooding Vermont has seen in nearly 50 years. While I am certain you have heard on the news, or read in the papers about the overwhelming number of people without power and/or water, and those without homes, I am not so sure they have fully grasp the level of the conditions here; I highly doubt they have put a face to those countless, currently nameless folks. Well, I can tell you right now, some of my classmates, some of my good friends were affected greatly by Hurricane Irene. There are currently Norwich students without homes, without supplies, without many things, but somehow they are pulling through.

I am not sure how many of you reading listen to country music, but there is a song that has been replaying in my mind since that weekend when I started seeing and hearing about all the damage around town and elsewhere. “Anyway,” by Martina McBride, was written shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005. You may wonder why this song? What’s the connection? Well, it’s simple, actually: I find it amazing how easily so many from the Norwich family, and from the Northfield community can pull together so readily and easily to help their neighbors in need, to open up their homes to strangers, to assist in rebuilding and clean up. While it is true, wherever a disaster strikes, people have a tendency to lend a helping hand, I feel there is something unique happening here on campus, in town, and around the state. Norwich students are volunteering whatever free time they have during their first couple of weeks here to assist wherever needed; the number of volunteers is flowing in faster than the water did during the storm.

This is a great opportunity for me to introduce and explain the Center of Civic Engagement to all of you. The Center of Civic Engagement serves as the headquarters for pretty much all volunteering and community outreach on campus and in the community. I am highly involved in the office: serving as the coordinator for the Alternative Break trips and as the President of the Habitat for Humanity chapter here on campus, as well as being a member of the Student AmeriCorps team on campus this year. Involved in that, I will volunteer time whenever there are things to be done or there is a need for people. At Norwich, outside the strong bonds of the family on campus, there is a strong connection to our local towns and communities. The Center for Civic Engagement always has volunteer opportunities available in a variety of activities that can appeal to just about every student. There are students that participate with the Boys and Girls Club in town, the animal shelter, the local food bank, and so many more sites. I never imagined one school being able to pull together as much as Norwich has these past two weeks. Students and families that were made homeless by the storm were taken in by other students and families in town, until they are able to get back on their feet.

That whole idea is one thing I love about Norwich, about being here…To see and experience the great connection with other students, and with the community that it is really a second family; there is always someone to lean on if you need to. They say, the friendships and bonds made at Norwich start freshman year and can last a lifetime; that your friends at Norwich just become part of your family that you never want to see gone. I can really speak about a lifetime just yet, but I can definitely confirm that I have made some amazing friendships here at Norwich, most of which were started in the first couple months of my freshman year, and I can see them lasting through and far
beyond graduation.

“Never look down on someone, unless you’re helping them up.” – Jesse Jackson

Settlin' into Small Town U.S.A.

One week ago, I was enjoying my last day in my little hometown in Maryland with my family, and in the early A.M. on Friday, I began the trek back to the even smaller town of Northfield, Vermont so I could settle into my new house for the coming semester. I decided to move off campus this year. Fortunately, I’m only about a 10 minute walk from campus; considering I am currently without my truck, the convenience of being so close to campus is welcomed. I have timed it out: the house is approximately 10 minutes from campus, 4 minutes from town and 20 minutes from Grand Union; all times based on walking. You should get an idea how small this college town is based on those times. This is small town U.S.A. at it's finest. Needless to say, I will have my fair share of fresh air, and nature, but what better place for it than the rolling mountains of Central Vermont?

Students have already started to swarm campus: all the rooks arrived on Sunday, all the new civilian students yesterday and student leaders (both lifestyles) have been here for almost two weeks now. In the next couple of days, the rest of the students will be moving back, filling the emptiness campus still has right now. And then comes Monday. The day every Norwich student has been looking forward to all summer…the first day of classes of the fall semester!

My academic schedule alone is pretty crazy this semester; this is before I add in club meetings, work, homework, and spending time with friends and having a life. Despite what everyone claims, being architecture major, or being a double major does not mean you have no life, just learn early on, it’s all about time management, organization, and prioritizing. If you master those skills, you should be able to do everything you want. As of now, my classes for this semester are as follows:

Mechanics of Materials: Mon/Wed/Friday, 8 – 8:50

History/Theory of Architecture: Mon/Wed/Friday, 9 – 9:50

Fluid Mechanics: Mon/Wed/Friday, 10 – 10:50

Active Building Systems I: Mon/Wed/Friday, 11 – 11:50

Architectural Design III: Studio: Mon/Wed/Friday, 1 – 4:50

Lecture: Friday, 12 – 12:50

Surveying: Lecture: Tuesday/Thursday, 10:50 – 12:05

Lab: Thursday, 2 – 4:50

Materials: Lecture: Thursday, 1 – 1:50

Lab: Thursday, 2 – 3:50

I am not sure how many of you were actually paying attention to the times of my courses; if you were, you noticed how little spare time I have in my schedule on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It’ll sure be a challenge, but it’ll be fun. I guess it goes back to the Norwich motto, “I will
try.” Or even, “Expect challenge. Achieve distinction.” Wish me luck.

I will end my blog with the simple reminder: if you have any questions about Norwich, about being a student at Norwich, at surviving college in general, etc, please do not hesitate to comment or send me a message and ask. I will be glad to answer as best I can. And if you’ve already decided to be a Norwich student, welcome! And good luck! It’ll be the best decision of your life!

To all new students at Norwich, and elsewhere, good luck! Remember why you're in college, what got you to this place. But, also remember that these are supposed to be the best years of your life!

To all the rising seniors and juniors beginning the college search: do your research; make sure you find a school you absolutely love! You're going to be spending a lot of time there...

"Above all, challenge yourself. You may well surprise yourself at what strengths you have, what you can accomplish." - Cecile M. Springer

 

Be Somebody

2.

25.

There is one small connection between these two numbers… I highly doubt any of my readers will be able to figure it out, so here’s a hint: it has something to do with my life at Norwich. In 2 days, I will be attending the NU Alumni Club of Maryland Send off. Every summer, the alumni club hosts the send off for all previous, current, and soon to be Norwich students and their families; it serves as a great opportunity to interact with other Norwich alum. In 25 days, I will be attending my first classes as a junior at Norwich University.

Time is a strange concept. Sometimes it passes so quickly,we barely feel as though it was even there, and other times, it passes slower than we can bear. It is hard for me to believe that just over three years ago, I was applying to colleges up and down the east coast, and now, I am beginning my third year at a small university in the middle of Vermont. More often than I can count, I’ve been asked, “Why Norwich?” or “How did you ever hear about Norwich?” Well, let me answer that for all of y’all reading. It happened completely by chance. I received a magazine in the mail, overflowing with information about private colleges and universities across the country. At the time, I was only interested in architecture as my major. I took five minutes, flipped through the magazine, marking only the schools that offered architecture. There were two. I believe it was some college in Connecticut, and then Norwich University, located in the small town of Northfield, Vermont. Now, if you asked me about it early in high school, attending a college in Vermont had never crossed my mind; but the more I researched the university, the more appealing it looked. And once I visited for the first time, in the fall of my senior year of high school, I was hooked.

Now that I explained how I came to be a student at Norwich, I would like to take a moment to introduce myself. All of my life, I have lived in a fairly small town in Southern Maryland, as the youngest of four children. I have two older brothers, and an older sister; while we’re all taking different steps in our lives right now, we are constantly supporting one another. Also, I am the proud aunt of a nephew and a niece. My nephew, the son of my eldest brother, will be turning two this fall. I am so excited for his next trip up to Vermont to visit; hopefully, this year, he will be around for the snow… My niece is the daughter of my other brother (also older), and she is only months old; we will be celebrating her first birthday this December. The family is slowly growing, but we’re constantly creating new memories and stories to share.

The hardest part about Norwich is the distance from home, from family. It has gotten much easier over the past couple years, though. In less than 2 weeks, I’ll be moving from one home and one family to my “other” home and family.

I am returning blogger for Norwich; I started when I was a freshman, and now, I’m a junior. My goal is still the same: to assist the prospective students in learning about real life at Norwich, and to share the excitement of my life at Norwich. I should let y’all know that I am a civilian student, double majoring in architecture and civil engineering. I entered college majoring in architecture, but just this last year, I declared my second major of civil engineering. What can I say? I love a challenge. Norwich is definitely the best place for that…corps or civilian. Expect Challenge, Achieve Distinction.

Beyond the academics, you will learn, I am highly involved in a variety of activities around campus, throughout the year you will hear about each of them: volunteering (AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, and Alternative Breaks) through the Center for Civic Engagement, Ballroom Dance Club, student chapter of American Society of Civil Engineers, and Civilian Honor Board/Disciplinary Committee. As the year progresses, you’ll hear stories and details about all of them. Like I said before, my life at Norwich is quite exciting, and I cannot wait to share it with all of y’all.

Before I leave y’all for this time, I’d like to briefly share my summer adventures. While finding a job proved to be a harder challenge than I expected, I found other ways to occupy my summer time; mostly enjoying the company of my family, and assisting with things as necessary. Just last week, the family enjoyed our annual trip to North Carolina. Pretty much every year, since my eldest brother was born, my family has been going to the beach in North Carolina for relaxation, fun, and bonding. This year, we stayed just south of Rodanthe; it was the second year we stayed this far south. The adventures here were just as plenty, as if we were actually in the Outer Banks (where we usually stay). Between crashing in waves on the beach, fishing off the shore, visiting the sites, and shopping, we had quality bonding time at the house. At the beginning of summer, the family took another trip; however, that trip wasn’t the whole family, just five of us. Out of Baltimore, we took a cruise down to Florida, which continued to the Bahamas. It was my second time on a cruise, and my second time in the Bahamas, but this time, my mom, sister and I got to share it with my dad, my brother’s fiancé and my nephew. I’ve definitely enjoyed my fair share of the beach this summer...

"You think the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you. But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew." - Walt Disney's Pocahontas

 

Never Cease to be Amazed

At Norwich, there is always a surprise waiting just around the corner, as the expression goes...

Look at the weather (although this really applies to all of Vermont): Last weekend, we had temperatures in the high-sixties, low-seventies with the sun shining; everyone was outside enjoying the wonderful spring weather. Last Wednesday, we had temperatures in the thirties with rain, then a rain/snow mixture, then snow; it started snowing at around noon today and continued on until Thursday. Most people have been staying inside as much as possible, avoiding the awful weather outside. This weekend, we had high-seventies, low-eighties, with high humidity and a few showers overnight. I always thought Maryland had temperamental weather—and it does, but—Vermont’s weather is so much more unpredictable and random. It’s definitely something you should, although you can’t really, prepare yourself for.

Beyond the weather report surprises, there is other random excitement that happens on campus. Last weekend was the Junior Ring Ceremony and Ball; although it’s not too random to Norwich, to most schools, it is completely unusual. At Norwich, Junior Ring Weekend is a huge deal and the thrills of the weekend were enjoyed by all. For those enjoying the Junior Ring events, Friday there was a comedian and hypnotist and Saturday was the ball. For those not participating in the Junior Ring events, “The Book of Eli” was playing as the campus movie, there was an all campus bar-b-q Saturday morning and afternoon, and the weather was perfect for enjoying sometime outside, possibly climbing Paine. For this past weekend, there were more events that everyone could participate in. Saturday night into Sunday morning was Norwich Universities Relay for Life. A friend of mine created a team, so some other friends and I joined the team. We spent the entire night in the Shapiro Field House: walking the track, participating in the random activities, and enjoying the time together supporting a good cause. On Sunday (yesterday), I participated in the Intelligent Leadership Development seminar. It’s a program on leadership, proposing the idea of leadership as a relationship, which Norwich introduces to rising sophomores, in hopes of spreading the information to the entire sophomore class through a new course. It was actually a pretty interesting afternoon with workshop activities and lectures; it was worth the time to attend, even if I was going off of just 3 hours of sleep after relay.

Today is Monday; the last Monday of classes of my freshman year of college…It’s kind of hard to believe that the end is so near: just one week of classes and one week of finals. Despite the closeness of the end, there is still much to be done. Final review for architecture is on Wednesday after the all school (school of architecture and art) bar-b-q. My group is almost done with our project; we just have some final touches and details. The filtration system turned out great; the best part of that was shocking a lot of the engineering school by using a fabric formed concrete structure. The last few things that need to be done are with the model of the housing unit we designed and then the posters for presentation.

Over the weekend I also managed to finish my last project for my Intro to Visual Design class. For the projectt, our professor took a picture of us, we uploaded it into Photoshop to change the lighting, contrast, and color. Once that was done, we were to recreate the image on illustration board in whatever medium we choose; I choose to paint mine. I’m very happy with how it turned out and cannot wait to turn it in tomorrow.

My other classes are slowly coming to an end as well. One more quiz in my literature class and the last quiz for my differential equations class was today. For both my history and differential equations classes now, there is just reviewing and studying to be done for the finals on Sunday and next Thursday. To finish out my literature class, I just need to rewrite/edit each of the five papers I wrote this semester for my final. Now I just need to find the time to get everything completed and I will be done!

Only 10 more days until I’m done with my first year of college; boy did it go by fast…