Lewis University Navigator Blogs

After last week, I swear I’ve never gotten less sleep or had so much to get done. I was up at all hours doing my homework and working on my biggest lab report I’ve ever written (it turned out to be 48 pages long!). If coffee wasn’t my best friend before, it sure is now!! My problem wasn’t procrastination, it was just the fact that (like I mentioned in my previous blog) I swear my professors teamed up and made sure EVERYTHING was due last week. Hopefully this week will be a lot better

Overall, my classes are going well! I don’t think I’ve been on my computer so much… Typing out lab report after lab report and constantly checking Blackboard to see if my professors have posted any new work for us. Blackboard is an awesome tool in my personal opinion. It’s easy for your professor (if they choose to do so) to post your homework, Powerpoints, quizzes, grades, etc. Since most of us are on our computers anyway, it makes sense for us to utilize this It can be easy to forget about Blackboard, especially if you aren’t keeping track of your due dates. So if your professor loves Blackboard and posts a LOT of stuff, make sure to check at least once a day for any notifications from them!!!

Speaking of quizzes, I’ve got some final studying to do for mine! Until next time!

Well I am BUMMED!!! driving to school this morning, my car gave me the “ice potential warning” which warns me whenever the outside air temperature is below 40 degrees. I went golfing yesterday with a friend who was on his fall break and it was a beautiful day, perfect to go golfing. So needless to say, the ice warning threw me off. I hate winter, not December, just January and February, they are two awful months and there is nothing to do and its just way too cold, so I am enjoying it while it lasts.

As far as school is concerned you can tell fall is in the air. Our trees on campus are turning bright colors, it is beautiful to see from the air! I remember flying to Joliet airport and there was a forest preserve near the airport. The trees looked magnificent. I really want to take one of my lady friends up to Wisconsin to see the trees and rolling hills up there.

With school, I am finding this year’s workload to be not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The main complaint I had to restarting the school year is the fact that I HATE writing essays. Knock on wood, I haven’t had to write any! It is refreshing, and a great way to get back in the swing of things (even though the swing has been already going for a month and a half… no big deal). The studying is still there though, believe me on that one. Between instrument ground school, Flight lab, and Aviation Regulations, there has been no shortage of late nights with me. It is a little of a bummer though, because I have been getting up early to plan flights.  I usually get up at 5:30 to get a weather briefing and plan the flight to be at school for my 8 o’clock class.

Fall is officially here at the University, with the leaves falling and the trees changing to beautiful colors! Even though the temperatures aren’t typical of a fall day in the Chicagoland area (I’m not complaining!!), every student on campus is starting to get the squeeze that comes with fall.

We just had our Fall Break, which denotes about the middle of the semester. And with the knowledge that the semester is half over, students are starting to feel really stressed. With papers, tests, presentations pretty much all due at the same time (any student will SWEAR that professors are teaming up against them to make everything due at once!), many students are learning the hard way that procrastination is a bad thing. I know that I’ve done my fair share of putting off that lab report until the night before, and then freaking out about it as I’m running out of energy at 12:30 in the morning.

I know this is going to sound so motherly because I’m sure all of you have heard this once or more in your lifetime, but procrastinate as little as possible in college. Get your work done early if you can, and make sure you do it to the best of your ability. In college, you don’t have your parents forcing you to do your homework before you go out or play video games or watch House on Mondays (my personal favorite distraction!); it’s all on you to get your work done on time.

My recommendation? Get a little bit done everyday, keep track of due dates, and KEEP A PLANNER! It’s really important to manage your time wisely, and by keeping a planner and turning the TV off to do some serious studying, you will find that you are keeping up with your work, and maybe you’ll find yourself ahead of schedule!

And on that note, I have to get back to my studying for Physics and Calculus… Until next time!

So last weekend was Fall break, and I had the privilege of going back to California (a.k.a. my home state) for a much needed rest from school. Now that I’m back though, I have a lot of work to do. Big Brothers/ Big Sisters is kicking off the semester tomorrow, and I will be paired with a brand new little. I am so excited!

Intramurals are really heating up as well as each team only has 1 regular season game remaining. My team happens to be 4-1, and we cannot wait for the tournament that will define all flag football tournaments. Intramural really are the best.

Last week, I experienced my 2nd semester of the President’s Student Advisory Council (PSAC). Each meeting this group of students hears presentations from Br. James and the other vice presidents about the new changes coming to Lewis. We also discuss in detail new developmental programs or any other items on our agendas. Things at Lewis are growing and I am so excited for all the new additions that will come into effect in the near future. Stay tuned for more updates.

…and even in NYC, it is beautiful!!

Being in the city and passing through busy areas, I never imagined the fall colors would be as beautiful as they are! When I get off the train every day in Brooklyn and begin my walk to school, I pass a park on my right, along with trees down my particular sidewalk, and thank God for the beauty around!! It definitely makes me feel at home with all the trees surrounding. .

The past few weeks have definitely been exciting, to say the least. Since last writing, I have planned a special mass for the bishop of Brooklyn to attend, a prayer service for our seniors, led 2 seniors retreats, volunteered with the students at our first service project, and attended a teacher conference!!

To begin, bishop’s mass: at the beginning of the school year, my boss and I found out the bishop was coming to school. Needless to say, it was a big deal, and the first month of school was dedicated to creating the special mass. All in all, it went very well, and the students’ behavior far exceeded my expectation. We also had a special assembly for the juniors/seniors, and then another special group of 30 young men who met with the bishop to talk about vocations. Completing that mass and assembly lifted a huge weight off the shoulders of our office and allowed us to continue planning for the year.

Next on the list was a prayer service: every year, it is a tradition for the seniors to receive a special “Senior Pin.” With this pin comes a short assembly and prayer service, and you guessed it, Campus Ministry helped to plan it. Being in the same week as the Bishop’s Mass, it came down to crunch time for planning this prayer service, but we heard nothing but positive feedback from all the faculty/staff/administration, plus students how nice the service was; definitely a spirit booster!! As a faculty member, I also received a pin from the seniors saying “thank you for being here!” (or something along those lines).

After the prayer service comes Senior Retreats: as part of Campus Ministry, like I’ve mentioned before, we are responsible for planning the numerous day retreats for all our grade levels. We are beginning the year with our Senior class (Class of 2012). The theme revolves around looking towards the future and all that comes with it. It is definitely emotional, but the students have been receptive to the activities, without causing too many problems. My favorite part of the retreat is at the end of the day when we watch a movie; not because I enjoy not having to talk with students, but because the movie is awesome. We watch Pay It Forward. Though I have now seen the movie probably about 7-8 times, I still get choked up and shed a tear at the end. The theme, the characters, the whole movie is awesome, and definitely a recommendation towards anyone who has not seen it.

Second to last, service projects are very important to Loughlinites. For our first service project, we volunteered across the street at Queen of All Saints Health Fair. Our students helped set-up the health fair booths and then got to spend the day walking around, scrounging up all the free stuff they could find. A quick math break; 12 high school students + a bunch of free stuff = lots of empty tables once the high school kids pass through!  At the end of the day, the students were awesome, the church staff was appreciative, and I went home to relax and nap!

Lastly, I got to attend my first teacher conference; Brother Luke Salm, FSC Religious Education Workshop. The 2 day workshop brought together campus ministers and theology teachers from mainly the East Coast district but also some others from across the country. A time to begin networking, as well as learn some valuable information for the coming service year, as well as years down the road for when I become a real “big boy” with my job! .

It has definitely been busy with school and such, but I seriously would not ask for anything else. I love it!!

I wish I had an update for you on the girl who I helped with her homework, and the result of her quiz in class; she has not come back to find me yet and report, so I now begin the outreach towards her, to let her know that I do really care about how she is doing.

Also, an update on my fundraising…I REACHED MY GOAL AND AM STILL GOING!! There are just under three weeks left until I run in my half-marathon, so definitely time to still donate towards the awesome cause!! Any bit counts towards the larger goal of $52,000!! Thanks to all who helped support so far!!

Hey all!
Well the week of fall break is here. I am not sure what justifies a fall break, but I really don’t care because we get a long weekend. I AM SLEEPING IN!!! The only bummer about fall break is that my professors like to use it as an excuse to give us some tests before hand, so sleep has been pretty low lately.

I started hitting up the Gym at the Rec Center after work. I used to play tennis at high school, but I have fallen out of the routine lately. It feels good to be back at it, but I am sore!

Anyway to the interesting stuff, I am coming up to my private pilot end of course exam soon, which is the test I take to get my pilot certificate. It is going to be great because then I can take passengers and start working on instrument flying.

Talk to ya later
-Steve