Hey there!

I hope your week has been well. It’s been quite crazy here on campus. Last Friday classes got canceled campus wide , which is something that never happens. Not to mention it was cancelled due to an ice storm. It was insane – there was ice everywhere. On a day I could of slept in, I was actually up at 7:30 a.m. Me and my roommates got a call from a friend, telling us of how bad it was out. One of my roommates went to her 8 o’clock that morning, while Kimberley and I watched people trying to get across the viaduct from the dorm’s window. People were moving like snails, students were walking on the grass as opposed to the road or sidewalks. Then around 8:30 they sent out email/text message alerts letting everybody know they were canceling classes. It was actually hard to believe at first! So we spent most of that day inside, watching movies and napping.

It was a nice 3-day weekend but it made Monday that much harder. However, the show must go on! (I felt the need to say that since I was writing a article over the upcoming production of “King Lear” this week.) And we’re back to insane weather this week, Tuesday was nice and breezy like a early spring day and then Wednesday it was thunder-storming! You practically need an ark to get around. Luckily I only had two classes so that meant a lot less walking through huge puddles all over campus. And this wasn’t just rain – it was wind and rain, meaning there was little to no protection from it other than just staying out of it!

Homework-wise it has been a very busy week – one of those weeks where you don’t realize how much you have to do till you actually start on it. :/ It has left my dorm room a total mess. So, I’m gonna let you see a picture of my desk which is like the heart of your room as a college student. Right now mine is being used as a closet, kitchen, and office.

And room checks are tomorrow meaning that will have to all be cleaned up and organized.

Oh, and things have started firing up at work with our first issue going to print next week! This next picture was actually last week, but you still deserve to see it because I have the coolest boss in the world who brings bacon to our meetings!

Thanks for reading!

- Tasha

Hello again!

I’ve made it to my third week of the new semester and there’s still some adjusting to the new schedule. Seems like so much has happened since I last blogged. Everything is super fast-paced in college, I hardly know where to begin!

Classes are going very well, homework still hasn’t been too bad and I’m definitely keeping up with everything. A lot of things at work have happened in the past week. I had an interview for managing editor Monday, and I am now the assistant managing editor of the Patriot!

One of my coworkers and I split the responsibilities of managing editor, which is very exciting. I’ve also been working on my preview for the spring theatre production: King Lear by William Shakespeare! The weather this week has been a lot more stable – it’s still very cold but no rain or snow….yet.

All in all it’s been a pretty good week. Hope yours as ran as smoothly as mine

- Tasha

Hey ya!

Spring semester is officially underway, assignments have started coming in and the window to register for classes is over! I’m really liking my new schedule –  it’s a little more flexible than last semester which is nice.

The weather in Williamsburg this week has been crazy! Lots of rain and a huge drop in temperature. Thursday we were even blessed with a beautiful snow storm. It made campus pretty exciting – one of my classes was even cut short due to weather and technical difficulties!

This has led me to give you a list of tips when dealing with crazy climate along with your busy schedule and/or any other distractions.

Tip #1

Always give yourself a little extra time when going to class. You never know what distractions can slow you down. Whether on foot or driving , bad weather will put you a little behind schedule.

Tip #2

Bring plenty of shoes! I’m not necessarily talking about a pair for every outfit. But comfortable for lots of walking. Warm boots for cold winter days and rain boots/ water resistant shoes for rainy days and muddy sidewalks.

Tip #3

Buy a practical umbrella , something small you can stuff in your backpack, that way you can always have it with you. Trust me, the minute you don’t have it with you will need it.

Tip #4

If you’ve ever had seasonal allergy problems, it’s best to keep allergy medicine in your room. One rainy day can flare up some serious allergies.

Tip #5

Bring clothing to layer up with; jackets, hoodies and long sleeved shirts.

Hope I’ve given you a little insight into what your college years might hold. Now I’ll leave you with some beautiful pictures of the lovely campus I call home!

One of my favorite spots on campus!

Hello!

Today was the first day of the spring semester and it was a tad hectic to say the least. I came back later than both my roommates so we ended up chit-chatting and unpacking through dinner. We got a lot accomplished and it was very nice catching up with my roomies and coming back to my home away from home.

I got back to campus too late to go pick up my books and, after being out of school for that long, falling asleep early was not an easy task. Then about 5  a.m. I got a call from my family about some more bad news – I won’t go into detail but I ask that you pray for us. It was definitely not what I needed the morning of my first day back at school since my mom’s passing. Not to mention I had scheduled to take a final for my Journalism class that I received a Incomplete for last semester. The final was pretty easy and took me like five minutes, and my first final grade was a B =] ! One down 4 more to go along with juggling my new classes which is quite overwhelming.

But once I finish all those classes I got I’s (Incomplete) in from last semester, it should be a pretty enjoyable semester! I hope your semester runs as smoothly as I’m hoping mine does!

#patriotpride

- Tasha

Hello!

Happy 2013!

A brand new year, a second chance, a blank page and a new chapter!

If you’re a high school senior, then make sure you take the time to stop and smell the flowers during your journey this brand new year. Know that no matter what happens in the months to come, this time next year everything will be different. Maybe for worse, maybe for better but I assure you it will change.  I hope you all are taking the steps to file your FAFSA , and if you’re balancing between a couple different options make sure you put every school you’re interested on the forms. This is how you can see how much financial aid you are eligible for! While you should enjoy your last year of high school, if you haven’t already, make sure you start looking at life after high school seriously. As rocky as 2012 was for me, moving away to College is a decision I have never regret. I believe it’s an experience everyone should have. Trust me it will give you a whole new outlook on the opportunities that are out there and not to mention all the new people you will meet!

Here’s to a successful new year!

- Tasha

Hello there!

I hope your Christmas holiday was as full of loved ones and mine was. Though this year was difficult without my mother and my aunt, I was very thankful for getting to spend it with the rest of my family. I was very blessed to have my 3 aunts who have been with me every step of the way through this tough time and they did everything they could to try to cheer me up!

On another note, this time next week we’ll be in 2013! 2012 has been a super fast, whip-lash worthy roller coaster. I’ve had a lot of great things happen to me and I’ve had a lot of terrible things happen. I’ve definitely grown mentally and spiritually, as hard as the next year will be for me, I can say with confidence that every tragedy God has placed in my life was placed there because he knows I’m strong enough to handle it. Not all the time, I do have my weak moments, but I’ve always been more mature and rational than most people my age. And maybe I am that way because God has been training me all my life to be a good leader and big sister.

Ahh… everything that has happened this year has been absolutely unexpected whether it good or bad. God works in mysterious ways and I know he has a reason for everything he does.

Enough reminiscing! Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next year.

-Tasha

The great Robert Frost once said, ” In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on. ”

I wish I was writing about how I’m sleep deprived due to studying for finals. However my absence of post last week is due to the horrible unfortunate passing of my mother. She picked me up from the dorms Friday the 30th of November, we talked the entire way home about school and finals and I’m really thankful for that time I had with just me and her talking. Later that night she developed a cough/ cold type symptoms that caused her to have a little trouble breathing. Apparently this developed into something major happening with her heart. The doctors are assuming a heart attack, and her heart could not recover. December 1st, 2012 will forever be held in my memory as the hardest day of my life. I don’t know why God does the things he does, but I know I was blessed to have a mother who I know was proud and loved me with everything in her. I would give anything to have her back but I know she raised me to be more than capable of taking care of myself and God wouldn’t have taken her if he didn’t think I was strong enough for this. Doesn’t always make it easier but I try to keep reminding myself that.

Anything that can go wrong , will go wrong. Luckily Cumberlands is a very family-orientated school meaning they know family and God come first. They’ve been very cooperative with me, I even had multiple groups of people come to the funeral home to offer their condolences and support. My fellow bloggers reached out to me, the dean of student life, Linda Carter contacted my professors for me and has offered her help in every way. I’m extremely blessed to have the love of my UC family through this tough time.

As for grades and finals, the funeral arrangements were right in the middle of the last week of classes. The school also understood I really wasn’t in any shape to come back just yet. So I have incomplete’s in my courses for the moment, I spoke to my professors and they understand I need time to let it all sink in and get through the holidays. So sometime after the first of the year I will make arrangements to finish my courses and start on spring semester.

As for my fellow bloggers and classmates I wish you all luck with final exams and grades this week and hope everyone has a blessed holiday.

Hey there!

Happy Holiday season. Yes, now that Thanksgiving is over it is officially considered Christmas time . Campus is beautiful, the temperature is cold, classes are coming to an end and my allergies are going berserk! Seriously, for the past three weeks I have had about three different kinds of weird physical allergic reactions, no idea why.

But anyway, back to business! It is the week before the last week of classes and 2 weeks before Finals week. This week so far I’ve had my last class session for Journalism, which means I don’t have to get up early on Tuesday and Thursdays for the next two weeks (my first class is in Political Science at 10:50)! The bad of that is, my final takes place at 8 a.m. the Tuesday of Finals week and Journalism happens to be my favorite class . But yay for sleep! I now have three Communication classes left, three Political Science , four for World Civ, and five English classes left! Not a lot of class time but plenty of homework and studying to do. As of right now, I have an online quiz due by Saturday night, a letter due Friday, debate paper due Thursday, a test to study for Monday in English, revisions of past assignments due Tuesday for Journalism and my last essay due for communications on Wednesday, as well as a make up test next week. I have to also have to prepare for my English final which is the Monday of finals week and make flashcards for World Civ to prepare for that final on Monday too!

……Yeah, it’s a tad hectic around here!

In the office

President Taylor’s Porch

However, campus is nice and festive! We decorated the office this week as well as having the annual hanging of the green program in Gatliff to welcome the holiday season.  With that convocation Tuesday, I now officially have all of my convocation events in (YAY)! Along with all this, things at work have been super busy with our relaunch issue coming out hopefully beginning of next week or the end of this week! We’re also preparing to lose our current editor in chief to graduation (congrats Zac), so we’re getting a new staff member next semester! It’s exciting but we’re sad to see the current one go.

So I believe I’ve caught you up to speed on everything! Thanks for reading and now I must get back to all the fun stuff that the end of a semester brings!

Happy Holidays! – Tasha

Hello!

I arrived back from Thanksgiving break today, but it was bittersweet to see it end. Especially now that I know that there is only 2 weeks of classes left and then a week of finals. It’s a pretty scary and intimidating time for a freshman! However, it is kind of nice returning from break knowing that in 3 more weeks we get another break .

Coming back to campus was nice! I hadn’t realized how much I missed this place – no matter how nervous I am about finals and all the homework and studying ahead of me.  This campus has become a second home to me and all the friends I have here feel the same way. It’s like a reunion when everybody comes back after being away for a while.

When I got back this afternoon, the entire campus was decorated for Christmas. It was a very pretty sight and it made me feel even more at home. Even before Thanksgiving in the early mornings, you could hear Christmas music playing from someone’s dorm room.

Front of Campus
(Sorry it’s a little blurry , it was a tad cold out)

The closer we come to the end of this semester, the more excited I get for Spring semester. Even though I’m looking forward to that nice long break in a few weeks, I’m really pumped about the classes I’m taking next semester. Though this semester has been a little bumpy, that’s one thing I am grateful for. I still love what I am studying and intend on sticking with it. I’ve encountered a lot of friends who aren’t so sure about their majors as they were before starting college. Studying journalism has only made me that more passionate about it. One of the most confusing things about college is figuring out what you want to do!

I believe that your career goals should be at the top of your list when looking into college. There’s no use wasting time and money somewhere that isn’t going to get you where you want to go. It’s okay to have a few options narrowed down as long as you’re evaluating the options ahead of you. Journalism was one of the biggest things that attracted me to UC when I was in high school. I’m definitely lucky that so far I’ve found all I could of hoped for. College is a huge commitment and can get overwhelming, but if your good days outweigh the bad then maybe you’re where you’re suppose to be.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

Well Wishes- Tasha

Hello!

So as you may or may not know it is the last full week before Thanksgiving Break. Which means it has been busy busy busy busy!

After the two days next week, we’ll only have three weeks left of the semester, so my classes are laying it on pretty thick. In English this is practically the last normal week we’ll have. The next three (and one day next week) we’ll be preparing for grammar test, critical thinking test and our final essay. In my communications class we’re preparing for our last big paper and then we’ll be finishing the last chapters in our book. Then in Intro to Journalism we’ve already discussed our last big assignment which is due December 4th, which isn’t as far away as it seems. It’s all getting pretty intense!

As nervous as I am about Finals, I’m also super excited about Christmas break! A whole month off of homework, alarm clocks, and dorm showers. Ahhhh, sounds like heaven right now! However, I will admit I can already tell I’m gonna miss campus. Not seeing my roommates everyday …..or my coworkers and boss. But that will make Spring semester all the more exciting!

This semester has been overwhelming definitely, but I don’t think I would trade it for anything in the world. The people I’ve met and the experience and memories make for a quite an interesting story . As much as I love campus, I’m super excited to go home next week. This is the longest I’ve stayed on campus without visiting home ( It’s been a month and a half but it feels like two months at least). I’ve had stuff to do for like the past month and when I didn’t have obligation to stay on campus, I had sooo much homework I needed to focus on!

One thing I can definitely say I did right this semester is focusing on my classes. I got behind missing that one week for my aunt’s funeral and catching up was hard, but I did eventually. That’s an important thing you need to know when thinking about College. It’s not that its super-duper hard, its just consistent. You gotta stay on your toes and keep track of things. Don’t get behind! That’s just a responsibility that comes along with learning so much so fast. Don’t let anything intimidate you either – your professors will teach you as much as you are willing to learn. If in the rare sense that is not the case, they’re plenty of people on campus willing to help. I’ve attended study sessions this semester and even just talking to your classmates helps. Remember everybody is going through the same thing you are.

Typing all that out helps me relax and handle stress, too! If it helps you cope maybe that’s something you could keep in mind to deal with homework and deadlines! Now I must go conquer those mountains that lay ahead of me!

Thanks for reading and best of luck

-Tasha