Let it snow, let it know, let it snow…

For those of you that do not live in Kansas City or in any of the surrounding states, you've probably escaped the snowy wrath of Snowmageddon parts 1 and 2. But for my Rockhurst friends and Kansas City neighbors, I bet you're all ready to drop the shovels and not have to get up early to dig yourselves out of your house every morning!

It all started early next week when the newscasters began talking about a massive snow storm that was going to hit Kansas City during the late part of the week. By Wednesday night, shelves at the grocery stores were being emptied by cautious Kansas Citians looking to stock up on bread and milk before Snowmageddon. 

The funny thing about it was that I can remember waking up at 2 a.m. that Thursday morning to look out my window to see that there there wasn't a trace of snow on the ground. Rockhurst had already cancelled classes for Thursday morning and I just thought to myself that Mother Nature better get something going or I might just have to show up to take the Sociology exam I hadn't studied for that night. 

By 8 a.m. that morning, it had already snowed more than 6 inches. I turned on the television to see images of I-29 North that looked like a parking lot with all of the cars that were stuck in the snow. It snowed about a total of 10 inches in my neighborhood and classes had to be cancelled for Friday as well because the roads still hadn't been cleared. Lucky for us, we were able to enjoy a four day weekend…kind of. I'm sure that many of us, like myself, suffered from mild cases of cabin fever after being stuck inside for most of the first two days. 

I was able to go to work on Monday, but we were released early because of ANOTHER impending super storm we dubbed Snowmaggedon 2013 Part 2. This time, towns south of Kansas City could see up to 20 inches of snow! Once again, Tuesday classes have been cancelled and we are waiting to see if we can resume classes tomorrow. 

I think that the funniest thing about this all is that our spring break is just next week. I really hope that groundhog shows up sometime soon because I've had enough of snow angels and snowmen and I think I've seen every single movie in our home collection. I am getting ready to graduate in a few months and I'm looking forward to getting back to class to make sure that happens this year. 

However, this experience has been a blessing in disguise. I have been able to stay home to enjoy the company of my family. I've also been able to do some much needed work on an event that the Student Organization of Latinos is planning for this weekend at Holy Name parish. Please see the flyer below and stop by if you have the chance. 

Have a great rest of your week, folks!

Multicultural Discussions

Hello everyone!

This week I decided to highlight another part of my week that I really enjoy. I first got to know the multi-cultural group last Spring through a friend of mine that would always disappear to get pizza around the same time every week.

One of these days I finally was hungry enough to follow her to get a slice of pizza and that's when I met Shu Fen, a Rockhurst professor and counselor. The conversation and friendly environment helped me come back nearly every week since that first time. I know that as college students, it's hard for us to make time in our days to reflect on our thoughts and experiences, but this discussion group has helped me do it in a fun way without even realizing it.

It's a safe space where we can talk about our thoughts with ethnic and gender issues and we all bring different perspectives to the table since we come from different backgrounds. We support each other and offer career and even relationship advice and it's just especially nice to have someone hear you out when you've had a bad day.

This week I brought my laptop and took a few silly pictures to start off our meeting:

We're a lively bunch (as I'm sure you can see!) and we meet on Tuesdays at 3:30pm in Massman in case you would like to join us. We even created a video tonight about what we're all about:

Join us either this year (or next year if you're a prospective student) and I'm sure you'll always feel at home. 

Have a great week!

Jackie

Happy Chinese New Year!

When you think about Kansas City, most people think about great barbecue, powerful water fountains and perhaps vast sceneries of miles of open fields. I wonder how many people actually remember that Kansas City is home to a world-class museum called the Nelson Atkins Museum.

If you haven't heard of it yet, I'm positive that you will have to visit for an art class no matter where you go to college in Kansas City. It's known for being the largest collection in the midwest and for housing a rare Caravaggio painting of St. John the Baptist. Luckily for Rockhurst students, it is only about a five minute drive from our campus and most of the exhibits are free to see. 

This week I was able to attend their Chinese New Years celebration on Friday evening. I went with a high school student that I mentored and we had a blast. We were able to get a picture together in front of this huge Buddha:

We arrived just in time to watch the dragons dance to the beat of drums. It was incredible to see how colorful they were and to watch them move. The eyes and mouths of the dragons were able to open and close and they were not afraid of getting intensely close to your faces. Below is a clip that I was able to capture of the dragons: 

We were also able to walk around the museum. They had several activities going on at the same time and there were hundreds of people there that seemed to really be enjoying themselves. 

Hopefully you will be able to visit the museum once you are a student as well!

Feeling incredibly blessed!

Hello everyone!

Today I want to talk to you about "God-incidences".

I'm sure you know what they are...
They are those moments when tiny miracles happen in our lives. When you feel like God has interfered in order for you to go down a certain path or learn a special lesson.

There's no other way that I can explain how I was able to submit an application for a $2,400 just a day after first hearing about it and actually get it.

On Wednesday night, a friend sent me a text message to tell me to pick up an application for first-generation college students. The only catch was that it was due Friday.

This wasn't completely out of the ordinary. I think I'm a natural-born procrastinator and I'm sure I would have procrastinated until a day or two before the deadline regardless of when I first heard of the scholarship.

During my lunch break on Thursday, I hurried to the Financial Aid office and picked up the application. I had to fill out a quick sheet with information, complete a bio, submit at thank you letter and a picture of myself.

I got to work on the bio first and thanks to all of my practice with law school applications--I was done in no time.

I had a friend proof-read it and I jetted over to our printing center to beg them to print a picture for me. I was able to e-mail them a picture and they had printed within five minutes. Next was the thank you note, after my acting class I hurried over in the cold weather to the XL dorms to grab a thank-you note from our SOL room.

I had to re-write the note several times because I kept making mistakes. Luckily, I got it done and submitted the entire application to Deborah in the Financial Aid office.

I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to wait, but I nearly jumped out of my seat when I read the e-mail on Sunday that I had won the scholarship.

It all seemed so unreal to me, but it has taught me to always take advantage of the opportunities made available to me. Some of them will pay off--literally!

Speaking of scholarships, if any of you are reading this and are thinking "Man, I wish I could win a scholarship..."

Check out the Greater Kansas City Hispanic Scholarship fund at:
http://www.gkccf.org/scholarships/hispanic-scholarship-fund

The application is due March 1st and it is incredibly easy to fill out.

See ya next time!