Thanksgiving in the Egan Hall Cafeteria

This past week my friends and classmates and I celebrated Thanksgiving in the Egan Hall Cafeteria! This was actually a big deal for some of us because I will be taking a study abroad trip with my history class and four professors and we won't be in the United States for Thanksgiving :(

Here's a super super quick run down of how this study abroad program works:
You take a class during fall, winter or spring term (mine was a European history class) and at the end of the term, the class and teacher take a trip over the break following final exams! My class leaves on Wednesday November 16 and comes home Sunday November 27. We will be traveling to London for the first half of the trip, followed by Paris!! I CANNOT WAIT - I'm super excited and overwhelmed but it will be loads of fun!

Turkey carving in the Egan Cafeteria

So...back to Thanksgiving! Since we'll be missing Thanksgiving and the Parisians don't celebrate Turkey Day, our history class went to the cafeteria, run by Parkhurst Dining. They truly put out ALL the Thanksgiving trimmings!

The main line had literally every Thanksgiving food you could imagine: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, ham, broccoli and cauliflower bake, corn, beans, rolls, etc.

Cheese line at the Egan Cafeteria

Along with the main line there was a cheese and bread line as well as desserts with anything you can think of that can be made out of pumpkin! Since I'll be gone for Thanksgiving, it was so so so nice to have such an awesome meal which felt just like Thanksgiving at home. It's also really nice for those who may not celebrate Thanksgiving or who may be too far away from home to go home over break!

Friends enjoying dinner in the Egan Cafeteria

I believe I've said this before but I'll say it again, it is definitely hard being away from home and not having my mom's cooking (especially because I grew up with my mom cooking dinner every night!). BUT I can always find something to eat in the Egan Hall Cafeteria and the Laker Inn, our two dining locations on campus!



Liz, Sarah and I enjoying dinner!



This will be my last post before we leave for the trip...I am hoping to have some kind of internet access so that I can post pictures periodically while I'm away. Until next time, take advantage of the opportunities ahead of you. NEVER again will I be able to go to Europe with my friends for such a cheap price. These are the moments that I will look back on and Mercyhurst memories that I will cherish forever!

Enjoy your holiday!!

"Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two"
Billy Joel,Vienna

Communication Successes!

Applause was given to my fellow researchers and I this week on the Mercyhurst website!
Our research that we have been conducting on Muslims in the American media received yet another award at a conference in Buffalo!

The excerpt from the website is:
"Dr. Anne Zaphiris, associate professor of communication, and Alicia Cagle, a junior communication major, attended University at Buffalo’s Second Annual Promise in Communication Research Symposium on Oct. 14. Alicia presented “Content Analysis of the Portrayal of Muslims in American Media,” co-written with undergraduate students Lindsay Cox and Kelly Luoma. The paper was selected as a Top-5 manuscript and student authors received a $250 cash prize. An earlier version of their work is published in Human Communication, an online journal of the Pacific Asian Communication Association that features experimental, theoretical and speculative articles in the artistic, humanistic and scientific areas of communication."

Check out other applauses on the Mercyhurst College website here!

Ambassador Club- Making the Cut

Greetings readers-
As you know, I am heavily involved in the Mercyhurst College Ambassador Club, currently holding the office of President. Each year we accept a new group of Ambassadors into the club but we are only able to select the best of the best!

The process is conducted by the club's advisor, our three officers, two pledge committee chairs and the entire Admissions department. In the early fall we hold information sessions and allow anyone interested in joining to come hear about the "pledge process." Anyone who wants to pledge to become an Ambassador then must attend a weekly pledge class. Each week during the fall term they learn then entire history of Mercyhurst College. Speakers such as Dr. Gamble (President of Mercyhurst College), Chris Coons (Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management), Travis Lindahl (Director of Mercyhust North East Admissions), Sr. Lisa Mary (Vice President of Mission Integration), and Earleen Galser (Reference Librarian/College Archivist of the Hammermill Library) all come to teach bits and pieces of the history of Mercyhurst.

Ambassador Pledges doing the "YMCA"

Although it may seem like the pledges have to go through a lot, we try to lighten things up as much as possible! Off to the left you can see them all doing the "YMCA" one class before things got started!

We also had a Halloween party for them! They were able to get to know some of the current Ambassadors and we were able to see them acting more like their normal selves!

Ambassador Pledges in Halloween Costumes!

After going to all of the classes, the pledges meet with their mentors (current Ambassador Club members) who helped them study for the big exam. Our final class session was a review night- I actually nearly ruined the test...Liz, my roommate was reviewing with them and she had the exam on the computer screen but the projector was turned off so that the class couldn't see it. I was goofing around and ended up pressing the button to turn on the projector, thus showing the entire group of students the exam, very large and on the projector!! Luckily we immediately turned off the screen so I don't think they saw too much of it!!

After they took the exam we graded the exam and conducted the decision process. It is extremely hard to make the cuts because hurting people's feelings is never easy. The best thing that we like to tell people is that if they don't get in this year, they can try again next year! My roommate Alexa did not get accepted our freshman year but tried again and made it in to the Ambassador Club our sophomore year and it currently one of our strongest Ambassadors!

Meet the Ambassador Club!

To learn more about the Ambassador Club, check out the Ambassador Club on the Mercyhurst website. 
Do you look good in green- don't hesitate to join the pledge process- we definitely make it a lot of fun!


"Carpe diem. Seize the day...Make your lives extraordinary"
-Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society

Picture of the Week- Snacks for the College Student

Snacks that I enjoy throughout the school year!

While the cafeteria is awesome because I really do NOT know how to cook- I always get hungry and need to grab some random snacks. After a shopping trip at the grocery store, this picture shows some of my favorites! Please notice the quickness, deliciousness and microwaveable-ness of my choices! Even though I am a senior and have had a full kitchen in my apartment or townhouse since sophomore year, it totally doesn't mean that I have grown up in my snack choices :)