Picture of the Week - More Mercy Month!

Here's the picture of the week! Some members of the Student Alumni Association (SAA) took a tour and visited the Mercy Motherhouse this week! We all enjoyed our time there and visiting with Sister Pat and Sister Domenica!

Mercy Month

In the world of Mercyhurst, March is "Mercy Month"- wow that's a lot of "m's!" Mercy month is a month dedicated to celebrating the Mercy heritage alive on the Mercyhurst campus and in the community!

Mercyhurst University is celebrating Mercy Month in several different ways! A few weeks ago there was a labyrinth in which students and members of the Mercyhurst community could walk through, take time to silently reflect and leave a special intention once you reached the center of it! I walked through it on a really busy day and it was so helpful to take some time out to silently pray!

Some exciting things that I as a student have taken part in thus far include the Student Alumni Association's annual "Green Pancakes Day." We hold this on the day before Saint Patrick's Day and we make green pancakes for all of the students walking to class. This was not in conjunction with Mercy Month but I think it fit in quite nicely. A component of mercy is certainly that of being hospitable which is what students found as they walked to their morning class and had fresh pancakes waiting for them!

Just yesterday, some of the Ambassadors took part in tour and tea at the Mercy Motherhouse. I really enjoyed this because we not only were able to take a tour of the Motherhouse, we also were able to take a look at some pictures and hear stories about the history of Mercyhurst and the Sisters of Mercy. I absolutely love hearing about Catherine McAuley and the hard work put in by all of the sisters to bring Mercyhurst to where we are today! After the tour the students were invited into the sitting room for cookies and punch and a chance to chat with Sister Pat, Sister Lisa Mary and Sister Domenica. This was a lovely addition to Mercy Month and a great opportunity for the students to walk up the hill for a special visit!

Picture of the Week-Saint St. Patrick's Day in the Caf

The Egan Cafeteria got into St. Patrick's Day spirit today with Irish food and super fun desserts! The rainbow of cupcakes was almost too cute to eat!!

Ambassador Club Spring Tea- Graduation Time!

My induction in 2009- don't we look so young?!

It seems like just yesterday I was being inducted into the Ambassador Club. I am very proud that I was accepted into the organization my freshman year and so happy that I took chances to run for positions even though I was certainly nervous to put myself out there! As a junior I was the secretary of the club and then I became the president during my senior year. 

This past Sunday was our annual Spring Tea ceremony which is where we induct the newest Ambassadors and say goodbye to the seniors (cue the tears and violins as I could barely keep it together during the ceremony). Each year the president delivers a speech as the closing to the ceremony. Check out my speech and some pictures from the event: 

All of my roommates are Ambassadors too!

"I would like to thank all of you for being here with us today as we celebrate the achievements of our graduating seniors and welcome the newest Ambassadors into one of the most prestigious organizations at Mercyhurst University!

I would like to commend all of the new Ambassadors for their hard work and dedication on their journey to becoming an Ambassador. 

The Ambassador Club is truly a unique and special organization here at Mercyhurst. When all of the Ambassadors showed an original interest in the club, they probably attended our annual Experiential Learning Fair which is typically when students sign up to join clubs. When students sign up to join clubs, club leaders will email the students and they can begin attending meetings. What is a little bit different about the Ambassador Club is that while students are automatically able to join most clubs, anyone who is interested in the Ambassador Club must prove that they are Ambassador material for 20 weeks! Therefore, unlike most clubs that students can automatically join, a certain level of hard work and determination is needed to become an Ambassador!

For me, the Ambassador Club has been an organization that has not only taught me many skills useful in academics and professional experiences, it is also a group in which I have met some of my very best friends, all 5 of my current roommates and grown to know many aspects of the school that we all love so very much! To our newest Ambassadors, I hope that the club that I have loved so much for the past four years proves to be just as great for you as it has been for me and many of my fellow seniors!

All of the Ambassadors!

At this time I would like to on behalf of the club express our appreciation for our advisor  Char Lichtinger, the Admissions Department, specifically Chris Coons and Deb Wurst. We all appreciate your constant guidance and dedication to the club and to all of the Ambassadors! I would also like to thank the sisters of Mercy, the administration and our parents, families and friends for being here today to celebrate with us!"  

Here I am after the reception with some of my family. They told me to get involved when I was a freshman, they encouraged me to run for secretary when I was a sophomore and they told me not to be afraid to run for president when I was a junior. I am such a lucky girl to always have them supporting me in everything I do. I am known as the girl with the cheering section...at pretty much everything! Thanks for always being there, I love you all!

Picture of the Week - Academic Engagement Center

Our latest addition on campus is our newest building that is under construction, the Academic Engagement Center. It is going to fully complete in August and I am very excited to see it! What I like best about the building is that not only will it be a great addition to campus and awesome for anyone who has class in it, but it has a bridge that connects it to the Hammermill Library! It's perfect for Erie winters because we won't even have to go outside to get to the library!

This was chosen as the picture of the week because if you take a close look, the construction workers are Mercyhurst University fans just like us! "Go Lakers" is displayed on the unfinished roof and it faces 38th street for all of Erie to see!

As always, Go Lakers and carpe diem!

Spring Term- My How Time Flies!

Wow spring break went by SO quickly! I guess that just reaffirms the statement that seems to be running my senior year- "time flies when you're having fun."

Spring term, also known as my final term as an undergraduate student at Mercyhurst University begins today. As I was walking on campus today, my first day back after a week and a half, I could not help but think about how my attitudes of spring terms past were at this point.

My spring term freshman year, I felt like I was on top of the world! The weather was AWESOME that year and all we wanted to do was go outside! As a freshman I had 8:00am classes in my first two terms and spring term was my first chance to sleep in (I didn't have class until 11am)!  I will always remember spring term freshman year as the warmest, most easy going time of college. It seems as if graduating was years away...mostly because at that time it really was!

Spring term sophomore year was an awesome one as well! Off to the left you can see my friends and I on a campus trip to Washington D.C. Spring term sophomore year was also the year that "endings" really became apparent to me. Some of my really good friends and wonderful role models graduated that year. The year before I didn't know many seniors but this year was really hard to say goodbye. That was when I really began to realize that in the blink of an eye college will be gone! 

Last year, my junior year spring term was filled with fun and laughter! I didn't have classes on fridays that term (but I did have some difficult classes) yet everything was super busy that term! I was officially inducted as the president of the Ambassador Club and I was anxiously awaiting the end of the term so that I could finally be the "big dog" on campus...a SENIOR! Even last year, this present time seemed like it would never come, I can't believe how quickly time has gone by!

Now that spring term of senior year is finally here, I hope to combine a little bit of all my spring term's past together to create the ultimate senior year! I hope to bring the carefree spirit of a freshman, the good friends of a sophomore and the fun and laughter of a junior! As I embark on my last term here at Mercyhurst University, I look back at the fun that I have had and smile at the memories that I have of my time here. 

Here's to another great term at the 'Hurst- it's sure to be a great one!!!