One Week to Go

There is officially only one week left of school and it certainly evokes a bunch of different feelings within me. Half of me is extremely excited to begin my summer and the other half of me will miss Manhattanville and the friends that I have made here. Summer is tough because you do not get a chance to see the same people that you have been used to seeing on a daily basis for months. I have been very used to eating my three meals with the same bunch of friends and sharing our funny mishaps that occur throughout the week.

Being home for the summer definitely has its perks. Sleeping in my own bed, and plunging into the full refrigerator every 5 minutes are enticing thoughts. Life at home is much more relaxing on the mind and it helps me to escape the drama that occurs every 2 seconds here on this small campus. Living on such a small campus creates many problems and certainly MANY rumors.

While on campus, I have finalized some plans that I had lingering for the summer. I booked my European vacation to Italy for 2 weeks in June, and found myself a little job coaching soccer to young children. I hope that throughout the summer I can find more of a full time job coaching because that id what I truly love to do. I also decided to play with my PDL soccer team, the Westchester Flames. This Semi-Pro team does much traveling on the East Coast and gives me a chance to visit some states that I would not normally visit.

With one week left to go before my summer begins, I have to make sure that all of my final exams go smoothly and that all of my lingering assignments are completed. I also have to make sure that everything is moved out of my room, a seemingly never-ending task! Being a part of the soccer team, I have to make sure that the off season assignments are picked up and followed through out the summer.

Junior year of college has been a special experience for me thus far, but it was not easy. I think that it has been the most stressful year so far, so maybe some really cold Iced Tea by the beach will do me some good! I know that once I drop the last bag off in my room at home, and take a good look around and see how neat and quiet it is, I will miss the 5 roommates that I have at school. Most people think that I am crazy for feeling this way but I enjoy being around people. Silence to me is a killer and it makes me think too much!

Unwanted and Unnecessary Stress

This time of the year for students is probably the most stressful and hectic. The period of final exams for college students is the worst time of the semester because everyone is trying to get the credits that they need to move on with their studies. The final exams of second semesters are always crazier than those of the first semester because school is over and closed before students get their grades. This makes life difficult on students because if there are last minute thigns that need to be handed in, or discussions that need to take place over grades, teachers are no where to be found. All in all, final examinations are terrible, but those of the second semester are 100x worse!

I feel like this semester has been one filled with unwanted stress and pressure, more so than any other semester in my college career. This is a product of classes with tons of homework and group assignments. Group assignments are the most difficult because students all have their own lives, and their own seperate busy schedules, so agreeing to specific times for meeting has been such a hassel. I think that I have consumed more REDBULL and coffee this spring semester than I have in a very long time. I needed these stimulants to stay awake during the long study nights in the library. This semester, soccer was not even in season, but the weightlifting and indoor games took up so much of my time that sometimes my grades were affected by it.

Stress is probably the single most detremental factor to a person, and a student in particular. According to Medicine.net , stress is defined as : "Stress is simply a fact of nature—forces from the outside world affecting the individual." Juggling a social life, an academic one and an athletic one, along with balancing a family life is so much to handle. There were many times this semester when I felt like it was just a huge weight on my shoulder and I was at the breaking point. To handle my stress, I would often go out for a jog or lay outside on the grass and stare up at the sky. I definately feel that when I get overwhlemed, being around people is something I try and avoid. People just put too many thoughts into my head and just add to the frustration. Stress, in my opinion, is one of the most dangerous "illnesses" that exist because it makes people do crazy things. When people feel like their back is against the wall, they will do ANYTHING to ease that pressure. I am grateful that my stress was over nothing major and that I did not have to do anything crazy to relieve that.

With the year comming to a close, my stress this week is still at al all time high, but after this upcomming week, I am positive that I will feel better and that I will have the whole summer to soak up the sun and drink ice tea by the pool. I have a nice vacation to look forward to and many ideas to make my summer an interesting one.

My Heritage

I think that it is definately important for someone to stay close to their cultural roots and really get to know what their heritage is. People today have really lost a sense of cultural identity and have ignored where their ancestors came from. Everything from learning through books and photos to hearing stories and visiting homelands are great ways to never really forget who you are as a person of a cultural background.

I am of Italian decent and my family definately makes sure that I never forget it! My family is really not your average Italian family because they pride themselves on being not Italian-American, but Italian! We still make our very own tomato sauce and wine seasonally, and curate our own olives and prosciutto in the garage of the house. My family believes in doing these unique activites not only because the food tastes good, but because it keeps a family very close together. In the process of doing these things, the younger generation gets to sit with the older ones and learn of past events and history that made the family who it is today. Through cultural activites such as these, I have grown to appreciate being an Italian and what the Italian people have to endure to become the close-knit community they are today.

When Italians do things, it is always in excess! There is never a dish on Sunday afternoon that is not over-flowing with pasta, and never a household that is not playing an Eros Ramazzotti cd while they are getting dressed. I have been to plenty of weddings and parties where the host went above and beyond to show everyone that they had every intention of hosting a good party. One thing I have noticed though, is that Italian's are genuine people who just want to get the most out of life.

I have been to Italy more than a handful of times in my young life, and have already had the opportunity to live there for just about 2 years on my own. This was a great experience for me and really gave me a sense of what being a true Italian really consists of. The ideals and values of the italian people are extraordinary and the lifestyle is so different that the American one. I loved getting up early in the morning and having a freshly brewed cappuccino and hot pastry, while reading the daily sports newspaper. Just walking through the streets, surrounded by such ancient culture, evokes these inexplainable feelings. I wish that all Italian-Americans get a chance to experience what I did, and they would finally really love every aspect of the Italian way of life.

ROOM RAIDERS

This past Monday I was on the MTV Program Room Raiders. Roomraiders is a teen rated show that airs daily from Monday through Friday at 530 pm. A person, whether male or female is selected to browse through the room of three anonymous people and decide which room they like best. After they select a room, they come face to face with the person that they pick for a date.

About a month ago, MTV held a casting call here at Manhattanville College for some fresh new talent for a new season of this long-running show. After the first callback, the MTV crew came to vist my room in my house in the Bronx and decide whether or not my room was what they were looking for. Almost immediately after entering my room, they crew liked what they saw. They appreciated that I not only had my one room, but my own apartment space. After this meeting, I was asked to head to the MTV Studio in Brooklyn for an individual interview of my likes/dislikes in women.

The interview came with some on screen activities that really displayed my outgoing and funny nature. The first day of shooting wass something that I had never experienced before. The MTV Roomraiders production crew came to my room and asked that I leave and not return until they had finished shooting with the girl that would be perusing through all of my drawers. This was really boring for me because they had assigned an intern to hang out with me for the day and act as my chaperone.

The second day of shooting was very interesting because I got a chance to meet the other two guys that were trying to win this date with the girl that was btowsing through the rooms. One of the other males was from Long Island and the other was from New Jersey. It was interesting to have all of us on screen simultaneously because all of our personalities were very different. MTV encouraged us to make fun of one another and give the audience a good laugh, so it never made the atmosphere boring or dull.

When the show aired Monday, I had known the results of the episode but did not tell anyone the outcome. I ended up winning and being selected for a date with the subject. All of my friends and family saw the show and it definately made me feel a bit important, even if it was only for one day.

Being on television is something that I enjoy and could be something that I look into for employment in the future. I feel comfortable being in front of the video camera, and never shy away from the lights!

The Summer is Approaching

There is only about 1 month left of school and it is definitely clear that most of the students here at Manhattanville are eagerly awaiting the sunny days of the summertime. By the looks of students coming out of every classroom on a daily basis, they are frustrated with the amount of work that is being piled on because teachers are rushing to complete their lesson plans before Finals Week. To make matters worse, the weather has not been very good and students have not been able to spend their time outside socializing with their friends, or playing sports. I think that some sort of a release such as this is healthy for students and makes them a bit more tolerant of classes and homework.

Personally, I am exhausted mentally and physically from school and everything that has to do with it. The only bad thing about the summer time is that I do not get to see my friends a often as I do here at school. At Manhattanville, we all eat together everyday and always have a great story to tell. Home can sometimes become lonely and boring. Being at home is definitely a great release from the drama of life at a small school, but i think that I would definitely prefer living amongst my friends and being around people. I am the type of person who like to socialize and be around others, so being home just is never the same.

Finals Week is not something that I even want to think about right now, and I feel as if every teacher is going out of their way right now to remind me of it. I think that if a student has been doing above average all semester long, a final exam will only hurt him/her in the end. I think that finals should be done away with and grades throughout the semester along with attendance should be the main factor in judging a students performance.



There are a few events that mark the end of the semester and I am really looking forward to them. Quad Jam is always the biggest event that grabs everyones attention, but there is also Spring Formal and our Annual Alumni Soccer Game. These events make the semester seem shorter because it gives something to look forward to. I hope that all of these events are as fun as I think that they are going to be.

Summer is the best time of the year, and it is almost here. Summer means less clothes for everyone and that can never be a bad thing! : )

The Manhattanville College women’s Hockey team faced one of their most challenging obstacles of the season when they faced the College of Holy Cross at their home arena on Friday, January 19 2009. The most important battle of the night came off of the ice where they would host their first annual “Think Pink” night to raise money for the fight against breast cancer at Playland’s Ice Casino in Rye, N.Y.

Every thirteen minutes a woman will die from breast cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in women between the ages of 15 and 54, and the second cause of cancer death in women from the ages of 55 to 74. A sold out crowd of all ages pledged to fight these facts and figures.

The proceeds that were collected from the 7pm game were all donated to the “In The Pink Foundation, Inc, a non-profit organization that provides physical and monetary support for young women fighting breast cancer.” The organization’s President, Monique Johnson, is a former student of Manhattanville College.

For one night only, all of the players on the Manhattanville College roster decided to sport pink jerseys, to let the Westchester area know that the breast cancer cause is something quite special to them. “This is a cause that the ladies on our team take very seriously,” said Hannah Muskego, a freshman standout defenseman from Neilburg, Saskatchewan. “The pink jerseys only make our support more visible to the community beyond the Manhattanville College campus.”
Along with the pink jerseys, the ladies of the Manhattanville team all agreed that raffling off one of their game jerseys at halftime would be another way to boost the funds for The Pink Foundation. All around the arena were student vendors selling items to add to proceeds. Many of these items included t-shirts, bracelets and hats.

“Games like this really show how much progress and support can come from a united community. This was a game that made me more emotional than most, and I decided to use these feelings out there on the ice,” said Holly Nonis, Manhattanville’s leading scorer and arguably the ECAC East Conference’s best player. “I hope that other Colleges follow our example and help in the battle to rid the world of breast cancer”

Aside from skating for a commendable cause, this game featured two of the most dominating teams in the ECAC East Conference. The first-place Lady Valiants 13-1-0, 11-1-0 ECAC East) stood toe-toe with the only team that had beaten them all season, The College of Holy Cross (14-0-1, 10-0-1 ECAC East). This premier match-up paired up two teams that were both unbeaten in more than 12 games.

Manhattanville looked good for most of the game, holding onto a 2-1 lead heading into the final minutes of the third period. Shortly after the clock signaled eight minutes left in the game, Holy Cross capitalized on a very rare defensive mistake by the Valiant backline, leveling the game at two. After an overtime battle, the Valiants were defeated by a late goal. Although the home team was bitter about their loss, they were still very glad to have participated in a special event.

“This event really has opened my eyes to the millions of women who suffer from breast cancer,” said Erica Garcia, a sophomore from Highland California. “This game has made me want to get involved within my community here at Manhattanville and in California so that we can quickly find a cure.”

The weeks of planning and mustering school support on behalf of the women’s hockey team was truly evident on that Friday night. Men, women and children of all ages were out in support of finding a cure. An event like this not only appealed to hockey fans, but to humanitarians throughout the tri-state area.

The women’s hockey Valiants have started a remarkable trend within Manhattanville College, sparking huge interest on behalf of other men’s and women’s teams to host their own breast cancer games.

Matters of the Heart

Love is definately one of the most difficult subjects/topics that exists in this universise. It is the most complex idea to grasp and something that I believe people will truly never really understand. Young adults my age boast of finding love every day, whether it is a significant other on campus, or someone they have waiting for them back at home. I walk around this small campus and very often seen couples walking hand in hand, or sneaking one last smooch before heading to their next class. I honestly think that this is all fine and dandy, but I do NOT think that these people have the slightest idea of what love really is.

I believe that I do not totally grasp the whole idea of what love is, but I think that if someone really takes the time out to examine it and what it entails, they have a slight edge over someone who has not. Love is not simply the attraction to one's opposite and the desire to be around them 24/7, but rather an understanding of the self, and how that other person fits into it. When someone has finally found love, it is probably the most gratifying feeling on the face of the earth. Achieving the feeling once you have found someone is not hard, but actually finding THAT PERSON is what most people have trouble with.

People in today's world try and live their lives according to what they hear and see on television and radio. Everyone wants a fairytale ending to their love lives, and are in a great hurry to get it. Because of this, people really do not take the time out to really gain an adequate understanding of the other person. They simply know that they are very attracted to the other person and that he/she makes them smile. This is not enough. Alot of time must be spent with this other person, and in my opinion years, to really love someone. During this time, one learns of the other's good qualities and bad qualities, great attributes and the not so great ones. People are in such a rush to achieve that 24/7 love drama they see on FRIENDS, that purposefully overlook the qualities that they would never accept in any other person.

Love comes with experice and hardship, as well as with communication and fun times. There is no possible way that young adults my age can really know what love is, because for someone of us, we have never known what it is like to fall for someone before, so the first time it happens, we are convinced that this girl or guy is the one they will love forever. Young people are delusional and this will never change. All of us want someone that we can lay with at night and share secrets with, or hold hands at a ball game, but we just go about it in the wrong ways.

I, along with countless others have been the subject of heartbreak, but I have come to the realization that it was because things were rushed. I was in such a need for a female to share experiences with, that in actuality, I was only hurting myself in the long run. When that person comes along, things will just feel easy. A smile will automatically creep along your face when you least expect it, and butterflies will float around in your stomach. These are all good things, but you have to see if they last. I you can honestly wake up everyday and feel those things constantly then you are on your path to finding true love. Love comes with experience and age. So if you think that you are very much in love now, wait it out and see if it lasts.