Thanksgiving

It's that time of year again- Thanksgiving break.  It is the first time a lot of people go home for the first time all year and get to spend time with family and friends from home.  I can't wait to go black Friday shopping (not grey Thursday), eat plenty of turkey, and sleep in my big comfy bed.  During this time everyone thinks about what they are grateful for, but really every day we should be appreciative of those people and things around us. With that being said, last year I wrote a blog about Thanksgiving and I think it is necessary for me to write again about what I am thankful for, but this time as a sophomore instead of a freshman in college.

First off, I am thankful to be waking up every morning breathing, healthy, and alive.  I think that is one thing that a lot of people take for granted, and it is one of the most simple things to be thankful for.

Family. I have the most support from my family, even if they are miles away from me.  I know that I could call up my grandma, my sisters, or my dad and they would be there for me no matter what. This includes my big lovable pup that tries to be a lap dog even though he weighs 85 pounds.

Friends.  I wouldn't be the person I am today if it wasn't for the old friendships I still have at home and the new friendships that continue to blossom every day here at Coe.

Coe College.  This place has changed me and allowed me to grow up and mature into the young woman I am today.  Every day I find another reason as to why I love this place and it reassures me that I made a great decision deciding to go here.

Tri Delta.  I have had so many great experiences by being in a sorority, including going to St. Jude hospital in Memphis and having the privilege to raise money for the St. Jude babes.  I have also formed great relationships and connections inside and outside of Delta.

The list goes on and on, but those are a few of the few things I'm thankful for every day.  So now I ask you- what are you thankful for?

Kohawk love,
Alexis

Halloween

This past week Coe College was busy.  Thursday was Halloween, and there were plenty of people roaming campus all day dressed in a Halloween costume.  At the soccer game there was even a costume contest!  To top the festive weekend off, Florida Georgia Line performed at the U.S. Cellular Center right here in Cedar Rapids.  Tickets sold out fast, but Coe students were lucky because our student senate had pre-ordered tickets and we were able to buy them at a discounted price of only $10!  It is crazy how cheap that is compared to what the public paid, and because of this all Coe students got to sit together.



I didn't spend my weekend at Coe, though.  Instead, I went to Iowa City and visited my sister since there was a home Iowa game.  This was my first time actually visiting and staying there this year, and that goes to show how much I love this place.  I've only gone home once since school started in August, and this was also one of the first weekends I've spent away from Coe.  I always feel like I'm going to miss something if I'm not here- a good football game, a performer in the pub, and just being with friends.  That's why Coe is not considered a "suitcase college."  What is that you may ask?  A suitcase college is when people go to their classes during the week then everyone goes home over the weekend.  Here at Coe almost every single person stays all week.  Don't get me wrong, going home can be nice and all, but Coe is definitely a home away from home for most people.  Anyways, even though Iowa lost this weekend to Wisconsin, Coe beat Wartburg! While I may be an Iowa fan, my true team definitely pulled through this weekend and I couldn't be prouder to be a Kohawk.

The rest of this week is going to be a crazy one with a Nursing showcase for prospective nursing majors tomorrow, Founder's Day for Delta on Thursday, and a campus visit day this Saturday.  If you are a prospective student and want to get a great look at what Coe is all about, it's not too late to sign up and come Saturday! Plus, there's a home football game, and it's our last one.  Might as well come and eat some food, have some good times with current Kohawks, and watch Coe football beat Luther.

Kohawk love,
Alexis

Never Enough Time

I've come to the conclusion that there is never enough time in a day to get things done.  There is always something that you could be doing- whether it's napping, eating, coffee date in the pub with a friend, working out, going to watch slam poetry or an a capella group in the pub, going to a midnight movie for free, watching Netflix, working, running errands... the list goes on and on.  While this may sound like a bad thing, I mean it as a great thing.  Think about it- everything I just listed aren't terrible things to have your day full with.  While, yes, I wish I could do them all in one day, I've come to the conclusion that I can't- and I'm okay with that.  The one thing that you learn as a college student, though, is that you have to make sacrifices.  You have to choose between studying for that big anatomy midterm you have or going to the volleyball game.  As a college student you truly have to balance sleep, with study, with social, and I'm telling you now that while at times it seems almost impossible- it definitely isn't.  I'm lucky to go to a college where there is always something to do, even if sometimes it may put a damper on my studies or the amount of sleep I get.  I believe that you have to get the most out of your college experience, and Coe is definitely doing that for me.  Sometimes I may complain about being too busy, but I guess that's just me settling in, getting involved, and enjoying life- three things a college student strives for.

Kohawk love,
Alexis

Especially For You

I did it.  I finally ran my first 5k.  When I first signed up to do it back in August I thought I was crazy, but now I'm so happy that I did it.  This was the 23rd year General Mills and Mercy Medical Center had put on the race that includes a 5K run, 5K walk and a one-mile family fun walk right here in downtown Cedar Rapids, blocks away from Coe.  All for a good cause, too, since more than $370,000 from race registrations go to the "Especially for You" fund, which provides mammography and other breast-care services for area individuals who cannot otherwise afford them.  More than 15,000 people turned out for a race to raise money to fight breast cancer.  Every person there was either supporting, fighting, or surviving breast cancer so it hit home for many people.  When it comes to me, I ran it for my grandma who is a breast cancer survivor and also one of the strongest people I know.  I was young when she had it, but I still remember looking up to her with admiration as I touched her bald head and loved how silky soft it was.  At the time I was clueless to what was going on, but now I'm happy to do my part and be one of 15,000 people running for a great cause.  My grandma was my motivation to finishing the race, and I'm proud of myself for doing so in under 30 minutes.  Check out these pictures from the race!

Kohawk love,
Alexis

Coe's team ready to run!



A couple friends and I after running the race!



My official number





St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

This past fall break I got the privilege to road trip down to Memphis, Tennessee and visit the St. Jude hospital.  Being able to do so was such a life changing and eye opening experience that allows you to put life into perspective.  It's crazy how much people take for granted on a day by day basis.  Especially the things that should mean most to us like family, health, and just the ability to be able to wake up every morning breathing.  I am proud to be a part of a sorority that is dedicated to raising money for the hospital to allow families to make their way through St. Jude without paying a dime.  There were 35 of us sorority sisters that drove 9 hours from Coe College in Cedar rapids, Iowa to Memphis, Tennessee.  It was completely worth it after visiting and touring the St. Jude hospital and learning more about it's campus and how it runs.  I am so blessed to have been able to have this heartwarming experience and every family that goes through the hospital has a special place in my heart.  It's a great feeling when you walk down the hallway of the hospital and doctors and physicians are thanking us for what we do as a sorority.  I definitely felt the Delta love.

I believe that a picture speaks a thousand words, so check out for yourself how amazing the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is, and watch this neat video too! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2It6yfmdwsQ

Kohawk Love,
Alexis

Every hall is painted- doesn't even feel like a hospital inside!

This is the ABC wall- this is what a patient wrote for the letter C

Just a few of us Delta's taking a picture on the Delta floor!

We love St. Jude!

One of the rooms funded by the Deltas!

Right outside the front doors of St. Jude!

Sophomore Slumps: Are they real?

Coming into my sophomore year of college I had high expectations because of how well my freshman year went.  Then life hit me with a reality check- I'm not a freshman anymore and a lot more is expected of me.  You're not worrying so much about what clubs to join or where the library is on campus anymore. The stresses we face hit us harder, last longer, and test our ability to face challenges head on.  When talking to an upperclassman, I realized that all of this actually has a name: the sophomore slumps.  When doing a little digging online, this is what I found.

"Sophomores experience a whole new set of stressors as they return to the college campus. Unlike freshman, they receive fewer warnings about the do’s and don’ts of college life; they are expected to know how things work. Combine this with the push to declare a major, find an internship, and decide whether or not to study abroad can lead sophomores to fall into the 'sophomore slump.'  This new found set of expectations can lead to challenges for the second-year student."

While this may be true,  I don't think this so called sophomore slump is a bad thing.  It shows that we as students are growing up and becoming adults.  We're facing more decisions that will effect our life in the long run- like what our major is or where we decide to intern.  I'm a big believer that you get out what you put into the things you do.  This may be a club, a sorority or fraternity, a class, or even just your sophomore year in college.  I can say that I've experienced the normal stresses of a college sophomore, but I can't relate it to being a freshman because they're different.  Maybe that's one thing I've learned already this year- not to compare this year to the previous one.  Every year here at Coe presents me with new opportunities, new experiences, and new memories.  I believe that if you surround yourself with people you care about, study hard, use your resources wisely, talk to professors, get a good amount of sleep, eat well, exercise, have fun, and relax, then the sophomore slumps can be avoided.  It's safe to say that I've avoided it and I take pride in being a college sophomore, especially here at Coe. So next time you find yourself in a slump, remember that you're just growing as a person.  We only have two more full years of college left and we're all better off enjoying them.

Kohawk love,
Alexis

The Nice Thing About A Small School

I'm back at it this year... but now as a Sophomore.  I'm sitting here typing and I can't believe how fast time is flying by.  I can still remember my freshman year like it was yesterday (even though it kind of was)- where I was looking for all my classes, getting used to the Caf food, getting over freshman writing shock, pulling my first all-nighter, fighting home-sickness, and finding my nitch.  Phew, thinking about all of new people I met, memories I made, and experiences I acquired is making me exhausted.  If I would have known at the end of my senior year that Coe College was going to put me where I was today... I would have laughed in your face.  Little did I know that I would have joined a sorority and gain an office position, been in the Board of Directors for my dorm, join the Student Ambassadors, become a Campus Visit Day girl, get a position as a College Adjustment peer, and blog for the Admissions office all in my freshman year of college.  That's the nice thing about a small school- being able to get involved.

At the beginning of my college search I was destined to go to a big school.  I thought that I would end up at a state school- that's all I had grown up to know.  Having a sister go to Iowa State, UNI, and also a twin set on Iowa made my college decision that much harder.  Yet, I look back and realize that Coe College is where I was always destined to go, and I can't imagine being anywhere else.  Wanna know why a small school atmosphere hooked me?  Here's a few reasons that influenced me:

1) Almost everyone on Coe lives on campus.  Your study buddy, best friend, sorority sister, whoever it may be- is no less then a 5 minute walk away.
2) Which brings me to my second point... everything is only a 5 minute walk away.  There is no need to get used to a bus system, or walk up a giant hill for 20 minutes just to get to class.
3) You're a person, not a number.  Going to a school of 1,400 allows you to make yourself and be who you want to be.  Your professors know you by name, and you get to speak to them face to face on a daily basis.  The average class size is only 16!  You get a sense of a family and a community even when living in one of the biggest cities in Iowa.
4) Being in a big city leaves room for opportunity and many things to do. For example: Kernels games, NewBo City Market, Theaters, U.S. Cellular Center, and so much more. Coe is even a mile away from downtown Cedar Rapids, and is walking distance from several food places and a grocery store.
5) D3 sports.  Who doesn't love a football team who wins?

The list goes on, but I know I speak for many students when I say Coe is my home away from home.  Sophomore year has barely began and I'm already finding myself with amazing memories and experiences.  I was fortunate to be able to help with freshman orientation, sorority formal recruitment, and now this week I get to experience my first exams.  This year, though, its different. I have already been through all of these events and experienced it all as a freshman- but now I'm on the other side.  Instead of relying on a CAP leader to take me to orientation events, I was one.  Instead of going through formal recruitment and seeing what Greek Life was all about, I was a Delta helping girls find their place. I thought freshman year was good...I'm thinking sophomore year is going to be even better.  I can't wait to see what the rest of this semester and even the rest of my Sophomore year brings me.

Kohawk Love,
Alexis



My CAP group and I during freshman orientation!

Me during Formal Recruitment for Delta!