Almost 2009...

Hi Everyone!

I've been home on break since Dec. 13th but it feels like my vacation has just begun... First I was stressed until I got my final grades back (A,A,A,A-), then my Aunt got married, then it was Christmas (busy with a divorced family), doctors appointment, dentist appointment, hair appointment tomorrow, and then it will be New Years Eve! Oh, and since my mom is back from SF for good, we're moving into a new place on the 5th...

I had the most amazing Christmas...Santa came to my Nana and Grampy's house this year so my mother and I went there on Christmas morning to open presents. After tearing open a million beautifully wrapped silver and green packages which contained a Kate Spade bag, clothes, books, and a new laptop, we all sat down to a hearty breakfast and sipped orange juice through candy cane silly straws!

I love being able to sleep in and read leisurely, however, I must admit the geek in me is looking forward to my new classes! I'll be taking design lab, PR2, World lit, and Women in American Politics...hooray! Classes start on the 12th... I think...

Until next time,

Kayla :)

One More Day...

I'm down to one final project - building a website for programming :/ It's actually coming together nicely, slowly...but surely... I'm creating a community service website called "Keys to Kindness" so if you have any suggestions about different non-profit organizations I may not be aware of, leave a comment!

After we wrap up the book-drive tomorrow afternoon I'll just be packing and leaving on Saturday morning! It has been such a tense and restless week, it's hard to believe it will all be over by tomorrow... on my list of things to do over break are: work-out everyday except Sunday, read the 6th and 7th Harry Potter books (before the movies come out!), write essays for summer programs, and learn how to snowboard! I'm psyched...

I'll be back in January,

Kayla :)

That was fast...

My last class of the semester just ended, I can't believe it! As it turns out, difficult classes with tons of work = semester over in the blink of an eye! I'm a little sad actually... because I'm getting old and my life is passing before me, but also because I may never have some of those great professors again and so many of my friends are studying abroad in the spring. That's not to say I'm not happy to have a month off though...

Last night the Admissions office treated the team of ambassadors to an "end of semester" dinner in the North End and it was a blast! We had cheesy garlic bread, calamari, bruschetta, chicken parm, and pesto tortellini... you name it...the food was delicious and the table of twenty got pretty rowdy. It was bittersweet, however, since six ambassadors will not be returning to the office in the spring. We will have new students in the office come January though and we're all excited to meet them...

So I spoke too soon about final exams -- I do have one. I thought I'd be done after all of my projects had been submitted, but on top of the final project for computer science we do have a cumulative test next Wednesday, yikes! I'll use Monday and Tuesday to study for it though so I'm not terribly worried about it. Once that is done, we'll wrap up the book drive on Friday and ship them off to Books for Africa; at which point I'll head home to NH!

Until next time,

Kayla :)

Five hours until we reach the NH border...

As soon as my work hours are over and my Best Buddies meeting ends, I'll be throwing some clothes in a weekender and driving up to Hooksett, NH with my roommate and my boyfriend for the holiday! I am soooo excited for the break! All of my cousins will be home also, from University of NH and Ithaca college...

I received my grades from all of the work I was so worried about last week. I got a 95 on the second Comp. Sci midterm and a B+ on the history paper I wrote on the Chinese Exclusion Act. The test grade is a minor disappointment (only because I dominated the first one), but the paper was actually an improvement on the last. Hopefully the rewrite will land me an "A", if he even gives those...

I'm working on a huge group project for my advertising class and our client is AT&T. We're advertising the Sony W350 cell phone through commercials, billboards, and radio spots. We are of course taking a holiday shopping approach so the illustrations have been fun! If you have any brilliant ideas that would attract a 14-22 year-old demographic, let me know!

I'm trying to decide what to do with my summer...I was planning to go to Prague for humanities and literature studies but am reconsidering it since literature is already on my schedule for the spring semester and I wouldn't want to waste money. Now I'm considering a 6 week trip to Italy...if the language class would fulfill my humanities credit of course! What it comes down to is this: I need to take two classes over the summer and do not want to be here. I love it here, but a change of scenery is long overdue...

I'm off to count the minutes until Thanksgiving...ciao!

It's beginning to feel a lot like winter...

Last week was so mild, with temperatures around 58 degrees and humidity hovering after the rain, I began to wonder whether winter would come before the holidays. Today's brisk 40 degree air has restored my faith in a white Christmas though!

Suffolk students begin to miss dorm life when winter approaches, uncertainty of a heated apartment sets in, and the dreaded anticipation of mice inhabiting your home appears. This will be our first winter in the Beacon Hill apartment so the mice issue is a great unknown. The heat works, so far...but inconsistently. You can find us hanging around in bathing suits on an unusually balmy day or bundled together beneath down comforters when the radiators are cold. This "all or nothing" trend keeps us on our toes though, and helps us refrain from complaining for fear of sounding pendulous.

In exactly one week I'll be on my way home for Thanksgiving break- and I am counting the seconds! My mom will be meeting me in NH (she's living in CA on an extended business trip) and it will be five days of Nana's cooking, relaxation, reunion, and shopping! Thanksgiving must be a little later than usual because when we return from the break there are only two weeks of classes left in the semester! That fact might worry me, however, I think I'm going to escape this semester without any final exams! That's not to say I don't have a lot of work to do, there are major projects and papers due for each class, but the absence of test anxiety will serve my soul well...

My plans for Christmas Break are the only thing keeping me going right now. Don't be deceived, I'm not actually doing much of anything, and that's exactly why I'm so psyched. My aunt's wedding is a few days before Christmas, and of course the holidays will be exciting and busy, but once December 26th arrives you can find me in the house. I'm house sitting for family friends until Spring semester starts; the house is on the water and comes equipped with my own master suite, 2 Portuguese water dogs, a stocked fridge, fireplace, and exercise equipment -- what more could I need? I'm lucky, I know... you can come visit, there are several guest rooms!

Before then, however, I have a 2nd Computer Science Midterm (because one just isn't enough) and need to finish East of Eden (600 pages of good vs. evil). They serve to make vacation sweeter...

Until Next time,

Kayla

The time has finally come...

... to vote! For most of the students here, this is the first election we have the power to influence. And what an exciting first election it is! I'm terrified for tonight/tomorrow, however, when we'll be forced to face the outcome. I think I'm in the minority of college students politically; I will vote for Barack Obama today, but not because I'm confident he will make a great President. I am voting democrat because the republican candidate promises nothing but more of the same...or worse. It may sound silly, but I remember being utterly disappointed at 12 years old when they finally announced that Bush was elected, and I can only imagine the depression I would slip into this time around. So that is why I'm making the trip up to NH this afternoon by bus to fill out my ballot!

There's only a month left of the semester, can you believe it? Tomorrow morning at 8:35 a.m. I'll register for spring semester classes... I'm hoping to get Design Lab (application of graphic software for PR and advertising), P.R. II, Women in American Politics, and Science&Life in the 21st century. Sounds like a fun semester to me! And hopefully not such early mornings...

I decided to go to Prague this summer with one of our study abroad programs! It's a six week session and we'll be studying Czech culture and literature. With trips to Vienna and other nearby places, I'm sure it will make for a wonderful first time in Europe.

After Halloween turned out to be only slightly more exciting than any other Friday night, the rest of my weekend rocked! On Saturday my boyfriend and I went to the Boston College football game against Clemson...those of you who watched it know it didn't end favorably for BC, but it was a good game nonetheless and a beautifully crisp fall day.

Speaking of fall weather, I'm beginning to crave those winter comfort foods. All weekend my roommates and I talked about making chili, cornbread, and homemade mac-n-cheese...but obviously ended up ordering pizza instead. Maybe this weekend we'll throw on our Uggs, haul ourselves over to Shaws*, buy some groceries, and make the delicious meals we wish our Mommies could make for us.

I'm off to South Station to catch a bus to NH...

Until Next Time,
Kayla :)

What a Week!

I keep wondering when my schedule will free up, and I'm beginning to think it never will! Being busy is better than having nothing to do at all though... don't you think?

The craziness began on Saturday when seven of my fellow ambassadors and I gave a Students-to-Students information session, which are a great way to have your questions answered from a student's perspective. The afternoon was a success and we all had a lot of fun with the visiting families. That night Best Buddies Suffolk University attended a Bruins game with several other BB chapters from around the city -- and they won!

Aside from the normal routine, I've had meetings galore! On Monday I had advising (I'm super excited about the classes I'm taking next semester!), Tuesday I attended a training session for history students giving tours of Boston this weekend, yesterday was my best friends birthday, President Sigler of the NRA spoke at the Omni Parker House last night, and today I must attend a meeting for students studying abroad in Prague this summer during my lunch hour!

I mentioned the event last night where the President of the National Rifle Association spoke to Suffolk students about the importance of this election year as it pertains to second amendment rights. I went in fairly undecided on my position and left the same way. President Sigler made some decent arguments but was unable to convince me. He neglected to answer some of the questions he was asked to respond to, and that in itsself was offensive. All in all though, the Suffolk GOP put on a great event and we were fortunate to have such an important speaker visit our school.

I am so excited for Halloween tomorrow!!! I'm going to be a Christmas elf! Mostly because I already have the costume (from a charity event I participated in last December) but also because the boots with the curly toes and bells are so much fun! A couple of my friends are having parties in the North End and East Boston so I'll be bouncing around the city... be sure to say "hi" if you see a little green elf skip past you on the street tomorrow night!

Until Next Time,

Kayla :)

Less than 24 hours...

...until the weekend. And I cannot wait! By 1 p.m. tomorrow my computer science midterm will be over and two days of fun and relaxation will pursue.

Thursday are always long days for me... with class at 8 a.m. and work from 10-5:30 I'm exhausted by the end of the day. Today though, the Women in Business club hosted a Wellness Event and I was able to go during my lunch break. They had a registered dietitian and a phsychohypnotist speak about stress management and staying healthy on a student schedule and budget. They also served a yummy lunch of chef salad and fruit!

8 days until Halloween!!!

Until next time,

Kayla :)

I feel a cold coming on...

I knew it. I knew it would only be a matter of time before I caught the disgusting cold my roommate has been fighting for a week. Now my tonsils feel inflamed and I really don't have time for this business, with midterms approaching and roughly 8 hours of homework every night; I've been popping vitamins and eating soup for days to stave it off... keep your fingers crossed for me!

So I mentioned the homework situation this semester -- it's unreal! I now know what my mom was talking about when she said she practically lived in the library when she was in college. I've been able to keep up with it so far though...hours of reading for history, creating web pages for computer science, writing articles for journalism, and doing projects for advertising. I was really worried about Comp. Sci when the semester began, but I've actually grown to like it. It will be a great asset to be able to build websites from scratch with technological advances and continually higher expectations in those regards. Our final project will require that we build a complete website for a company, hobby, interest, etc... who knows, maybe mine will even turn into a business endeavor.

This weekend is Family Weekend at Suffolk and Beacon Hill will be crowded with overwhelmed parents complaining about the uphill walks between buildings. Some of my fellow Ambassadors and I will be helping with the Duck Tours on Saturday morning. I avoided Duck Tours for the longest time because I didn't want to look like one of the wide-eyed tourists taking pictures and quacking at passersby. There are a number of events scheduled for the weekend including a night at the Museum of Science, historical walking tours of Beacon Hill, and a variety showcase of students' talents.

Halloween is approaching! Do you know what you'll be? I considered dressing up as a vampire or the bride of Frankenstein until I realized spending $50 on a costume I'll only wear for a few hours is pointless. And then I remembered the elf costume my Nana made me last winter for a charity function I helped out with. I even have green high-heeled boots with curly toes and jingle bells! I'll still need to come up with a second costume though because there are quite a few parties to attend during the following weeks and a girl just cannot wear the same thing to all of them...

That's all for now folks :)

Impromptu Walking Tour

It was with great regret that I closed my book last night to tired eyes. I awoke this morning feeling anxious because I had not yet finished Puddin'Head Wilson by Mark Twain and anticipated a class discussion in which I would not be able to participate. I was relieved when our professor decided to take us on a historical walking tour of Beacon Hill instead!

Having gone to school on Beacon Hill for years and having lived here since last May, I had no idea how little I knew about the area. The first thing that I learned this morning was that Gleason Archer (founder of Suffolk University) graduated from BU's Law School, which was located on Beacon Hill at the time. With the State House and the "LB" (the building where lawyer's offices used to be) this was "a lawyer's hangout" as Professor Allison put it.

Our class started up Beacon Street where Professor Allison stopped to mention the private library and the Congregational Building. The private library houses a collection of George Washington's books that you can actually read and touch! Their art collection initiated what is now the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. As we moved passed the State House he spoke about the placement and significance of each statue; Mary Dryer, Anne Huchinson, Daniel Webster, General Hooker, and others. Did you know that the Massachusetts State House was the first State House built after the Revolutionary War?

We moved passed the State house and traveled up Joy Street (where I live!) to discuss the racial divide that used to be Beacon Hill. I was interested to learn that the street came to be known as Joy St. only after the prominent people living on the South Side of the hill decided they didn't want to share a street name with the free Blacks living on the North side. Professor Allison discussed the many phases the neighborhood went through including thearrival of the immigrant population and the prominent White people abandoning their homes for the North Shore. Lastly, we walked the winding alleys that fugitive slaves used to flee to the African American meeting house.

Not only did I learn some interesting facts about the neighborhood I live in, but I also have some new sidenotes to add to my campus tours!

Going to school in Boston really does have its advantages...

Measure for Measure

I sit here in the call center of Undergraduate Admissions with the gray facial coloring of a zombie, slow dragged- out speech, and a brain that is wound so tightly its about to unravel completely.

I spent twelve hours spanning yesterday afternoon to the wee hours of this morning writing a paper for my Law, Literature, and History course. After having classes from 10am-1pm I sat down to my computer with little to no direction. My professor did not assign a topic for the paper- a challenge I imagine he saw fit for a course comprised of three broad areas of study. The door was open- I could write about a play we've read, any of our classroom discussions, an interesting court case, a book that relates to the course (and any book could relate to the course) or our thoughts on history and the law in general. After an hour of debating with myself I decided to analyze the crime in Shakespeare's Measure for Measure according to ethics, justice, and the law. It was quite the feat- one I could not be happier to be done with.

With that said, the Jason Mraz concert is tonight! If only I weren't so exhausted...

I just remembered, this weekend is Columbus day Weekend! You know what that means...no classes on Monday! It couldn't come at a better time...

Sleep -- What's that?!

Oh I remember sleeping... yeah, that was nice while it lasted. But right now, it just doesn't take precedent. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do go to bed every night, but somehow tossing and turning for hours while I think about all of the things that still need to be accomplished and waking up everyday at 7 a.m. just isn't working for me. It took everything in me to stay awake during my favorite class today! If it weren't for the brisk Autumn winds blowing my hair and awakening my senses I would have probably crashed by now. I'm hoping things will slow down next month...

This weekend is going to be hectic. Tonight is the Ambassador dinner at Em and Whit's place, yay!! We're cooking cheeseburgers etc. and watching the V.P. debate! Tomorrow after classes my best friend and I are going to Harvard square for the afternoon to roam the beautiful campus, probably eat at a scholarly-looking cafe', and peruse Papyrus for beautifully expensive greeting cards we probably don't need but love to buy. Nobody writes letters anymore! After that I'm going to another friend's birthday dinner at Fire and Ice (a made-to-order buffet restaurant downtown that students love). The concoctions people have made there are often disgusting -- you can mix any and all kinds of meat with veggies, rice, pasta, potatoes, hamburger, seafood, and an array of sauces. I try to stick with the traditional stir-fry combo...

On Saturday my boyfriend and I are driving to New Hampshire to watch my little cousin's soccer game and have lunch with my dad. That evening I'll probably take it easy because the Making Strides for Breast Cancer walk is the next morning! The walk is roughly 5 miles long; down the esplanade, across the Charles river, down Memorial drive, across another bridge, and back to Beacon Hill! Last year I raised a lot of money, this year I'm not doing so well with the fundraising...people apparently are really feeling the effects of our bombing economy. At least the government is no longer trying to deny the fact that we're in a recession...

Today during my tour the heel of my ballet flat kept slipping off...so I brilliantly used scotch tape to keep it on my foot. Tacky? Well it worked!

That's all for now I think... ciao!

The Third Week of Classes

I can't believe this is only the third week of the semester. I've already written four papers, read a Shakespeare play, re-vamped an advertisement, learned proper html/php coding, and held the first Best Buddies event- phew! I can only imagine how much I'll be able to recall by the end of the semester...

This year though I'm allowing myself to have a little more fun than during past semesters. You only live once, right? And if I don't do what I want to now, I won't when I start my career either, and that is just too much time to waste. And so, tomorrow night I'm going to the Sox game! Speaking of fun, last Thursday my roommates and I hosted a very successful get-together and on Friday I saw Justin Nozuka in concert at Paradise Rock Club. Saturday was the Best Buddies Annual Friendship dance complete with a buffet lunch, limbo contest (I'm still sore), dancing, and crafts! That evening we tried a new restaurant in the Back Bay called Sasso and saw My Best Friend's Girl. The restaurant was delicious contemporary italian cuisine and the movie was very funny. Sunday I decided I needed to lay low and relax, so I watched a few movies with my boyfriend.

Has anyone been watching "Gossip Girl" on the CW? Well, I have... it's based on a series of seven books of which I read them all, and although Hollywood inevitably altered the characters to make them all beautiful, I love it. It is an addictive storyline with compelling characters and a fabulous designer wardrobe...a perfect guilty pleasure.

The office has been pretty slow lately since very few applications come in before November...and so i write for you.

What a Weekend!

So as I promised in my last entry, the weekend was very eventful! On friday night I went out with my girlfriends; the five of us got dressed up to have dinner and dessert at Finale and saw "The Women" after that. During the movie another viewer (a middle-aged woman who was there alone) was intentionally distracting the rest of us with her loud comments and excessive laughing during scenes that were not intended to be comical at all (such as the scene in which Meg Ryan discovers her husband is cheating on her with the girl from the perfume counter). My gutsy best friend proceeded to tell this lady off while another patron requested an employee kick her out of the theatre. She eventually left toward the end with parting words I am not able to repeat in this blog. That in itself was enough to make my night...

The next day I hung out with my roommates and later went to a party with some other people from Suffolk in the Fenway area. It was a late night and the sleep to compensate lasted well into Sunday. After which, we watched the Coco Chanel movie on Lifetime, ate the best Chicken kabob dinner to be found in Boston for $8.00, and did roughly five hours of homework. That is exactly how Sundays should be though, right?

Today is the Temple St. Fair here at Suffolk. Our lower campus area will be bustling with tables and booths represented by each student club and organization recruiting new students- Get Involved! There is of course free food (as there is at every successful event at Suffolk) and giveaways too! I'm heading down there now actually to work the Best Buddies booth...meet you there!

Holy Moly!

What a long day...It's only 5 O'Clock and I'm already ready for bed. I had an 8:30am class this morning, came straight to work, gave a campus tour, and will be here working until 5:30 this evening. My class, however, was so interesting today that I completely forgot I was tired. In Law, Literature, and History we'll be looking at cases and crime situations within works of writing. As a first attempt, Professor Allison had us analyze the song written by Bob Dylan about "Hurricane" Carter. As a class we brought forth a surprising amount of information left out of both the movie and the song and changed some student's opinions about Carter. I, for one, believe he is innocent. And if he isn't innocent, prosecutor's did a horrible job proving his guilt and therefore deserve to lose this court case. We'll be moving on to a very different time and situation with "Measure for Measure" next week; I only hope it's as interesting as the Carter situation is!

Another highlight of my day was lunch. I'm sure that sounds ridiculous, but seriously, a little place called Viga can work miracles. Viga can be found on Pi Alley (which sounds to me like the name of a magical place in Harry Potter), hidden behind Old City Hall, off of School Street, just a block or two from campus. It is a takeout only establishment that serves fresh and made-to-order foods such as sandwiches, salads, gourmet pizza, and single servings of pasta dinners for an unbelievably cheap price. And, you are offered a free roll with every purchase!

This evening I have little planned. I will write a feature article for Journalism I, prepare a presentation for Advertising, and eat left-overs in front of the television.

My life is more exciting on the weekends, I promise!

Back to the Beginning...

And so it begins- another semester. The smell of autumn air, crisp new back-to-school clothes and notebooks, and the enthusiasm buzzing around campus and throughout this college city are among the many things I love about now. My new roommates (and best friends) have moved into our apartment on Beacon Hill and the place is coming together quite nicely.

My schedule is packed as tightly as the "T" at rushhour, but I'm content because I'm excited about the classes I'm taking this semester. On Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays I have Programming for the World Wide Web, Advertising, and Journalism and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm taking a Law, Literature, and History course. I'll be in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, have Best Buddies meetings every tuesday at 1pm, and am volunteering at Boston Medical Center on Sunday afternoons. Yikes!

If you're around campus on Saturday, September 20th stop by the Ridgeway Gym for the Annual Dinner/Dance from 1-4!

Strep in the Summer?!

I didn't realize you could get Strep throat in the summer...but apparently you can. Last week I suddenly became more ill than I remember being ever before. Three hours prior to this I was at the Museum of Natural History at Harvard completing an assignment for my biology lab. Harvard yard was packed with tourists and it was a rainy, yet pleasant, day. After grabbing a burger with my friend in Cambridge I returned home where I remained in bed for four days! Having had to call in sick to both work and my classes for the week, I have a lot of catching up to do now...

My mother flew in from San Francisco this weekend and we stayed at the Taj Boston. Our room overlooked the Public Gardens, I had a lavender bath, and we had 2 O'clock tea where a live harp player performed; it was exactly what I needed to complete my recovery.

Tomorrow is my bio final (yikes!) and wednesday is the last day of summer work hours. On friday I'll fly out to San Francisco to spend two weeks with my mother before the fall semester begins! I am so so excited! I've heard it's winter there, I had better pack some sweaters...

Until September,

Kayla

Hello-

It has been some time since I last wrote because there has been a lot to do in the admissions office. At this point in the summer I am taking Biology on tuesdays and thursdays (for 7 hours each day!) and trying to get to the beach as much as possible. This past weekend I went to Cape Cod with my fellow officers from Best Buddies for our retreat. We could not have asked for better weather and everyone had a lot of fun. I came back with a nice tan and ready to start the week!

I can't believe it's already the middle of July! I have only four weeks left of my Bio course before I leave for San Francisco on the 15th of August to visit my mom! I am sooo excited, I've heard such good things about the city but I have never been there. It will also be nice to get away from this heat and humidity since it's "winter" in northern California right now!

Until Next time,

Kayla

I'm baacckk

I've been gone for weeks and I have so much to tell you all about. First of all, I would just like to say that I survived Bonnaroo! Bonnaroo, for those of you who aren't familiar with it, is a huge music festival in Manchester, Tennessee. We drove all the way down there, camped out for 4 days, and drove all the way back. The trip took an entire week, and was incredibly exhausting, but was totally worth it. We saw Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, OAR, Kanye West, Willie Nelson, Metallica, and Jupe Fiasco perform! The sweet tea was delicious and the sun shined almost the entire time.

I've also completed my first summer course, Public Relations I, and should be getting an "A" in that. Next week I will begin Biology and spend the rest of my summer in the library... science isn't one of my strengths.

As for the rest of the summer, I will continue working in the undergrad admissions office, possibly volunteering at the Boston Medical Center, planning the first Best Buddies event of the school year, and getting as much sun as I can.

I'm off to the Alternative Energy Event, one of many free public events sponsored by Suffolk University.

Until Next Time,
Kayla

no tour for me to give...

There weren't any visitors for my tour today, which was okay since it is pouring rain outside! Talk about a change in weather... it is suddenly cold too!

I'm leaving soon to catch a bus home to New Hampshire for my mother's farewell dinner :( I will return early tomorrow morning for the orientation fair only to bus home again on friday to do my cousin's makeup for her high school prom. The buses from South Station are so convenient and certainly make money off of my hectic schedule! I will probably go to the beach this weekend before working on several assignments that are due on monday morning. I can't believe we've already finished half of this course!

Until next time,
Kayla

Filing Galore...

Aside from giving campus tours, the only work to be done by ambassadors this week is filing... yuck! Filing obviously isn't difficult, but boy does it get old. In fact, if it were more difficult and required a bit more thought it might be more entertaining. We do, however, make the most of the day by counting how many incoming "Smiths" and "Browns" there are in the filing cabinet, singing the ABCs in our heads, and wheeling down the aisle of folders in rolling office chairs. Of course my Ipod is dead right now. I look forward to my tour tomorrow afternoon...

Since I've last blogged I've begun learning how to golf. I am proud to say that I can now consistently make contact with the ball and hit it 60 yards, woo hoo! Sushi at Ma Soba was good, but Zen might still be better- and cheaper. The apartment is coming together nicely, I bought a few area rugs and plants and even made my bed today.

My weekend in NH was long and tiring. My mother is moving to San Francisco for business and recruited me to help remove every last item from her home and bring it to either charity, storage, or a dumpster. We worked from 8am to 11pm each day until our apartment was bare and my mother was homeless. Just kidding, there are plenty of sofas for her to crash on until her flight to Cali on Thursday.

Speaking of Thursday, the 5th will be the first Student Orientation Fair of the summer! It will be held in the Ridgeway gym at 12:45pm and I will be working the Best Buddies table with the President of our chapter, Melissa. There will be representatives from various clubs and student-run organizations here at Suffolk to invite incoming freshmen to get involved. It was at the transfer orientation fair that I became familiar with Best Buddies and I am so thankful that I did- so be there!

It is a beautiful day in Boston today and the weekend looks equally gorgeous, hooray!

Who said summer classes can't be fun?

So in addition to working in the Admissions office this summer I am also taking two summer courses. Right now I'm taking Public Relations and will be in Biology when the second summer session begins. PR is my major and interests me greatly, which makes the 8:30am-11:40am class much more bearable than it might be for someone else. (Not to say I don't need a large iced coffee from Dunkin's to make it through). I have had this professor before and I really enjoy her classes. Her assignments are relevant and she has an engaging way of teaching. For this class we each chose a company or organization to represent for the entire semester- I chose the Miss America Organization. Each assignment is related to your chosen company and at the end of the course we will have a portfolio ready to be presented... useful materials for future job interviews!

Tonight I'm going to Ma Soba for sushi and then to the Comedy Connection in Faneuil Hall... should be fun!

My Summer Begins in the City...

Hello! My name is Kayla Shepherd and I'm a student at Suffolk University. I'm also a Student Ambassador (primarily a tour guide). A few of us are working in the admissions office over the summer and I began my summer hours today. I wasn't dreading being inside when the weather forecast predicted thunder showers for the entire day, however, it turned out to be sunny and warm- that's New England for you!

You'll hear from me again soon, but until then I hope you enjoy the sunshine!