Author: eemerc21

I sincerely wish I could say that spring has arrived on The Hill since I last updated this blog, but that would unfortunately be a lie.  It is still very much winter here, and along with the piles of snow have come the piles of responsibilities that come with being a second-semester first year.  There are jobs to apply for, majors to declare, events to attend, and plans to be made.  I can safely say that I am nearing the end of this process.

I have already applied for several jobs on campus, and I will be working as an RA for first year students next year!  I will also be serving as a fall orientation leader, which I am very excited about.  I am also currently applying for internships and registering to audition for shows to build up my resume over the summer.  I am also still very involved in Off the Record, and in Holy Cross Theatre as an ensemble member in our department show The Skin of Our Teeth.  Additionally, I am acting in the advanced directing students’ Greek pieces, which go up this afternoon.

While I am busy, I feel as though my position and my plan here at Holy Cross is solidifying.  I have become very comfortable with the people with whom I study and spend my time, and I am looking forward to the semesters and years to come.

As one of my friends said to me yesterday, “syllabus week doesn’t exist at Holy Cross, we just jump right into class.”

The way my last two weeks have gone, truer words have never been spoken.  Last Monday, after an extremely uneventful winter break, I arrived back on campus to start the spring semester of my freshman year.  This semester, I am enrolled in a religion class, a philosophy class, basic acting, and my Montserrat seminar, a literature class that focuses on the genre of science fiction.

All of these classes have been going well,  albeit at a very fast pace!  Over the past two weeks, I have done multiple philosophy and religion readings and performed a monologue for basic acting.  All of my classes engage my mind in a way that is different from how I usually think, causing me to explore my mind and my beliefs.

Besides my classes, I am involved in the a capella group Off the Record, and I am preparing to audition for the theatre department’s spring show, The Skin of Our Teeth.  I am also working in Kimball dining hall and am looking into applications to be an RA or a Kimball captain next year.  Finally, I am looking forward to see many of my friends in the Alternate College Theatre musical Legally Blonde, whose opening night is tonight!

Last night, sitting in a dorm room with a group of my friends, we spoke about what this time of year is like at college.  It is the first week of December, and the Christmas spirit is evident around campus- but so is the increasing stress that comes along with our impending finals week.  For all of us before we came to college, the holidays were a time to spend with family at home, participating in traditions and preparing for whatever it is we celebrate.  Now that we don’t live at home, this is much harder to do, especially with this newfound academic pressure.

Despite this weird situation, this year’s holiday season is already shaping up to be one of the best I’ve ever had.  I have shared so many special, festive moments with my friends, whether they’re as short and silly as taking a study break just to listen to Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You or as long and meaningful as attending Lessons and Carols or the Christmas tree lighting, which we all plan on doing together.  To all my fellow student readers, make sure to spend time with the family you have here at Holy Cross during this holiday season before you go home- it brings you closer as a group (and relieves the stress of finals!).  To all of my readers outside the student community, I encourage you to join our Holy Cross family’s celebration of the season  in any way you can, and I wish you the happiest of holidays!

Hello Readers!

Once again, I have been quite busy with schoolwork and rehearsal for the past two weeks!  Now, however, I have been focusing on one thing- ACT’s production of the play Stop Kiss, which is being performed December 1-4 — less than one month away.

Why, you ask, am I so involved with Stop Kiss?  I have the pleasure of acting in the show, as well as performing with and being directed by my fellow students!  As our work on the show has progressed, we have all become great friends, and we have learned a lot through rehearsals and acting workshops with professors.  I absolutely cannot wait for showtime!

In other news, freshman enrollment day was yesterday, and I was faced with some mixed results.  I was able to enroll in Basic Acting (good news for my theatre major!), but I couldn’t get into some of the bigger first-year classes like religion and philosophy.  That being said, I didn’t camp out in a computer lab or the library or buy an ethernet cord like most people did- I enrolled from the comfort of my own bed, albeit at the mercy of the less-than-reliable school wifi.

All in all, I can’t complain too much- I have the necessary classes for my major(s), and I’m very happy with them.   I can’t wait for the spring semester!  And even if all else fails, I can always switch classes at a later date.

Until then, I’ll be spending my time in Fenwick Theatre!

Hello readers!

Sorry to keep you waiting so long for my next post!  The past two weeks, I have been having about three rehearsals a day for all of the performance groups I participate in, including Off the Record, Stop Kiss, and a student directing project.  It’s a lot of hard work, and I am incredibly busy, but it’s also a lot of fun!   My favorite part of the week was being a soloist for OTR, singing Sam Smith’s Too Good at Goodbyes- If you want to hear it, the video will be included at the end of this post, as well as a link to our Facebook page!

This weekend, I am looking forward to seeing the five to ten minute student directing projects performed, and to see my some of my friends sing in the Holy Cross Chamber Choir concert!  I will also be performing with OTR for Family Weekend in the a capella performances at Seelos Theater on Saturday night.  Because it’s family weekend, my parents and sister will also be coming to visit and see me perform, which I am very excited for.  I have had an insanely hectic week, but I couldn’t be happier, because I spent it all doing what I love!

https://www.facebook.com/Off-the-Record-133206840087465/

Hello readers, and welcome to my blog!  I am thrilled to have this opportunity to share my first year at Holy Cross with you!

Since there’s no way I could fit all the great experiences I’ve had in my first month into one blog post, here is a list (in rough chronological order) of my 10 favorite moments at Holy Cross!

1. Move In Day!

This was a great experience which welcomed me to Holy Cross.

2. Orientation!

I made new friends, and my orientation leaders are great mentors to me.

3. The Edge! 

A dance party celebrating the end of orientation, and where I met my best friend at Holy Cross.

4. Alternate College Theatre Auditions! 

I was cast in our fall production of Stop Kiss– more on that later.

5. Arrival!

My first cluster-wide Montserrat event was a screening of the film Arrival, which was very entertaining and a great way to make friends.

6. Harry Potter Night!  

At Hogan Campus center, we watched the first Harry Potter movie and made Hogwarts house-themed stuffed animals.

7. Prospective Student Outreach Greeting!

I now spend Thursday mornings with PSO answering questions for families who are interested in Holy Cross.

8. ACT’s Midnight Theatre!

 An event where actors, writers and directors create and perform a short play in under five hours. I was unable to participate, but I had a great time watching!

9. Off The Record!

 I also became a new member of this all-female a capella group and had an exciting first performance.

10. Student Directing Project! 

 I was asked to perform in a fellow student’s 5 to 10 minute play, for which I am currently rehearsing.

 

As you can see, I am involved in a lot of activities which I hope to continue to share with you, and I have had an exciting, busy first month at Holy Cross!