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A Year in Bloom

During my first year of college I was fortunate to be involved with the Mentor Program. The Mentor Program matches ALANA first year students with one faculty advisor and peer mentor based on their academic and co curricular interests. With the goal to create a smoother transition to college by providing support and resources to students as needed, the program definitely lived up to its mission in my experience.

Last night I attended the end of the year banquet, and as sad as it was to see many of my upperclassmen peers for the last time, it was also a sweet moment as I had the time to reflect on my time at Holy Cross during my first year. Through the highs and lows of the first year, it made a memorable and impactful year on my life.

Pictured: The reception for the banquet. Courtesy of @Holycross_academicservices instagram

For the program, I was matched with two incredible women on this campus. The first being my faculty advisor, Dr. Wolfe-Bellin in the biology department given my interest in environmental science. Although I ended up declaring a major in English (how the world works… but yay for having a major!) she was still very supportive and helpful with advice throughout the year as I came in with different things to discuss regarding school and life.

My second mentor, and who I spent a lot of time with, Mariel Aleman, a senior [graduating as a first generation student soon with a degree in Sociology!] met with me once a week throughout the entire school year to touch base on my involvement on campus and my own well being. Aside from meeting and chatting about my life, through this mentor relationship I gained a new friend and connection on this campus. I think one of the most powerful things about our relationship is that we were paired together so well based on our interests and background. As a first generation woman of color on the hill, Mariel provided me with helpful insight as I navigated my first year with varying obstacles that she always had answers and advice for. When times were rough, I could depend on an encouraging text from her [pictured above]. Beyond our background though, with an everlasting passion for social justice and the wellness of others, we found much common ground as soon as we met. In the end, I not only had a mentor and friend, but someone to look up to.

I am so thankful to have been a part of program that not only guides students to excel to their greatest potential, but also empowers them through the process of it. For that I am grateful, because my first year at Holy Cross would have been so much different without this program. I hope that I one day can make an impact on someones life the way my mentors have– whether that is through the peer mentor program or through other opportunities on campus.

Pictured: Me and my peer mentor, Mariel Aleman ’18 at the 50th annual BSU fashion show.

 
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Congratulations, College of the Holy Cross Class of 2022!

By now, thousands of applicants across the globe have received their acceptance package to College of the Holy Cross, and I want to extend a warm congratulations on my behalf to everyone that is a part of the class of 2022!

It really does not feel like one year has gone by since I received my acceptance to Holy Cross. I remember that day vividly, I was getting prepared for my performance at the Missouri State solo and ensemble competition when I received an email. I was so ecstatic that I did not even care what rating I ended up leaving with! In that moment I was filled with a rush of joy and pride, given that Holy Cross was my top choice decision for college. After receiving my second good news of the day (the results for my performance), I got home as quick as I could to share the news with my parents. Being a first generation student and Chicana played a big role in the reason that I took pride in my accomplishment. Despite the odds not being in my favor, I got into my top choice school and was ecstatic about what would happen next.

Solidifying my decision to attend Holy Cross felt as natural as it could get. I had already visited Holy Cross during the Perspectives program in the fall, so I had a good feel about what I was getting into. The push towards diversifying the experience of Holy Cross and the opportunity for a multi-disciplinary education at a jesuit institution are what greatly pulled me to Holy Cross. My parents, however, wanted me to be sure of my decision, so they encouraged me to participate in the Visions (very similar to the Perspectives program) program as well, given that the distance from home was something that scared them. With my experience in the Visions program, (or you could alternatively participate in the overnight visit) I also got to partake in the Accepted Students Open House (which I highly encourage).

If you are unsure of your decision to commit to Holy Cross and cannot make it to campus, some other good resources I found helpful before my visits are the virtual tour, welcome chat, and meeting other students through the official Facebook group. –I say this because sometimes it is not possible to get to campus. Last year I made a friend through the Facebook group (from California!) who couldn’t make it to the Visions gathering, so I told her all about the programing events, shared my stories there and encouraged her to commit. She took a leap of faith with all of the resources I mentioned and is currently loving her experience on campus as well.

Thinking back on the last 365 days, I can say I am thankful for all of the opportunities I have had since I have become a part of this school. There have been ups and downs on this hill, but most of all, I am glad that I have also been offered ways to make my experience better. With this, I say thanks to Odyssey for providing me with the resources I need to tackle college, My peer mentor (Mariel Aleman, 18) for offering me a shoulder to lean on, the Multi Cultural Organizations for making me feel at home, the environmental clubs that keep me rooted in my passions, and Holy Cross for offering me this 4 year thrill.

Pictured: me next to the congratulations banner for the class of 2021. Mark your signature at the Accepted Students Open House this year!

Wherever your endeavors take you, I wish you luck, and hopefully I will see you on the hill next semester 🙂
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Lets talk about mental health

It’s been a while since I’ve posted, so welcome back to my blog!

Going back home for over a month was definitely refreshing, and also reminded me of how much more I missed home than I thought I did. I thought homesickness wasn’t really an issue for me during the first semester, but when I saw my parents for the first time I felt a sense of comfort that I longed for during my first months on the hill. I realized then that I hadn’t seen my parents in over 3 months and that was the longest I was ever away from home. I learned to busy myself with school and feelings that lead me to an unhealthy mental health state. Semester one wasn’t easy. It happened, I made mistakes, but most importantly I learned from them.

During difficult times, it is important to seek help from others. You can’t stay quiet, and one of the biggest lessons I learned (As simple as it seems) was communication. Many don’t like to talk about going to the counseling center, because there is a bad stigma associated with it. But these resources are important for students to know about and USE because they are free, and there for us to use to help us.

Aside from that, there are staff and faculty on campus willing to help you. Go to office hours. Talk to your professors. If someone tells you to feel free to drop by and say hi, do it. (i.e. a dean giving a speech during convocation) They mean it. So go out there and meet the people that surround you!

Prioritizing yourself sometimes may not seem feasible, but it is important to take a break for yourself. One of the ways I practice self care is by doing face masks, and  these two are my favorite. Additionally, journaling my feelings also helps, as well us making some sort of art. Sometimes, various clubs will even have special de stressing nights where you can make art and get free massages, etc.

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Here’s to Semester two (Goals):

  1. Improve  time management
  2. Communicate with others
  3. Use the resources available to you
  4. Be more aware of spending habits to save money
  5. Take time for yourself
  6. Have fun!

 
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Staying organized: Planners, notebooks, markers, and more!

Eco- Action meeting tomorrow night in the Hub, advisor meeting in the morning, oh and the regular PRIDE meetings got moved to Thursdays…

Whether you like it or not, in college you have to be organized and have some form of planner to keep you on track. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t get through high school without a planner but I never realized even how much more useful it would be in college. The workload gets heavier, and sometimes life will throw many things at you all in the same day or within the same time frame.

The following are snaps of my journal and planner. I keep both, one that is more personal to me that includes goals, notes I take at events, and important events with doodles. My planner has my day to day life and specifies my academic assignments and includes reminders for club meetings or events I should go to.

I like to begin my months with a calendar and a set of goals. After attedning a goal setting workshop offered by the school (free of charge!) I added specific things I can do to obtain my goals.

Additionally, I have some motivation and things that keep me going so I can always look forward to something.

I purchased my planner at the beginning of the year at coolpencilcase.com

This is a glimpse of my week in September during the beginning of the school year. I like to mark off finished assignments by highlighting them and write my events to go to on the bottom lines.

Sometimes I don’t have my journal with me and will use my planner’s blank pages to take notes at important events.

For this page I was at an event with the Better Future Project in Boston that taught me about the Climate justice movement and how we can further divestment campaigns at our own school.

Lastly, I began using sticky notes this year. If I actually put all of my activities for the day in my planner it would look very overwhelming, so I keep a daily to-do list on my laptop, where I do the vast majority of my work!
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Staying Rooted: Dealing with Culture Shock at Holy Cross

Moving to a PWI from an inner city school can be hard. It’s different. And it’s definitely true when they tell you there will be a culture shock. I’ve found it difficult to acclimate myself to a world with different demographics than I’m accustomed to, but I can definitely say I still feel at home.

A big part of this been the presence of Multicultural Student Organizations (MSO’s) on campus and their ease of availability to students, but that is not the only resource that has helped me. Below are a few ways I’ve been able to engage with different activities on campus in and out of the class room that have helped me cope with the culture shock and engage more with the diverse community on campus.

Latino History Project of Worcester

I have a strong interest in Latin American Studies, so I’m currently in a Spanish course [304]. One of the components of it is a Community Based Learning (CBL) experience. The community aspect of my course is the participation in the Latino History Project of Worcester, which  is a local organization that aims to collect the stories of Latinxs in Worcester through interviews. Last weekend I went to the THE JOURNEY, which showcased much of the present local Latin American culture and its rich history. I even got the chance to do my first interview in Spanish with a Worcester local that day!

Cantor Art Gallery

The Cantor Art Gallery at Holy Cross strives to showcase “the intellectual and cultural life of College of the Holy Cross”. In the early fall I visited Gabrielle Thierry’s exhibit for my creative writing course, but recently I also got the chance to attend the opening for the current exhibition, Rethinking the Afropolitan: The ethics of black Atlantic masculinity on display

Rethinking the Afropolitan: The ethics of black masculinities on display showcased in Cantor Art Gallery.

MEChA

The Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan is reputable for their involvement on campus with current events. With the news of DACA, the MEChA hastily organized a Phone-a-ton  event to show our support of DACA to our fellow representatives. Later there was also a fruta fundraiser that I was able to help in where the proceedings went to DACA recipients.

LASO

Apart from being a support group, I have enjoyed the several  Latin American Student Organization efforts to explore the complex identity of the Latin American community. One of my favorite events this semester has been the Café con leche talk. During this discussion, we got to enjoy some warm coffee and donuts while Holy Cross staff moderated a discussion on the implications and history of identifying as Latinx or Hispanic.
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More than Worcester: A Boston Experience with Japanese Breakfast

I hope your first semester of school is going great! So far, the schoolwork on the hill has started to stack up [which is something I’ll talk more about later] and I am at a much deserved rest now during fall break. Since I didn’t go back home, that also means I have a lot of extra time on my hands.

One of the things I was excited about when coming to Holy Cross was being so close to a big city offering so many opportunities for concerts, especially smaller unknown bands. Coming from Kansas City, Missouri we do get a fair amount of different bands but it does not compare to bigger cities like Boston or New York City. In July, I bought tickets to see Japanese Breakfast, an uprising indie band. Last night, I had the experience of my life watching them perform live.

My biggest takeaway from my trip was the complex transportation system. Below are 3 tips if you ever plan on traveling to Boston on your own without the free school shuttles:

  1. Download the mTicket app to buy your tickets in advance and avoid the lines. When you get on the commuter rail, you just show your mobile ticket.
  2. Be prepared to take the T when you get there too. The Commuter rail from Boston only makes it so far and there are some distances too far to walk
  3. Examine the maps well before deciding which line you are taking and where you are stopping. You will lose a lot of time going back!
Spirit of the Beehive performing at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA., One of the opening bands for Japanese Breakfast.