As college students, we like to have fun. However, on a college budget, sometimes it’s hard to do everything we’d like to. That’s where Fontbonne comes in! Last weekend, it seemed like Fontbonne kept me busy from Friday morning until Saturday evening.

Friday morning I got ready with a few friends and headed down to the Fox Theater to watch the filming of America’s Got Talent! Fontbonne gave out free tickets to as many people who wanted to go. We even got free tickets for our friends who don’t go to Fontbonne. Outside we stood approximately 15 feet from judges: Howie Mandel, Howard Stern, and the darling Sharon Osbourne. One of my friends from Fontbonne also had a conversation with Nick Cannon while he was filming 15 feet in front of us!! You can look for me and the rest of the Fontbonne gang in June on America’s Got Talent St. Louis auditions! We had a lot of fun in the audience. We watched an acrobat act, a comedian, a few singers, and an awesome dance crew who I will be cheering for this season.

After America’s Got Talent, our group of friends headed to the baseball game to cheer on the griffins. All of our sporting events are free at Fontbonne so again, cheap entertainment! We got to see a pretty good game, right before we left in the 7th inning, the boys were winning 4-0. We topped off our night with Dewey’s pizza. Soooooo good.

On Saturday I had a free lunch with some of the other student ambassadors who were hosting an open house and speaking on panels. Then Erika and I went to the Esquire movie theater right around the corner from Fontbonne. The activities board purchased matinee tickets for all Fontbonne students who showed up to any of the six movies playing. Safe House with Denzel Washington is a “must see” in my book!

Watching America’s Got Talent- Free
Cheering at a baseball game- Free
Going to the movies- Free
Fontbonne Fun Filled Weekend… Priceless (literally!)

Thanks to Fontbonne, I was once again assured and excited about the career path I had in mind. Most majors at Fontbonne require their students to complete a practicum or internship in their area of study. Both of my departments (English and social science/pre-law) require an internship. I like it because it not only gives me actual jobs to build my resume, but it gives me real experience. The relief from classes isn’t so bad, I might add! For my English internship, I worked at a newspaper writing stories, editing, and doing anything else they needed, which occasionally included attending events to interview people. I have to admit, it was a bit intimidating, and I was very timid when I got asked to edit. It wasn’t intimidating because I felt I wasn’t prepared, but rather because I was correcting work from people older than me. Eventually I got over my timid nature. The internship helped me gain the confidence I need to be ready and prepared after graduation. My current internship is working at a law firm. Just last week, I went to court with one of the lawyers, and as I was sitting there, I knew this was what I wanted to do. Reassurance is a great feeling, but it would be a hard feeling to accomplish if you aren’t thrown in to doing those things you wish to do.

I just wanted to start off the new semester by saying hello to any new followers! This is my first blog of the semester and it seems as though it could not have come at a more exciting/anxious time in my college career. This semester I am juggling twenty-hours which include a 300 hour internship. In my little bit of spare time I am playing basketball, golf, and possibly lacrosse. In other news I just took the LSAT last Saturday and am restlessly awaiting the score for that while filling out what seem like endless law school applications. That being said…I couldn’t be doing this all if I wasn’t able to lean on those people at Fontbonne who have guided me thus far and will continue to help until I walk down the graduation aisle in May! Therefore, I just wanted to take this blog to highlight and say thank you to some key people who have helped me have an enjoyable Fontbonne experience that I can use as I move on after graduation. My past and current advisors Rex VanAlmsick, Ben Moore, and Jack Luzcow have helped to guide me through the undergraduate process while the entire time putting my interests first and foremost. With their supportive guidance both in and outside of the classroom I have managed to double major and graduate in three years. While school did come first for me, I full heartedly admit that my experience at Fontbonne would be incomplete without all of my other activity involvement! Therefore, I must also thank past and current coaches and teammates for all the fun and support they have given me. Special thanks to coach Quigley, Greta, and Heather and every single teammate that I have had at Fontbonne. Whoever said that many girls can’t get along definitely didn’t come to Fontbonne! Even the older girls who I played with my freshman year came to support me at my senior night last Tuesday! Fontbonne truly has been the tight knit community that I needed to get me from where I was to where I wanted to go.

The Fontbonne women’s basketball team finally won our first game of the season. With all the hard work we’ve put in, it was a great win that was much deserved. We started out our conference play on Saturday with a big victory (82-52) against Blackburn. Even though we started the season on a 0-5 slum, it is nice to be able to start with a clean slate with a conference play record that now reads 1-0! The excitement shifted from the court to the locker room when we got to award Coach Wick with the game ball representing his first win as head coach at Fontbonne University.

Last week could have been described as the calm before the storm. It was the last full week of classes and now finals week begins. It was nice to get a win yesterday because I will be able to start my studying out with a positive attitude. For those of you reading this who have yet to go through finals week, a bit of advice—know what you need to get done but don’t let it overwhelm you, take one thing at a time. It will be over before you know it, so don’t be afraid to work your little heart out!

Old clichés always seem to get the best of me. Everyone knows the phrase “you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.” I always knew how great my family and friends were, but only getting to see them during the holidays makes that time spent with them even more special. I love attending Fontbonne which is a ways from home, but nothing beats the rush of anticipation as you are driving home to set up the Christmas tree during Thanksgiving break! I was lucky enough to get to have some company from my dad on the ride home after he came to my game in St. Louis, and spent all of today decorating for Christmas with my mom and sister. I am so very thankful that I get to see my whole family tomorrow and spend black Friday with them shopping for the hottest deals! I wish all of you the best during this Thanksgiving holiday!
God Bless!

Hello Everyone,
I’ve been pretty busy over the past couple weeks so I haven’t had much time to blog, but this week is a great week to get back on track! With the Thanksgiving holiday coming up, I have been thinking about everything I’m thankful for. While I wish I could list everything, I know this would be an impossible task because I’m thankful for so much. So this short, short, short list will have to do.

I am thankful for my wonderful parents who have always supported me in everything I do, who drive all the way to St. Louis to visit me, and who let me shop in the mom and pop store every time I go home to visit!

I am thankful for my older sister Kenzie who bought me hot chocolate when we got lost on the wrong side of the mountain when skiing in Colorado. I am thankful for my older brother Zack who always let me tag along with the boys and roughed me up when we were younger so I’d be tougher when I was older. I am thankful for my little sister Courtney who gives the best hand massages and makes me laugh hysterically!

I could go on forever listing the rest of my family that I am thankful for and why, but for now I will just have to say that I am thankful for all four of my grandparents, as well as all my fun and hilarious aunts, uncles, and cousins! I am thankful that we have been able to get together on so many occasions and to be as close as we all are.

I’m thankful for my old friends from Tarkio who will be my friends for years to come, as well as my new friends I’ve made at college who will also be my friends for years to come.

Until next time,
“Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.” –Alan Cohen

There are so many great people that every student should get to know on campus. It might just be too hard a task to narrow it down to one. So to be fair, I’ll break this topic down, and I’ll choose a person in an educational sense, as well as in the social scene. Therefore, as a general statement, everyone should get to know their own advisor. My advisor has been more than helpful in my studies here, but he is always looking out for things outside the Fontbonne community that would help me too. As a pre-law major, he has given me flyers from a wide variety of things such as law school admissions fairs, interesting cases in the news, and mock jury trials. As far as students on campus go, there are a number of people who are always fun to be around! In my experience at Fontbonne, there are two main groups of people always looking to have a good time — Focus Leaders and FAB (Fontbonne Activities Board). You can never go wrong with these people. Finally, to get back to the original question of “Who is one person that every student should get to know on campus and why?” I choose Cameron Elliot. Not only is he super social and always passing out hugs that bring happiness to your day, he is the Student Government President, a helpful resident hall assistance, a member of the undergraduate academic committee, and on the Fontbonne Board of Trustees. So if you’re looking for a pick-me-up in your day, have an issue with anything Fontbonne related, or even get locked out of your room, Cameron is your man. In a nutshell, everybody should get to know Cameron Elliot, and I’m sure he would be happy to get to know you!!

Hello Everyone!

This is my first blog, and I’m excited to get to share my college experience with all my new followers! I am currently a junior at Fontbonne University in St. Louis majoring in English and Pre-Law. I also play NCAA division three basketball and golf. Even though I have to spend a lot of time studying and practicing, I still find plenty of time to have FUN! If I had to choose my favorite part about my entire college experience, it would definitely be all the new people I’ve met. I didn’t know anyone when I came to Fontbonne but by living in the dorms and playing sports, I’ve met a ton of good friends.

Until next time,

“The best way to prepare for life is to begin to live.” – Elbert Hubbard