MLK day of Service

Classes were canceled on Monday to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday. Every year, Transylvania participates in the national MLK day of service, and I thought, since classes were canceled, what better time to give back?

Several students and organizations organized service projects for the day. The peanut butter and jelly club, who makes sandwiches every week for the homeless, organized a campaign to deliver baked treats to needy people. There was an event to assemble and deliver emergency kits to seniors, and the diversity action council and one of my sorority sisters organized a letter writing campaign for troops overseas that may not have anyone to write to.

I participated in the letter writing campaign, and it was extremely fulfilling to work with other students and people from the community to produce these letters that might just make some soldier’s day. Community service is huge at Transy, and just about everyone you meet dedicates their time to service on a regular basis, which is one of the reasons I connected with people here initially and one of the reasons I still love it here as much as I do. Everyone cares about promoting the well being of their community and making a difference in any way they can as much as I do, which gives me tremendous pride in my school and in the people that call it their home. =D

Books, silence and a great view: my favorite place on campus

When asked to think about my favorite place on campus, I considered for a while my sorority’s chapter room, the homey and classy décor, the comfy couches, the random people who decide to pop in every now and then to give you a study break. I considered the Haupt Humanities building, the home of one of my majors and my minor. I considered Jazzman’s (our coffee shop), back circle and even my room, but when I thought about it more, nothing puts me in my element like the library.

I am a finicky studier. I need complete silence, no distractions, and interesting surroundings. This summer, while I was working in the library (best job EVER, by the way), I would sometimes go up to the 2nd floor of the stacks and sit at a desk near the fiction and poetry sections to flip through books. The desk faces a window that looks out on the street, but more interestingly, on one of the two old cabins from the 1800s that still stand on Transy’s campus today. It’s such a cool view; I loved sitting up there, and I absolutely can’t study in my room, so this year I decided to give studying up there a try. Low and behold, it was the perfect place. I’m surrounded by books, quiet, and other studious individuals. I get so much done every day, and I leave every night feeling accomplished and refreshed.

Not to mention, our Library is staffed with some of the friendliest and most helpful people I have ever met. Yeah, so, I worked with them and know them, but I’m not kidding when I say that any one of them would go out of their way to help any student here and would LOVE doing it. They’re really great.

The library may not be the most FUN place on campus, but in terms of serving to better my education, nothing beats it, except MAYBE Jazzman’s the morning after a late night of studying…maybe.

Break and a New Semester

Hello, friends! This marks the end of my first week (plus a couple of days) back at Transy after an incredible holiday and break! As a testament to the close relationships you form here, I’ll tell you a quick story from my break.

I went home on Friday, and for the first couple of days I busied myself with quality time with my family and high school friends. But, after a few days, I found myself desperately missing my Transy folks and drove an hour to Somerset and then 2 more hours to Knoxville Tennessee to see some of my friends. My parents didn’t understand how, after a week, I would be willing to drive that far to see someone I would get to see again in 2 weeks, but that’s what happens here. Transy’s small size means getting really close to people really fast. The relationships I’ve formed here are going to last me my whole life; it’s a wonderful feeling.

Me and the Family at our Christmas get together.

My holiday was pretty rad. I tied my dad at my family’s annual trivia game, illiciting such responses as “…that Transy kid…” (though Daddy would probably like to think it’s just genetics). I got quite possibly the nerdiest electronic on the market for Christmas—an Amazon Kindle. It’s like an electronic ebook reader with no backlighting to destroy your eyes (aka a book lover’s dream). I didn’t even ask for it, but it made me feel amazing that my family was finally embracing my passion for my new major…did I mention it came with Dostoevsky’s complete works and Billy Collin’s new book of poems already loaded? Jackpot.

Me playing with my Nephew, Clay at our Family's Christmas

By the end of break, I couldn’t wait to get back home (Transy) to start my new classes, and on Monday I wasn’t disappointed. I love them all so far and even though this will most likely be my hardest semester yet, I know that it will also be the most productive and the most satisfying. I’m so glad to be back here and blogging again among other things; I’ll keep you posted!

A book-lover's dream!