Hello All!

Greetings from warm Geneva. Yes, I believe Spring is finally here.
It’s hard to believe that a month from tomorrow I will be graduating! Wow!
I still have a lot to do, so it seems far off.

I've been very busy with class, work, and lacrosse. This has been the most successful my team has been in my four years here, and it’s incredible to be part of such a talented group. It’s great to play on a team with people who are interested in so many different things and who are also some of the smartest women at this school. I am so lucky!

Well its back to studying! Only three more weeks of class, so I need to put all my effort into ending on a strong note!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 11:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi Everyone!
I have just returned from my spring training trip to Florida. Along with my 21 teammates, I travelled to Palm Beach for Spring Break to play two out of league games. It was super hot and we worked incredibly hard all week. It paid off and we won both our games! I love getting to know my teammates off campus and off the field. We are all very different and are from all over, so it's nice to have down time to get to know them off the field. We pride ourselves on being a group of friends, not just teammates.

So this spring is my final semester on campus. I can not believe how fast these four years flew past. I have grown so much as a person thanks to the incredible support I have received from my professors and coaches at HWS. I have had the opportunity to travel abroad, work at the local hospital, work many on campus jobs, conduct psychology research, play for a nationally ranked lacrosse team, and make amazing friendships. HWS is a place that will help prepare you to take on the outside world and the challenges it may bring.

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 10:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

HI All!

Happy Valentine's Day! It was a beautiful day today in Geneva. The sun was shining and even though it was cold, it was still a great day. I have been very busy since being back at school this first month. Classes and my independent study take up most of my time, but I also spend around two hours or more playing lacrosse everyday.

What I love most about HWS is that I am able to excel in the classroom, excel on the field, and still have time for friends and extra-curricular clubs. I have just joined Active Minds, which is a group we are establishing on campus to promote well-being.

The one thing I wish I could do over as a first-year on campus is to become more involved in all aspects of campus. I am so glad that I have been able to be involved in so many things, but if I had become active earlier who knows how much more I could have done.

I'm off to get some work done!
Have a great weekend!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi All!
So this is our second week back after our holiday break. I had an amazing break in which I spent time with family and friends. I am so excited to be back though. My second day back at school, lacrosse fully started. We have our team set, and are looking forward to a great season. Playing a sport at the collegiate level has been an incredibly important part of my time at HWS. I have formed amazing friendships and had the opportunity to gain confidence in my skills as a motivator and player.

This semester, I am taking some incredible classes. This semester more than any other, I absolutely love all my classes. They really pertain to what I want to do after college. I am hoping to become a Nurse Practitioner, and my current classes focus on counseling and mental disorders. Even though I am only two weeks into these classes, I really am taking a lot out of them and look forward to getting even deeper into each subject.

Another amazing aspect about HWS for me is the opportunity to partake in an independent study. This semester, I am working with my advisor to look further into English as a second language both in the United States and in Thailand. This past summer, I taught English on the southern coast of Thailand, and wanted to expand this experience by conducting more research on the topic.

I hope you all are doing well and enjoying these winter months!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 9:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello all!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. I was able to go home and see my family and friends, which was awesome. We had 24 people at my house for Thanksgiving, so it was a lot of busy work to get ready but it was so fun.

We are in our last two weeks of classes now. I can't believe how fast the semester has gone. I have lots of work to do in these last couple weeks, so I will be spending most of my time in the library.

In two of my upper level Psychology courses I am writing research articles. It is pretty neat that the work I did in my lower level classes is coming through in all the work I am doing now. All of the skills I learned in years past in regards to writing technique and experiments are now being implemented in these papers.

The one thing that makes these last couple weeks somewhat more manageable is that all of my professors have opened their offices up essentially all day for the next couple weeks to help students with questions and presentations or just to vent about stress.

I'm off to class now, but I hope everyone enjoys the beginning of this winter season that seems to be kicking in!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello Everyone!

This past weekend at HWS was parent's weekend. I was lucky enough to have both parents come up and visit. My friends who live in an off campus house behind me had all of my roommates and our parents over for dinner. It was such a great treat. The next day my parents and I went to the football game, and the boys played amazingly. They beat the #11 team in the country! It was so nice to be able to meet everyone's parents and also get to go out for a nice dinner!

It's finally starting to feel like fall up here. The leaves are changing, and the campus looks so beautiful. There is one special tree on campus that has the most amazing color leaves. Another plus about fall in this area is the delicious apples grown nearby.

Well I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather and getting ready for Thanksgiving!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wow! I can say that I never stop being amazed at all the amazing opportunities that present themselves here at HWS. Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a lecture from an alumnus who was speaking on ethics. It was incredible to see the passion this man had for this topic and for instilling change in today's world. He really encouraged everyone to participate in the conversation and challenged the group. It was great to see someone who had graduated about forty years ago still coming back to give back.

Now while I enjoyed this first presentation, I just loved the next lecture I went to. Just this past Tuesday night, I was invited to President Gearan's house for dinner and a discussion with the director of the Peace Corps! It was amazing. I have been very interested in volunteering abroad since my work in the Galway Rape Crisis Center while I studied abroad in Ireland (last year), so to have this opportunity to meet this man was just incredible! After presenting in this small, intimate setting, the director then spoke in an open lecture. He shared his experiences in the Peace Corps and discussed HWS involvement over the years in the Peace Corps. It was a truly unique experience!

Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the fall weather, I’m off to lacrosse practice!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greetings!

From October 12-16th, HWS was on Fall Break. Many students went home or visited with friends at other schools, while a large population of the students chose to stay on campus to catch up on work or participate in their sporting events. I was lucky enough to have the chance to visit my younger brother, Buck, at his school in Colorado. I got to see two very close friends and meet lots of new people. The weather was fabulous and I had a great time!

There was no slow down once everyone got back on campus though. Once school starts there is always an abundance of things to do no matter where your interests lie. In addition to taking classes, practically all HWS students are involved in some extra-curricular activities which include: varsity sports, intramural sports, community service projects, internships, on campus jobs, off-campus jobs, theatre productions, and chorale groups, just to name a few. HWS provides every kind of student with options, and if we do not already have a club or community program, then students are encouraged to start them up!

I have loved how much independence HWS has given me. Four years ago I would never have imagined all the amazing things I would have gone on to do at HWS. This school has instilled in me a sense of leadership that I highly doubt I could have found anywhere else. Professors, Deans, Coaches, and other Staff members at HWS are here to see students succeed. While I have no doubt been challenged, I have also been supported more than ever.

Tomorrow night, this support I speak of will shine brightly. The Heron Society, the support system behind William Smith Athletics, will be hosting a dinner. Alumna, coaches, and current students will dine together all in the name of William Smith. The goal of this dinner is to simultaneously honor those former athletes who excelled while asking for support for current teams through a silent and live auction. Alumna continue to support current Herons long after they have graduated. Once a Heron always a Heron, and this weekend many a Heron will be flying back to their nest.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and that the warm weather continues!!!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello Everyone!

I hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather (that is if you are in the Northeast). I talked to my parents today who were out in Montana, and over the weekend they had over a foot of snow! So while I was complaining of the serious heat wave, they were dealing with quite the opposite. I guess I would rather have it hot than have snow in October!

Well I wanted to have the chance to recap on what an amazing athletic weekend HWS had. Personally, I got to watch both WS field hockey games and the Hobart Soccer game on Saturday. At all three games there was such a true sense of pride by students, parents, staff, and friends of the colleges. I worked the field hockey game on Friday, and I just felt such a strong energy from the crowds. There were students there cheering on friends and then other students just there for the sheer excitement of the game. Field hockey won both its games in amazing overtimes, and they celebrated as if they had won the NCAA championship. Their excitement was contagious and really got me excited for my upcoming lacrosse season.

The Hobart Soccer game on Saturday was also spectacular. While the men ended up in a tie with Vassar College, the crowd supported them 100%. It was one of the largest crowds that I have seen over my four years here. The men have been walking advertisements for their team, and it has paid off in the number of fans.
Overall, it was really a great weekend to be a Statesman and a Heron. In addition to the home games, WS Soccer and Hobart Football had wins away. Athletics are one way in which both the HWS community and the Geneva community come together to show school pride. It is contagious and so fun to be a part of!

I wish everyone a wonderful rest of the week!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Good morning!

I hope that everyone had a great weekend. My weekend was packed full! While Geneva is a small city, there is still so much to do either at school or in the city. On Friday morning, I had to be up bright and early for lacrosse. We usually practice in the afternoons, but our coaches decided to spice things up and have us practice at sunrise! It was actually a great change and nice to get an early start to the day.

After lacrosse, I went to work at the Admission's office for a little. Then it was off to class. I am a psychology major and am currently taking all psych classes. It's quite an intense load, but all the classes are so different that each class is unique and exciting.

Now it's time to tell you about the best part of my day....I intern at Geneva General Hospital, and while I mostly just shadow, if I am confident enough and speak up, I usually get to see and do many new and interesting things. Friday was one of those days I took that risk of putting myself out there, and it worked! I got to stand in on two surgeries, and was walked step by step through everything. The internships that HWS offer are top-notch. Just yesterday, I went to learn new skills that will even further my involvement at the hospital. The career services office offered this course to learn how to take blood pressure, temperatures, and give basic physicals. HWS as a whole never ceases to amaze me. This school has helped me mature in so many ways ranging from my study abroad trip, to leadership roles on the lacrosse field, to this amazing internship.

In addition to working, I also got to relax this weekend and go see my friends on the soccer field and football field. There is great team spirit from students, staff, parents, and local people in the community. Overall, I had a great weekend packed full of new, interesting work and fun with friends!

Posted by Jesse McKenna at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)