Montclair State University

My stress level has escalated in the course of the last few days. I took my first final yesterday which went pretty well. I have four more-YES four, which is why I am currently writing. I write when I am stressed or eat a lot m&ms and ice cream. I have two finals on Monday and two Tuesday. I will be my residents in a few days, so many of them have already checked out and started their summer. I am pretty close to the finish line.

I’m trying to find the proper words to describe this year, but I am struggling to do so. I have met people that would do just about anything for me. In college it is so easy to meet people and go out together a few times and never see each other again. The harder task is circling yourself around people that genuinely care about you and want the best for you all the time. I thought I had everything figured out a year ago, but I was lying to myself. So much has happened in the course of ten months, I no longer think that I know everything because I have still have SO much to learn.

I am going to miss living in Webster Hall because my residents have made my first year as a CA a wonderful one. I look forward to being a CA in the Lower Heights in Walt Whitman Hall. The buildings are brand new and just so beautiful, but I will miss the home I established in Webster. I am going to miss the WebsterStone team because we have all learned how to mesh so well together in the last year. I will miss my friend Megan the most from the team. She helped me transition into Webster with open arms and kindness in September. Throughout the year she always made herself available when I needed her. I hope I can do the same for new CAs next year.

I will miss the spontaneous stuff I did this year with my cousin and my friends. I hope that continues next year because it has been very exciting.

I am looking forward to this summer because I have a feeling it’s going to be a very memorable one. I am looking forward to new adventures. I can’t wait to finally see the Goo Goo Dolls and go skydiving with my best friend. I also can't wait to work with a brand new team of Peer Leaders this summer and create some wonderful memories. I am looking forward to endless Thai food dates, sitting at the beach as I get through my reading list, and eating endless amounts of ice cream with my little cousin. I am also very very excited for the Youth Convention my temple arranges every summer.

I am at this comfortable place in my life where I feel at ease, which is a very big deal because I rarely feel that way. I know you can't get too comfortable because things don't last forever, but I am enjoying this while it lasts. I have learned so much and can’t imagine what I will in another year. A warm smile settles across my face as the sun hits the top of my head. I am so ready for summer. Sophomore year, you were so good to me please tell junior year to be just as kind. Have a great summer everyone! See you all in August.

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently, I applied for the Dean of Students Award, which is a prestigious award on campus for student leaders. I was told the selection process was difficult. Knowing I had nothing to lose, I decided I would apply and prepare myself to win or to lose. While writing my personal statement, I struggled with what to say. It’s always hard to talk about yourself with a limited amount of characters. Talking about your self in general is really difficult. In hopes to deliver some sort of message, I began to reflect on this past year. I have met some wonderful people that have made me develop into a stronger person today. Through all the bumps and crossroads, I had overcome so many obstacles and found this comfortable place.

Last week, I got an email saying I was selected as a Dean of Students Award candidate. I had this grin on my face that reminded me how great it feels to achieve something. I went to the ceremony tonight where I learned that I won the second year student award and that they only chose one person per a grade and a couple of extra senior year candidates. While Dean Carter, talked about my accomplishments on stage, I took in everything around me. All I could think about was how wonderful it felt to have built my very own home at Montclair. The award symbolizes the great challenges I overcame, the wonderful people I met on the way, and the opportunities I was able to grasp with open arms. As a student leader, I had an amazing year and can’t wait for what next year holds.

Credit to: Liz Nunez

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 10:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was my last day of Peer Leader training. Compared to last year, this year’s training flew by! We have been rehearsing our skits for the orientations in the summer. For those you that know me, I don’t really handle performance all that well. When it comes to acting, I like being apart of the background with the least amount of attention possible. This year, I was given a minor role that involves some attention. I’ve kicked my nerves the other way and learned I’m not that terrible with my short lines. I was given the challenges to overcome my fear of “acting”. As of now, I’m looking forward to the skits even if it means a few hundred students watching me everyday. I might change my mind when the days approach and not be as comfortable as I am currently. I am really excited to working with the 2011 New Student Peer Leader team this summer!

credit to: Monique Alby

credit to: Monique Alby

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ever since I could remember, I have made lists on post-its. It never mattered if I crossed everything off my list or not, but I always wrote everything down. A few years ago, I made a "life list". Skydiving was on my list, so is bungee jumping in Costa Rica, white water rafting, hand gliding in Hawaii, and the list goes on. My best friend Bethany, who I talk about every now and then called me yesterday and asked me if we're going to be fearless and jump out a plane this summer. I have wanted to sky dive since I turned 18, which is the legal age to, but my friends from high school chickened out last minute-whether they'll ever admit it or not. Bethany said she was deadly afraid, but I think I've helped persuade her to muster up the courage to do something THIS exciting with me and her friend Leeann from school. The three of us bought tickets this morning! I cannot wait!

I also discovered that my favorite band, The Goo Goo Dolls are touring this summer. That was on the list too, but I never knew when it'd actually happen.I LOVE THE GOO GOO DOLLS more than any other band in the world. Too see them perform would be awesome. I want summer to come faster so I can finally jump out of a plane and go see my favorite band perform for the first time because I have waited YEARS to do both. The best feeling of having a list is being able to cross things off it. I am so excited!

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 8:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This weekend was brutal. I can’t remember the last time I had been in such physical pain. Maybe when I was younger and sprained my ankles from basketball games or fell off the monkey bars or my bike while doing a daredevil stunt. No. This felt way worse. Although I was tiny as kid, I was really strong. I took pain like an Olympic medalist because I was fearless. I really thought I was Super Girl. I think that’s changed in the course of a decade or so. This weekend was supposed to be an awesome one spent with my best friend Bethany, my sister, and my cousins. The vision was short lived because I came down with the infamous stomach virus. I could not eat anything; the best part of going home is eating my Momma’s food and baking delicious cakes! I spent the next few days with a few layers of blankets and sweatshirts battling a disgusting fever. I was hungry, but my stomach refused to let me eat.

It’s been five days; I can now eat soup and crackers without feeling sick. I hope I can have my epic meals/feasts by next week. My immune system is really strong, but it let me down this year. I only get sick once a year and tend to spend the rest of the year battling it out with pollen. I’m on the road to recovery and look forward to eating lots of cupcakes next week :) I hope you’re all doing really well.

credit to: http://tipdeck.com

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 8:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For a Sunday, my day started really early because of Freshmen Discovery Day. Freshmen Discover day was designed for high school students who have been accepted to Montclair State University. The day helps students have an opportunity to ask questions about their majors, take a tour of the university, and attend a few workshops as well. Student leaders like myself were assigned different tasks to help make sure the day would run smoothly. My task was to greet all the parents and students on their way from the parking lot. While I was standing near the stairs across CarParc Diem I immediately thought of my first experience at Montclair. I too had the same rush of excitement and anxiety as the students that walked passed me. I wanted to meet new people, checkout the buildings I would have my classes in, and explore my options as potential teacher education student. When we were leaving, I remember I having this rush of nervousness that took over my whole body and I became afraid. My sister noticed the uneasiness and softly said “change is hard, but it can be easy if you have to give it a chance. You could really love it here.” The memory made me smile as I collected registration forms. It felt nice being apart of something so huge in someone else’s life.

Credit: Giovanna Tello

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Back at home, there was this placed called “So Green” at the mall. During my senior year of high school, we used to go to the mall to have frozen yogurt. This year, when I went home for winter break, I learned that “So Green” had closed down. That was the closest frozen yogurt place in town and I haven’t had any frozen yogurt since then. Tonight my friend Megan drove a few of us to a place called Cups. While I had never gone there, I heard nothing but amazing things about it the place. Tonight, I finally got to experience the Disney World of frozen yogurt! This place is small, but everyone really loves it. The lines for the place go out the door; I must say that the wait is well worth it. Walking in and choosing all these flavors and toppings was so difficult. I picked so many different flavors and toppings. New cure to a bad day=frozen yogurt from Cups. I highly recommend all of you to make a trip there if you have no done so already :)

credit: http://www.cupsfrozenyogurt.com/

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As many of you may already know, I wish to be an English teacher some day and write about my experiences from time to time. This weekend I had the chance to help out at the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English conference here: at Montclair State University! My poetry professor, Dr. Nicosia—who was in charge of organizing the conference—had asked us students if we were interested in helping out and learning about English education from several professionals. I had the opportunity to attend workshops that discussed different ways of teaching middle and high school students. Famous authors Walter Dean Myers and Stewart O’Nan were guest speakers at this event. They talked about the power of reading and writing and the roles teachers play in students’ lives. Toward the end of the event my friends Megan and Arturo stood in line with me so we could get our books signed. As an English major, you never own too many books, which is why I really enjoyed the free giveaways of all the books. Watching everyone’s passion at the conference, I learned about all the different sources there are for teachers and all the changes that need to be made. In order to make change, it is so important to lean on one another for help and act as a strong group when tackling the weak aspects of education. Watching all the teachers come out on a Saturday morning taught me that for good teachers teaching is not just a job it becomes a way of life.

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 6:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I’m sorry I did not get to update before leaving for spring break. I am back from break and I have to say break felt way too short. Bethany and I had our traditional Thai food date, but the food wasn’t as good as the restaurant we went to during winter break. It was nice seeing her and hanging out a lot because we don’t go to the same schools and go a few months without seeing each other sometimes. I also got to hangout with my sister a lot, which was awesome because we’re both so busy these days. My sister and I are really close (you could say we’re practically joined to the hip when we’re with each other). It was really wonderful to go out with her since I have really missed spending time with her. Eating my Mom’s homemade meals felt great—along with sleeping in my own bed! I got to hangout with some of my other friends, which was also really nice because we finally got to catch up on everything. I also got to hangout with a few of my friends from my temple for a few days, which was also really nice. The week flew by, but it was it was really nice to just sit and relax.

The weather has been so crazy lately; we have had a day with 75 degrees, rain and thunderstorms, and snow! It’s almost April, I feel like we have had more snow this year than any other year. I think it is time for the cold weather to go away and for the warm weather to return for more than a day. Next week is going to be one of those weeks filled with lots of studying and writing a lot of papers round two of papers and exams before finals. I cannot believe I have less than six weeks left until I am a JUNIOR. I hope every thing is going well with all of you. Send good vibes to the gray clouds so we can finally experience some sunny days!

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 9:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight my friend Chelsey (who is a CA at Stone) and I threw a tie dye program together, which was a major success! As CAs, we are required to throw programs every month focusing on different aspects of leadership, diversity, campus resources, and other services. We thought tie dying would be a great way to represent diversity on campus. Although tie dying is sort of messy, I found the actual process of throwing dye all over the t-shirt really relaxing. A lot residents from both Stone and Webster came out and got really creative with their t-shirts too. You should tie dying sometime too.

Posted by Hitisha Patel at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)