Yesterday, a few friends and I went to the dining hall to get food. We were caught off guard by the overwhelming amount of unfamiliar faces, but soon realized that orientation is in session. New students and their families were on every corner of Northeastern, readily identified by the orientation badges hanging around their necks. YOU CAN JUST READ THE EXCITEMENT ON THE NEW STUDENTS’ FACES!

Looking back, it seems like it was just yesterday when I first visited Northeastern. It’s hard to believe that I’ve been here for two years and about to enter my middler year. Time really does fly.

During these past two years, so much has happened. I’ve met so many people, taken a ton of classes, and matured as an individual (especially having completed my first cooperative experience in the professional world). I’ve been doing everything I had set out to do and I trust that the new students will do the same for their plans. There is so much in store for these new guys and girls.

MESSAGE TO THE FRESHMEN CLASS: Take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. Join student groups, take on new and exciting challenges, and don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. Trust me; your involvement will only make you a more knowledgeable, skilled, and well-rounded person.

Enjoy your summer vacation, and I guess I’ll see you around in the Fall!

Hey Readers, hope all is well!

On May 24th, I left Boston to visit my home in St.Martin. I got to hang out with my family and friends, eat food I couldn’t have while I was here in Boston, and be in an area with white sandy beaches and 93 degree weather. Even though I only stayed for a week, I still managed to spend quality time with all of my family members and visit neighbors. I also took the time out to visit my old high school. My principal, teachers, and high school friends were very happy to see me.

On my first night back on the island, my friends and I met at Kim Sha Beach and had a bonfire. As always, we had a great time, looking back on our high school memories and laughing at the ridiculous things we used to do. To make the bonfire even more enjoyable, we barbecued chicken and ribs and made roasted marshmallows.

During three other occasions, I hung out with friends. We went to the beach, out for dinner, and kicked back at each others’ homes.

On Friday, I attended my little sister’s fifth grade graduation ceremony. She gave a speech, since she was the secretary/treasurer of her class. I was so proud of her accomplishments. After the ceremony, we headed back to our house and threw a celebration party with a good number of family members. We ate, danced, and joked around. It definitely felt good to be surrounded by loved ones.

On Saturday, I did some last-minute shopping and started to give my farewells. Though extremely enjoyable, my trip was way too short. I look forward to going back home very soon!!!

Hello Readers.

With coop coming to an end, I have decided to take some time off to visit my family and friends in St. Martin. I have planned a full week of events and things to do. These include eating certain foods, going to particular places, doing my favorite water sports, and spending quality time with relatives.

Last night, I spoke with a couple friends who are planning a camping trip. Basically, everyone is going to be home from university. We will most likely have a bonfire. This is always a great time to share any college stories and reminisce on high school memories.

The other day, while speaking to my mother, I brought up the issue of spending time with family vs. friends. I have a really big family and finding time to see everyone is definitely going to be a challenge. In any case, I intend to manage my time well and spend it with both my family and my close friends.

I AM EXTREMELY EXCITED TO BE GOING HOME!!! Be sure to come back in two weeks for an account of my trip and to see some pictures!

Hello Readers.

Well, as you all know, the semester is coming to an end, and there are a number of things to look forward to. Warmer weather, summer classes, concerts, vacation, and ice cream are a few things that we can all expect. This week, many students are moving out and/or into dorms. Still, many will remain on Coop for the next two months, begin the first round of summer courses, or fly home to spend time with family and friends.

I must admit, I’m quite anxious to experience what summer is like here in Boston. This is obviously going to be my first summer in the city, and I’ve already done some research on what will be going on. I plan on doing a great deal of site seeing and beaching. I can definitely fit a few concerts into my schedule! Another thing that is on my “to do list” is to throw on a pair of trunks and run through the fountain over at the Prudential Center.

Though summer seems like it’s going to be fun, I am aware that many students will be leaving the Boston area for vacation; especially those from neighboring universities and colleges who don’t have coop as a part of their curriculum. Despite the shortage in the number of people that are expected to be around, I am still very excited about summer and hope that it will be enjoyable from beginning to end!

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Me, right after being crowned Greek god!

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My Brothers and I pose with our Greek awards...Good job guys!!!

Hello readers! Hope you are all doing well.

So, there’s only one more month of spring classes left before summer classes begin. During this time every year, Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL) organizes a Greek Week. This is an opportunity for the Northeastern Greek Community to come together and learn about each other’s values and ideals through a variety of activities. This is also a great way for Greeks to mix, mingle, and discuss any future programs that they wish to co-sponsor with other fraternal organizations.

Some of the activities include community service events, Greek Olympics, Greek god and goddess, an educational speaker, and Greek Sing. On Saturday, more than 400 Greeks unselfishly devoted their time and effort to non-profit organizations in the Boston area. Collaboratively, we completed a total of 2,000 community service hours. Sunday was the kickoff for all competitions. Fraternities and sororities were placed into groups of three or four and faced each other in games such as capture the flag, tug of war, balloon toss, and a relay race. This year, I represented my fraternity in the Greek god competition. This was our first time competing and we WON!!! After three appearances including a question and answer, talent, and toga segment, I was named this year’s Greek god. A sister of Sigma Delta Tau sorority captured the Greek goddess title. Today, we sat in to listen to Dr. Lori Ebert, a specialist who spoke on the topic of “Everything you always wanted to know about the opposite sex.” To say the least, she gave a very informative presentation that definitely caught the audience’s attention. Two more events are still to come!

To bring Greek Week to an end, the participating fraternities and sororities are awarded at a formal gathering. Awards for the events held during Greek Week are given as well as others to honor those chapters who have displayed outstanding leadership here at Northeastern throughout that academic year. Some of the awards include, chapter of the year, president of the year, newly inducted brother/sister of the year, man and woman of the year, and advisor of the year.

Overall, this is always a very exciting week for all Greeks on campus.

I will be posting a few Greek Week pictures, later this week. Be sure to check them out!

A few weeks ago, I was playing football with my fraternity brothers and ended up hurting my neck. I booked an appointment at the Health Services Center and met with a doctor who prescribed 8 sessions of neck therapy at Sports & Physical Therapy Associates right here on compass (Marino Center). Without hesitation, I left the health center and walked straight over to make my first appointment.

A couple days later, I went to the therapist for my first session. The receptionist asked me to fill out some paper work and made a few copies of my insurance card. Soon after, I was introduced to my therapist and the treatment began. He asked me to describe how the injury took place and then inquired about any symptoms. He later explained that I had possibly sprained a muscle and assured me that a few sessions would fix the problem. After those questions, I made my way over to a table and began a series of exercises that would help ease the tension in the muscle.

As I began doing the reps, my therapist posed a question that would uncover surprising information. He asked where I was from. After telling him that I was from St.Martin, he stated a named and asked if I knew the person. To my surprise, the name of the person he mentioned turned out to be one of my best friend’s cousins. Apparently, my therapist and my friend’s cousin were students here at Northeastern about five years ago. They had classes together and became pretty close friends. We then proceeded to talk about my hometown and what the island had to offer.

To make matters even more shocking, the receptionist (also a former Northeastern student) interjected by stating that she had went on a trip to the island last year and had driven with a taxi driver whose grandson goes to Northeastern. After describing the taxi driver and giving me her name, I realized that the woman she was talking about was my grandmother!

Wow…what are the changes of this happening? It certainly isn’t impossible. As the saying goes, “It’s a small world after all!”

Throughout the academic year, student groups host events with the intensions of bringing the Northeastern community together. These events may be in the form of concerts, speakers, DJs, and comedians, to name a few. The cost of these events may range greatly, depending on the caliber of the program. As such, many of these student organizations are required to bring their proposals to the Student Government Association’s (SGA) Budget Review Committee (BRC). BRC is a council, made up of 10-15 Northeastern students, who review and evaluate proposals brought to them by student organizations. After reviewing a program request form, BRC has the power to either deny or grant the organization funding for a particular event. Programs may be fully funded, partially funded, or not funded at all.

Last week, I had the opportunity to sit in on a BRC proposal for an upcoming event that my fraternity is planning to co-sponsor. We presented our event idea giving exclusive information on what the event is, how much it will cost, and why it will benefit the Northeastern Community. A lot of work goes into the planning and marketing of these events. Shopping around for different quotas can be a difficult task. Brainstorming and arriving at creative advertising strategies can also be a challenge. Whatever we do, our main concern is to always be innovative, persuasive, and well informed on what it is we are doing and how we intend to execute it.

For more information on BRC funding you can visit their website at http://www.sga.neu.edu/committees/budget_review/.

A few weeks ago, I celebrated my 20th birthday – yeah I know, I’m getting old. A group of friends and I (15 of us to be exact) went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Once we got there, we asked for a table and were told that it would be a two hour wait. We thought about going somewhere else, but then realized that 15 is an unusual number for a dinner table. After thinking the situation over, we felt that we probably wouldn’t get a table in a shorter period of time if we went elsewhere, so we decided to browse through the Prudential Center and ended up stopping at Godiva for chocolate drinks – they were really good, by the way. Finally, after about an hour of browsing and 20 minutes in Barnes & Noble, the buzzer went off. We were extremely excited to eat. By then, it was 10:10 pm and we had been starving. We got seated, ordered our food and drinks, and shortly after, began to dine. I had the three-cheese pasta and tried food from everyone on the table. Overall, dinner was great and everyone had a really good time. In fact, I was surprised when the waiters came out to sing the birthday song and handed me a free slice of cheesecake! Additionally, my friends showered me with many gifts. What an exciting night it was!!!

Below is a picture of a few friends and I - It's all smiles at the Cheesecake Factory!
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On January 5th, I began my first cooperative learning experience at Thornton & Naumes LLP, a law firm in the Downtown area. The firm is renowned for handling asbestos litigations, pharmaceutical cases, and those of malpractice. During my first week, my fellow coop interns and I underwent a rather intense period of training. This included shuffling through a number of medical records, searching for those files necessary in order to book a claim. Overall, training went well and we were working on real cases by the beginning of our second week. I believe it is safe to say that my colleagues and I have mastered the art of filing cases for court. We are now three weeks into coop and look forward to the challenges that will come our way.

Like myself, a few of my friends are also on coop. They really like their jobs and have expressed great interest in what they do. Life on coop is, by all means, a taste of the real world. We feel more mature, responsible, and professional. Aside from hands-on training, this opportunity also enables us to understand what it means to complete a day’s work and know the value of money. All in all, we are very excited about the upcoming five months and look forward to gaining valuable work experience that will aid in our future careers.