Hey Everyone! I am enjoying Thanksgiving break in Boston, Massachusetts. I am sitting here at my fraternity brother Steven’s house watching some television and contemplating all the things I need to accomplish before final exams in about a week and a half. I cannot wait because I have one more month and 3 more days till I leave for Italy. Being that I am from Long Island, New York originally…It feels nice that I am going to have a nice Thanksgiving dinner where it will be nice and warm inside the house while its chilly outside. Reminds me of those holiday times when I lived in New York where the fireplace was lit, and it would snow. I miss those holiday times. Now that my family has moved out of New York and down towards Tampa, holidays aren’t like how they are in New York. Christmas with palm trees outside lol! It can still be chilly down in Florida during the holiday season, but it is not as cold as it is up in New York or in New England.

Boston is such a beautiful city…full of history…full of vibrant and exciting things to do. Two days ago I had the opportunity to go to Quincy Market, Hay Market, and I also got to go to a Boston Bruins game which was awesome! I feel like I could never get bored in Boston because there is always something going on in this vibrant city. It can sometimes be a culture shock being that I have lived in Florida for sometime, and Saint Leo University being in the location it is, it makes a huge difference by how things are here in Massachusetts and how they are down in Florida.

I have so many assignments to do while I am up here for my Honors Human Condition Reexamined class, I have a presentation and a paper due for my management information systems course, and I have to start my research for my marketing project presentation. A part of me wants to relax and enjoy this break, but there is a part of me that says that I need to get some of it done, so I don’t stress out next week when I return to Saint Leo. It’s all about time management and I have to learn how to balance a lot of things…being in Boston, and completing these assignments. I think I am going to start on this paper for Honors tonight so I can get that out of the way and taken care of…lol.

I hope everyone has an amazing Thanksgiving and I will talk to you really soon before the Christmas break!

~ Daniel ~

Me on the plane to Boston!!!

Posted by Saint Leo University at 12:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Greetings from Columbus, Ohio!! I am in Columbus for a Bacchus General Assembly Conference because I am the Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the Students Against Irresponsible Decisions (S.A.I.D.) organization on campus. Bacchus is a conference for peer educators like me, and we go to this conference to learn about how to make better decisions about health, and personal well being.

Let me tell you a little bit about myself, and why I am in Columbus for the Bacchus Conference: I am a peer educator in S.A.I.D. and I educate other students within the Saint Leo University student body on things such as alcohol awareness and the negative affects it has on individuals, alcohol abuse, sexual assault awareness and prevention, mental health awareness, suicide prevention, stress and time management, sexual health, and much more.

Being in Columbus has been so awesome! It is not as big as Tampa, but it has a vibrant community. Ohio State University being down the street makes this city a cosmopolitan city of students. Let me just say the shopping is amazing, and the Short North district is awesome. It reminds me a little of the SoHo district in New York City, and it is definitely a great environment where GLBT individuals are accepted and embraced. Being that Columbus is in the Midwest per say, it is one of the few cities next to Chicago where the GLBT community is vibrant.

So far I am on my 2nd day at the Bacchus Conference and so far things are going really well. As a peer educator and leader, it has been amazing to interact with so many other leaders and peer educators from all across the United States and Canada. I have made friendships that will last a lifetime, I have reunited with fraternity brothers that I haven't seen in a long time, and I have been able to establish life long networks with great individuals.

Tonight it was amazing getting to know David Coleman, the dating doctor. Thank you HITCH, David Coleman, the Dating Doctor for amazing advice on dating and relationships. I learned a lot...and you have sincerely changed the lives of many young peer educators and leaders here at the Bacchus Conference.

Posted by Saint Leo University at 10:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today has been a wonderful day; a day of amazing blessings and achievements. I feel like I have accomplished a lot of work today. I have been overwhelmed lately with a lot of homework assignments and projects because the end of the semester is coming right around the corner. Along with that, things have been hectic because I am trying to get ready for my departure for Paris, France for new years and to Rome, Italy for school next semester. I am finally going to achieve what I have been wanting to do for the last 3 years while at Saint Leo University…

Also, today I received an e-mail which has caused this day to be so amazing for myself. I received an e-mail from one of the Housing Directors at John Cabot University in Rome. I was hired today as their honorary guest Resident Assistant for the spring semester in their Medaglie d’Oro Residence Hall/Hotel! I am on cloud nine, and what is to my surprise is that I never applied for the position. I am glad that the housing staff at John Cabot University have realized what leadership capabilities I have. I am very fortunate and blessed that God has placed these great blessings in my life…I feel like my destiny is going to be fulfilled!

One of the biggest things for me this semester has been trying to cope with the realization that a lot of things do not happen on my time, but on God’s time. God knows when the time is right and for some reasons I was called to stay at Saint Leo this fall semester. The reason why I am still at Saint Leo has been revealed to me in various different reasons. I am a Resident Assistant on the 1st floor in Roderick Hall. I have amazing roommates that I have met this semester: Bobby, Ben, and Ryan. Great guys that have so much going for them, and I am blessed that I have had the opportunity to meet them, get to know them, and live with them.

Another reason why I feel like I am still at Saint Leo, I had to begin my Marketing minor by beginning it with a good start. My professors this semester have been amazing, and very supportive: Dr. Baglione for personal selling, Dr. Arnold for Essential Business Skills, Ms. Long for Finance for Managers, Dr. Mistor for Management Information Systems, and Dr. McTague for Honors the Human Condition Reexamined. My professors, these awesome individuals, have given me such a great influence, and I have realized a lot about my academic potential through them. I have realized that God puts things in our lives for a reason, and I am ever grateful that I have had the opportunity to take their classes.

December 27th, 2008 is the BIG day for me…the day that I will be flying to Paris, France for an amazing Parisian adventure. I will be there for new years eve, and I will be sightseeing the many beautiful areas of Paris. I will be in France for approximately 10 days, and then I will be flying to Rome to get settled in before my classes begin and before my residents move back for the beginning of a great spring semester. Look out for more Blogs during the spring. I will have amazing things to say!

Posted by Saint Leo University at 11:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)