"Growing Pains"

So as my roommate and I were packing to leave for Christmas break, I looked back on my first semester in college. There were amazing times, and of course some rough times that I had to get through; however, no matter how hard they were, I actually had friends, always someone there to help me with any situation.

Winter Formal was amazing, cheerleading was going so well, and my classes… well they went as good as I had expected. Now that I could finally relax after the long grueling process of finding myself, trying to figure out who I was while SO much happened around me, I had the time of my life. Though I wanted nothing more than to get home to the familiar, and my family, I zipped up my last suitcase and hugged my roommate as I cried. But I was crying not because I was going to miss her (even though I was) but also because I was more ecstatic that I knew I had worked so hard and was able to come back in January with everyone else to start my second semester as a SAINT LEO LION!

Happy Holidays to you all, and I will be sure to write more next YEAR! Until then…. Be safe and remember, growing up hurts every once in a while, but you just have to be strong because there is always something to learn out of everything that happens in your life.

Posted by Saint Leo University at 4:27 PM | Permalink

“Time to Cram!�

So Last night, we had hall decorating contest. My hall (1st floor Snyder) had won the past 2 years, however 2nd floor Snyder won this time and they did a great job.

The holiday season was definitely a great way to take our minds off finals. Today, however, I went into my first college final with little sleep. It was an extremely long night and I was once again dealing with stresses and such that normal first year freshman don't have to face.

My exam was for my science class, and I won’t lie; it was pretty nerve-racking. I made a study guide that had all the material we needed to know on it. This was very helpful and kind of funny because I am not normally the type of student to study in a traditional way at all, but I applied myself and it really helped in a big way.

Everyone knows finals are just one of many things people have to deal with toward the end of each semester; you just have to understand how to balance concentration and the excitement of going home. I am hoping that all the rest of my finals go well, and when I return next semester, I will be ready to go at it all over again.

Posted by Madison Starinieri at 6:45 PM | Permalink

“Winter Wonderland of Events�

As a CAB assistant, it takes up a very big portion of my time, and with being an athlete and a full-time student, time gets away from you, a lot! CAB is throwing a dance, kind of like homecoming which we called “Winter Formal�. This dance took a lot of planning. I love this position because planning is what I want to do as a profession. I love to work with people, and I have a great knack when it comes to visualizing what an event will look like.

We found a great location down in Tampa, and A La Carte Event Pavilion was more than happy to allow us to use their facility. For the most part, people enjoyed themselves. I only had some fun because I was real stressed and worried about the event going off well.

We also recently had a great event called “Deal or No Deal�. This was based off of the game show, and it was one of the best in-house events we have put together this semester. So good in fact, we are planning to do it again for next semester.

Posted by Madison Starinieri at 6:43 PM | Permalink

“Saint Leo Spirit�

When I joined cheerleading, I was so excited to be in a new environment with new teammates and learn things that I had only seen on TV. Stunts would be all new, and the games would be more intense. Practices even were more intense, and I love the feeling of getting in shape, and back to my prime. And, I was real excited about showing my talents. I have a lot of background in cheerleading, and I wanted to let it be seen; not be the shining star on the team, but just try and improve on something I’ve done for over 12 years.

The first game was great, I did a basket toss during our first halftime, and it went well. The best and worst part about my position on the team is that I am very versatile in where I can go. I can be a base, a back, a flyer, or even front, and although I would prefer to do one over the other, I guess I don’t mind being one or the other every now and then.

I have the highest hopes for this year’s team; we have a high standard to live up to. Last year, the SLU Competition Cheerleading team won a championship title; so our coaches are expecting nothing but perfection out of all of us, even during games. They only push hard because they care, and want us to care as well. Getting the Saint Leo Spirit was easy - keeping it is even easier.

Posted by Madison Starinieri at 6:34 PM | Permalink