NICOLE ONELLO

I can no longer measure how many days of classes are left by counting how many papers I have left to write. I can now shout at the top of my lungs that I AM DONE writing papers for the semester!!! I had two papers due this past Monday and a case study I have due tomorrow, my last one! I pulled my first all-nighter last week trying to finish my Seminar paper. It is all part of the college experience, or at least that it what I keep telling myself...lol... Besides all the class work that needed to get done, a few fun things have also occurred last week.

I spent Thursday night hanging out at Frank Sinatra Park. I wanted to celebrate the end of a hectic week. My treat was playing soccer at midnight!..lol..It was a bit spontaneous.

So a few friends and I found this weird shaped log thing by the river. I was dumb and forgot that during regular tide the river probably covers the log. My jeans were soooo dirty when we left and my shoes were all green. It was pretty gross!

This was my liberated gesture after a long week. CRAZY!!!

One thing I loved about Hoboken on a clear Thursday night was that the stars were out. Living in Hudson County, I rarely get a glimpse of any stars. I normally have to go to my uncle's house to observe them. It was fun to just lay on the sidewalk and look into the dark night's sky. I felt a bit dorky but its not something I do often.

I also hung out this past week with one of my best friends, Nataly. The weather this past weekend was insane! The temperature reached 88 degrees on Saturday and 92 degrees on Sunday!!! I've lived on the East Coast my entire life and never experienced such HOT weather so early in April. I have had to stand snow in April but never summer weather. I have to thank global warming for the wonderful preview of the months that lie ahead. I am a summer baby; the warmth was definitely enjoyed! We spent the day at Hudson County Park in North Bergen, went shopping in Edgewater, and enjoyed a cold Mango smoothie from Panera Bread. It was a wonderful day!

Sunday was all the more meaningful. One sacrament I never completed was Confirmation. I took endless CCD classes but the event never materialized. Getting frustrated, I just gave up. Attending SPC has rekindled my faith that was lagging. It never went away; however, it was not as strong as it is now. I decided to meet with one of the Jesuit fathers at the college to complete this sacrament.

This is my wonderful friend and Sponsor, Marisa. She is a fellow Pavo. Our relationship started way before our freshman year. All incoming freshmen are required to attend orientation, which is a three day and two night sleep over to get to know one another. It just so happened that Marisa was standing in front of me on line to register and was my roommate for the two nights. This relationship was strengthened by being Pavos together. Who knew such a GREAT friendship would blossom from summer orientation?!

Kelly Rose, Father O'Brien, Audrey, and myself. Kelly Rose was Baptized and Confirmed. It was a Pavo event...lol..

These are probably two of the closest girlies I have on campus. Audrey also made her Confirmation on Sunday. It was a coincidence that we both wanted and needed to complete this sacrament. It was a fun thing that we both share. Priscila is making her Confirmation in May. Audrey and I plan on being there for her big day! :] That is what friends are for!!!

The Pavo Society, a volunteer student organization who enjoys sharing the first year experience with prospective students, has just completed our Spring recruitment. Our advisor, Cheryl, and Development Chair, Barza, and I interviewed wonderful candidates for next semester. Our candidates (students) were so enthusiastic and energetic. We are proud to add 9 Pavos to our mini family. :] This weekend the Pavo Society will be having our end of the semester dinner. If the weather cooperates with us, the dinner will consist more of a barbecue. We always have a fun evening together before the semester draws to a close.

Posted by Joe Giglio at 9:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is crazy to think that April is wrapping up as professors start to discuss finals. I feel like there is so much work to crunch into the next six, yes SIX, days of real class. I only have two more papers to write which makes me want to procrastinate. I just got back my third Seminar paper and my fourth is supposed to be due this Wednesday. My paper is about President Clinton's second administration and their policies. I am putting a lot of effort into this class since I feel as though I am an underdog; I am the youngest in my class. My third paper received an A and I was estatic!!

This weekend alone was insane; it was jam packed with fun! SPC hosted our Open House this past Saturday. Being a Pavo Society member, I met so many friendly prospective students on a warm sunny day.

Some of the girlies on Saturday!

This is probably one of the few Open House events that the weather actually cooperated with us. It was so nice that I took my large tour group for ice cream before the tour started so that they could enjoy the weather as we walked around our campus. The families seemed to have liked the option of eating and talking. I feel as though that was my must comfortable tour that I gave on Saturday. All of our Pavo members and student workers did an amzing job as we received wonderful reviews! I do have to admit that my feet were killing me by 2pm. Wearing heels was not a smart decision on my behalf.

After Open House, I snuck in a short nap. I was exhausted and ready to knock out. The minute my head touched the pillow I was in my own little world. Saturday night was memorable. My history professor, Dr. Rabin, was to sing in Carnegie Hall with her choir group. She always invites her students to attend her concerts. Complementary tickets were provided. I was not going to turn down an opportunity like this. Some of the greatest musicians have performed at Carnegie Hall. A few friends and I took the Path and the subway to the show that started at 8pm.

Chris, Marisa, Marielle, Me, and Sinclair

Us girlies in front of Carnegie Hall.

We got to the city a bit early and decided to walk around Central Park. I have lived in New Jersey my entire life and have never been to that part of Central Park. We found a gorgeous bridge and took pictures on it like HUGE tourists. We considered walking up some huge rocks but then decided that it wasn't the wisest idea.

The performance itself was amazing!! St. Cecilia's Chorus and Orchestra was incredible. They performed Brahm's "Schicksalslied". There was a contrast between a blissful and anxious mood. The performance then continued with Vaughan Williams' "A Sea Symphony". The text of the entirely symphony was drawn from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." I never heard Whitman's work put to music. The concert lasted about two hours and we made sure to congradulate Dr. Rabin afterwards. This is the perfect example of curis personalis and getting to know our professor outside the classroom.

One of my closest friends at SPC and her roommates joined me for a day of fun on Sunday at Six Flags. We left early and got to Jackson, NJ, right when the park opened its doors. We went on most of the important rollar coasters like Batman, Nitro, El Torro, Superman, the Scream Machine, Skull Mountain, and Rolling Thunder. I I can go on just about anything as long as I have someone to ride with. It was nice to go to the park and not even wait ten minutes to go on each ride. El Torro was probably the scariest rollar coaster I've been on. I thought that Nitro was going to be the scariest coaster but I was definitely mistaken. Not only was my head moving around like crazy but I felt as though I was about to crash into the wood. The worst part is waiting to reach the top. Once the drop was over I thought that the coaster would slow down for the drop that was to proceed. This did NOT occur!! The rollar coaster kept its fast speed the entire time. El Torro was the only rollar coaster I was actually dizzy after. It was the greatest adrenaline rush that I never want to experience again...lol.

Stay tuned! :]

Posted by Joe Giglio at 7:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hi! My name is Nicole Onello. I am a current sophomore at SPC majoring in Economics and Finance and minoring in International Trade and Finance. I have always wanted to travel; these fields will hopefully enable me to mix a bit of business with pleasure. I was born and raised in Hudson County. Living half an hour up the boulevard allows me to be involved on campus without living here. I am a member of our radio station, WSPC Radio. Many students are not aware that we broadcast via internet. My job is to help get the word out in the Promotions Department. If you are interested in listening to our on-air talent, feel free at http://www.spc.edu/pages/1788.asp.I am also the Communication Chair for the Pavo Society. We are the friendly faces you encounter when visiting our campus and receiving a tour.

This semester is drawing to a close and the work is piling up. There is less than a month left and yet I am calculating the remaining days in terms of how many papers I have left to write, which is about three big papers. I am writing this entry as a Word document is minimized for my Seminar class in Macroeconomic Policy. I am looking forward to having a four day weekend, thanks to Holy Week, to accomplish a lot of work I have procrastinated on. I have also been balancing work with fun outings. In the past two and half weeks, I have gone bowling, karoking, to the batting cages, and ice skating. It's fun to hang out with friends and forget about class work.

I should definitely keep my singing confined to the shower but it was a lot of fun!

This Saturday, I attended a 'spiritual retreat' with some of my friends here at SPC. I am one of three who will be making Confirmation here at the end of April. Confirmation is one of the sacraments that I never made for reasons that vary. Coming to SPC has opened my mind and given me a renewed sense of my faith. I thought that there was no better place than here to take the next step of being confirmed. There were about eight of us, including Father O'Brien and Father Braden. It was extremely insightful and made us look into the depths of ourselves including our hopes, fears, strengths, and weaknesses. It was an open conversation followed by a shortened mass. The retreat was a fun afternoon spent with good company!

Stay tuned for more updates on my life here at Saint Peter's College! :]

Posted by Joe Giglio at 8:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)