So much happening, so little time!!!!

Posted on May 3, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

Well this is it!! The final countdown! I went to graduation rehearsal and surprisingly for the first time it is actually feeling real. It still hasn’t really sunk in that this Tuesday will be my last day of undergrad I will ever have! I know I have been writing about it for weeks but it’s just an unreal feeling. So besides feeling nostalgic, doing hours of last minute work, and fighting the senioritis I have been enjoying this amazing weather. Studying outside with iced coffee have made all the work I have to do just a little better!

I also this past weekend met up with old friends from high school and we had dinner, reminisced and made a commitment to see each other more. Especially now that we are in that statistic of college graduates.

Reunited with old friends!

Besides meeting old friends , I have also been spending a lot of time outside!

My Fiance aI by the lake in our backyard.

One of my horses loves to give kisses! The weather makes them happier too!

Back to talking about school because for a few more days, it is still my entire life! This past weekend I also attended breakfast with a professional. That entailed a group of speech language pathologists out in the field and they formed a panel and the students who attended got to hear all of the stories from the SLP’s and ask any questions we wanted. It was a wonderful experience and it was also a great reminder of why I got into this field. I was definitely inspired by everyone’s stories and what they had to share! Also next week a group from ASL club including myself will be going to Washington DC to visit Gallaudet University. Gallaudet was a college started for Deaf individuals and it has a lot of history! We have a tour scheduled the first day and the second day we are going to spend seeing the area around the college. I can’t wait to see the campus and it is a great way to wind down the end of classes along with the NSSLHA banquet this Monday which I am also really excited for! Speaking of the end of classes, this is what seniors do in Speech Science on the second to last class. Yeah, we are excited!

Myself and a fellow senior!

2013!!!!

And of course……

Someone painted this on the door of one of the buildings. I think its pretty cool!!!

Well this is the start of a new chapter in my life and I am ready to embrace it! CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2013!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!

As Dexter Morgan would say….(WHICH RETURNS IN JUNE!!!!!!!!!!)

HAVE A KILLER DAY!

Thanks as always for reading!

<3 Hillary

New car, New job, New life

Posted on April 25, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

A lot of crazy things have happened since last week and my life has been and up and down! First the obvious stress is the end of the semester with final papers and exams literally right around the corner. Along with that I also did not get accepted to graduate school for the fall which is a major setback. I was very upset and discouraged but after being cheered up by the best friends anyone can ask for I decided to not let this year go to waste! I am applying to schools in the area to be a teacher’s assistant and I also have plans to travel in Europe and visit family. I will also not be giving up and I will reapplying to graduate school next year! Speech pathology is definitely my passion and I am not going to give up on it.

My amazing friend stopped by to bring my flowers and junk food to cheer me up!

So on the up side, the car I had previously was a lease and the contract just ended so I traded it in and now have a brand new civic. Civics are my favorite and I have been driving them since I was 16. I am trying to be grateful for all the good things that have happened and focus on all the wonderful people I have in my life. That being said my fiancé and my best friend all want to plan a trip to go down south in June to visit friends that live in Florida and South Carolina! Having something fun to plan and looking forward to a good time with close friends is definitely what I need.

My last breakfast before class in my old car!! ;(

This upcoming week,NSSLHA is holding our end of the semester banquet where we will have guest speakers who have had laryngectomies and they will each share with us their personal stories! We also have a breakfast this Saturday morning with speech pathologists from the hudson valley. It is a chance for students to network and ask any questions they want about whats going on in the field. It will be my last two events of my undergraduate career! It still sounds crazy to say that!!!

Besides that I have just been enjoying the past two days of beautiful weather!!!! And so have my pets

Kisses <3

Well thats all I’ve got for now! Time to get back to massive amounts of projects!

Thanks as always for reading

Hillary

How much longer until graduation?!?!

Posted on April 19, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

This week has been jam packed with school work since the end of the semester is getting closer and closer. I feel like I haven’t done anything but think and talk about school. Any friends not in school with me is probably sick of talking to me Around this time comes the last of the unit tests, end of the semester projects, preparing for finals and of course getting everything together for graduation!!!!! As exciting as graduating college is, I am also a little sad. Another big stage of my life is gone by and coming to a close. I will no longer and never be again an undergraduate student. I am still waiting to see if I am accepted into the graduate program here at SUNY New Paltz so then I can move on into the next exciting stage of my life and reach my future career goals of becoming a speech language pathologist. The past weeks I have observed at a rehab center and at a school for students with autism. It was an excellent experience and it really solidified that this is the work I want to do for the rest of my life. I recommend observing to any student during their undergraduate career. It’s always good to get an inside look and get a feel for what the field you chose is really like.

Since this week has been so busy, I want to do nothing more this weekend then relax and watch Netflix. That being said a friend of mine and I are going to spend our whole day tomorrow watching movies and making fun food! It is quite the stress reliever let me tell you!

Also I would like to take a moment to send my prayers out to Boston and the terrible tragedies that have been occurring there these past few days. My heart goes out to everyone affected.

Thanks as always for reading

-Hillary

Lost in Translation

Posted on April 15, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

So after a gap in blogging due to loss of internet and loss of my mind I am back and a lot has happened. We will start with the most recent of events. This past weekend I went to Saratoga Springs with NSSLHA which is our campus’ Student Speech Language and Hearing Association. They funded myself and three others to go to a Speech/Audiology convention. It was a great time and they had vendors from different organizations and schools showing their latest advancements in technology for people with all different kinds of disorders. Besides the enormous amount of free pens and notebooks I also learned a lot of new things about my future career. In addition to the vendors, there were also a series of lectures that spanned throughout the three days. The lectures were taught from professionals all over the region on different topics relating to Audiology and Speech Language Pathology.

The four of us at the convention

Always time for a little fun!

free stuff!!!

Since the warm weather is approaching (FINALLY) I spent some time last week walking the rail trail in New Paltz with my best friend and her younger brother. The rail trail is a great walking trail in New Paltz. On a nice day it is definitely the place to be! I am usually so busy taking classes that I rarely get to enjoy all that New Paltz has to offer!

Rail Trail <3

The end is almost near for my undergraduate career so my next few remaining weeks will consist of organizing all my final assignments and projects that are due in the oh so near future. I am still wait listed for a few graduate programs for the fall so my fingers are crossed that I will be able to continue to graduate school and not have to have a gap year. Gap Year=my worst nightmare. In the event I am not selected off the waiting list I will have to find a job out there in the real world and apply again next year. Besides the slight everyday panic of having to join the work force I have been drowning myself in the Boy Meets World box set on got on sale at amazon.com

))))

Also if you have the time check out this website: http://www.tobii.com/en/assistive-technology/global/products/hardware/tobii-c12/

It is the website for the Tobii C-12 which is an assistive technology for individuals who are non verbal and also do not have proper use of their hands. It is completely controlled by the individuals eyes and calibrated to their retinas. It is one of the amazing technologies I got to experience at the convention this past weekend!

Thanks as always for reading!

-Hillary

Spring break begins at 4PM

Posted on March 22, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

As of 4 pm today I will officially be on spring break! After days and days of studying I can not wait to sit in front of the t.v. with Netflix and think about absolutely nothing. I have survived my last midterms of my undergraduate career and it feels so good. In the midst of studying like crazy I did take a mental health break and dyed my hair for the first time in my life, got my nails done and got my ears pierced. I guess I had my identity crisis a little late in life! I felt it was time for a change!

My friend and I took a break from studying

So besides today being the last day of classes before spring break, it is also my best friends birthday and my five year anniversary with my fiance. I can not believe its been five years since I met my fiance and 7 years since I met my best friend. Time just flies so unbelievably fast and I am grateful for all the wonderful people in my life. I missed throwback Thursday so I will post pictures of forever ago Friday. #FAF

This is the first picture I ever took with my fiance when I was 17.

This is the first picture I ever took with my now fiance when I was 17.

My best friend and I when we graduated High School

That’s really all that happened this week! My friend posted something on my wall I will share because it describes how I feel everyday I have to be somewhere and can’t just wear my comfy yoga pants and sweats.

Thanks as always for reading! Have an amazing spring break everyone!

The pity party does not begin until you pop open the Ben and Jerry’s

Posted on March 14, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

So who knew so much could happen in a week and a half! Unfortunately not all of it is the best of news. One lesson to be learned in college is that when terrible things happen, your assignments do not go on pause no matter how much of a mental breakdown you are having. My best friend’s father passed away a few days ago and it is one of the saddest things that can happen. There is nothing more tragic than losing a parent. I have just been trying to be there for her as much as possible. It makes anything I have been complaining about seem infantile.

I am also feeling the pressure of graduate school. As the days press on and I still have not had any acceptances my panic grows and grows. If you are entering college right out of high school, when the four years ends you don’t know how to be anything other than a student. I don’t know what I will do if I am not pursuing a graduate degree. I am beginning to formulate a plan B just incase of the event that I must reapply next year. I am trying to stay positive and not lose hope. I did have an interview for a school last Thursday which is really hopeful! I was extremely nervous so I went to work with my friend since her job was right next to the school, we made a day out of it. The most stressful part of the interview was finding the school, the right building and the right room. When I first got there, they took my picture and sat me down in a room with a few other students and I had to do a spontaneous writing sample. Then we all got called into a room where we sat in front of different professors and the group interview started. I was surprised that it was a group interview but it really wasn’t that bad! They went around the table and asked us some of the same questions and some different questions such as why did we apply to that school, a hobby that we have, a meaningful clinical experience etc. Then when the interview concluded, a graduate student gave us a tour of the facilities. As stressful as it was, it was very exciting and I’m glad to have had the experience! The weather held out also and it snowed right when we left to go home!

My friend and I at her job

Best friends for life!

The lunch we got after my interview!!

The beautiful snow in the mountains on the way home!

Last week I also had the admission panel where myself and 4 other students answered questions from accepted students and their parents! It was a really fun thing to do and it was nice to be able to reflect on my experiences at New Paltz and share them with incoming students! I am also giving a tour this Saturday for newly accepted students and am excited about that as well!

So finally it was nice to wind down with going out to eat and having a few drinks for my friends birthday! After all the craziness it is always good to wind down and enjoy fun time with friends!

Out to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise!

I will be in a midterm hibernation period until my next blog! Good luck to everyone taking exams!!! So looking forward to Spring Break!!!!

Thanks as always for reading!

-Hillary

Midterm week is creeping upon us!

Posted on March 5, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

I am unusually early with this weeks blog! I fear that if I don’t sit down and type it right now then it will get lost in my unusually large list of things to do before Friday at 5:30 PM! It is not quite midterm week yet however it will be here in the blink of an eye so I must start preparing for it now. One huge thing I have learned at my time here in college and it has taken me until my last semester of my senior year to figure it out. DON’T WAIT! Just do it now and you won’t be up all night the next week! I am feeling slightly nostalgic because this is the last midterm prep of my undergraduate career! As sad as it makes me feel that it’s all coming to an end, I am really really excited! I ordered my cap and gown for commencement in May so it is totally real life now.

I am going to the admissions student panel in about a half an hour and I am really excited about it! I have never done something like this before. To recap, the panel is where students get a chance to voice their opinions about their experiences here at SUNY New Paltz. I do have to say my experience here was very quick but very good! So if there are any complaints they will be minor and hopefully we can help make positive changes for any incoming students next fall! I will give you a detailed explanation of the panel in next weeks blog! o0o something to look forward to!

I try and blog not only about school but also about events outside of school because let’s face it, college takes up most of my time but not all of it. Then I had a sad realization. I usually have to check my facebook to find out what social activities I participated in the past week! I know exactly what went on in class but as far as my personal life, one week tends to run into the next! I am excited about the warm weather because I will be able to ride my horses again and begin training with my instructor! It is something I look forward to every spring. Until the warm weather starts to surface I will be studying and watching House reruns and the Showtime series Shameless! If you have not watched Shameless stop reading this and go do that now! It is easily one of the top 3 shows I have ever watched. The good thing about it is that its about a dysfunctional family and we all have those so there are relatable aspects for everyone!

We are also having our NSSHLA meeting today! I unable to attend sadly because of the student panel but we will be decorating ears to sell to help raise money for our club and the Hearing Health Foundation which is an amazing cause! Check it out!

http://hearinghealthfoundation.org/curinghearingloss?gclid=CIXfxsiY5rUCFc1QOgodM0sAXA

Below is a picture of one of my Horses who I am eager to train with ASAP! Her name is Penny and she is 10 years old And also included is a picture from Florida of my Fiance and I eating crab. I’m hoping if I keep posting pictures of warm places, then warmth will come here faster!!!!

She smiles when she is about to eat!

Hands down most crab I have ever eaten.

Thanks as always for reading!

Hillary Kalomeris

So many emotions in just one week

Posted on March 1, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

This week was one long blur and a mix of many emotions. My advice for anyone, is always plan ahead a especially with your assignments. Don’t leave them all for the absolute last minute because you never know when tragedy might strike. I made this mistake this past week and now I am scrambling on a Friday to get everything done. My curve ball this week was my family dog that I have had since I was 6 years old passed away earlier this week. I have never lost a dog before so this was absolutely devastating and to say the least I have been completely useless this week letting all my assignments slip by which is not usually like me. Some people may feel I am being ridiculous being this upset over a dog but unless you have had and lost a dog then most likely you wouldn’t understand. The best way I can describe it is like a part of me is missing. I barely have any childhood memories without her in them. But that’s the territory that comes with having any pet and its something you have to accept going in. I plan on volunteering at local animal shelters so I can still have dogs in my life. Sorry to start off being depressing so I will move on to some happier news.

I received an email yesterday inviting me for my first graduate school interview!! This was the light at the end of this blur of a week. After going through the whole strenuous application process and waiting, waiting and more waiting, I am finally closer to finding out where I will be next year. I will keep you all posted on the status of my admissions.

Also as a college student, typically you spend 4 years at a given college. For me the four years was split between two colleges but either way it’s important to have your voice as a student heard. My friend Ashley ( a former blogger) and I are participating in a panel where people attending ask current students fab out their experiences at New Paltz. I feel it is alway important to participate in events like this.

I apologize there was no interesting picturenot this week so I will show you what I ate a German restaurant in a neighboring town to New Paltz.

Yumm!!!

Thanks as always for reading!

-Hillary

Survived

Posted on February 21, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

My biggest event from the past week/weekend was surviving skiing. We went to Hunter mountain which is a about an hour north from New Paltz. Skiing was definitely a lot harder than it looked and I did fall…a lot! It was really fun though and I am really excited to go again! My Fiance and his family are excellent at skiing so now it is something we can all share and also I will have something to look forward to during the winter months.

So on a different note, there are times when we all complain and don’t feel like doing what we have to do and just want to lay in bed and forget it all. Lately I have just been feeling unmotivated which is normal for students to go through at different points in their college career. I think for me it has to do with not knowing where I will be living or attending graduate school in the fall and it is pretty scary. My future just feels up in the air! Then through friends sharing I came across two motivating videos. One was directly related to my major of speech pathology and the other is just pure inspirational and can make anyone grateful for what they have. Below I have included the two links!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9H_StoVsPU

They are both really good videos and worth watching!

My friend Ashley(a former blogger) and I just registered for the spend a day student panel where people attending have the chance to ask current students about their experiences at New Paltz. I think things like this as a student are really important to get involved in because it is a chance for your voice and opinions to be heard and is a great way to get involved!

That’s all I’ve got for now! Just continuing with my normal routine of classes, homework, studying, classes and maybe some food!

PS My Fiance got the new walking dead app on his phone and spends his day doing this….

Me as a zombie…EW

Thanks as always for reading!

-Hillary

More Snow?

Posted on February 14, 2013 by HKalomeris

Hey everyone,

Currently, as I write I am waiting for the snow to start falling. Along with the snow falling comes the frantic panic of whether or not I will have to trek to class in the snow. I’m hoping we don’t get that much! I have exams tomorrow so that makes any snowfall even worse, especially if classes aren’t cancelled. #commuter problems. As much as I love a snow day, I would much rather things just be normal :p I’m over the winter although the view from my window is pretty nice.

My best friend and I after we frantically tried to dig her car out of my driveway last week

I have never been much into the winter mostly because I never had any activity to look forward to doing. So I decided to make the best out of winter and try my luck with skiing. My Fiancé and his German family are excellent skiers so I thought I would give it a try and it can be another thing we can do together and it makes winter more bearable. I find that if I have something to look forward to I am more productive with my school work. This week was actually loaded and everything is due either tomorrow or Friday so having skiing to look forward to is really getting me through the week. Its always important to still do things you enjoy and hobbies you enjoy as much as possible even if you are busy with school work. There will be pictures I’m sure next week of my sad attempts to ski.

So there is something I would like to share with you. Its a little sad but I feel it is important because we are writing about our college experiences good or bad. I heard back from one graduate school and unfortunately I did not get in. They felt I would not be a good fit or their program because of my specific future ambitions as a speech pathologist. Although I agree, it is still very discouraging. It is just unfortunate because I went through the whole application process and payed the fee and it seems like it was all for nothing. It is also not fun telling the professors who recommended you that you did not get in. On the bright side I still am waiting to hear from 4 very good schools that I feel would fit me and my future goals. It’s also important not to let anything keep you from trying and know everything happens for a reason and I believe wherever I end up, it will be the right place. True Story.

Thanks as always for reading! Enjoy the upcoming snow, have some hot chocolate and have fun on the three day weekend!!!

PS Happy Valentines Day! If you are one of those people that hate Valentines Day I’m sorry :( Be your own valentine! Also just because you have a bf, gf etc doesn’t even guarantee any celebration! ex) my fiancé hates Valentine’s Day. He thinks its a Hallmark gimmick to spend money

-Hillary