Utilizing Resources (with Hugo the Hawk of course!)

Posted on April 19, 2013 by PayalB

Hey Readers!! I have been doing a lot of papers and projects this week so I haven’t been experiencing campus as much as I usually do but I did make time to participate in Hugo HUNT

Our lovely Mascot Hugo

This event was put on by RHSA (Residence Hall Student Association) and NRHH (National Residence Hall Honorary) About ten teams competed on a 3 hours campus-wide scavenger hunt! The grand prize was $100 for your team and $100 matched to your charity of choice.

Doing this hunt reminded me of all the resources we have on campus including

1) Student Activities and Union Services- Located in the 2nd floor of the SUB, this is the location for all your club needs! You can book a meeting room through this office, stamp club flyers for approval and plan big club events with the help of the staff. You can also buy bus tickets here to go home.

Student Activities and Union Services

2) Mail Services- Located in the basement of the Haggarty Administration Building, this is where students go to pick up packages The mail room emails you with a package number and it is very convenient. Letters are delivered right to residence hall mailboxes.

3)Career Resource Center- Located in Humanities, this is the perfect place to go to fix up your resume, find a job and practice interview skills!

Career Resource Center

Hope this handy dandy guide helped out:) Tonight I am performing in a huge show sponsored by the club JAM ASIA, tons of pictures to come next week!

Time for Applications!

Posted on March 1, 2013 by PayalB

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

This week was a little insane with the amount of work I had to do from essays to presentations to projects. But now it is over! It was totally worth it to be stressed to gain satisfaction, it was so good to start crossing things off of my To-Do List.

More stress is coming with plenty of applications. I am applying to be in National Residence Hall Honorary, a Resident Assistant and a Student Ambassador along with my study abroad application!

Along this process of applications, I have learned a few tips to share with all of you.

Tips for Applications and Interviews!

1) Be aware of deadlines! There are at least three different due dates on my calender right now that are bolded and highlighted. These are dates you never want to miss.

2)Edit Edit Edit your essays!- My biggest thing is that I write how I talk. Crispell’s PCA (peer career resource assistant) Lauren is awesome and helped me with all my applications. They are the person that you should defiantly utilize.

3) Relax and be yourself!- I know this is the one that seems most obvious, but it is also one that people forget to do.

My interview for RA is next Tuesday, I will let you know how that goes. In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful weather and stay stress-free!!

Put Your Records On

Posted on March 1, 2013 by StephaniM

Hiya Cyberland!!!

This week, I was swamped with homework, meetings, and programs. Needless to say this little busybee felt a bit stressed. Sometimes college can be stressful, BUT it’s so easy to wind down. I can tell you that you will always get through those rough patches My strategy = Always just take a break!

THE BAKERY!

My baby cupcake! YUM

This week, my friends and I went to The Bakery in town I have the biggest sweet tooth and am a sucker for anything frosted or decorated! They have delicious baked goods ranging from bagels, to cookies, to cakes, to real food. I hear their sandwiches are even better than the cookies, but I won’t know until I try one I love going to the bakery, I feel more relaxed the minute I step foot in town!

The other highlight of my week was making RECORD BOWLS with Bevier!

Our record bowls from start to finish!

I had a PCA, Peer Career Assistant/Resident Assistant Program As PCA, I am the liaison for the Career Resource Center to Bevier Hall. I help spread the word about events, review resumes, and direct residents to the CRC. My program was a lot of fun and my residents loved it! Check out this how to video on youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpmDCe_NIG0

Here’s a few photo’s of the process!

step 1. Heat up the record for about 2-3 minutes

I related this to RECYCLING FOR YOUR CAREER

1. RECYCLE your experiences. Network with past employers and coworkers. You never know what jobs they know of or WHO they might know.

2. REUSE your experiences. Keep track of all your extracurriculars and volunteer activities. Have a master copy of your resume and add each experience to it. You can then tailor your resume for your next job/internship. Be sure to stop by the CAREER RESOURCE CENTER! They can help you!

Step 2. Push the record into the bowl and change it’s shape. Be Careful it’s not too hot!

3. REDUCE the use of boring or the same words on your resume! Get creative and mix it up! check out the CRC for a list of good and bad resume words

Step 3. Cool down and Enjoy. We melted crayons in ours for a little extra decoration.

Let me know if you try making your own Have a great week!

<3 Marissa

Study Abroad and other Shenanigans :)

Posted on February 8, 2013 by PayalB

DRUMROLL PLEASE………

I am Hall Gov President! I worked really hard on my campaign which including putting up flyers and making a small speech. It was such a tight race (I only won by 2 votes!) I am so excited to work with all the new members and stay friends with the old ones, our goal is to win Hall of the Semester:)

Anyways this week I want to focus on something I took forever deciding on, but I have finally choose to study abroad this summer in Ecuador! So I wanted to take this week’s blog post to talk about the application process. (Our school has a huge percentage of study abroad students by the way)

My potential school in Ecuador for this summer!

Tips for getting started with Study Abroad,

1) Go to the school’s study abroad website. Fun fact! Because SUNY New Paltz is a part of the SUNY system, if you don’t like the programs through the school you can go with another SUNY school’s program.

2)Browse the programs. For me, I knew I wanted a short-term program because I get home-sick quick. I also wanted to go to South America to make use of my Spanish minor.

3) Go to this house! The Center for International Program has study abroad advisers that will help you either by appointment or during advising hours. They helped me get started on the application and on a scholarship search.

Center for International Programs

I really hope I get accepted into the program I want in Ecuador, I will let you know when I receive information back. For now, stay safe in the Blizzard approaching this weekend and let me know what things you are applying for this semester in the comments section below!

Glowing with Thanks :)

Posted on November 16, 2012 by StephaniM

“Happiness is not a state to arrive at, but a manner of traveling” – Margret Lee Runbeck

My Resident Director shared this quote with me today and I knew immediately that I had to share it with my Cyberland!

This week has been full of appreciation Literally, We had three appreciation days! I think it is very special New Paltz makes it a point to recognize individuals who make a difference in our community!

Tuesday was Central Staff Appreciation Day for Residence Life. We surprised their office with breakfast and personalized cards and gift bags. It was really nice to share a formal thank you

To my own surprise, I found myself receiving some appreciation today! I opened my door to find this poster How sweet is that? There were also small flyers and large signs posted all around my hall.

Thank You Bevier<3

My RD gave our staff a beautiful framed poem and custodial staff bought us bagels. I feel so lucky! I am very thankful for all of the incredible people here at New Paltz! Thank you <3

The literal highlight of my week was ZUMBA!! I set up a BLACK LIGHT ZUMBA night in Bevier

It was so fun and so easy! I covered a few of the windows in the main lounge to darken the room and set up two black lights. One of my residents taught the class, which made it even better! Thanks Meg! We also had a few black light essentials including highlighters, neon/white clothes, music, and glow sticks! Here’s a picture of a few of my residents after the program! I love Bevier Hall. It is such a warm place and even more supportive environment<3 #homeawayfromhome

It’s a little dark, but you can see the glow!

If you’d like to read more —> follow my twitter npblogMarissa

Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a fantastic week!

<3 Marissa

Frankenstorm?!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by PayalB

Hey readers! I hope you all safe from the horrible hurricane that recently hit. Last year we experienced a blizzard near Halloween and this year a Frankenstorm! New Paltz didn’t get hit bad but for safety our classes were cancelled Monday and Tuesday. Its terrible seeing all the destruction but many workers have devoted their time to rebuild especially in Long Island (my home town), Staten Island and areas near the city. All you could hear in New Paltz was heavy winds and rain. My suite and I made sure we were safe, clearly from wearing a viking helmet haha

My Suitemate Melanie looks out for us before the storm hits.

On to happier news! Last Saturday was Open House where I got to work as a volunteer tour guide as a member of C.R.E.W (Campus Recruitment Event Workers). It felt awesome to give out tours and see all potential students looking at colleges. It seems like just yesterday I decided to go to this school and now there are only 6 more weeks of my third semester!!

Halloween in New Paltz is always pretty big. With Crispell Hall, I gave out candy and helped cookie decorating during Halloween in The Halls. The little kids were so adorable! My favorite costumes were a toilet and a giant green M&M. My friend Jenna even dressed up like Frankenstorm itself. I always have tons of fun dressing up on Halloween though my mom always claimed I am getting too old for it :/ Nope! still got to dress up and even do a group costume with my suite and a group costume with my fellow Emerging Leaders mentors!

All my Halloween Costumes!

This week was exhausting from Halloween festivities all the way down to paper and dance practice. I am a part of Nachle New Paltz which is the Indian Fusion Dance Team on campus. We performed last Saturday at the African Women Alliance; Nabinji and we are performing this Saturday during the Epic Glee Show at Studley Theatre 7 o clock. Check us out!

Nachle New Paltz Team!

As always, it is great to get involved on campus. It keeps you sane between all the tests, papers and this week giant hurricane! How did you make it through the hurricane? Let me know in the comments section below and keep following me @NPBloggerPayal

Be Confident in Yourself :)

Posted on October 12, 2012 by StephaniM

Welcome Back!

The quote above has been really helpful for me this week. I absolutely love quotes. They are so inspiring to me and always give me a boost of confidence

The highlight of my week was my practices and performance with my A Capella group. Why? BECAUSE I TRIED OUT FOR A SOLO AND IT WORKED!!!!

We have a mash-up of Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (UGH – LOVE HER) and For once in My Life, by Stevie Wonder. I was really excited about this audition! It’s one of the first solo’s we have that is my range- LOW, which is my favorite place to sing. Throughout college, I’ve learned to be myself. If that means constantly smiling, dropping things, and singing in lower ranges – then why not go for it? I also realized that sometime’s all you need is a little confidence and positivity. I pushed myself to just take the chance, work for it, and try MY best. (My apologies to anyone near the Bevier computer lounge. I may or may not have practiced in there for a solid two hours this week… #sorrynotsorry )

The show was a blast, it was challenging to sing in front of a crowded room of students, but so worth it! I’ll post a few pictures soon! Right before I went on, I passed one of the RA’s bulletin boards. There were a bunch of motivational quotes including, ”It’s never to late to be what you might have been” by George Eliot. This gave me a blast of confidence because my sister loves this quote. It made me really happy to think of her. We both love Amy Winehouse, enough so that we are on first name basis…she’s our Amy.

My friends are so wonderful, they all came to see me – even those who lived off campus! I love the support system I have at New Paltz. It’s such an accepting and encouraging environment. I really benefited from positivity and inspiration this week — my hope is to spread some your way

“What lies behind us and what lies before us, Are tiny matters, compared to what lies within us” Emerson

“Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.” Marcus Aurelius

“Be Yourself, as no one else can.” Stephen Richards

“Don’t let the past steal your present.”

Last, but not least, ” Today is a smooth white seashell, hold it close and listen to the beauty of the hours.”

enjoy your day cyber land!

<3 Marissa

October!

Posted on October 4, 2012 by BenezraM

Hey everyone!

HAPPY OCTOBER! October is one of my favorite months of the year, not only because it’s my birthday month (on the 13th!), but it’s also the time of the year when it really becomes Fall-like and everything settles into what the year will be like. Here’s a look at what New Paltz looks like right now (although it has been kinda rainy the past couple of days :/)

It’s beautiful! It’s been another busy week…had two tests this week, in Astronomy and Counseling, both which I am happy with! I also had an Ice Cream Program for my residents this week called “Sundaes on Sunday with RA Max!” which was lot of fun, here’s what it looked like:

A lot of people came and everyone enjoyed socializing, having a study break and of course, the ice cream!

A few of my friends and I went to an awesome ice cream place called Stewart’s, a 15 minute or so walk into town, not too bad! Was delicious!

Speaking of food…I also had an awesome lunch with my friend Robin, who is also an RA here in Deyo! We had the lunch special at Tokyo Sushi and it was so good, here’s another picture:

Anyway, it’s time to relax…it’s nice to have Friday’s off!

Enjoy your weekends

Max

Full of Spirit!

Posted on September 28, 2012 by PayalB

What a Crazy Week!

Spirit Weekend was in full swing, from a lip sync competition to karaoke and a scavenger hunt!

After almost three days of practicing, changing into workout clothes every night and making some props…. Crispell won third in the lip sync competition!

Crispell Hall!

We also had a bunch of field events the day before. We didn’t win any events but it was super fun. They had “Minute to Win It” style games and even a tug of war. We were so close to winning tug of war but sadly lost to Lenape Hall.

Spirit Weekend was tons of fun and we got some really nice outfits out of it too! I can’t wait till next year to sweep the competition.

Tug of War!

If my body wasn’t sore enough from tug of war and dancing in the lip-sync, I also went to Mohonk Mountain with Emerging Leaders. It was awesome spending time with my mentees all together and going hiking with them. The rocks were super slippery and I definitely got some bruises but it was worth it to see the amazing view from the top.

Me and the fellow Emerging Leaders Mentors!

Hope to have more crazy adventures like this in the near future. Keep reading! and Remember to follow me on twitter @NPBloggerPayal. Did you guys do anything awesome this week? Let me in the comments section below!

Check out my video blog below!

Video Blog!

Living the Residence Hall Life

Posted on September 21, 2012 by StephaniM

Welcome Back Cyberland!

This week felt like a mini-week. We had off for Rosh Hashanah on Monday and Tuesday so it was an easy week in terms of classes. I really enjoyed being in the area with amble free time! My friends and I went to lunch at the Bistro in town, relaxed, caught up on some hw, and also played some old school board games in my residence hall. It turns out, “Would You Rather” is awesome to play in the lobby of your hall. I met about 17 new residents just from passing by and joining in on the laughs! As a Resident Assistant, I plan programs for my hall each month. Here’s a photo of one of my favorites – Kindergarten night!

I absolutely love living on campus! Sure there are times that it is nice to take a break and to visit my friends apartment’s off campus, but there’s something to be said about the residence hall community. I think community is the best way to describe it. I’ve felt apart of of each hall I have lived in and now call Bevier Hall my home. No offense mom ) This week my a few of my residents invited me to play some guitar with them. My skills are still a work in progress, but I had a lot of fun just getting to know them better.

The last highlight of my week is the Warrior’s Dance Team Auditions! One of my best friend’s is very passionate about dancing and I helped her pick her song for the audition. This week we used one of the school’s dance studio’s to practice. The dance studio is also where I take some of my group fitness classes. R.I.P.P.E.D.( pretty much a cardio boot camp) is the best!

Mirror Mirror!

That’s all for now! Hope you all have a great week and make the most of it. I’ll leave you all with one last thing-”The best way to predict the future is to create it” by Peter F. Drucker.

Thanks everyone