Spring Break!

It is unbelievable that this is my last spring break I will ever have! They always say that time flies when you're having fun. :) For spring break my freshman year, I visited my friend at Cornell and my other friend at UMich. But these past two years I have spent my spring break on cruise ships which is what I am doing this year as well!

Norwegian Sky

My cruise does not take sail until Monday so I am planning on going back to my parents house prior to the cruise to see my family but especially to see my cat. Unfortunately, the vet found cancer in my cat's eyeball and was forced to do surgery to remove the entire eye. The cat is basically my child and midterm week has been killing me because I have not had time to go drive home to see him post-surgery. Making sure my cat is okay is a priority on my list right now for the break. My friend/sorority sister/roomie Jamie is going to come home with me so I can have company on the drive.

We are going to leave my parents house on Sunday morning to drive down to our mutual friends house in Southern Florida. We plan on staying at her place Sunday night so we are closer to the Miami port for our cruise leaving Monday evening. We will be spending the night sailing the ocean on Monday night and when we wake up Tuesday morning we will be in Great Stirrup Cay, The Bahamas. I think that my group of friends will end up just hanging out on the beaches of Nassau because the excursions to pick from were pretty limited.

Most likely, we will spend the next night seeing a show on board or going to the casino on the ship. My favorite thing about cruises is spending time on the ship. I love exploring around the ship and seeing everything it has to offer. I am a little disappointed that this cruise will not have any "day at sea" but I guess that will just make this spring break unique! The next day we will be in Nassau, The Bahamas that should have many more excursions to choose from. My group of friends and I have started to look into some excursions but I personally feel that I have spent enough money already so I am not looking that deeply into spending more money on excursions.

Finally, the last port we will be visiting is Grand Bahama Island. I have been to the first two ports before on other cruises but I have never been to Grand Bahama Island. I am excited to see a new place and what it has to offer. After going on cruises for the past two years, this cruise should hopefully go by smoothly. It is always difficult to keep track of everyone without the ability to use our phones. It is exciting to finally be able to use some of the money I earned this past summer to have fun on spring break.

After my cruise, I plan on going back to my parents' house and spending time with my family until classes begin. It is so nice to know that I will have zero schoolwork to do over spring break and I can take a full week to just relax.

I hope everyone has a safe spring break! 

Spring Break 2012

Website - Passion for Dance

Ever been obsessed with shows like "So You Think You Can Dance," "Dance Moms" or "Dancing with the Stars?" Then you must be a dance fanatic like I am! Throughout the majority of my childhood I spent my free time dancing. Even before I was in organized dance classes, you could find me dancing around my room or basement. My parents even bought me a dance floor to put in the basement for my 12th birthday.

I was never the dancer who won all the top awards but I was always the one with a huge heart for dancing. The dance solo award that I would receive is the passion award which made it a perfect title for my first website I ever created. When I began creating a website, I knew instantly that I wanted to make it about dance. I could talk about dance for hours which creates the perfect topic for creating an informative website. On the home page I decided to put a youtube sensation video called "Evolution of Dance." I believe that this video is one of the funniest dance videos I have seen that perfectly displays the different dance styles throughout the years. It is a difficult video to explain in words and needs to be watched to serve it justice. I promise that it will give you a good laugh, especially if you are a 90's kid!

The second tab of the website contains history of dance as well as a couple different pictures that show the different styles of dance. The history of dance is a brief one because that is not the main focus of the website but is something that you cannot leave out. I chose to explain the different dance styles through pictures because in that situation, photos depict the styles much better than my words would be able to. The next tab has mini-bios of my favorite famous dancers as well as another page to show their unique dancing through videos. I was taught about these dancers in a course I took while in high school which began my interest in them. Not only are these dancers incredible performers but you can see their passion for dance through their movements. The following tab shows a bunch of movies that contain some of the best dancing I have ever seen.

Finally, the final page of my website is dedicated to my own personal experience of dance. I put videos up of my high school dance team and summed up my experience in a paragraph. My high school dance team won 14 National Championships in 13 consecutive years. During my senior year, I was captain and there was intense pressure to succeed and win. It is an unbelievable feelings to be apart of a dance team like that that is much bigger than yourself. Just like dance, it is impossible for me to express everything in words, my website will speak for itself through "performing." Please check out my website to further explore dance! Below is the link to my website :)

 Passion for Dance  



  

Digital Marketing

 

Although my professor has done an excellent job of teaching me vital marketing techniques, I believe that by combing more interactive learning styles with we can improve new digital marketing material while utilizing our time more efficiently.

I feel that the teaching in the classroom needs to utilize interactive learning because it is difficult to explain digital concepts through just speech. It is complicated material and difficult to keep up without being able to teach it through a hands-on teaching method. When I was creating the website, I had a hard time figuring everything out. We had a list of requirements that they website needed but I did not fully understand what was expected of us. Even though I was able to use Google to figure most things out, I feel that my website would have been more impressive if I had been taught in class how to create one. We are required to bring our laptops to class but have yet to use them for a teaching activity.

I really would love to learn new material. Unfortunately, our other professor was unable to do this because of health reasons. We were only able to learn new information roughly 1-2 times in class. I am really looking forward to learning about digital marketing because I believe it will help me immensely in the marketing world. I decided to take this class because I believe it is interesting information and can't wait to learn more about it.

Finally, I believe that class time should be used more efficiently because we only meet once a week. One class we spent meeting each other in a "speed dating" type of game and in another class we spent the entire class period showing our websites one by one. I know that all of these things were done for a reasons but I feel that class time should be used for other things. We spent the majority of our time doing activities like this so we were unable to learn new things.

Superbowl

Everyone knows that the best thing about the Super bowl are the commercials and of course, Beyonce's half time show for this Super bowl. Out of all of the commercials, the go daddy one made me feel so uncomfortable. Go daddy was definitely my least favorite commercial because no matter what the two individuals look like, I do not enjoy watching two people make out. My favorite commercial of the day was the Taco Bell one with all of the old people partying like they are teenagers/college kids again.

Taco Bell was able to hit their target market which in my opinion, is young adults and teenagers. After a long night out, at least one person will always suggest to go to Taco Bell. I like how Taco Bell choose to use elderly individuals rather than the actual target market to make it entertaining. It was funny to watch their age group do something that was not the norm and cute how they wanted to live in young adults again to have fun. I think Taco Bell was able to hit all of the different silly acts that young adults do while out on the town. For me, I like not knowing what the commercial is advertising in the beginning because I like to try and guess what it will be for which is exactly what Taco Bell chose to do.

One fast food competitor of Taco Bell is McDonalds. McDonalds would probably never do a commercial like the one Taco Bell chose to do for the Super Bowl. While Taco Bell aims for the young adult age group, McDonalds usually aims for young kids. Their commercials involved kids ranging from ages 5-14ish. They use their commercials to show what new toys are in their happy meals for the upcoming movies. Even though McDonalds is more successful than Taco Bell, I believe that Taco Bell has more entertaining commercials as a whole. I may be saying that though because I am in the age range that they are trying to target.

Another fast food competitor of Taco Bell is KFC. KFC had a Super bowl commercial that I enjoyed in the beginning but then it began to feel extremely repetitive. I think it had a huge potential to be funny especially since they used the term "couchgating" in reference to tailgating for football games. Taco Bell's commercial held my attention a lot more than the KFC commercial. Even though KFC does target families, I believe that they sometimes try to target young adults (as they did in the Super bowl commercial this year). I do not think that KFC was as successful as Taco Bell with reaching the proper target market.

The Taco Bell commercial was the best commercial for Super bowl 2013. Even though I was pretty disappointed with the majority of commercials this year. I can confidently say that I would enjoy watching that Taco Bell commercial more than once. Whereas McDonalds and KFC commercials are not as entertaining.

Social Life

The Ultimate Stereotype

The worst part about the Greek community is how small it is. Usually at other schools, the Greek life is enormous and has a lot of support behind it by the school. The close knit Greek life makes it difficult to date or go out at night because everyone knows each other. It is fun to know a bunch of people when I go out to bars but dating wise it makes it uncomfortable when you know everyone's business. It is also uncomfortable when you go out at night and see the exact person you are trying to avoid. Unfortunately, some Greeks fall into the same stereotypes that non-Greeks accuse everyone of. Some of the guys in fraternities, try to be "frat stars." They come into college and rush thinking that that is what they are suppose to be like. Which then makes them complete jerks to any girl they meet. At first, they will pretend to be nice and like you but the second one of their guy friends know about it....they make the guy feel like a wimp for being nice. But then you find the diamond in the rough, who is such a sweetheart and ignores their friends comments about the guy being a gentleman. I know that I definitely see myself marrying a fraternity guy because they may act like little boys in college. But fraternities teach them how to be responsible, leaders, and how to communicate efficiently. Which in my opinion, is perfect for a future husband.

Nightlife is definitely unique for Greek life. Most people know one another and know the bartenders as well. It makes it fun and easy to go out at night. It is always comforting to know that we have over 100 girls in our organization and at least one of those girls can provide a safe ride home. Every single night there is at least one group of girls staying in studying or just hanging out. I love knowing that I have so many options as to what to do with my nights on the weekend. I have had weekends where I go out every night but weekends when I stay in and studying all weekend long which I am never alone for. There is a preconceived notion that Greeks get blacked out drunk every time they go out but that is not true at all. Sometimes we go to World of Beer and just have one beer casually or go out and the driver so they do not drink at all. My nightlife is significantly different now that I am Greek and I love it. When you know various people at the bar it feels like it is your own party that you decided to throw but you do not have to clean up afterwards. It is exciting to go out and never know who is going to be there. It is a Greek family reunion every night.

Dry Social Location

It is a lot of fun to go on themed socials with other Greek organizations. They are registered events with security guards and coach buses that drive us downtown. It creates an entirely safe environment that creates an event for two organizations to enjoy. We do not always go to bars, most of the time we have dry events at trampoline places, laser tag, roller skating, etc. Personally, I enjoy our dry events more than the wet events because then you really get to know the other organizations.

Recruitment

Every single year, sororities are required to do a formal recruitment which is a process that brings new members into the organization. Recruitment is something that is critiqued the most by non-Greek individuals. It really isn't something we have a blast doing but is something that we have to do in order to gain new members. For example: you do not always enjoy certain drills at sport practices but they are done to make the team better as a whole. Recruitment is the one time of year when we are able to expand our organizations and make us the best we can be. It is a long, grueling two weeks but it is worth it in the end when you have amazing new members that will be the future leaders of your chapter.

Legally Blonde: The Movie

When I went through as a potential new member, it was miserable. I was a Long Island girl who was not used to the Floridan heat what-so-ever. I did my hair and make up every day to make the best impression on the chapters I would meet. Unfortunately, my hair would frizz, my make up would run and I would start to sweat from the heat. On the first day, I visited all 10 chapters at the time, and they would open their doors screaming chants and singing songs. I really felt overwhelmed and like I was in that movie legally blonde. It was definitely a lot to handle at once and a lot to take in. There were many moments that I wanted to drop out of recruitment because I was sick of the heat and sick of having so many random conversations with girls who I couldn't tell if they liked me or not. One day the weather was so bad that we were stuck inside a sorority house for almost an hour playing random games to pass the time. There were some chapters that I liked more than others but sometimes those chapters would not invite me back the next day. At the same time, there were chapters that I didn't want to go back to but had to visit the following day. My older sister kept trying to explain to me that I would go where I fit the best and that the system works. While going through recruitment, it didn't feel that way at all. I felt confused and let down most of the time. I was stuck between two different chapters and had a tough time choosing which one I wanted. I closed my eyes and tried to picture myself in both sororities and I decided on the one I am in now by how I felt. When I ran home to my chapter on the last day of recruitment, I knew my sister was right and that the system works. It is a hard feeling to describe but I felt so at home and that I found my school family I had been looking for. It sounds cheesy and I'm not a mushy stereotypical girl but I do not know where I would be without my sorority sisters. Even though I did not like anything about going through recruitment, I am so happy that I decided to stick it out and join a sorority.  

Why I chose this blog topic

There are so many stereotypes surrounding Greek life that were created through entertainment. Most people believe that what they see in the movies or television shows are actually what happen in real life. If that were true, then we could say that in real life, people have super powers and can save the world through being half spider. In my English class two years ago, I conducted a survey and wrote a research paper on the perception of Greek life from UCF students. The majority of my class said that they would not even speak to an individual if they were wearing Greek letters. This response surprised me because you wouldn't know if I am a sorority girl or not just by looking at me in everyday clothing. We have always been taught through life to not judge people on the color of their skin so let's not start judging people by the letters on their shirt. It frustrates me to know that someone will talk to me one day in a regular t-shirt but the second I put on my Greek letters, I am ignored. When I presented this topic to my English class, they debated over the topic my entire presentation and continued to talk about it after class had ended. I chose to write this blog to show that Greek life isn't what everyone thinks. It is hard to judge an entire organization on one individual you may dislike. Personally, I joined Greek life for networking, leadership opportunities, and philanthropy work. There is so much to be gained out of any organization on campus, you won't know until you try. It is like the saying "you can't judge a book by it's cover." My sorority sisters make me a better person and push me to do the best I can in school. My GPA is the highest it has ever been since I joined my sorority as well as the various leadership opportunities on my resume. After joining Greek life, I now recognize all the student leaders on campus from other Greek organizations as well as opened new doors for myself for my future career. Greek life is one of those things that you can't understand looking in and can't explain from looking out. It is an experience that is indescribable and one of the best decisions I have made coming to college. My sorority has shaped me into the best person I come become. Through being on my sorority's executive board, it has taught me how to professionally deal with poor situations and confront people in a manner that they would respect. Different groups are continually being judged, people should remember what it would feel like if they were to be that individual being judged.  People need to remember to never judge something before they fully learn about it and to keep an open mind to things that are foreign to them. The most treasured factor about Greek Life is the ability of the organization to go past the four years at UCF. Usually once a person graduates from an institution, they are no longer involved with any extra-circular activities completed while being a student. When joining a fraternity or sorority, that person is making a life commitment to these organizations. After graduating UCF, each Greek individual will still be considered a member of those fraternities and sororities. These people you meet while in Greek Life become more than just friends, they become brides maids, neighbors, and especially family. 

Welcoming new girls into our sorority - 2011

When I was welcomed into the sorority - 2010

Homecoming Skit Knight - 2010