The Burning House

     Here I go again with the weird stuff ... just bear with me. I was fiddling around Sunday night on the world-wide Web, and I remembered that Sunday is PostSecret day. So being the weirdo who likes to read secrets of strangers, I went to the website and read some pretty intriguing secrets..
     I don't know what it is about that website ... I really like it! I always think about what my secret would be and I can't come up with anything good. I understand that I don't have to have some deep, dark, depressing secret that's burdening my life to send something in to PostSecret. I think what pulls me towards the site is that little hope that I'll come across a postcard with something written on it that directly connects to my life.
 Not like someone writing, "Maddie Gionet, will you marry me?" More like someone writing about a tough time they're going through that I'm also dealing with in my life. It's the feeling of knowing someone is either going through the same thing I'm struggling with or did struggle with and they got through it. Reassurance ... it's a good feeling.

Remember Me

     Sanctus Real said it best:

"Oh, I want to leave a legacy to be remembered,

More than just a memory that fades away,

Because we only, we only get one life."

~ Legacy



     Sure, a little morbid ... don't worry, I'm not thinking of doing anything drastic. But do you ever wonder what type of legacy you're going to leave behind?

     Today marks the second anniversary of one of my best friend's (Alicia) mother's (Tricia) death. I don't really want to go into details, but this day marks an important day in my life.

     I had never really witnessed death before this, and never death at such a young age. Sure, I've been to multiple funerals for great aunts and uncles but I didn't really know them so there was no connection. There was a connection with Tricia, though. This was the first time I truly questioned life and what we're here to do. This day comes with sadness, but also inspiration. May 19 always reminds me to live life to the fullest and have no regrets ... leave a legacy you'll be proud of.

Students balance busy social life and academic life in different ways

     ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (May 10) – Monday, 8 a.m. Abhi Aggarwal wakes up and immediately turns on his iPad – but not to check Facebook or Twitter. Aggarwal’s finger taps the calendar application and a sea of appointments washes over the screen.

     “I have a daily schedule,” said Aggarwal, a junior bioinformatics major. “It really helps to have all my appointments in front of me at every second of the day. I even have to schedule getting a haircut.”

     Friday, 8:30 a.m. Aja Wzientek has worked out for an hour and now heads to class. Afterward, she’ll go to intramural volleyball practice and then complete her 32-hour work week at Tops.  Beginning and finishing her homework are two thoughts that haven’t even crossed her mind yet.

     “Sometimes I feel like I don’t have enough time in the day to do everything that needs to get done,” said Wzientek, a junior physical education major. “But I’m totally self sufficient. I pay for my car, my housing, everything. It’s nice to provide for myself, but I’m definitely busy all day, every day.”

     Aggarwal and Wzientek are part of a proportioned population of St. Bonaventure University students who demonstrate the difficulty of getting the most out of their college experience while maintaining a stellar grade point average.

     Professors and students interviewed all had different advice on how to balance extracurricular activities and schoolwork.

     “Time management is everything in college,” said Aggarwal. “To-do lists and schedules make you create goals. Whether your goal is simple or complex – it gives you direction.”

     Aggarwal said attending class and maintaining a schedule hold the same importance in his life.

     “I don’t have time to study outside of class, so the only time I get to learn something is when it’s being introduced in class,” said Aggarwal. “Even if you do have time to study outside of class, you should still go to every class. It makes studying much easier down the road.”

     Aggarwal averages 20 to 21 credits per semester and maintains a 3.8 grade point average. He said he tries not to crisscross class and meetings. Holding leadership positions in three different groups makes that difficult.

     As president of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE), treasurer of Campus Activities Board (CAB) and president of the service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega (APO), Aggarwal said he dedicates a total of at least 16 hours a week to all three clubs.

     “I spend two hours every day, including weekends, developing business models for SIFE,” said Aggarwal. “I spend about one to two hours per week coordinating activities and planning social events for APO and another one to two hours per week managing CAB’s budget.”

     Aggarwal said his drive comes from the goals he has set.

     “I always try to incorporate my future into what I do,” said Aggarwal. “I ask myself, ‘How will this help me in the future?’ I want to take advantage of everything.”

     Wzientek’s reason for being so busy differed.

     “My parents don’t have much,” said Wzientek, pronounced ZIN-TEK. “I have to work for everything I want, but it drives me to ensure that my life will be better and easier than theirs.”

     Wzientek said she accomplishes this goal by getting the most out of her education and working close to a full-time job.

     “I’m taking 18 credits at SBU and three online at JCC,” said Wzientek, who maintains a 3.8 GPA. “It’s more adaptable for me, but it definitely takes up all my time.”

     Wzientek said using her planner helps her schedule her packed days.

     “I play volleyball, work 32 hours a week at Tops, ref youth sports at the YMCA weekly, tutor and take notes for the Teaching and Learning Center and I’m the secretary of the education honors society, Kappa Delta Phi,” said Wzientek.

     Her secret to surviving one week, let alone a semester?

     “Me time,” said Wzientek.

     “I work until 9:30 on Friday nights, and then I’m done with work for the weekend,” said Wzientek. “I love dancing. It’s really cathartic.”

     The summer benefits of Wzientek’s efforts during the academic year also push her to stay busy.

     “I’ve been to Europe three times in the past two years,” said Wzientek. “I work hard during the school year, save my money and get to travel to places like Switzerland, Spain, Italy and France. All the hard work really pays off when I get to have experiences like these.”

     Chuck Walker, professor of psychology, said students need self control to balance all facets of college life.

     “Studies have shown that higher levels of self control lead to better academic performance and more participation in university life,” said Walker.

     Other Bona students carry heavy course loads and make time for campus involvement like Aggarwal and Wzientek. They said time management is crucial.

     “Staying active, volunteering and filling my day with lots of activities actually help me not get stressed,” said Sam Margulies, a junior biology major.           

Margulies, who has a 3.96 GPA, said she takes as many credits as possible each semester and has not gotten below an A minus.  But it wasn’t all easy in the beginning.

     “My dad’s father died during his first semester of college,” said Margulies. “It made it really hard on my dad, and he didn’t do too well that first year. I wanted to work hard to make my dad proud, so my studies were everything during freshman year. I soon realized I wasn’t enjoying college.”

     Since then, Margulies said she has made the best of her time at St. Bonaventure, incorporating her interests into her extracurricular activities.

     “I’m in charge of the healthcare division of SIFE, I take ballroom dance classes, I tutor, I’m a member of BonaResponds and Bona Buddies, I have a radio show at the Buzz and I’m a student ambassador,” said Margulies.

     BonaResponds and Bona Buddies are two service-oriented groups on campus, said Margulies.

     Structure in Margulies’ day reduces stress, she said.

     Faculty differed in their opinions on how students can be successful in every aspect of college life.

     Mike Threehouse, head coach of the St. Bonaventure softball team, said he holds his players to individual standards.

     “I recruit all of my players in high school and get a good look at their high school grades,” said Threehouse, whose team had a mean 3.48 GPA for the fall semester. “I hold them to those high school standards and then look for them to do a bit better.”

     Threehouse said he reminds his players that getting an education comes before playing softball.

     “They all know that I’ll bench them or take them off the team if they don’t do well academically or aren’t honest with me about their schoolwork,” said Threehouse.

     Walker said each student needs to start slowly and work up to balancing more than one task.

     “It’s sort of like muscle memory,” said Walker. “You need to focus on one task, and once you gain self control in that task, you can begin to transfer the control to other tasks in life.”

     Threehouse agreed.

     “It’s all about self determination,” said Threehouse. “Not many people will tell you to go for it. You have to do it yourself. Down the road, in your future, you’ll be happy you pushed yourself.”

JMC 202 Story

Students learn about the Franciscan values outside of the classroom

     ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. (April 27) – Someone takes a few extra seconds to hold open the door for you. Drop a notebook? Before you can pick it up, someone has already done it for you. You’re walking to class and someone smiles at you. Some call these actions selfless acts of kindness. St. Bonaventure University students call them Franciscan values.

     “These values are innate in us,” said Alex Henry. “We don’t even realize we’re using them in everyday life.” 

Jump

     As my sophomore year comes to a close, I'd like to reflect a bit. I promise, I won't be too wordy. :) One word can sum up this year - risky.
     Risky. Dictionary. com defines risky as, "hazardous." Not the best definition I've seen before, but it'll do. If I could define risky after this year, and definitely after this semester, I would say it means jumping without knowing where you might land, taking a chance on someone else and trusting that everything will work out the way it's supposed to.