Taking It To The Streets

This last week was all about helping the community. Sigma Sigma Sigma's national philanthropy is the Robbie Page Memorial. The memorial was started in 1951 when our national president's son was diagnosed with polio. Originally the money raised was directed toward research to find a cure for polio. Since that has been found, the funds now help to build and maintain child play therapy rooms in hospitals. Ever seen the movie "Patch Adams"? That is a Sigma funded child play therapy room in that movie!

Each Spring, Tri Sigma at PSU raises money for the fund through an event we call "Rockin' for Robbie." We rock in rocking chairs for 72 hours to raise money. We started Monday off with our Rockin' For Robbie Kick off event. Jessica, Amanda, Courtney, Kelsey and Kelsey were a few of the 80+ people in attendance for the kick off event!

This year we teamed up with Lambda Chi Alpha. Each organization had 2 people rocking in the chairs at all times. 

Danielle and Sam were the first 2 to rock this year. I rocked from 10:00pm- Midnight that evening with my little sis, Lauren. Each person volunteered a minimum of 2 hours to rock.

After a week of rocking, we joined forces with other organizations on campus for The Big Event. The Big Event is a community wide service project that the campus participates in each year. We volunteer our time to the community to help families rake leaves, paint houses, clean and organize. If they need it done, we do it! I was the odd ball in my group for the event because everyone had a name that started with K except me. We were Melissa, Kacee, Kyla,

Kelsey, Kaylee and Kait. Team MKKKKK finished first and we were able to help in other yards.

Even though The Big Event is a lot of manual labor, we were blessed with great weather and we threw a little fun in the mix. Kait and I found ourselves in a "sword fight" at the first house after mulching the backyard! It was great to get out in the community and theank them for all they do for the university!

Spring is in the Air

Wow it is amazing how fast time has flown by since my last post. Lots has happened, and it is difficult to make myself sit down at the computer inside and blog when there is so much to do outside! So, be prepared for the novel of events I am about to provide insight for.
We last left off just before spring break. During my spring break I was able to spend time in my hometown with family and friends from high school. Halfway through the week, Erin and I went to visit our friend Kelly. She lives in Lawrence so we took a few days to catch up with her and we had a ball. We were able to see the St. Patrick's Day parade, watch some movies, and do what girls do best... shopping! We stayed up late into the night chatting and giggling like it was a slumber party from elementary school, but it made for a very successful and relaxing break!I then headed back to Kansas City for a few days, and while I was there, I got together with a few Sigmas and hit up Dave and Busters. We especially liked playing the jump rope game. It is basically a row of lights that is a virtual jump rope. We didn't earn many tickets playing, but the laughter and entertainment we got from the game were prize enough!After trying our luck at some other games, we did manage to reel in some tickets and when we traded them in, we all settled on these ridiculous furry ties. We actually wore them to our first Sigma meeting when we got back to school!After break I was refreshed and ready to get back to business to finish out the year. The first week I got back I attended Grad Finale. Here we finalize things for graduation, and I picked up my cap and gown. It boggles my mind that four years has already gone by here. That Saturday, University Student Ambassadors and the admissions office hosted Junior Jungle Day. This is a day that is catered specifically to high school seniors and their families to introduce them to Pitt and opportunities for education after high school.
Sunday was the annual Student Activities Council Easter Egg Hunt. It is one of the events we do each year to give back to the community and thank them for all of their support throughout the year. The hunt consists of games and prizes for children, as well as an Easter egg hunt and of course, a visit from the Easter bunny! The turn-out was great this year, and children were leaving with overflowing baskets. One of my favorite parts about this event is that we ask other organizations to join us and set up games for the kids. It is fun to meet all of the people from other organizations and interact with them while helping out the community!
Following the Easter egg hunt was Crimson Club. As the end of the year approaches, this is the last meeting we will have with Dr. Scott and his family before the new members for next year join us. This month we focused most of our conversation on alumni relations, and what we can do to help the university when we become alumni.
The weather has been clearing up and it has been far too beautiful out to stay inside. It is weather like this that makes it difficult to go to class because you would much rather be out taking in the fresh air! After class one day, Erin and I decided to use the breeze to our advantage and go kite flying! I had a blast, and once Erin gained control of her kite, she had a good time too! We then gave our kites to some kids that were playing in the park, and we had a little picnic complete with pb&j sandwiches, apples with caramel dip, and pudding cups! Operation in the park = success!The next weekend was Easter. I got to spend the entire weekend with family! It was so good to see my siblings and catch up with aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins. The first day I spent at my parents house. We feasted on delicious homemade meals and laughed about stories from when my siblings and I were younger. I have eight siblings, but two of them are 2-year-old twin girls. It is always good to see them every time I am home, and I am amazed at how much they have grown. I may be biased, but I am pretty sure they are the smartest, cutest 2-year-olds ever! Hannah even told me this weekend that my sunglasses made me look "distinguished." I don't know where she learned distinguished, but kids really do say the funniest things!The twins got to go hunt for eggs with my younger cousins and nieces. They are still grasping the concept, and they tend to get preoccupied with what is in the eggs rather than trying to find them all!My cousins and I, who are too old to hunt for eggs, got to hide all the eggs. We also were the only ones to take naps at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I think our full bellies, sun-drenched skin, and our grandparents comfy couches all factored into perfect napping conditions. My last Easter as a collegian was great. Now just one more month to see everything else fall into place, and I am beginning to realize it is going to be a very busy month!

The Road to Adulthood

I am realizing that graduation is rapidly approaching. While staying super busy, going from meeting to meeting, and frantically job hunting, I am still focused on the real reason I am here... school. I must admit I have developed a very chronic case of senioritis, and in the midst of trying to spend as much time as possible with all of the friends I am about to leave, school must come first.
Right now I am in the semester-long process of completing my senior project. I am developing 2 greeting card lines.One line will be a vintage looking line, with soft colors and black and white photos. Those will include sentimental sayings. I am calling it the Signature Series.

My other greeting card line is graphic based, bright colors, and witty sayings. It is called Things Mom Says and makes fun of common "momisms." So far, most of my efforts have been spent on this line and I have developed a few of the card designs.

Apples, Banquets, and a McChallenge!

Thursday, April 4th was PSU's annual Apple Day. Apple Day is one of the longest standing traditions on the PSU campus. The tradition started in 1903 when Principal Russ and faculty lobbied for a new building for the University in Topeka. In those days, students were fined for being absent. On this particular day, the students fined the faculty a barrel of apples for being absent while lobbying in Topeka. Thus, tradition was started, and each year the faculty provide apples for the student body in memory of the successful lobbying on that day.
Another tradition of Apple Day is the Golden Gorilla Award. Students are recognized each year for campus leadership, community involvement, and academic excellence. This year my friends Adam, Erin and I were all given the Golden Gorilla award, and some delicious apples as well!On Saturday, the Graphics and Imaging Technology department celebrated their 100th anniversary. Students, alumni, and faculty joined together to recognize outstanding students and reflect over the last 100 years of the department. As a senior, I was asked to create a display of my work over the last 3 1/2 years. Here, Christel Benson and I are posed with my display. I was able to show my photography display, posters and promotional items I have made for SAC, t-shirts i have designed, and this blog!On Sunday I had the day off. My friend Erin and I were super hungry so we decided to take on a little eating challenge. We ordered the new McNugget meal at McDonalds. The meal includes 50 McNuggets, 2 large fries, and 2 large sodas.Our eyes were definitely bigger than our stomachs. We started getting full about half way through, but we were determined to finish the whole thing! Twenty-five minutes later, we finished the entire meal. I tackled 30 of the 50 McNuggets, but Erin graciously helped me finish my fries. Needless to say, we did not go hungry for a long time after that meal!

Here, There, and Everywhere

This semester has been crazy busy, so I have lots of updating to do! This is my final semester at Pitt State and I am amazed at how fast it is slipping away from me. In just two short months I am off to the "real world." I am looking forward to everything ahead of me, but there is still so much to do here at PSU before I leave.
On January 30, Presidential Emerging Leaders Program hosted their annual Basic Leadership Training. BLT is an all day event for any student, but encouraged for any officer or leader on campus. The day consists of seminars and activities to promote better leadership skills and finding personal leadership styles. It is a fun opportunity to get to know people in your organizations better and build connections with other leaders on campus.
BLT provides lunch for everyone in attendance. I ate lunch with the Officer team for Sigma Phi Epsilon. These characters had just finished a leadership session about communication. Those headbands were previously blindfolds that they used during the session!The first week of February was Tri Sigma Sisterhood week. Each semester, the sisterhood chairs plan a week of fun activities that allow us to get away from our busy lives and spend some time as sisters. The first night was a game night at the sorority house. Everyone brought their favorite board games and the competition was intense! The competitive vibe continued into the second night when we went to the bowling alley!
The third night we decorated Valentine's Day cookies and distributed plates of decorated cookies to all of the other Greek houses on campus. The last night, we relaxed and curled up at the Sigma house for a movie night.That weekend I continued all things Greek by going to Greek Conference in Omaha, Nebraska! Each spring, Campus Crusade for Christ holds a conference for Greek students only. There were students from Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri. It was fun to meet other Greeks and find out what is going on in their houses and on their campuses. AJ, Kaylee and I had a blast meeting everyone and getting to know each other better. We definitely came back with all sorts of inside jokes, and new ideas for our sorority!
Last week was Gamma Epsilon Tau initiation. GET is an honor society for people in the Graphics and Imaging Technologies department. My friend Michelle and I got initiated along with about 20 other students. The organization is currently working on planning the annual department banquet that is coming up this weekend, and recruiting more students to come to Pittsburg State.

Why Fighting Like a Girl Can Be a Good Thing!

Ali Kemp was a lifeguard at a neighborhood pool in Kansas City. While life guarding one day, she was brutally murdered in the pool house. As a result of this tragedy, her family vowed to do everything in their power to make sure that would never happen to another woman. The solution: The Ali Kemp Educational Foundation (TAKE). The foundation teaches self-defense to women and girls so that they will be aware of how to protect themselves in violent situations.

Ali's father and brother were both members of Sigma Phi Epsilon while attending college. In 2007, Sigma Phi Epsilon adopted TAKE foundation as a national philanthropy. Since then, the Sig Ep chapter at Pitt State has teamed up with my Tri Sigma chapter to raise money for the foundation.

Because Ali was buried in her prom dress, we host a prom fashion show in honor of her and offer a free self defense class for all of the girls and women in attendance immediately following the show. This year we doubled our attendance and money raised for the foundation and look forward to seeing continued growth.

My job each year is to help with promoting the event, and I also take on the male side of the fashion show. Each year, several Sig Eps volunteer to escort the models on the runway and show off the latest fashion in tuxes. I am in charge of getting them fitted and helping them during the show. I had the pleasure of working with these gentelmen this year. Lucky for me, they are some of my best friends, which made it even more fun!
Sigmas volunteer to model the dresses. This year over 60 different dresses and styles were modeled. The ladies looked so beautiful!
Ali's father, Roger Kemp, joined us the day of the fashion show and was able to share his story along with some words of encouragement. It was empowering to meet him and hear the things he had to say and the heart he has for helping others.
Then the girls strutted their stuff! They did such an awesome job! We even made the school paper!

Winter Wonderland!

The end of fall semester kept me super busy and I am just now calming down to update everyone on my crazy life! During the last week of school, University Student Ambassadors held our last meeting of the semester with a tacky Christmas sweater theme! It was fun to see everyone out of their ambassador polos and in some funky outfits for a change. We feasted on cookies and hot cocoa, and finished our semester business before heading out on our winter break.
I got to spend some time with friends and family at home but then headed back to Pittsburg on New Years day to load up in a carpool, destination Denver, Colorado! Campus Crusade for Christ hosts an annual event called the Denver Christmas Conference. Crusade students from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico all join together for a week of fun and fellowship! This year Pitt State made up 10 of the 2,000 students in attendance. One of the days we were there, we had an opportunity to go out and serve the community. My group got to paint a stairwell and hallway for an elderly woman that could not do it for herself. Below is a picture of us with our finished masterpiece!
This year's theme for the conference was Glory. We were also lucky enough to catch a little winter wonderland glory on one of the last days of the conference. It snowed all day the last two days which made for some fun snowball fights in the courtyards outside of our hotel.
On the last night of the conference is a $5 prom. That means everything you wear must come out of your suitcase, or cost you less than $5. Lauren and I managed to make some semi tacky outfits to fit in with the crazy costumes everyone created. I think our hair was the best part of the whole ensemble!
As soon as I returned from Denver, I was back in action in Pittsburg. As Vice President of Student Activities Council, I am in charge of recruitment and training. Each semester I host a large training event for the executive council. I host smaller training events each month for all members. Our executive council can be pretty crazy at times, but our retreat to kick off the spring reassured me that we have a fun-filled semester ahead of us!