Being a graduate intern for the National Association for Campus Activities (NACA) has been the most memorable and enjoyable experience. Tonight we had the opportunity to go out to dinner at Rain Forest Cafe with our Graduate Intern Coordinator, Chris Gill, and the six other graduate interns. Besides have an amazing coconut shrimp dinner, we reflected on our experience that we have had so far since we have been at the National Convention.
I have been going to professional development conferences since I was a sophomore. I have also had the unique opportunity to be part of a variety of student affairs associations. What makes NACA special to me is the warm welcome that was created since we got here on Friday. The members of the board of the directors and the convention committee continuously have gone out of their way to make us feel inclusive and part of the team.
It is pretty sad to know that the convention is almost over. Student Activities conventions level of energy and enthusiasm drives me to continue my graduate program within this specialized area. All of us interns have really bonded within the past five days and have connected really well. We came here on Friday, only having done email and phone correspondence, and today we are leaving close friends. The impact that an organization can have on you is immeasurable. Thank you NACA!
Filed under: Uncategorized on February 11th, 2009 | Comments Off
This is the semester of travel and exploration. I am at the airport now with Armando about to leave to go to Guatemala until Monday. I am really looking forward to it. Armando came to visit me Freshman year in Massachusetts and this will be my first time going to Guatemala. It is his brother’s birthday this weekend and we are surprising him.
I think I should have brushed up on my Spanish so I would be able to engage in some communication with his family… I mean anytime I am around Lynette or Armando I try to work on my Spanish skills. I took Spanish for six years since I was in 7th grade. I can usually engage in communication as long as the person I am speaking to speaks slowly. We will see how this goes…
Filed under: Travel on February 6th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
For anyone who is studying Hospitality Management I believe that it is crucial that you participate in as many internships or work experience within the industry as possible. I had the opportunity to begin working in the industry when I was thirteen years old. I started at a private country club in MA as a busser. That small position opened the doors for numerous opportunities. Soon after that I was a bar back, host, banquet server, a la carte server, bartender, shift supervisor, and even a sous chef.
I just returned from the Hilton Deerfield after meeting with the General Manager, Director of Revenue Management, and Director of Human Resources. I will be starting on Monday interning with the Director of Revenue Management, Mr. Fernando Montilla. I am really looking forward to this chance to work directly with the management team of Hilton. I believe that I will get a great experience and learn a lot about the business.
Filed under: Hotel Internship, Lynn on February 4th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
I am really pumped and excited for this upcoming semester. Our e-board meeting was very successful this evening. After last weeks general assembly meeting going so successful, I am really looking forward to our accomplishments this upcoming semester. We had over 70 students attend our meeting. The enthusiasm and high level of involvement throughout the meeting was astounding.
We are currently working on our two semester projects: civility week and the amazing chase. Ryan is in charge of civility week and he is really doing a great job. We had our second civility meeting today at lunch and we decided the design of our buttons, tshirts, and banners. I am really looking forward to this initiative because I think it can have a very powerful impact on our community.
The Amazing Chase is going to be a 24 hour scavenger hunt on campus and within the Boca Raton community. It will be open to students, faculty, and staff. We really want to get the ENTIRE community involved. It is going to be a lot of fun and we are looking to create a tradition that can continue in the future.
Are you interested in SGA? Will you be the next SGA President? Elections are approaching quickly and I am really looking forward to individuals stepping up to the plate and running for the e-board. Applications are due March 16th so feel free to come by the SGA office in Knights’ Court to pick one up!
Filed under: Lynn, SGA on February 3rd, 2009 | Comments Off
Did you know that Birmingham is an urban city? Did you know that its not a field where cows eat hay? Maybe I am the only one who thought Birmingham Alabama was a country town. I definitely found out that it is much more. I was at the ALURH conference this weekend. It is a conference for all the RHA’s in the state of Alabama to come together and share their leadership skills with each other. It was a blast. I only slept an hour on Friday night because we were staying in the University of Alabama Recreation Center. We played dodgeball at 4:30am!!!! It was insane.
I was staying with my friend Ron who is an Residence Life Coordinator at UAB. Their campus is really unique, because it is practically the city. There are so many hospitals in the radius of their campus. Health, nursing, and pre-med are huge programs. I got a chance to meet his RA staff and it was tons of fun.
Filed under: Friends, Resident Assistant, Travel on February 1st, 2009 | Comments Off
Filed under: Class, Lynn, Travel on January 19th, 2009 | Comments Off
Waking up this morning at 7:00am after getting in from Luzerne last night was a challenge. I hadn’t even packed to go to Interlockin. We are going there for two days and are going to be able to going skiing and paragliding in the alps. I quickly took a shower, steamed my shirt, tied my tie, and put on my suit. Tova rang my room bell, and I frantically finished packing. I ran downstairs to grab some breakfast. Breakfast was panini’s, cereal, yogurt, and fruit. A little different, but acceptable.
Fondue, fondue, and more fondue. We went to a Swiss cheese factory today and learned how Swiss cheese is made and processed. We even had the opportunity to see how the making of Swiss cheese has changed over the years through technology and innovation. For lunch we had fondue with homemade Swiss chess and a selection of bread, fruit, and potatoes. So, so, so good…
After the Swiss cheese factory we toured and interviewed with the General Manager of the Wellness & Spa Hotel Beatus Merligen, in Merligen on Lake Thun. Check out the pictures:
Filed under: Lynn, Travel on January 16th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
So right now I am standing in baggage claim with Tova and Sa. All of us had passed through customs safely, except for Vanessa. Vanessa was behind me in line and when she approached the counter they asked her for her visa. I thought that was odd because none of us were asked for a visa. I then realized that she didn’t have a US passport and that was why. I waited patiently to see what was going to happen, then she asked me to go get Dr. Downey.
They wouldn’t let her through without a visa. She had told me that he asked if she needed one and they replied no. Shortly after Dr. Downey returned we realized that they changed the rule a month ago. Thanks to the assistance of the Swiss border patrol they are able to grant her a temporary visa for fifteen days which is perfect. We are just waiting for them to finish paperwork and then we will be off to Lucerne.
Filed under: Travel on January 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
Usually when you go to an A La Carte restaurant, you don’t serve yourself. But after thirty minutes of being seating and my friends and I still not having our drinks I became rather frustrated with the service. Being a hospitality management student I usually have the most patience out of anyone when it comes to restaurants. They are many behind-the-scenes events that occur within a restaurant and slow service is not always to be blamed on the server, but this was not the case. I went up to the bartender and asked to speak with the manager of On the Border at the Atlanta Airport. She handed me my drink that had been sitting there for ten minutes and told me that the other drinks would be over shortly. She asked me if I still would like to speaker to a manager I respectfully responded, “Yes please.â€
When the server came over she said that they were short staffed. We received our meals twenty minutes later, and still no manager had approached the table. Tova’s steak on her salad was raw and the food was not very good. Tova never received her coke and it clearly was not a good experience. All I asked for was to speak to the manager and a simple task like that couldn’t get accomplished. Ugh, oh well…we are about to board.
Filed under: Travel on January 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
AT THE AIRPORT…I can’t believe it….soon enough we will be in Switzerland. We have a family friend in Switzerland that will be an hour away from me so hopefully I will have the chance to meet up with him. Tova, Sa, and I got a ride this morning from Sa’s house. The driver couldn’t find the house at first, but eventually he did. We got to the ticket counter and Tova and I checked in. Sa’s ticket couldn’t be found in the system. Slight panic went through our bodies. They said that her ticket had been cancelled. Odd?? I think so…Sa called her agent and got the ticket number. We went back up to the counter and gave them the new ticket number…we waited patiently, for the results…it worked! Thank goodness. Even though it wasn’t my ticket, I was still nervous.
Filed under: Travel on January 14th, 2009 | Comments Off
