I finally got around to going to Muvico and seeing a movie. Watching the movie was purely an excuse to see the Lynn Commercial in theater, and enjoy my 15 seconds of fame. I felt rather special sitting in the packed theater, everyone watching something I created. However, I was rather disappointed when some rude individuals continued to talk over my hard work. I must admit, I had to stop myself from jumping up and ’shhhhh’ing them. Laura, my amazingly supportive friend and co worker brought her camera along and we tried to snap a photo of the screen… evidence. And she even gave me a little applause after the commercial had aired. I was hoping every one would clap, but then again, I was just relieved nobody ‘boo’ed!

Well, the second Lynn Commercial launched today on YouTube and also on our Facebook page:

Thanks again to everyone involved. These commercials are a true window into Life @ Lynn!

A few days ago the new Lynn University Commercial launched in movie theaters in our area. If you remember, I had been working on the production of the videos for quite some time. Well, it is such a relief to know that the videos are now in theater and running smoothly. I never thought I would be on the same screen as the premier of Batman! In fact, I never really saw myself on the big screen at all! However, it is due time that I make my way down to Muvico and see myself in theater.

There are two commercials, one of which I have posted to our Lynn University Facebook page.

I just wanted to say a big thank you to each student that worked with me in creating the commercial. Interestingly, none of the students are professional actors, merely students being themselves. It’s a truly authentic commercial. If you go to the science lab, you’ll find Rhandi working in her lab coat. The classes that I taped in were actual classes, and the teachers were really teaching. And if you walk around campus, you’re bound to find me somewhere with a video camera. So, the commercial is as honest a reflection of the university you can get.

I’ve just arrived back from a week in Washington D.C. I received an e mail a few weeks back inviting me to attend the Athgo Third Annual Global Forum at the World Bank Headquarters. The Forum, Miracles of Development: Good Governance and Capacity Building partnered with The World Bank and Speaker’s Bureau, including presentations from acclaimed individuals, such as Congresswoman Linda Sanchez, United States House of Representatives; H.E. Urs Ziswiler, Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States of America; Caroline Schwab, Program Officer, Coordination Sector for External Relations, WIPO; and many more inspirational speakers.

I actually interned at the Forum, and was a member of the media team. It was such a wonderful experience, and it was quite testing balancing my two passions: media and world affairs. Willie Mitchell, who was the media team coordinator was the most interesting of characters. I must say that I learned more than I imagined from him. One of my tasks was to interview the speakers… what a fantastic opportunity.

It was phenomenal to meet with students and young professionals from all corners of the globe. I developed lifelong friendships with people from China, Uganda, Korea, Greece, and many other interesting countries. Who would ever imagine that two-hundred unique individuals from all places of the world could come together for a common cause of making a difference in their world. This forum gave students a platform from which to present ideas and visions, to receive feedback which suggests the success of these proposals in different countries. Ultimately, the forum is a launching pad, from which young people can enjoy the networking benefits, the knowledge and experience of world leaders, and ultimately follow their dream and succeed.

The worst thing about the Forum was that it had to come to an end.

Aniela, Carlos, Armen (Founder of Athgo), myself, Roberta, and Isha.

Myself and Elle – The Media Team interns

In a recent blog I asked you if there were any aspects on campus you would like to see. Kristopher left me a comment asking to see more of the facilities on campus, and also the dorm rooms.

Lynn does not have Upperclassman dorms, all dorms are open to any student class, however, we operate on a lottery system. The higher the amount of credits you have, the sooner you get to choose your dorm room. Thus the Upperclassman have first choice, however, due to the cost difference in the residence halls (The more expensive being E M Lynn and Lynn with triple occupancy – sometimes double – with a private bathroom; the less expensive being DeHoernle, Freiburger, and Trinity with double occupancy and a community bathroom on each floor) some upperclassman may select to stay in the less expensive dorms. As a freshman, your room will be assigned to you. You are able to pick what your first choice would be, however, you may not get what you want.

As a freshman I was placed in Trinity. It wasn’t my first choice, however, I actually ended up really loving it! So let me tell you a bit about each Residence Hall…

Trinity, as I said, is one of my favorites, and I truly recommend that as a freshman, I would elect this hall. It is slightly smaller, thus it has a great sense of community. The residence hall also overlooks the lake and the cafeteria, so you are likely to have a room with a view. It’s three stories, and the bathrooms are really modern and clean. The cleaning staff attend to the bathrooms at least once a day, if not more. Trinity also has the best location, right across the lake from the cafeteria, across from the pool, close to the fitness center, and closest hall from the educational buildings on campus. This building is coed, however separated by floor… I believe the first floor is males, and the top two are females. Also, there is a common area on the first floor where one may watch TV on a big screen. Also, there are vending machines on the second floor, and also a computer room.

Quite honestly, DeHoernle and Freiburger are practically identical. They are both two stories, and have four wings in each building. Recently I walked through DeHoernle, and they have this great courtyard with couches and tables. It looks so nice, and really the center and social area of the hall. These rooms have views of the baseball field, volleyball court, soccer field, and basketball court. I believe there are some single rooms in these buildings. However, as a freshman, believe me, you’re going to want a roommate. This hall is also gender separated by wing. Additionally, there are vending machines in both these halls.

Lynn has a view of a lake and the Schmindt building. The rooms are considerably larger than the above mentioned halls, however, keep in mind that they are triples. The fitness center is located in this building, but anyone may use it. There is a pool table, and TV lounge on the first floor. On the second floor there is a yoga room/studio room and a boxing bag. I really like the large windows in this hall, the rooms are all really bright. This is a three story building, and quite large compared to the above halls. However, mainly athletes, and upperclassman reside here. This building is co-gender.

E M Lynn is where I lived and worked for a year as a Resident Assistant. This building is five stories, triple occupancy, and private bathrooms. This building is also co-gender. I love this building too, however, I honestly do not think that a freshman should reside here. As a freshman you truly want to be amongst your peers, people who are experiencing the same things you are. As this building is mainly Upperclassman, and the most sought-after residence hall, it may be a little harder. E M Lynn has the largest rooms, and offers a lot more in terms of facilities. There are laundry facilities on each floor, a recreation room on four floors that facilitate pool tables, ping pong tables, foosball tables etc. Additionally, there are TV rooms with dvd players and vending machines. The view from the fifth floor is spectacular of campus. This hall also has a great location. The nurses room is located on the first floor, as well as residence life, but both these offices are accessed from the exterior of the building.

Whatever you choose, it is not carved in stone. If you arrive on campus and hate your residence hall or your roommate(s), don’t worry, they aren’t going to force you into an environment you aren’t happy with. There is a two-week freeze at the beginning of semester, in which they do not allow any changes to occur, but this is just to allow you to settle, and perhaps after 14 days you discover that actually your roommate isn’t who you thought they were, and your room has actually become quite homey and comfortable. If you still dislike your situation after 14 days they will do what they can to get you where you’re happy. They are extremely accommodating, and the residence directors are fantastic!

Being a campus tour guide, I saw many prospective students and parents reactions when I showed them the rooms. The most common reaction was: ‘Wow! They’re so big! They don’t look anything like the other dorms we’ve seen!’ and then the parents go on to ask when they can move in!

So, Kristopher, as you requested, here are some photos from Trinity. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get any photos of the other dorms as it is Summer and they are all locked. This is our show room, however, I assure you they all look like this. Keep in mind that this room is the smallest on campus, and the rooms in E M Lynn and Lynn are twice the size, if not more. All rooms on campus come with a basin area too!

These photos are of Trinity:

Clearly, this is the pool~

There are two pools on campus. And a volleyball net to the right of the pool.

The building to the left is Trinity and to the right is E M Lynn.

This is one of the two tennis courts on campus. Altogether there are six nets, and it is open for student use, as long as the teams aren’t practicing. We have a social tennis club too.

Below is the outside area of Christene’s, which is our cafe on campus. They have sandwiches, salads, soups, pastries, smoothies, ice cream, and my favorite, Starbucks!