lauren_wappelhorst

The Red C

Ok, I think we have finally decided on a name! I am so stoked! The dive coach here at UIW has talked about the Red C before. It’s a great play on words, and I think we are going to use it as the name of our new spirit group here on campus. First off the Red Sea is a biblical reference which is fabulous since we go to a Catholic University. Second off, the letter C is perfect since we are the Cardinals. Third off, red is one of our school colors, so if everyone decks out it would literally be a sea of red that you would be looking out in the stands. I went and talked to Dr. Mac who is head of student life, and she officially put us on OrgSync today! YAY! Then I went and talked to Rick, and all we have to do is finish writing the constitution. The administrators are going to look at it tomorrow, SGA will look at it after Easter, and hopefully our new group will be up for vote next week. I am sure we will get voted in as a student organization, because with the start of football there has been an outcry for more school spirit. Pray for us on our endeavors, and we will keep you posted on what happens! Have a great night.

Red Light, Green Light, Date Night

Tonight was a great event here on campus. I think I mentioned it before, but tonight was the Red Light, Green Light, Date Night here at UIW. In the past this has just been a social event. However, tonight it evolved to a whole new kind of fundraiser. When I walked in at 7:30 pm, Marian Ballroom was full of people. Right by the door I was offered raffle tickets to some amazing baskets. Then I walked through the silent auction tables. There were about ten people who were being auctioned off. The bidding started at five dollars and then students could walk through and add bids throughout the evening. Of course there was food for everyone to eat. In the back there were tables with couple games. You could go with a friend or your significant other and answer game show like questions. FINALLY, the back wall was full of tables for speed dating. I had never tried it before, but it was a blast. We met a ton of people, and it was a great night. Also, they raised money for Project Africa, so it was a successful night!!

New Pastor for the Fire

Tonight was an epic night in Fire history. The fire is a non-denominational worship service held every Monday night in the student center. It is a really great way for students to come together and praise God. In collaboration with campus ministry, it is mostly just a student run prayer group that has evolved into a campus tradition. Every Monday about forty students gather in the student center for a few praise and worship songs followed by a mind melting message from a preacher that works at First Presbyterian Church here in San Antonio. Tonight a new preacher spoke for the first time, and it was a great experience. Having a fresh face on the team is igniting a flame that will hopefully spread through the ministry. In fact, these student leaders are actually going to be heading to Colorado in a couple of weeks for a student ministry conference. The fire just started as a small gathering to praise God, and it has grown to provide so many more opportunities for students. Even if you can’t raise the money, they are always happy to take college kids on retreats and there are even summer missionary positions offered for us. I am excited to see where this new pastor will take the Fire and the doors that will be opened in the following semester.  

Weekend in Waco

I am coming back from the most incredible weekend ever!! I drove up to Waco on Saturday morning to meet three girls that I studied abroad with last semester. They attend OU, so Waco was our middle point. We got there just in time to each lunch, and it was a blast! We talked all about our semester together and about everything that is going on in our lives right now. It was such an incredible opportunity to be able to talk to people that shared that experience with me. I am so happy that I studied abroad. I am actually becoming part of the International Student Organization here on campus, and they have some really exciting stuff coming up! They have language classes to introduce UIW students to their culture and help them learn certain words and phrases. There is also a bake sale coming up, and everyone is going to be bringing treats from their country. This weekend has just made me so grateful for the opportunities that I have here at Incarnate Word.

Post Alternative Spring Break

Working with the Willie Velasquez Community Center turned out to be an incredible experience. When they said manual labor, they were not kidding. We spent the first day picking weeds and cleaning up trash on the side of the roads. When I came home my shoulders were sore in a whole new way. That’s alright, because it was totally worth it. They bought us paint to put on a new coat on the guard rails. When I heard that it didn’t hit me that it would make much of a difference. However, the guard rails had graffiti and a new coat of paint made them look incredible. We got to interact with people from the neighborhood, and we made incredible friendships with the people who actually work at the center. I am so excited to go back and help out more! They have so many things to offer. They are truly reaching out to meet the needs of the community. There hold job fairs where people can come and get connected with work. Medical services are available to those who would not otherwise be able to afford them. There are computers and free classes available as well. I really want to go back and help with high school students. I don’t know if I mentioned this, but they are looking for people to help high school students apply for scholarships. I would surf databases to look for scholarships and help them write essays. I am looking forward to new opportunities to help out within the San Antonio community. Alternative Spring Break was a HUGE success, and we will definitely be working with the center again next year.

ResLife Applications

This week was full of interviews for everyone re-applying for residence life. I interviewed with the administrators who work at the high school. I am very excited for a new experience next year. I am applying to work with the boarding program at Incarnate Word High School. I feel that I have a lot to offer international students now that I have had the opportunity to live in another country. I will find out in April if I get the position or not. Everyone who is re-applying has already gone through the process. NOW, we are ready for all of the new applicants. All those interested in being a resident assistant next year have a long process to go through. First off, they have to fill out the application and shadow an RA. Tonight was great, because an old resident asked if she could shadow me on her duty night. She spent an hour up here with me talking about events and responsibilities, and she walked through the halls with me on a round. We had such a blast! Pumping up people for Residence Life is one of my favorite things to do. When we come back from spring break we will be having group process. During this time, everyone who is applying for the upcoming year does a group interview together. If you get past that then you get to have an interview with the Dean. If the Dean passes you, then you get to have an actual one on one interview with the supervisors in residence life. The whole process takes about a month and half, but it is a blast. Plus, you feel even more accomplished when you get that final letter inviting you to be part of the team. Everyone get stoked for residence life!! I am excited!!

2nd Annual Foam Party

I was so sad last year, because I had to miss the first ever foam party here on campus. If you don’t know about campus activities board (CAB) yet, then you should definitely look into that organization! They are in charge of throwing social events here on campus and getting students engaged. This year they threw their second annual foam party, and it was a HUGE success! They had free tshirts to graffiti by a professional for the first 75 people, and those were gone within the first thirty minutes of the event. I mean, they might have even been gone sooner, but I know they were not there when I arrived. They held the event in the basement of our giant new parking garage. They had a foam machine that basically filled up a dance floor area with shoulder high foam. If you were dancing by the foam, it would even topple over your head. It was amazing. They had a DJ playing music, and everyone was dancing around having a great time. Of course they had snacks and games, but the foam was, for good reason, the highlight of the event. I cannot wait until the event next year. I love when campus wide events are successful and become traditions. It’s really neat, because the idea of a foam party was something that people took and just ran with. Now it’s evolved into a huge event that people get excited about months in advance. If you have great ideas on how to engage students, you need to bring them to Incarnate Word. This is truly a place where you can make a difference on campus!