lauren_wappelhorst

Wonderwall

Today has been full of adventure! As the semester winds down, it just seems like more and more things are going on. Erica and I went to work out at the track before we hit the books for our study night sleepover. On the way down the hill we passed a boy driving his convertible. He was blaring Oasis’ Wonderwall, which of course is a millennium child favorite!! We were jamming out to the music as we walked down the hill, praising this guy for having his music so loudly. That’s when we realized that if he had been playing something we didn’t care for, we would have complained about how annoyingly loud his music was. It was a funny societal stereotype that we noticed as we were walking. We are so quick to praise things that please us, and complain about those that don’t, based on our own perception. After we ran around for awhile, we stopped on the second and third floor of my building before coming up to my floor. There were two actives going on. They created a paradise for residents to sneak away from studying for a bit. There was food and candy and drinks and there was a stress piñata! We all wrote down classes that are stressing us out, then we put the paper in a piñata with a bunch of candy, and then we hit it!! It was amazing!! On top of that, one of my residents came by to talk to me tonight. I love that the girls are finally starting to really open up to me. Last year I had such great relationships with the girls on my floor, so it’s exciting to have that again now. Too bad they are all leaving in two weeks. Oh well, it’s been fun!

My Last RA Meeting

Tonight we had our final all staff meeting of the year for Residence Life. Not only is it our last all staff, but we don’t have any team meetings left either. This is it. We went over paperwork for check outs, and we said our goodbyes. It’s kind of weird. I have been part of the Residence Life family for two years now, and I have only ever lived on campus during my college years. Next year is going to be a whole new experience! Erica, Katie, and I will hopefully be living in a very cheap house off campus. We have found a lot of potential in houses pretty close to campus, which is nice. However, we cannot finalize ANYTHING until it gets closer to August. Of course, Erica and I will not be here, so the job of final decision making will be left up to Katie. I know, that sounds rough, but we have started doing all of the ground work. She will just have to follow up and choose a place. It works though, because she will have a ton of time to do it. Also, update time!! Today I called Ms. Hammond of Oregon and confirmed our “reservation.” Ok, I don’t know if that is the right word, but, basically, we picked a farm!! We are headed to a place near Medford, Oregon. We are going to be working June and July in return for room and board. There is going to be so much excitement! I can’t wait to write all about it!!

Policing in San Antonio

I had been counting down the days until TODAY, but I have also been so nervous. Allow me to explain. My friend’s dad is an officer for the San Antonio Police Department. I am a sociology major, and we have actually spent the past few weeks studying policing in all different aspects. We have studied police subculture, deviance in policing, and the administrative side that goes along with policing as well. I feel like I have so much insider information. However, I am not naïve. I am obviously not working in law enforcement and neither is my professor who has worked in academia for years. I can read and study policing all that I want, but I would never know how close to the truth it is. I found out that my friend’s father is an officer, so I asked if I could interview him. I really just wanted to have a conversation with an officer to get more of a handle on the job and the effects of it. Officer Ramirez was incredible!! He was very open about the job, while informing me that, that is a rarity to find within the department. We talked about the changes the department has gone through over the last thirty years, women in the field, most important issues facing police, and the scrutiny that the department is constantly under. It is an obviously stressful environment, but he told me some stories that make his job worth it. I hope to continue dialoguing with him, because I am interested in finding out everything I can about all aspects of the criminal justice system. Police are normal people that civilians constantly want to hold to a higher standard than everyone else. It is a tough reality to face that you can’t save the world, but amazing officers like Officer Ramirez are truly working to make a difference.

All Campus Pager

Tonight is the one night of the year that I have the responsibility/privilege of being on the all campus phone. Ok, I know I say privilege like it’s sarcastic, but there are definitely some perks to the job. Here is basically what is going on. Every night there is a RA (resident assistant) on duty for each building. These RAs have to page in at seven pm when their duty night starts. They all report to the pager at 7pm so hold everyone accountable for their building. It’s more work than usual, but I get to run around campus in the golf cart. It might sound weird that I am so motivated with the use of a golf cart, but that is some really worthwhile incentive for me! I got to go around campus delivering letters, which is a nice change. Usually when you are on duty you have to stay in your room the whole night. However, I have the opportunity to go all around campus. Ok, seriously, I realize how ridiculous this might all sound. I am just giving some insight, because I think that everyone that comes to the University should consider being a Resident Assistant. It’s a great opportunity to be a leader on campus while earning free room and board. Affording a private university can be a tad intimidating, but there are a lot of options out there!! Being a Resident Assistant is just one way to offset the bill here at the University. Keep your eyes open for positions, and keep up a good relationship with your own RA! If you need help finding any other types of scholarship or loans, our financial aid office is amazing.

Gaga for Gulu Event

Tonight I attended probably one of the most memorable fundraisers of all time. I think I have mentioned this before, but tonight I attended Gaga for Gulu. My friend Robert, who is also an RA, is the president and founder of a group called STAND. This is an anti-genocide group here on campus that has a two fold focus on international affairs as well as social justice issues within our own country. In Gulu, Africa, they are trying to start up a vocational school. They have to raise $15000, which is why they held a campus-wide fundraiser tonight. Tonight they put on what would best be referred to as a Lady Gaga tribute. They had five songs that they completely choreographed with dancers in full costume, and they brought in singers to perform five other songs. It was incredible! I have never seen dance moves like that before, especially knowing that they are all students here at the University of the Incarnate Word. Needless to say, I had an awesome time, and they raised a bunch of money for their efforts. When you come to campus you should totally check out STAND, because they doing incredible work!!!

2010 Awards Banquet

This year was my third and by far most exciting Awards Banquet here at UIW. First off, my awesome friends, Erica and Vicki, went with me to the store last minute last night to help me find a dress. The awards banquet is always semi-formal, but some people go all out. It is so exciting to see everyone all dressed up! I arrived to find myself with a saved seat at the Residence Life table. This is going to be my last year in Residence Life, and I have never sat with them before at the banquet. It was exciting, because I got to sit with all of my closest RA friends. There was a live band there for the dinner portion, and they were fantastic. It was really cool, because they were all UIW students, and I had seen them play live before. I felt like a true fan since I knew the lead people. It was really cool! My first couple of years, I felt like such a spectator watching people receive awards. However, now that I am older, I feel like I know a lot of the presidents who run these students organizations. It was great clapping for someone I knew as they all received awards for their hard work. Then at the end some fellow RAs and SGA officers gave senior words of wisdom. It was a great banquet, and I can’t wait until my final one next year!!! Hopefully, I will be sitting at a table full of members of the Red C.

Retreat Weekend

I am coming away from one of the most incredible weekends EVER! I was invited by my youth minister from home to be part of the staff for their Confirmation retreat. I love working Church events, so I jumped on the invite! I had been looking forward to the retreat for weeks! There were 95 high school juniors there. Wow. It was insane! I was in charge of a small group of 7 retreaters, 3 boys and 4 girls. I could not have asked for a better group. They all opened up and shared with everyone else. They got goofy with me and we made up different cheers throughout the weekend. They were also so loving, and we had our signature group hug recurring throughout the weekend. It was so powerful to watch their transformation throughout the weekend. Friday night everyone came in not really knowing others. Then there was an incredible talk about dropping your nets for Christ. What are you holding onto in your own life? They were invited to write down those issues that they are struggling with and truly give the control to the Lord. Then on Saturday there was a healing service as well as Reconciliation. Watching so many youth prepare for the Sacrament was beautiful. I was touched over and over again throughout the weekend. Saturday night we went deeper into the meaning of Confirmation and the impact it will have on their lives. Finally, Sunday was all about continuing the journey. Retreats can be powerful and provide an environment for the Holy Spirit to move freely. However, once we are away from such a loving community and away from a retreat center, we are faced with the distractions that constantly tug at us in our daily lives. I am truly challenging myself to step up and engrain the themes of this weekend into my life, so that I don’t lose that fire. I am so proud of everyone in my team, and I am so blessed to have come away with such a powerful experience.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I hope that you had an incredible long weekend with your family and friends. I was on duty all weekend long, so I hadn’t expected much to happen. However, it’s been an amazing past few days. My friends came over to keep me company on Thursday night since most people left the dorms to go home. On Friday my friend Travis and I decided to check out Eisenhower Park here in San Antonio. I love San Antonio, because it has so much to offer everyone. We went hiking for a few hours and enjoyed being outside. Saturday my family actually drove up from Houston for the night, because my friend was baptized and confirmed into the Catholic Church. What a unique experience! I love my faith, but I also have the advantage of being raised Catholic. I can’t imagine making such an impactful decision in my own life after sort of starting from scratch. On Sunday morning I had breakfast with family before they left to go home. I went back to school for a bit before I ate an early dinner with my friend Erica and her family. They totally invited me into their house for the holidays, and it was such a loving feeling!! I came back for duty, and I had company again. Not only that, but the administrator on call for residence life brought me an Easter gift! Everyone was so great!! I felt the love of Christ all day yesterday! Today we had off from school, so I am getting on top of school work. Only three days of school this week!! I plan to rock it hardcore!! Have a great week.