lauren_wappelhorst

Goodbye ResLife….Part II

I have to laugh, because this is technically my second time to leave Residence Life. I had to “quit” after my sophomore year, because I studied abroad last semester. I had planned on studying abroad the entire year, so it was just as much as a surprise to me as to them that I came back this semester. Last year at the end of the year banquet I got a plaque thanking me for my time with Residence Life that said I had worked for them for the year. This semester, since I was technically new, I got another plaque thanking me for my time with Residence Life. Since it was my second one, it just paid tribute to this semester. I had to laugh, because it was a random situation. We had our end of the year banquet a couple of days ago at a Banquet Hall. I love our banquets, because they have the perfect combination of fun and serious. First off, we have Wacky Awards. EVERYONE gets a special award from their direct supervisor based on their specific personality. Ok, I studied abroad in Chile, and I have really been working trying to learn Spanish. Our Residence Life staff has a few members that are fluent, so I practice as much as possible. Because of this, I am constantly speaking Spanish in the office, so my boss gave me the “Si, Habla Espanol Award.” I couldn’t help but laugh, because practicing Spanish has really been the theme of this semester! After Wacky Awards we go into the more serious awards to honor everyone and the work they have done. We have service awards, leadership awards, and we have some programming awards. A group of RAs got an award for the best program of the year for the Thanksgiving dinner they had thrown. Then they had an award for the best PROGRAMMER of the year. This is an overall award, and I ended up receiving it for my section of Residence Life. It was really cool, because I have only been back for the semester. I am truly going to miss Residence Life, because it is the programming that I love. I mean, this semester alone, we have had our Cuddle S’more active for Valentines Day, The Prayathon Active, and our Slip and Slide. Those have been the three big events, and they have all been a blast!! Diane, the director of Residence Life, always says that this job isn’t worth it just for the money. It may be hard work, but being a Resident Assistant has been an incredible experience! I was blessed with an amazing team, and I have some great stories to take with me for the rest of my life!!

Graduation

This past weekend was Incarnate Word May Graduation, and I didn’t realize how many graduates I would know!! It all started Friday at the beautiful Graduation Mass. I was helping out since I am in campus ministry, and we were in the convocation center setting up to hand out the programs. All of a sudden, I get a tap on the back of my shoulder, and I hear a voice asking if the chords are straight. I turn around to see my friend David standing there in cap and gown asking me if everything looks right. I have known David since I got here my freshmen year, and he has always been a huge help on campus. We have had classes together, and he has always hounded me to keep up my grades and be a good student. Then I walked into the mass area, and I saw that a few peer ministers had just come back from the bathroom after changing into their cap and gown. We had at least four peer ministers graduate, and also in residence life we had another four graduates. These are peers that have helped me throughout my college journey. I mean I came into the school as an associate peer minister through campus ministry, so I met these students even before school started my freshmen year. It was such a surreal experience watching them prepare for graduation, because that means that I will be on top next year. I just have one more year left at UIW, and then I will be preparing to graduate. I listen to my friends as they tell me their life plans, and it makes me realize that I will be making a lot of important decisions over the next year. I will be looking at graduate schools and jobs and different opportunities to find the right fit for me. I am excited though, because I know that I have an incredible network here to help me. I have been talking to my advisor about my final classes, and I am excited for next semester! There will be so much going on here on campus. I won’t be in campus ministry or residence life, but I will be a peer mentor for freshmen and part of the Red C. I will still be busy will Incarnate Word activities, and they will all mean so much more since it will be my last time around. I have an adventure of a summer waiting for me first, though, so I can worry about graduation at a later time. Now I am just excited for all of my friends who are starting a new part of their journey. I know they have great experiences awaiting them, and I can’t wait to hear all about it!!!