1st Ever Georgey Awards

So you know how professional sports have an award show named the ESPY’s? Well, this year GW decided to host their own version, honoring the best of GW athletics. And so, everyone in the athletic department, including the athletes, coaches, administration, and academic support donned their best semi-formal attire and traveled over to GW’s Lisner Auditorium for an evening of fun.

It was strange seeing all of the other athletes dressed up in dresses and suits because you rarely see them dressed in something other than athletic clothing. Everyone looked wonderful and the evening was rather enjoyable. It started off around 6:00pm with pictures outside, followed by appetizers in the lobby and basement of Lisner. Finally, at 7:00pm, the main event of the night began. The awards show was hosted by a member of the women’s soccer team and a member of the men’s baseball team. The awards being given ranged from Mr. and Miss Colonial and Community Service Award to Colonials' Best Moment of the Year. My volleyball team and I were actually nominated for the Colonial Best Moment of the Year for our phenomenal comeback and victory versus Georgetown in the DC Challenge, but ultimately lost to Men's Golf for setting a scoring record to earn their program's first-ever A-10 Championship.

Those who planned it put a lot of effort into it and it paid off. The event was a hit and we all can’t wait until next year’s ceremony. And of course, I have some pictures from the evening.

GW Volleyball Team (I am in the front row on the far left)

Roommates!

Georgey Award Statue *photo courtesy of gwsports.com

*photo courtesy of gwsports.com

*photo courtesy of gwsports.com

3 of my teammates presenting an award

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

Lesson #009: Your Commencement will (arguably) be the best in the world.

GW students? This is Brian Williams (@BWilliams). This is your life.

Lesson #009: Your Commencement will (arguably) be the best in the world.

One week ago, there were hundreds of Commencement ceremonies nationwide. All of them honored graduates who had worked enough to deserve the recognition. Some of them featured iconic speakers. Only one took place in the United States capital on the National Mall, framed by the picturesque Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, and the Smithsonian Museums.

View of tons of GW families, friends, and tourists looking on as Brian Williams spoke.

I am, of course, referring to GW’s Commencement, an annual occasion set on the National Mall year after year. GW is the only school with a setting like that when wishing its graduates the best in their future endeavors.

Instagram shot of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences ceremony, the day prior to Commencement on the National Mall. The Smith Center was packed to the brim with graduates as well as family and friends.

The vast scope of our Commencement leaves me in awe whenever I hear about it: 25,000+ attendees, 5,000+ graduates, along with staff tents, chairs, and a massive stage crammed into 7 city blocks on DC’s most scenic and well-recognized green space. No college campus could match the grand scope and breadth of the occasion, at least not in the way the GW does. 

I was able to witness commencement first-hand for the very first time as a student staff member, working from 5 am (sidebar: I know what you are thinking; there IS a "5:00 AM" on the clock! Crazy, right?) until around 2 pm to coordinate tens of thousands of people in place for GW’s cornerstone event. It all sounds unbelievable and is never truly tangible until you get to attend one. Sunday was my first GW Commencement and certainly not my last.

Student staff hard at work in executing a successful Commencement 2012.

Graduating senior Noreen Kassam, roommate of one of my favorite seniors, Laurie Ohlstein, was the student speaker at the event. She preceded the most anticipated speaker at the event, none other than Brian Williams.



NBC Nightly News anchor (and former GW student) Brian Williams delivered a hilarious yet insightful address to the Class of 2012. In recent history, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and First Lady Michelle Obama have graced the stage. I can only hope to have someone as phenomenal as any of those speakers. The best thing is that the possibilities are obviously endless (within reason). Will President Barack Obama grace the stage? Will an entertainment juggernaut like writer and comedian Tina Fey or Kim Kardashian (yes, that was rumored this past year) grace the stage?

Whoever it is, I think I will be far from disappointed when I do take it all in. Hopefully, if you come to GW, this fall or in years to come, you have the same exact chance. Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Stay spirited,

Matt

mtscott@gwmail.gwu.edu

Best Pictures of Study Abroad - Costa Rica

Hi Readers,

Hope yall enjoyed my pictures from Chile!

Before I went abroad to Chile in the Fall of 2011 I took the option of also doing a Summer abroad program. As a warm up for the quick pace of Chilean Spanish I chose to take a 5 week language intensive program in San Jose, Costa Rica. Below are some of my favorites from the trip!

Tortugero - Costa Rica

All the colors of Costa Rican cuisine

Punta Leona - Costa Rica

Punta Leona - Costa Rica

Lesson #008: Internships and job opportunities can very well be the spice of life.

Lesson #008: Internships and job opportunities can very well be the spice of life.

Interning experiences come in all shapes and sizes.

Finals have come to an end. Commencement on the National Mall (Brian Williams, famous for his roles as a journalist and for his frequent cameos on 30 Rock) was less than 24 hours ago. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have largely filed out in preparation for summer vacations laden with sand, sleep, and sun, while seniors are putting their final preparations on a little thing called “life” as they ready themselves to “leave the nest” of GW’s campuses and classrooms. Meanwhile, scores of individuals in suits file into Foggy Bottom.

There is a stereotype about GW students that they can leave their residence halls in business attire and not stand out. While this is not entirely true, it does speak to the fact that GW students are the ones “suiting up” to take advantage of the opportunities DC and the GW network have to offer. GW’s career centers deserve a ton of credit for providing hundreds of opportunities to students from thousands of employers. On the other hand, GW is in a place that makes professional growth readily possible and is quick to establish those “links for life” for students, bridging any gaps between the University and the District, as well as the world community.

Non-Colonials also take advantage of these opportunities by coming to GW and DC during the summer. For these past few days, I have heard more about summer internships than ever before. From Capitol Hill to U Street and from the Pentagon to the White House, visitors are taking advantage of opportunities that GW students have year-round. I, for one, will continue my internship at an organizational by the name of No Labels (@NoLabelsOrg). Interestingly enough, through GWork (our online professional network), the organization found me--- and I love it there so much that I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon!

This picture was posted on the No Labels Facebook page (www.Facebook.com/NoLabels) for 184,000+ people to see. Obviously, I was ecstatic! On this day in particular, me and another intern went door-to-door, telling everyone about No Labels and the available internship opportunities.

In my internship, similar to the experiences of countless other Colonials, it is not about coffee runs and making copies. It’s about getting life experience as well as professional experience and growing from that—as you get to see your contributions make a difference. During our fall, spring, and summer sessions, we Colonials can take advantage of the District of Columbia (and we do!). In general, the vast majority of GW students do! In fact, I have met someone who has had 9 internships in her four years here! Live a little!

The No Labels team of staff and interns!

Looking to kickstart your career or just test the waters in a field you are considering for a career? At GW, look no further than the businesses and organization surrounding you in the beautiful capital city! You'll come out of it with great experience as well as fantastic friends and endless memories that you will never forget.

Stay Spirited,

Matt

mtscott@gwu.edu

Back Again!

Hello!

See? I told you you'd be hearing from me a lot more often. I'm back to talk even more about how much I love my internship!

I know what you're probably thinking. "Ok, so they certainly make it seem like you're important. And you're doing things that matter. But anyone could tweet or post blogs, so it's really just your time they value and not you specifically, right?" Wrong!  Today I'm going to tell you a story that proves otherwise.

It was a Monday, about halfway through the semester, and I'd officially been an intern for about four months (since November). It happened to be a day where not a whole lot of people were in the office, and my boss was in a lunch meeting. So another person who works for the company, specifically the CSO (the S is for strategy), asked me to join him and another employee for lunch. I was surprised because I didn't think the CSO liked me very much, but didn't want to pass up because I knew it'd be a great networking opportunity (and everyone at GW has an undeclared minor in networking).

So we walked to Potbelly together and met with another employee, in charge of customer relations, who'd only been working with the company for about a week. She spent a lot of the time we were eating asking questions about the company and our product in an attempt to better understand it. Then she said that she was working on a project for my boss but needed some help with it, and asked a question about how exactly our product works and how we can sell it. The CSO, who gives sales pitches once or twice a week, gave her a thorough answer. And then they both turned to me.

To put it lightly, I was shocked. "I'm just an intern," I thought. "Why do they care what I think?" But it turns out they did. Not only did she listen to my suggestions, but she even wrote them down. And agreed that some of them were really good! Although, admittedly, I didn't have a whole lot left to say after the CSO had given all of his suggestions.

And this wasn't a one-time fluke due to inexperience. Since then I've been asked a lot of questions about important things, by multiple people in the company. Just yesterday morning I spent about an hour discussing the future of our product and how I thought it could be improved.

The point is, just because you're an intern doesn't mean you don't matter. And even bigger, when you get an internship in DC, you're not just getting a volunteer coffee-getting position. You're going to be actively involved in the place you're interning for, learning and growing, and if you're lucky helping your company/organization do the same!

And hey. Sometimes my boss even offers to get me coffee. :-)

Until next time!
Jennifer

I'm Back!

Hey Guys!

I know, it's been forever since I've written anything. I'm sorry! It's because I was super busy in April coordinating Admitted Student Days and tours for all of you lovely people, and then all of a sudden it was exam time! But I'm back! And I'll be blogging a lot this summer, so you'll start hearing from me MUCH more often. Starting now. :-)

For the next few posts I want to write about my internship. You know, that thing where you get coffee for people in the office a couple hours a week. Except not at my internship. Not at any GW student's internship, really, but I can only tell you about mine.

I love my internship. And the reason for that is my company actually does a really good job of making me feel important! Exhibit A:

 

Me, having a title and a section on the "Team" page of our website

And it goes beyond just giving me an official title and letting me be recognized on the website - it continues through their actions, too. Are the things I do on a daily basis (tweeting, scouring through HR blogs, updating databases) always fascinating? No. But are they important to the company? Yes. And are they valuable to my learning? Absolutely.

For example, from having read over 200 human resources-related blog posts, I now know more about HR than I ever thought I would, being an engineer. And my work on our Twitter account has directly led to our followers growing to five times as many as we had when I first started! Even the blog posts I've written (yes, sometimes I blog for them too) have been pretty popular, and my boss makes a point of showing me the page views.

But the best part? I believe in what I do. Rather than getting paid the stipend they were originally planning on giving me, I'm actually going to be getting $500 worth of stock in the company. Now THAT'S cool.

Look for part two of me talking about how much I love my internship within the next few days. :-)

Until next time!
Jennifer

Best Pictures of Study Abroad - Chile

Hey Y'all,

My friends on campus always ask how my study abroad experience was but I found difficult to summarize into just a few sentences. I felt it was easier to combine those stories with pictures. To that end, below are the 13 best photos I took while I was abroad for the Fall semester of 2011 in Santiago, Chile.

Cerro San Cristóbal  - Santiago, Chile (July 2011)

Cerro San Cristóbal  - Santiago, Chile (July 2011)

Estadio Nacional - Santiago, Chile

 Atacama Desert -San Pedro, Chile

Geysers - San Pedro, Chile

Lake -   Pucón , Chile

Howdy Y'all!

I am back from the dead finally! As you probably have noticed we added another Texan, Oscar, who happens to be a good friend of mine 30 minutes up the road from where I call home. I am thrilled to have all of our new bloggers and hopefully we can all shed light on our individual GW experiences to educate you as to why GW offers the best undergraduate program in the nation.

While on the note of academics, I wanted to take the time to introduce two new minors GW has sponsored over the last two years which are in 1.) LGBT and Sexuality Studies and 2.) Sustainability. Both of these highlight great modern areas of study and inquiry in academia, but also provide great opportunities for research and outreach in the DC area for independent research, internships and even careers.

The LGBT and Sexuality Studies minor is housed in the Women's Studies department and draws from a varied curriculum in American Studies, Women's Studies, Psychology, Sociology and English. It provides students with great flexibility in choosing their courses and often times, especially for social science majors, two of the courses can double count for your major and minor! I so far have taken the Introduction to Women's Studies course and absolutely fell in love with the topics. This next semester I will be taking Sexuality and Law with the Human Right Campaign's (HRC) State Legislative Director Sarah Warbelow, as well as a Sociology of Sex and Gender class that will count towards my sociology major. Lastly, my friend Sara Snyder, a fellow LGBT and Sexuality Studies minor, took a class last year called Queer Studies class that I will take this upcoming fall. The course has a component allowing students to study abroad for a week in Prague, Czech Republic with a parallel class of students from eastern Europe and attend the Prague International Queer Fil Festival. This is an especially great opportunity for me to study abroad since my work schedule probably won't allow me to be gone for an entire semester.

The Sustainability minor is also very fascinating and I am often time tempted to pick it up. This minor draws from courses focusing on earth systems, society and sustainability as well as policy, organization and leadership. This all ends with a culminating experience, which can range from a service learning project to studying abroad or even an internship. This curriculum draws from not only many departments, but also many schools such as the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Public Health, and the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. This minor is housed in the Geography Department and is complemented with many great institutes, such as the GW Solar Institute, to expand research opportunities for its students.

That is all for now, but I will be here all summer with the Visitor Information Program (VIP) so I hope to blog more. As well, if you are coming keep an eye out for me because I might be giving your tour! Please feel reach out to me with any questions and I will be more than happy to help in any way possible.

Peace, Love and Hippos,

Brandon

brmoore@gwmail.gwu.edu

Sports in the City

Hey Y'all

As a tour guide I often get the question "What does the typical GW kid do on the weekends?"

But with a school of about 10,000 undergrads and a city like Washington DC at our finger tips it's difficult to pinpoint what it is we do with our free time because so many of us are doing many different things. 

Below are the examples of the sporting events available to us as residents of our nation's capitals. We have the Washington Redskins of the NFL, the Washington Nationals of the MLB, DC United of the MLS, the Washington Capitals of the NFL, and finally the Washington Wizards of the NBA. Most of those teams have college discount nights which are also great ways to meet kids from other area schools (GU, AU, GMU, HU).

Washington Redskins - FedEx Field

Washington Nationals - Nationals Park

Locks of Love #6

As you may have noticed from some pictures I have posted of myself, I had really long hair. Well, as of a month or so ago, my long blonde hair that was down to my bellybutton is no longer. I decided to chop it all off for my 6^th Locks of Love hair donation.

What is locks of love? According to their website, “Locks of Love is a public non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.” I found out about this organization when I was in 4^th grade from one of my close friends who was growing her hair out to donate it and the more I thought about it, the more I decided that I wanted to join her in donating. So, she waited a few extra months for me, and we cut off our lovely locks together, her 13 inches and me 11 inches. Since then, I’ve gotten into kind of a rhythm; I cut my hair for locks of love, grow it out for about 2 years (with a few trims in between) and then cut it again.  As I previously mentioned, I have cut it 6 times for locks of love, 4^th grade, 6^th grade, 9^th grade, 11^th grade, freshman year in college, and a few weeks ago (junior year in college).

When I donated in 9^th and 11^th grades, I did so in front of my entire high school, which hosts an annual Locks of Love Assembly where sometimes as many as 80 students donate their hair all at the same time in front of all of their classmates. All of the girls with extraordinarily long hair say goodbye to thir locks and leave school with a much lighter head of hair. It was always one of the most anticpated assemblies of the year. In fact, in 9^th grade, Ann Curry and the Today Show came and featured our assembly on their show!

I’ve been blessed with beautiful hair and so I want to share and donate it to a great cause. I figure instead of cutting my hair and have it end up on the floor of the salon, why not cut a little more and have the haircut be meaningful.

In order to donate your hair, there are some requirements, such as the donation must be at least 10 inches and the hair must be in a ponytail or braid when it is cut. I know that some of you reading this will say, 10 inches?? That’s a lot! But, trust me, the first donation was a bit of a shock, but after that, cutting off 10+ inches of my hair all at once barely fazes me (someone pointed out to me that if we combine all the times I have donated, it equals over 65 inches! Wow!). There are some other restrictions and rules of course. If you want to read more about locks of love, here is their website: http://www.locksoflove.org/

And of course, I have accumulated pictures from the times I have donated my hair over the years. Unfortunately, I only have pictures on my computer from my donations in 11^th grade and this year.


11th Grade's 'Before' Shot (I'm on the left)

Donating during our High School Locks of Love Assembly

'After' shot

This Year's 'Before' Shot (Junior Year)

Another 'Before' Shot

Getting Ready for the Big Cut!

Snip Snip

Goodbye 12 inches! Hair to be mailed.

My 'After' Shot (my hair is still quite long)

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

12 Worthy Notes

Hi Y'all

University Yard

To create this post I spoke with freshmen, sophomores, juniors and graduating seniors; we discussed what makes the GW experience unique.  Below is the culmination of our best advice for you to consider over the next four years.

1. Explore study spaces, Gelman Library isn't the only or best option.

2. Take classes outside of your school and comfort level.

3. Renting textbooks can be an easy money saver.

4. Utilize all that the Vern has to offer: outdoor pool, great study space, and theatrical performances.

5. Read the Hatchet and GW Today to stay updated on campus life.

6. Student staff members like House Proctors and Colonial Cabinet can be very helpful.

Empire State of Mind

Hi Y'all

A few weekends back I took advantage of my 3 day weekends (I have no Friday classes!) by trekking up to New York City. Keeping in mind that I was born and raised in Austin, Texas, this was a huge trip for me and so I took many many pictures. 

Below are the best of the best! Enjoy this picture heavy post!

Time Square

Out & About

Empire State Building

Inspiration

Hi everyone!

I am about to go take my last final exam, Survey of International Economics (2180). This is an Elliott School requirement that can be quite difficult for those whose minds are not economically prepared!! I know a ton of students in the class from my major, and one girl sent out an email to all of us last night in order to help us all buckle down and study:


Titled: "Inspiration"
Great moments are born from great opportunity.
That's what you have here today. That's what you've earned here today.
One exam.
If we took it ten times, we might fail it nine.
But not this exam. Not today.
Today, we ace this exam.
Today, we draw graphs and determine exchange rates because we can!
Today, we are the greatest economics students in the world.
You were born to be an economics student--every one of ya.
And you were meant to be here today.This is your time.
I'm sick and tired of hearin' about what a difficult exam it will be.This is your time!
NOW GO OUT THERE AND TAKE IT.


With that in mind, she is hilarious and motivational, and I'm back to studying :)
Marisa

#OnlyAtGW

Hey Ya'll

(This story took place 3 years ago when I was freshman)

Just like everyone else the Obama's piled the kids into the minivan for a Thursday night out. This particular time they chose to come out to a GW basketball game. It looked like a typical evening with the kids as Barack was corned into going to the concession stand to pick up popcorn and a hot dog for his daughters. 

For my roommate and I it was our first ever #onlyatgw moment. These are special experiences that only happen to GW students due to our unique location in the heart of Washington, DC. 

Even with all the Secret Service I was able to snag a handshake from President Obama as is evident from the photo I took which can be seen below.

I also was able to shake hands with the First Lady Michelle Obama! 

Over the next few weeks I'll be sharing a few more of my #onlyatgw moments so stay tuned to the blog! 

Feel free to follow me on Twitter to see when I use the hashtag!

All the best,

Oscar

GW + Phones = Hope

A few weeks ago, my volleyball team and I, along with women’s swimming and men’s tennis, volunteered for the GW + Phones = Hope campaign, which has been collecting old cell phones as well as other electronic devices. The collected devices will be recycled, raising money for health developments in Nepal, Mali, and Malawi. This campaign was part of the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) that began last semester.

And so, on a Wednesday morning, my team and I woke up at 5:50am and began our day, since we had to report to the Foggy Bottom metro station by 6:30 to receive our volunteer assignments. Each volunteer was assigned to 1 of the 15 busiest Metro stations to supervise the collection boxes and hand out information to Metro riders. My team and I were assigned to the Chinatown metro stop and had quite a few donations. Granted, we did not get our first donation until about 8:30am, but after that, we got numerous cell phones, cameras, ipods, and laptops.  A lot of riders commented to us that they forgot that the collection was that particular morning but had wanted to donate.

Since this volunteering opportunity took place right during our practice time, we were not able to practice that morning, but it was a worthy cause and we were glad we could devote some of our time to help out.

Feel free to email me with any questions! cbgraf@gwmail.gwu.edu

-Christie

A Nice Reminder...

Hey Y'all!

While G Dubs is normally billed as the university that is four blocks from the White House with powerful political speakers on campus every week, it's always a nice reminder our students represent so much more than that.

One of my good friends from New Jersey, Asthaa, who is in the Elliott School of International Affairs with a concentration in Development performed in and also choregraphed for the GW Balance end of the year show. GW Balance is a student organization dedicated to ballet. Beyond their normal programming they put on two larger shows, one at the end of the Fall semester (this past year Balance performed the Nutcracker) and one at the end of the Spring semester. My friend Asthaa helped put on this end of the year performance titled "Viva la Danza".

We all have our academic responsibilites, especially now during Finals time but it's great to take a break from the studying and paper writing to sit down and appreciate the talents of fellow students. It serves as a nice reminder that GW students do more than just go to school.

All the best,

Oscar

Hi everyone!

Finals are here and almost in full swing. I am so ready to head home for a few weeks after finals and relax.. but I can't give up my energy yet because I need to push through the next week until next Saturday when I board a plane back to the west coast.

Some classes choose to have a take home final, which they give on the last day of class (April 26 was when I got my two take-home finals so I've had plenty of time to finish them already!). This has made my finals schedule way easier than normal, because instead of 5 exams to stress over, I'm down to 2 finals left to go!

My finals schedule:

Monday April 30
- In-class exam for Public Health (last of 3 exams)

Tuesday May 8
- English take home final due by 12:20 PM
- Development Politics final 12:40-2:40 PM

Thursday May 10
- International Economics final 10:20-12:20 PM
- Geography take home final due by 2:20 PM

Since I already finished my take home exams, I'm just focusing on Development Politics and International Economics. I am ready to head home very soon!! I'll update you on my summer plans once they're more solidified :)

- Marisa

Lesson #007: Finals success is only a Vern Express ride away.

Lesson #007: Finals success is only a Vern Express ride away.

The semester has ended. Summer is on its way. The only thing between you and that trip (or nap) you’ve been looking forward to is something known as “finals time.” As we all know, final exams always have and always will stand between students and absolute relief. “Finals time,” for many, means sleepless nights being replaced by study-filled days in the library and unabating stress. While most students crowd into Gelman Library, I would like to suggest an alternative: the beautiful Mount Vernon Campus.

If you need a place to focus and clear your head, the Mount Vernon Campus (commonly referred to as “The Vern”) is the place to do that. Its picturesque views stand in stark contrast to downtown D.C. and the comfort level is significantly higher than Gelman, from West Hall to Ames Hall and even Eckles Library. 

 

If you’re not “feeling” the indoors, don’t worry. Feel free to grab a spot on the balcony over the softball field, on the field itself, by the soccer field, at the tables in front of West Hall, by the fountain at the quad, or virtually anywhere within the 25-acre campus. On the other hand, rumor has it that Eckles gives free food to students during finals time (while hot chocolate and coffee are always available in the intimate student lounge if you bring your own cup!).

Just a few weeks ago, I began to truly embrace the Vern, where I’m actually writing this blog. The ride from Foggy Bottom to Mount Vernon, and vice versa, can be rather relaxing and, once you get here and get comfortable with your textbooks and study materials, you don’t ever feel like leaving.

While I haven’t lived here in my years at GW, I recognize that the entire Mount Vernon Campus, from pillar to post, is a one of a kind sanctuary. Sure, there are tennis courts, a pool, various exercise facilities, and up-to-date housing and classroom options, however, when you just want to take a break from all of the resources on both GW campuses, I believe that the Vern is the place to sit back and unwind.

Stay spirited,

Matt

mtscott@gwu.edu