Lesson #006: There is no “funk” like Capital Funk.

Lesson #006: There is no “funk” like Capital Funk.

Good evening, buff and blue Colonials. I’m about to present to you a fairly unique blog. In my five previous blog posts, I have written about experiences that involved walking around (see: Chalk-In), sitting (see: Excellence in Student Life Awards), standing still (see: Spring Fling/A Capella performances), and jumping up and down (see: Colonial Army). For the first time, I am going to write about something a bit more active and, potentially, even more fun. I am not just writing about “fun”. I am writing about “funk”, but not just any “funk”. I am writing about “Capital Funk”.

Yesterday evening, for the second year in a row, I attended Capital Funk’s Annual Hip Hop Showcase, by the name of “Funk Academy”. Capital Funk is a hip hop dance crew which has electrified GWU from campus to campus and from event to event. In the past 3 weeks alone, Capital Funk won "Best Choreography" at GW's Represent dance competition as well as a Excellence Award for Performance Group of the Year. In fact, the performance was preceded by the following video, which is absolutely hilarious: http://vimeo.com/41232716

After that, the performance began. Naturally, I captured video of it for all of you. Here is Capital Funk’s full opening performance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xVT0R5aLpY

The Showcase itself was not all about Capital Funk. Drew Law, Kevin Norchi and Jared Stokes, Ryan Thornton (of the GW Vibes), and Culture Shock DC were only the tip of the iceberg in regard to quality talent at the event. My personal favorite performer brought in for the show was Drew Law, who performed spoken word as well as a heart-felt poem chronicling his relationship with an ex-lover. Even in lieu of that, it is extraordinary to witness the dexterity, which a group like Capital Funk must have in order to plan out a performance, as well as the bodily command it takes to execute the maneuvers performed by the team when the lights turn on and it is “show-time”.

This is Drew Law (@drewlawdmv) captured via iPhone. The real thing is much more sharp and prolific!

All in all, “CFunk” once again stunned the crowd, made even more incredible by that fact that a lot of the attendees, like me, had seen Capital Funk perform before. In fact, my favorite routine is the following one. I have probably watched this a dozen times (on top of seeing it like), start to finish. It just goes to show that it’s probably not possible to get sick of Capital Funk.

On the dance floor, in the classroom, on the court or field, I encourage you to “get it”, future Colonials (just like CFunk)!

STAY SPIRITED,

Matt

mtscott@gwu.edu

P.S. I would encourage you to spend some time looking up Capital Funk. You will not regret it.

http://www.capitalfunk.com/

http://www.facebook.com/CapitalFunk

http://www.twitter.com/capitalfunk

Science and Engineering Festival

Waddup Waddup!!

So today I had the opportunity of going to the USA Science and Engineering Festival. This two day long festival was hosted by Lockheed Martin and held in the DC Convention Center which is right off the Mt. Vernon Square Metro stop. It is held every year and is typically hosted on the National mall but was held in the convention center this year due to the recent bad weather. 

GW School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS) was a sponsor of the festival so we had an booth where we taught kids about circuits and they got to color and make paper airplanes. Since I am the newly elected Junior Class Representative for the Engineer’s Council, other e-board members and myself along with other students from SEAS all came out to volunteer our time and scope out the festival. 

After working at the booth, I went over to see my corporate sponsor for my Jackie Robinson Scholarship, Northrop Grumman Corporation. They had a section at the festival as well where there were a number of demonstrations, presentations/displays, and giveaways. The whole day was a ton of fun and t was really great to see the familiar faces from the NGC corporate staff at the end of the day. 

If you are in DC now, the festival will be going on again tomorrow and there are a number of different presentations and special events that are going on in conjunction with the festival. You can visit www.usasciencefestival.org for more information. Go check it out (: 

Until next time: if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat-- always remember I am only an email away! anstone@gwmail.gwu.edu

Stay Classy Colonials,

Alyse

Curious George + Engineering = So much FUN (:

Happy Friday Readers (: 

I’d like to comment on the ridiculously GORGEOUS weather we are having today in Foggy Bottom. The environment on campus is definitely thriving today. I got out of class today and the Panhellenic Conference Council got an ice cream truck to give free ice cream to everyone on campus (free ice cream + gorgeous weather = happy Alyse). The Panhellenic Conference is the umbrella organization under which the social greek sororities on campus fall under if they are not under the Multicultural Greek Council umbrella organization or are a Professional Fraternity.  Social fraternities that are not professional and that do not fall under the Multicultural Greek Council are apart the umbrella organization called the Inter Fraternity Council.    

Wait... but my Friday gets even better-- the engineering org Engineers Without Borders was having a BBQ with footballs and nerf guns and a kiddie pool in Kogan Plaza (should have snapped a photo-- it was very dope sorry!). Although the food wasn’t entirely free, my gworld balance is definitely looking rough and I will take a $2 meal any day. Yep, today’s a good day.

Now back to the point of my post: so this past Wednesday, the engineering school (SEAS) hosted about 300 three to five year olds for a big Curious George event. With the help of a lovable student dressed up in a Curious George concert, we taught the kids about the various engineering disciplines through hands on activities in the Smith Center and then we ate lunch with them. It was an all around really fun event and fun day and everybody involved had an awesome time. I was on the planning committee since the event was run through the office I work at (Undergraduate Advising Office in SEAS) so I definitely had an awesome time because (a) I LOVE children and (b) I LOVE planning events. So it was a win win situation. I was looking for pictures to post for the event but everyone in the office is gone for the day and cameras have gone M.I.A. but once I find them, I will definitely post them up (: 

Until next time: if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat-- always remember I am only an email away! anstone@gwmail.gwu.edu

Stay Classy Colonials,

Alyse

Hello again!

Hi everyone,

It's been awhile since I've updated you guys!

I just went to the FRESHFARM farmer's market behind the Foggy Bottom Metro stop on Wednesday, after a review session for a final exam. I have been constantly impressed with the variety of foods that are available from such a small amount of vendors (there are around 12 booths, and it covers just a small area of campus). While Whole Foods tries to source sustainable and local foods, this farmers market an even better option as the foods have been literally driven to the market by the farmers themselves and you can talk to them about their produce!

This week, I walked away with the best goodies. I finally decided to try Atwater's selection of whole wheat breads. I also picked up some of my favorite apple cider and some eggs.

Atwater's "Sunflower Flax" bread

Cage free and speckled eggs

Quaker Valley Orchards apple cider

Overall, it was a great shopping atmosphere even though it was a little cold out. I love going to the farmers market because you are able to sample all of the produce and the yummy things they have- from salsa to soups to cider to baked goods! You can go hungry- something that I don't recommend doing in a normal grocery store : )

Hope everyone is ready for Friday to come and go- I definitely am ready for the weekend!
- Marisa

Lesson #005: Sometimes you just need to de-stress with some chalk and an empty street.

"Art Therapy" coats H St., in the heart of GW's campus.

Lesson  #005: Sometimes you just need to de-stress with some chalk and an empty street.

Good morning, Colonials and future Colonials (I’m looking at you, Class of 2016, Class of 2017, and Class of 2018)!

One of the coolest qualities about GW is that, even with annual traditions, for one reason or another, while you may miss an event the first time around, you can just as easily witness that event. This past Tuesday, the GW Chalk-In proved to be one of those events that I was lucky enough to catch this year that I simply overlooked last year.

Take a look at this video of last year's Chalk-In!

The Chalk-In is an event where the University shuts down the block of H Street in front of Kogan Plaza and Gelman Library shut down for no other reason than to give students the opportunity to write on the street in chalk.

The occasion serves a purpose: provide a stress-free zone for students to escape to in the midst of final exams and the end of the semester. Anyone, students in particular, have the opportunity to write and draw to their heart’s content, often as music plays and as some of the University’s top performance groups set the mood in Kogan Plaza with some light-hearted entertainment. It is certainly a sight to behold, especially in a city, where running to catch the next metro train or speeding off in a cab are more commonly seen than students sitting in the middle of the street with not a care in the world.

Here are the two other pictures I took of Chalk-In 2012:

I happened to take this picture and didn’t even realize until after that the Twitter handle of GW’s most notorious Tweeter, Dean of Students Peter Konwerski, was right there on the sidewalk. He really IS everywhere.

The Chalk-In is University-provided self-expression at its finest, making way for a temporary H Street art-gallery composed of works by the GW community alone.

In the words of Dr. Seuss: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” Truer words have never been said and the Chalk-In is one of the many annual opportunities to get your mind off of work for long enough to just "be" carefree.

Stay spirited & stress-free,

Matt

mtscott@gwu.edu

Lesson #004: The world has the Grammys. GW has the Excellence Awards.

Disclaimer: This picture is in no way a depiction of the events discussed in this piece. That is A-list actress Claire Danes. However, one day, that can be how you feel once you do win an Excellence in Student Life Award here at GW.

Lesson #004: The world has the Grammys. GW has the Excellence Awards.

Good evening, buff and blue Colonials! One week ago to the day was the 27^th Annual Excellence in Student Life Awards. It was my first time attending the awards, but, beforehand, I had consistently heard it referred to as the Grammy’s of The George Washington University. That may sound ridiculous at first thought, however it’s a good comparison.

You will definitely be hearing more about my affinity for Capital Funk (@CapitalFunk), performance group of the year, within the week, since this Sunday is the annual Capital Funk Showcase!

For one, there are performances, by groups like Capitol Funk and the Voice Gospel Choir.

Secondly, the glitz and glamour of the event are unparalleled, as students, staff, and faculty came together, all dressed in business formal attire, to celebrate the individuals who have improved the student life experience.

Colonial Army (@GWColonialArmy) won Student Organization of the Year in years past (and we're going to win the same award next year!)

Organizations and individuals all across the board were nominated. In fact, at the 20^th Annual Excellence Awards, Colonial Army picked up a notable victory for Student Organization of the Year. This year, however, I was attending with GW Students Against Sexual Assault, which has consistently put on sexual assault awareness programming across campus, including popular events like Take Back the Night and Walk A Mile in Her Shoes. When the final award, the Pyramid Award for Student Organization of the Year, was announced, Colonial Army and GW Students Against Sexual Assault were among the many organizations nominated.  The winners were then announced: Active Minds at George Washington University, the South Asian Society, and GW STUDENTS AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT!!!

Supporters of SASA, as well as CADE (the Center for Alcohol and other Drug Education), as well as GWise, broke out in celebration of the win for GW Students Against Sexual Assault, being that the organization, led by CADE advisor Ivonne Ramirez, President Emily Rasowsky (who also won an individual award), and Vice-President Jane Markowitz, has worked tirelessly to provide programming to the GW community regarding sexual assault. I was shocked when I realized I had to stand up with the rest of SASA to accept the award. I could not remove the grin from my face if I tried! I was smiling uncontrollably, all the while trembling with disbelief and excitement that our hard work paid off. I felt like a real part of it all, especially since I’d been Member of the Month just last month.

Afterwards, we took pictures with the Dean of Students, Peter Konwerski, as well as the presenters of the award. In fact, I just got my hands on the pictures from the reception afterward. Believe me when I say that I could not get rid of that smile all night!

(L to R) Me with SASA's graduate advisor, Ivonne Ramirez, and senior Summer Newman.. and of course the award!

Me with my former House Proctor, Courtnay Oddman, and with our respective awards. She won a spot on the Wall of Fame.

When you come to GW, you too can become "Excellent", whether alone or with a group. Whether you or a friend are nominated, one thing is sure: the Excellence Awards are a "can't miss" event happening once a year on campus. The GW stars come out and, if the stars are aligned, you'll come walking out with an award just like SASA and the other individuals and student organizations honored that evening!

Stay classy, future Colonials. Whether in your buff, your blue, or a suit and tie, don't forget to Raise High!

Sincerely,

Matt
mtscott@gwu.edu

Cab Doz Getaway

So if you haven't noticed, I've come from underneath my rock and you'll be hearing from me a lot  over the next couple of days as I avoid studying (:

Over this past weekend, I was kidnapped by my Colonial Cabinet fam (just kidding!). But all of the Colonial Inauguration staff (Colonial Cabinet and CI Staffers) went on a spring retreat/leadership getaway over the weekend. Although I can’t really say much about the retreat because its a surprise and a little bit on the down low, I can say it was an awesome bonding experience and although we left tired and smelly, we came back on Sunday loving each other more than we did when we left. 

Despite the fact that our more time intensive job commitments begin this summer, throughout the second semester we have weekly trainings, office hour commitments, and other events we have to attend including basketball games, April visit days for prospective students, and two retreats. We had our winter retreat towards the beginning of the spring semester and in past years this retreat is usually held the last weekend in the semester. But, because of some changes in schedule, we had it a bit earlier this year. 

Spring Retreat (:

At our winter retreat!

Chilling during GW's Spring Fling

Buff Out Basketball Game

Stuck together in a random elevator lol

With two trainings left in the semester and one more week of office hours, my cab fam and I  are getting ready to meet all the amazing incoming students. As a result of our overwhelming excitement for the summer, we have given ourselves the name “Cab Doz” which you may often hear us drop from time to time. 

If you are a prospective student-- GET READY!! This summer/fall is going to be exciting and fun but be sure to register for CI! I may have briefly mentioned it in an earlier post but once you register for CI you will be placed in a small group. Each Cab member is a small group leader. We will be there to make sure everything runs smoothly for you, and to also answer any and all questions you may have. The faster you register, the faster you hear from us, and get some Cab Doz lovin (: 

Until next time: if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat-- always remember I am only an email away! anstone@gwmail.gwu.edu

Stay Classy Colonials,

Alyse

NYC for the Day!

Last week, I had the pleasure of going on a trip to New York City to represent the Undergraduate Engineering School through the School of Engineering and Applied Science Student Peer Advisory Network (SEASSPAN). SEASSPAN is that mentor program I had previously mentioned I am apart of-- definitely one of my favorite on-campus commitments. 

So, the mentor program president and myself went up to NYC to attend a dinner with an undergraduate admission office and a professor from the engineering department. We attended a dinner at Atlantic Grill in Manhattan for students who had been admitted into the engineering school. And then I got to stay in this cute little bed and breakfast style hotel about 10 block uptown. 

Atlantic Grill- The yummy restaurant we ate at

Working in the undergraduate office for the engineering school and being a mentor has really showed me I love talking to students and their parents about GW and SEAS so I had a great time on the trip. It was obviously also nice to have a fabulous three course dinner and stay in a hotel on a “school night”, for free.

The trip ultimately showed me the beauty of living in DC though because as a GW student, we do have the option of getting away to New York for the day when ever we feel like it. Although the train can often be rather expensive, the bus is dirt cheap and sometimes only  $1 when you book it in advance. And the buses are SO nice! They have wireless internet, comfortable, nice seating, and you can sit on the top floor of the bus with all the nice windows. To top it all off-- the bus stop is right at Union Station which is easily metro accessible. Life is good as a GDub student! 

Until next time: if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat-- always remember I am only an email away! anstone@gwmail.gwu.edu

Stay classy future Colonials,

Alyse

Cheesecake Paradise

Wassup Colonials! 

I know its been a while-- as many of us can tell you April becomes one of the busiest times of the year here at GW. Although it has been very busy, no time is ever a bad time to make some cheesecake! So, as I continue to blog you will probably realize that I LOVE food. I love going out to eat amazing food, I love cooking different kinds of foods whenever I have time, and I also love to bake. 

Since this is a common theme amongst all members of the Stone family, there are a few good family recipes-- one of which is my ultimate favorite: sweet potato cheesecake. So my friends and I, after finishing classes and doing our homework for the day, set to the task of making the cheesecake-- neither of them knew much about baking or cheesecakes but it was a learning experience for everyone. I think we could have assembled the cheesecake faster if we weren’t so out of it but it took about 45minutes to assemble the cheesecake and then it baked for about an hour. You have to let it cool, so we put it in the fridge over night and enjoyed it the next day (nommm!).

I have a huge sweet tooth and used to love running over to the Cheesecake Factory back home in LA when I needed a fix but the closest cheesecake factory is a couple of metro stops away (which really isn’t that far at all). So when I get lazy and need a fix I result to making my own. With Wholefoods right across the street from my dorm, Jackie B. Kennedy Onassis Hall (JBKO), shopping is always made easy. (I think I live in the best sophomore dorm on campus-- just saying). And I guess I should also add that Wholefoods does have an amazing bakery, I just have a habit of getting very specific food cravings. 

My mother would kill me if she found out I blogged about the family recipe so if you ever  want to try to make a sweet potato cheesecake, www.allrecipes.com is a good website to go through to find anything you might be itching to make. It is common for GW kids to bake and make amazing desserts that you would usually only get from the comfort of your home. In addition to there being baking clubs on campus, once you become a sophomore, you are guaranteed to have a kitchen in your room for all the upperclassman dorm options which is awesome. Just remember to buy the right pans and a mixer and you will be all set (:

Until next time: if you have any questions, comments or just want to chat-- always remember I am only an email away! anstone@gwmail.gwu.edu

Stay classy future Colonials,

Alyse

Food Trucks: District of Pi

On Friday the District of Pi pizza truck was sitting in front of Gelman library, just beckoning to me.  I’ve been wanting to try their deep-dish for AGES AND AGES, but something always barred my access.  Be it lack of cash, time management, or the fact that I had recently eaten and I’m not that much of a glutton, but I hadn’t had District of Pi yet.  They have a restaurant in Penn Quarter as well, but when I’m out that way I usually have a destination already.

So it had to be, Friday was the day.  I had also failed to eat breakfast, so like ice cream the day before, this was a sign from the gods that I needed to indulge.  Or I’m shamelessly using coincidence to allow myself to over-eat like a pre-teen whose parents went away for a long weekend.  We’ll go with the former…

So I got the “Just Cheese”—yeah, I’m not helping my case, but it was the only meatless one I saw on the menu that day!  It took 9 minutes to cook up, but I just chilled outside Gelman and returned a phone call; it was nice out so I didn’t mind a bit.  My food was ready in just that time and I raced home to eat it.  By that time it had cooled just enough to chow down, and I was thrilled with the product.  I’ll never say deep dish is better than New York style, or even comparable to—it’s a different animal entirely.  However, this was thoroughly satisfying and all-around delicious.  Tomato sauce on top is an interesting concept, and I’m definitely into the chunky tomato-y sauce rather than a puree.  Overall a definite lunchtime success.

Still reading?  Good for you.  You obviously care enough about GW or DC or my culinary adventures.  So write me about it!  shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Filmfest DC

Each year I write about the DC International Film Festival that takes place annually in April, but this year's extra special.  Not only have I seen several movies, but I'm a Filmfest Volunteer this year!

Volunteering means you work two 6-hour shifts (you can choose from 2 weeks worth of days to work).  You also get to see one movie for free, drop-in on the movies you work during, and go to the closing reception for free.  This year's reception is at the French Embassy.  I'm super excited, that's going to be really fun to go to.  I'll write a SEPARATE post about that one, and with pictures too!

It's a really fun and easy gig, and it's got great perks!  It's cool to be around people who love international movies as much as I do, I met some very cool people there.  The theaters we work at are E Street Cinema, The Goethe Institute, The Naval Heritage Center, and Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place (all of these are downtown, Chinatown/Metro Center area), and lastly Avalon Theatre in Friendship Heights.  The downtown theaters are easiest to get to, in fact E Street isn't a far walk from campus, but Avalon and the Naval Heritage Center are the coolest.  Avalon is a cute art house theater in a super-nice residential area, and the NHC has a museum-y vibe.  

The festival is just about over for this year, but stay tuned to this website for next year's films and when to sign up for volunteering!

And email me with questions and comments and all!  shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Pictures From This Year’s Cherry Blossoms!

Before I get to the main focus of my post, last weekend, my team and I traveled to Maryland in their spring volleyball tournament, where we played UMD, Villanova, and American. We did not play as well as we did the week before, but we are using it as a learning tool. Throughout the day, we played well at times and at other times we struggled, but since then, we have had 4 wonderful days of practice, so we are all excited to travel to James Madison University this weekend to compete against them. Wish us luck!

Now for the main reason for my post—my visit to the gorgeous Cherry Blossoms. As you may know, a few weeks ago was the 100^th annual Cherry Blossom Festival along the Tidal Basin here in DC. And like usual, the festival was stunning and brought thousands of visitors to DC to wander the National Mall and take in all of the gorgeous sights. This year I walked the few blocks with two of my friends who also were willing to brave the crowds and ended up making it a 3 hour excursion. We walked from campus, to the Lincoln Memorial, to the Tidal Basin, and then we just went where our feet took us, which included making a stop at the slightly out of the way Jefferson Memorial. Neither of my friends who I went with had seen the Cherry Blossoms nor had they been to the Jefferson Memorial, so we were able to check those things off of their DC bucket lists. By the time we were done walking, we ended up making a complete loop around, ending back at the Lincoln Memorial and traveling back to campus. If you have been to the area and have walked this path, you may be wondering why it took 3 Division I college athletes 3 hours to make this trip. Well, we had 3.5 hours worth of practice and weights that morning, so we were actually quite tired, stopping several times along the way and spending a great deal of time sitting on benches, entertaining ourselves with people watching.

Every year since I have been attending GW, I have made an effort to go to the Cherry Blossoms and every year they are just as beautiful as the last, possibly more so. They mark the beginning of spring and remind me that summer is just around the corner.

We took a lot of pictures, probably too many, so I tried to choose my favorites of the bunch. Enjoy!

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

-Christie

Food Trucks: Ice cream!

On Thursday my friend and I decided to bask in the lovely weather and were really keen on the idea of enjoying some ice cream outside.  Little did we know The Orange Cow ice cream truck was right on campus!  It was a deus ex machina of dairy confections, we had to submit to the will of the universe.

It wasn’t tough to pick a flavor, one of the specials of the day was Coffee-Oreo.  It rocked my world.  I’m always a fan of cookies & cream flavor, but the coffee ice cream added some fantastic umph to the traditional.  And it was loaded with cookies too, which was awesome.  It’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine when a flavor claims to be cookies & cream but there’s barely any cookie.  This hit the mark.

So we sat out in the loveliness and began our weekend in delicious, creamy style.  Orange Cow gets an A+!!!

~~~Shireen

Lesson #003: Give the Vibes, the Troubadours, & campus’ various vocal leviathans a listen

Ryan Thorton, a member of the GW Vibes, as featured in The Hatchet last month.

Lesson #003: Give the Vibes, the Troubadours, & campus’ various vocal leviathans a listen!

Good afternoon, buff and blue Colonials!

This past weekend has been absolutely insane and has got me stuck on the idea of writing about probably a half dozen different things, including a huge Greek life event and GW Program Board's (@GWPB on Twitter) Spring Fling. Instead, I’ll take it one step at a time and begin with one of the more low-key parts of the weekend.

The GW Vibes in the Smith Center at Spring Fling

On Sunday, I attended Spring Fling’s cornerstone event, a concert featuring none other than Childish Gambino. His opening act, you ask? The Vibes.

No, the Vibes (@GWVibes on Twitter) are not an old all women’s group from the 70’s, in case you were wondering. They are a co-ed a capella group that always manages to astound me with their vocal arrangements and acumen. Here is actually a very short video of them performing one song, though my personal favorite is their cover of “Shark in the Water” by V.V. Brown.

(Definitely look up The Vibes on Youtube to get a better idea of their vocal talents. The sound quality wasn't the best, simply because of the large crowd of students in attendance.)

They aren’t the only group I have seen and recorded (for you guys!) recently. Just a few weeks ago, following a meeting for the GW STAR (Student Admissions Representative, for those not quite up on the campus lingo) program in Marvin Center, I walked with friends out of the doors and exited out onto H Street, into the tender Spring night’s twilight. As they were heading back to the Mount Vernon Campus and as I was headed back to my own residence hall, we walked past Kogan Plaza, where a sizeable crowd was gathered. It was before long that our curiosity got the best of us and we crossed the street to join the crowd, which formed a semi-circle around a group of a dozen guys and girls. This group was the GW Troubadours (@GWTroubadours on Twitter).

When we joined the crowd buzzing with anticipation, I thought that maybe we’d missed their performance. Little did I know that they were really just getting started! The GW Troubadours, one of the premiere a cappella groups on campus, busted out into their rendition of Jason Mraz’s “Geek in the Pink”, with sophomore Max Dinsmore on lead vocals.

GW Troubadours in front of Kogan Plaza a few weeks ago.

The group performed a number of songs, including “I Want You Back”, made famous by the Jackson 5-- effortlessly belted out by sophomore Rachel Weinstein.

A cappella groups can be found left and right between our two campuses and, if anything, they are competitive and passionate. These groups include Emocapella, the emo and punk rock performance group; the Pitches and the Sirens, both stunning all-female groups; and the Sons of Pitch, an all-male group who performed at the White House this past December. In fact, if you search GW a cappella on Youtube, hundreds of videos come up, showcasing the sheer popularity of an art form which has taken on a life of its own.

With just as much zeal in their voices and animation in their eyes as any other a cappella group, the Vibes and the Troubs did what essentially all of the campus a cappella groups do: leave fellow Colonials swaying and swooning over their sick synchronicity and heart-shattering harmonies (from the Smith Center to Kogan Plaza to the White House)!!!

Stay spirited, Class of 2016 and Future Colonials.

Sincerely,

Matt

PS: Any questions or comments? Feel free to email me at mtscott@gwu.edu!

Spring Fling!

Yesterday GW had it's annual "Spring Fling".  To celebrate spring and beautiful weather and the last blissful days before finals, GW Program Board puts on an awesome concert and hosts all sorts of activities throughout the day to entertain us and give us an excuse to procrastinate homework.

This year's guest was my favorite yet, and fitting for my last Spring Fling.  We had CHILDISH GAMBINO!  If you don't know him, go take a listen.  I'll be here when you get back.

...

Cool, right?  Yeah, he's pretty great.  Very witty and clever with the lyrics, but not sacrificing on good beats and musicality.  His real name is Donald Glover; you may know him as Troy on NBC's Community.  He also wrote for 30 Rock for a while--my favorite show.  Allow me to get inside baseball for a second: *HE* is the true voice behind "Werewolf Bar Mitzvah", not Tracy Morgan!  Google it.

So everyone congregated in the Smith Center (our basketball/big event auditorium) for an amazing concert last night at 7, and it was definitely as good as I expected.  Probably better, actually--I didn't expect everyone to know the lyrics as well as they did, it's great when you're all collectively singing along.  He even freestyled about GW and DC during the encore, and it's always nice to get a shout-out!  It was just fantastic fun.  I re-fell in love with his musical stylings.

Above are pictures my friend took from the concert--I didn't feel like busting out the camera, too busy dancing and getting crushed by people who were virtually moshing everywhere.  Was still happy with it, though!

As usual, email with questions and comments about GW or whatever.  shireens@gwmail.gwu.edu

<3 Shireen

Great Falls!

Hi Colonials! Hope everyone took advantage of the absolutely beautiful weather this weekend. I spent my Sunday hiking in Great Falls National Park. It's about an hour north of GW and is a great escape from the city. Even though I am from Maryland, today was my first time hiking at Great Falls. 

We woke up in the morning, hopped in a friend's car and headed to the Park. On the way we bought the necessities, which in included a surplus of trail mix and Gatorade. Once we started on the trail, I was surprised to see just how big the Potomac River actually is. Yes, a portion of the river runs through DC along the Georgetown waterfront, but in Great Falls there are so many jagged rocks and natural beauty. Most of the trails run along the river and have spectacular views of the waterfalls once you hike up a bit. We had the most fun going off on the smaller paths that lead to the edge of the cliffs with the best lookout points.

As a future Gdub student, I hope that you take advantage of not only DC's amazing scenery, but all the cool places right outside the city! Until the next adventure...

Alexa  :)

Delayed Recap of My Spring Break

I just realized that I never talked about what I did over my spring break! Well, this post answers that question.

Spring break 2012 has been over for a few weeks now and we are in the final home stretch of the 2011-2012 school year. For me personally, I had a decently hard time coming back to the reality of a full schedule filled with classes, volleyball, and homework. Spring break was too short in my opinion, the week I was in beautiful, sunny Florida went much too quickly.

I was there for a total of 8 days and they were quite wonderful. The only things I did were: lay by the pool (which played fantastic music, by the way), nap, Disney World (all 4 parks: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom), and Universal Studio’s Islands of Adventure (which is the home for fairly new and ever popular the Wizarding World of Harry Potter). In fact, one of the days, my sister Vickie and I did 3 Disney parks all in 1 day! We started off at Magic Kingdom at noon-ish, followed by Hollywood Studios, and then EPCOT until midnight. It was quite a long, tiring day, but it was enjoyable. I was down there with my family, but two of my roommates were in Florida visiting one of their good friends, so I met up with them and went that first weekend to Magic Kingdom and Islands of Adventure, both of which were a lot of fun.

Now, it’s time for the picture portion of my post! I didn’t take very many pictures over break, but I do have a few.

Posing in the Jurassic Park section of Universal Islands of Adventure

Tomorrowland at Disney's Magic Kingdom

The pool where I spent majority of my time during those 8 days

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

-Christie