Presidential Scholars Come to Visit!

Today the Presidential Scholars have arrived! These are all students who meet the requirements for Presidential Scholars and have already been accepted to the school. They attend Sessions on Sunday with their parents, go to a nice dinner with a guest speaker, and then the students stay overnight with a student host. Then, on Monday, the students get a tour, have a few more sessions, and call it a day. Through the entire process, the students get a good look at what Siena has to offer so they can better judge whether or not we are a good fit for them.

Today, I was asked to sit on one of the panels as a student speaker. I spoke on behalf of the Liberal Arts Independent Study option. As of right now, I am finishing up my own Independent study. Its a great way for me to finish up my Spanish minor and get the last three credits I need. In order to do so, I have to write a 15-20 page research paper in spanish. I am writing my paper on Poverty in Honduras because this past summer, I did a two month service trip to Honduras. I was able to incorporate many of my experiences into my paper.

The great thing about the Independent Study is that I get to choose my topic and write what I am passionate about. Its also a direct application of what I have learned in my classes to an experience that I had. I love how Siena has so many options when it comes to classes and how flexible they are to work with you. Your Siena experience is really what you make of it, and if you use all the resources available to you, let me tell you, its quite the experience.

Below is a picture of me while I was in Honduras!


Until next time,
Indira

Mission Accomplished...Almost

I know a lot of you folks out there have already been accepted into colleges and are probably spending the rest of your high school days on academic autopilot. I particularly remember being accepted at Siena pretty early in the admissions cycle. I had two reactions: "thank God," and, "my school year just ended." Well, I just recently got accepted into one of the law schools that I had applied to and my intial reaction this time was quite similar to when I got my Siena acceptance in the mail over three years ago: "thank God," and, well, "thank God" again. I have to say though, the second half of my reaction was different. Instead of wanting to triumphantly declare the end of my undergraduate academic career, I actually felt more motivated to excel at my schoolwork. Weird, right? Scary what college will do to you. In all seriousness though, I am taking a few classes this semester that I find genuinely interesting, such as Religion and the Founding Fathers, to name one. Still though, it is an immense relief to have been accepted into law school, which was a goal of mine throughout college.

Oh, and by the way, what Bianca says about Siena Basketball...completely true. I am a huge football and baseball fan, and I'll even admit to having rooted for the New York Knicks for a year or so during my naive youth, but basketball was never really something that I followed much. Well, I come to Siena, and all of a sudden I've turned into a NCAA Basketball fanatic. See for yourself:

Games attended Freshman year: 0
Games attended Sophomore year: 2
Games attended Junior year: a lot
Games attended Senior year: every home game so far

Pretty clear trend I would say.

Take Care,
Mike DiSiena

Morning Wake-Up Call!

Hello everyone! My apologies for not writing recently. Winter Break was awesome, I spent most of my time at home catching up with my sister. Its rare that we're ever in the same place for an extended period of time, so during breaks when we are together, all we do is hang out.

And now, I'm back at Siena and the semester is already well on its way! Coming back for my final semester has got me thinking about how much I'm going to miss this place. But its really the small details that make the experience. Like the mornings! I'm certainly not a morning person, but my mornings always get started on a happy note.

The routine starts when my roomate Bianca gets up before me. She's always an early riser. I always tell her to make sure I get up at a decent hour with enough time to get ready for classes. Bianca and I usually alternate turns as to who gets to choose the music for the morning. We've always got music playing, its a requirement for our morning routine. And then we start to get ready for the day, I brush my teeth and make sure I start a pot of coffee (I love coffee. Its the only way I get through morning science classes!). Then Bianca usually checks the weather and I ask her what to wear. She usually helps me pick out my outfit because I'm always indecisive. And then we head downstairs for a bit of breakfast before we're out the door!

I really do extremely dislike getting up in the mornings, but when you get to do it with your best friend, its not so bad. I'm going to miss having someone to get ready with once I graduate.

But... I've got a whole semester of fun before I have to start thinking about that!

Until next time....

First Week!

Hey Everyone!

It's the first week back at Siena (for students... I've been here since last Thursday for training) and it's sure been hectic. I have a confession... I ALWAYS get nervous my first few days of classes. I get nervous I'm going to be late, or going to be in the wrong class or my professor is going to scare me, so I always arrive at least 10 minutes early, scope out the surroundings, get a good a seat and settle on the first day. I try and play it off like I'm not nervous, but I am. I LOVE my professors this semester. It's very reassuring when a professor e-mails the roster and her name has 3 titles after it. You know you're being taught by someone impressive when you see that, lol.

I'm currently on duty but nothing too exciting is happening. It's funny; I'm actually on duty with my RA from last year. She was the reason I wanted to be an RA, so it's great being on her staff now. I went to the basketball game before duty, and it was a close game! But, Siena prevailed and won once again... Hello, second longest winning streak at home in the NCAA! I love going to the games because there is such a sense of community. People from all over the capitol region attend and rave about our team. It's also fun because a few of the players are actually my residents. I love cheering them on :)

But, alas.. I must go on a round of the building. But, before I go- Thanks Bianca for the shout out :) I hope that little acts of kindness like the one the Pathfinders did will influence others to realize that small acts of kindness go a long way.

Until next week!

- Leanne

P.S.- Attached is a picture of a few us during RA training after we saw "Avatar" (GREAT MOVIE).. Oh, and that middle guy... he's my boyfriend :)

Go Saints!

Ok so if there's one thing you must do if you are going to be, already are, or were a Siena student... it is go to a home men's basketball game at the Times Union Center. We are big on our basketball here, and it shows. Whenever there is a home game, students pile onto the free buses all decked out in green and gold and rush into the TUC and get discounted tickets with their Siena IDs (Saint Cards). It's loud and fun, and just an altogether good time. That's where I'm headed in a little bit. We're playing Loyola... so this should be a good game. And so far, we've had a wonderful season. I'm predicting another MAAC tournament win, and an even better run at the NCAA tournament. We've got such a great team... and they certainly always have a great audience.
So remember... get to those games and enjoy a little bit of our Siena Saints Spirit!

~Bianca


P.S. This picture is from when we won the MAAC tournament last year and everyone stormed the court!

Spring Cleaning!

Okay so it may not feel like spring just yet but the roomates and I sure did some spring cleaning this week! After moving back in we all realized that we may have brought back a bit too much! However, we all seemed to make it fit, even the messy roomate, me! We also got a new roomate which was pretty exciting. I now have two crazy Floridian Water Polo players living with me =] We all get a long so well and im looking forward to roomate bonding in a little bit. Kind of cheesy yes but we have some fun activities planned. Of course I have to still get done the homework I have, yes homework alreadsy second day back.

Despite the homework Im so excited for my spring classes. I'm getting a lot of my core classes done so I can focus on my major and minor! I had Finite Math this morn, which is looking very promising to be pretty basic and easy enough for me. The best part of Siena's academics are its wide variety of classes to take and making sure there classes for those who aren't experts in the subject. And believe me I have not taken math since junior year of highschool. Despite the up coming stress of classes, tests, and papers, I always look forward to the begining of the semester. New classes and a fresh new start to be whatever kind of student you want to be, and new first impressions to make to show your teachers your serious and want to do well. And of course being the nerd I am NEW SCHOOLS SUPPLIES!!! I love new school supplies =] Come on who doesnt?

Well im going to start my homework and go to my basketball intramurals meeting!
<3 Liv

NYC Adventure!

Hi everyone!

So yesterday, to try to have some fun at the end of break, my mom and I ventured to New York City (which happens to be only 2-3 hrs from Siena)! Normally, I'm not much of a city lover, but I really had a lot of fun on this trip. When we got down to the city, we stopped for some breakfast at an amazing English restaurant, The Breslin. I've been told that if you're going to eat English food, eat breakfast for every meal of the day. And now I understand why... the breakfast was wonderful (and apparently lunch and dinner aren't so great). Then we stopped over at the Fashion Institute of Technology to go to their fashion exhibits, with clothing from the 1800s to the present. It was incredible to see real-life dresses and outfits that were made so long ago, and also to see the progression of fashion since then. Once we left FIT, we were inspired to do some clothes shopping of our own, as I was in desperate need of interview outfits for my graduate school interviews (which are coming up very soon!). And the search was successful! Trying on all of those suits and business-wear made me feel very grown up, though... and looking at the price tags made me feel too grown up!
The best part of the day is when my mom and I went to the Russian Tea Room, which she has always wanted to go to since she was a little kid. It is simply stunning. The architecture and decorations are beautiful. The tea is, of course, fabulous. We had a wonderful time, and the smile that it put on my mom's face was worth the world to me.
After high tea, we walked around the city when it was all lit up, but then we realized we had to get to our MegaBus in 10 minutes! And there were about 20 blocks to go! A rickshaw driver noticed that we were rushing, and asked if we wanted a ride. So we said "why not?" And we hopped in. And let me tell you... it was the craziest ride I have ever been on! He was speeding in between cars and jumping over potholes, and nearly running over pedestrians! While I was scared for my life, it was incredibly fun! And we got to our bus on time.
I'd say, all in all, it was a day well spent, and a great end to my last Christmas break!

~Bianca

P.S. I would like to congratulate Leanne, the other Pathfinders coordinators, and all of the Pathfinders for all of their hard work on Project Linus. This is a wonderful accomplishment!
I hope that we can harness this feeling of community, and the hardwork and dedication that you all possess to address the call for help coming from Haiti. I know that our Siena spirt can pull us all together to help out and really make a difference in the lives of people who need strength, love, and a little bit of hope.

And So It Goes

Well, this time next week I will be back in class. On second thought, that's not true, seeing how I've managed my schedule so that I don't have classes on Wednesdays, or Mondays for that matter. I was always somewhat envious of my friends who had days without any classes during the weekday, and now I'm looking forward to experiencing that myself. I will say my Thursdays will be practically like a workday. I have class from 8:30 right to 3:00...that should be interesting. Regrettably, its my last semester at Siena. This semester I'll fulfill all of my required classes I need in order to graduate. That means I'll be taking a Spanish course for my philosophy major. Its been several years since I've taken Spanish so that class will be sure to jog my memory. I'm also taking Early Modern Philosophy, The 4th, 5th and 6th Amendments, Religion and the Founding Fathers, as well as continuing my thesis and the Symposium on Living Philosophers course which is a year-long course. As usual I anticipate being fairly busy, which, for better or worse, will make the semester fly by.

There are a few things I am glad to have finished over break. Chief among them is applying to law school. I've applied to eight very different law schools: Albany, Boston University, Catholic University, University of Florida, Fordham University, George Mason University, Washington and Lee University, and William and Mary. Another law school has caught my eye that I may well apply to, but that is it for the moment. I'll let you know where I end up going, but instead of continually anticipating a letter in the mail from a school, I think I will content myself with enjoying the waning days I have at the school that I know and love, the eponymously named Siena College (although no, it is not named after me...yet).

TrustCo Bank Award for Excellence!

Happy Saturday Night, Everyone!

Yes.. I know it's 11:04 p.m. on a Saturday, but I had quite the exhilarating day and I just had to share it with you! Today, Pathfinders (A club that I'm one of four coordinators with) received an "Award of Excellence" for our work with Project Linus during halftime of the Saints basketball game against Niagra. Words can not described how honored I feel (and, I think I can speak for the rest of the coordinators in saying that). Standing center court with Father Mullen (President of Siena) in front of 8,068 people was one of the best experiences of my life. Since I do not think my words can describe how much this award meant, I'm going to paste for you the exact words that were said when we were walking down on court;

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN THE TRUSTCO BANK 'AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE' RECOGNIZES INDIVIDUALS WITHIN THE SIENA COMMUNITY FOR OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS AND SERVICE... UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SIENA ADMISSIONS OFFICE... A GROUP OF CARING STUDENTS MADE A BIG DIFFERENCE TO THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT NEED IT MOST WITH SERVICE AND KINDNESS ...IN DECEMBER THE SIENA PATHFINDERS, A VOLUNTEER-STUDENT- AMBASSADOR CLUB DISCOVERED A MOST UNIQUE WAY TO SHOW THEY CARE...THEY JOINED A MOVEMENT CALLED PROJECT LINUS...A NATIONWIDE ORGANIZATION THAT PROVIDES HOME-MADE BLANKETS TO ORPHANAGES, HOMELESS SHELTERS, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTERS, AND CHILDREN'S CAMPS...THE SIENA PATHFINDERS...A GROUP OF OVER 160 SIENA STUDENTS TEAMED UP WITH CHAPTER IN ALBANY TO MAKE BLANKETS...THE SIENA STUDENTS RAISED OVER $900 DOLLARS TO PURCHASE MATERIAL AND THEN THEY THREW A PARTY... A "BLANKET MAKING PARTY" ..THE SIENA PATHFINDERS CRAFTED 50 BLANKETS IN TWO HOURS...AMIDST FUN AND LAUGHTER---ALL FOR A GOOD CAUSE. IT IS WITH HONOR AND APPRECIATION THAT SIENA COLLEGE PRESIDENT FATHER KEVIN MULLEN AND ATHLETIC DIRECTOR JOHN D'ARGENIO PRESENT THE TRUSTCO BANK AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE TO THE SIENA PATHFINDERS.... ACCEPTING ON BEHALF OF THE SIENA PATHFINDER....THREE SOPHOMORE COORDINATORS... LEANNE GELISH, ERIC GUZMAN AND SHAWN REAP

I was fortunate in having a partner for my 3 hour roadtrip; My wonderful Mom. Sometimes, when you're at college its as if you're in a different world entirely separate from your parents. Grades, everyday activities, club involvements etc tend to be forgotten in conversations just because there's so much to talk about, so for me it was great to be able to share this experience with my biggest fan. I know she was in awe of the whole experience, and this is something both of us will remember forever.

In other news, I go back to Siena THURSDAY for RA Winter Training. I'm excited to go back, but it'll be much better when everyone else returns on January 18th.

Well, I'm exhausted from today, and there's a new episode of Bridezilla on (Seriously, what a phenomenal show. Really teaches you how NOT to act on that special day) so I'm going to go. But, before I go I have two last things. First, I would like to publicly thank Pathfinders two Admissions Counselors who helped us with this entire project- Diana and Lauren; THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING! If it wasn't for your help we wouldn't be where we are today. You two are phenomenal people.

Secondly- I would like to attach a youtube video of the Pathfinders making the blankets (that was made by Diana).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRPFk7PD1Ns

I'll see you all soon!
-Leanne

My Last Semester Approaches

In a little more than a week I will be starting my last semester at Siena College. This does not make me happy. Spring semester always flies by, and I'm sure because I don't want this one to, it's going to fly by even faster. I've gotten a lot done over this break so I don't have to worry about it once the semester is in full swing, but I know the workload and finishing everything up is going to eat up all my time. I'm taking Biochemistry, Drawing, Philosophy of Language, finishing up my Honors Thesis on Just War Theory, publishing my research on heat shock proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana, writing a reflection paper about my service experience during my undergraduate career, and interviewing at graduate schools. It's going to be a packed semester, which always cranks up the speed.

Luckily, I'm going to get a few opportunities to slow down and really think about my time here at Siena. I'm actually going to be speaking at one of the Presidential Scholars events in March! So if any of you reading this are a Presidential Scholar, you might get to hear me talk about my Siena experience on your visit here.

Well I'm going to go try and be productive before I have to go to work at Albany Berkshire Ballet. Talk to you all again soon!

~Bianca

P.S. It's currently snowing outside, so I thought that this Calvin and Hobbes strip was fitting. Anyone want to make a snowman with me? I'm sure once school starts back up I'll get some recruits to make snowmen on the academic quad. :-)

Babysitting Munchkin!

Happy 2010 Everyone!!


I'm sorry I didnt get a chance to blog yesterday but I was so worn out from babysitting! My cousin Matthew is 19months and adorable. Every tuesday, wednesday, & thursday he wakes me up early and literally pulls the covers off of me. As usual yesterday 7:10 rolled around and I heard " Up Oiya!" coming from the end of my bed! It really is adorable how he can't say the letter " l" and of course we eat breakfast and afterwards "cudder" with the crayons. It's amazing how much he knows and how intellegent he is at such a young age. I spent the majority of the morning teaching him the colors of the crayons and his knowledge of just the primary colors was added to by purple, orange, & teal!



I put him down after breakfast for a nap and found myself getting the oppertunity to catch up on some reading I had wanted to do. Unfortunatly, he only napped an hour and I was only able to read a few chapters of Pride Prejudice and Zombies. Despite the corny table it really is a fun read, if your in to Jane Austen or just Zombies! I happen to be a huge Jane Austen fan and have read everything that has evolved from Pride and Prejudice, such as Mr. Darcy Vampyre, and Kitty Bennetts Story. I must admitt Mr. Darcy Vampyre was highly entertaining and might be a runner up to the Twilight Series Books. I have the good fortune of going to see New Moon again tonight with my mom. I might be a tad bit obsessed, but who is'nt? I have even started trying to get my friend Mike to pick up Twilight.


So after a failed attempt at Matthew playing by himself I decided to make some good old block soup with him! We added alot more red blocks for flavor =]. And then his favorite show Pinky Dinky Doo came on. We had a great time singing the theme song together, although im sure if any one of my friends would have seen me they would think I was crazy. Following the show was our favorite part of the day playing with the Hess trucks untill my cousin came to pick him up. I was so exhausted I took a nap and finished my book. And now im even more excited to take a trip to the library hopefully next week.


I hope everyone has a great weekend!
<3 Liv

Criminally Minded

I rarely watch television much anymore. I think the decline is, in part, due to my effort to keep up with my schoolwork. I used to watch political talk shows (colossally nerdy, I know, but politics is something of an addiction for me), ESPN, and the news (more politics). With the spare time that comes with a break off from school, and the almost inevitable lethargy that sets in, I have again taken up channel surfing. I made one very fortunate discovery the other day of a program by the name of Criminal Minds. The only reason I stopped to watch the show was because Jason Alexander, of Seinfeld fame, was wearing a funny white wig and sporting a quirky goatee. Needless to say, I was hooked. Evidently, the show has been around since 2005, which ought to show you how out of it I am when it comes to t.v. series. Having just taken a Criminal Law class at Siena, I find myself thinking about the legal aspect of the show's plot lines. What is the crime? How would it be prosecuted? You get the idea. So there you have it folks, your education is bound to follow you no matter where you go or what t.v. program you just happen to flip on. Choose your college courses wisely.

...What do I do with all this time?

Happy New Year, Everyone!

Now, I know semester breaks are supposed to be utilized to relax... but, I'm done relaxing. I'm bored. I need something to do already. I just came home from a weekend in Connecticut and I've already planned a "to-do" list for this week. First on my to-do list; get some of my more recent pictures developed and framed. I've decided I'm going to put them around my house, and replace some that are in my room. Second task for this week; READ! I have missed reading so much. I mean, I take English classes for my minor so I read all the time, but I haven't been able to read just to read, so I've picked up a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald for this week to pass some time. Third task; Paint. I want to surprise my parents and repaint one of our rooms. It was recently painted over the summer, but NO ONE likes the color, so I'm going to prime it, paint it, and decorate it. I watch the HDTV channel too much. I'm also working a few days this week, and traveling up to Albany for the Trust-Co award that was given to Pathfinders for our work with Project Linus. I'm finally BUSY again!

... Oh, and you may be wondering what my resolution is this upcoming year.. Well, I'm typically against them, BUT, this new decade I have one resolution for myself; FIND BALANCE! There are many times during the semester when I become too focused on one thing; whether it be my school work, my job (s), or friends that I forget to take a step back, and find that happy median. It was a rough road last semester with everything, and although I came out of it just barely scathed, I know I can make this semester run much smoother.

Here's to 2010!

Until next time,

Leanne