Gopher Blog

The New Girl

Hi! My name is Hilary and I am the new Office of Admissions student blogger. I am excited to tell you all about my wonderful experiences here at the University of Minnesota and in the Twin Cities. 

First, I will tell you all a little bit about myself. I am a true Minnesotan, born and raised in the small town of Grand Rapids, which is about three hours north of the Twin Cities. I am a junior studying strategic communication (public relations) in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a management minor in the Carlson School of Management. I have always been a huge Gopher fan and enjoy watching any of our Division One sports.

 

I am pretty involved on campus and have a very busy calendar! I am in a sorority, I play intramural hockey, I’m a member of Public Relations Student Society of America, and I serve on the Homecoming committee. When I am not busy with those activities or studying, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, playing golf, and being outdoors.

 

Speaking of the outdoors, I cannot wait for summer to start! After conquering four finals, three papers, and a project, I am ready for relaxation and sunshine. I plan on spending my summer at the beach, exploring the Twin Cities, and sharing it all with you. I'd also love to get to know my readers and answer any questions you might have. What do you want to know about being a student here? What do you like to do? Click on the comments link to share your thoughts!

Graduation!

After four years at the University of Minnesota, I can say I’ve reached my goal—I am an official graduate!

Here's a picture of me and my family!

Here's a picture of me and my roommate Christi. She's been my roommate for the past year.  

 

On May 22, 2008, I posted my first entry. Over the past two years, I’ve had the opportunity to give you the inside scoop on my life here as a student at the U of M. And while not every post may have tickled your fancy, I do hope that some did—and I hope that you have a better understanding of the great opportunities that the U of M can offer to students like you.

• You traveled with me on my study abroad trip to Cape Town, South Africa where I learned about leadership with fellow U of M students. 
• You experienced countless Gopher football games—including the return of football on campus at the TCF Bank stadium.
• You got a taste of Big Ten tradition through blog posts about Homecoming and on-campus sports like volleyball.
• You got a first-hand look at the Twin Cities as I blogged about the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes, Uptown, the world-renown Guthrie Theater, the Minnesota State Fair, and Minnesota History Center.
• I’ve shared what a typical day is like for me. And of course, I wrote about all about my classes. You know about my experience living on campus in Centennial Hall and in my sorority house in the Dinkytown area.
• You know a little bit about what the is like on campus as I’ve shared about my life in sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. From formals, football, and philanthropies, my involvement in Kappa Alpha Theta and other student organizations on campus has created the small, close-knit community that has made the U of M my second home.
• And this spring, you’ve followed me on the home stretch to graduation as I attended the job and internship fair, wrapped up my final classes, participated in Relay for Life, and announced my exciting after-graduation plans at Fairview Health Services.

As in many aspects of life, all good things must come to an end. Tomorrow, I start my full-time internship with Fairview Health Services and the next chapter in my life as a University alumna. I’m leaving the U of M having achieved my goals with a quality education and the out-of-classroom experiences to enhance it. Who wouldn’t be proud of that? When it comes to college, I couldn’t imagine having been anywhere but the U of M.

It’s been an honor.

For the last time,

~ Trisha

The Last Week

Happy May Gopher Blog fans!

This week marks my last as an undergraduate student and as of today, I have only…

• one University class,
• two presentatations,
• one term paper,
• one 5K run,
• one group project, and
• three finals

... left and then I will be ready to graduate. Let the celebrations commence! Okay, maybe not yet. As you can see, I’ve still got some work ahead of me before walking across the stage at Northrop Auditorium.

My  two biggest projects this week are my term paper for my Communication in Marriage and the Family and a group project in Persuasion Theory class. My term paper just needs a good round of editing until it’s done. And the group project involves writing and performing a skit during class on Friday. We wrote the lines to the skit at our group meeting last week and this week we will be working on a 4-7 page group paper about our topic. My responsibility will be gathering each group member’s contribution to the paper and putting it together into one seamless paper for Friday. I was happy to have this part of the project since I like editing, but I won’t be getting everyone’s contribution until later in the week. So, my chance to start editing might not begin until the night before.

On Monday, I went to my last formal dinner and chapter meeting at my sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta. It’s one of my favorite meals, chicken parmesan with penne pasta and marinara sauce, and the entire chapter will be there to share in our last meal together before the seniors graduate. Then, each senior gets to share her wisdom with the chapter about life in college. I know it’s going to be a night that I won’t forget for a long time. It’s just another sign that one chapter of my life is closing and another is beginning! 

~ Trisha