A Day in the Life of a Sailfish

Admission Counselors

2011-03-02T17:44:00.005-05:00

Did you know that you have an Admission Counselor here at Palm Beach Atlantic University? They are here to help with your college- decision- making- process. Each one works with different kinds of students. Some work with students from the North, others work with students from the West, others work with international students, others work with athletes, and so on. Each one plays a role in our Admission department.
Let me introduce you to our Admission Counselors!

Jamie Zugelder- 561-803-2101 "I remember phone numbers, math problems, and ID numbers. I am a human calculator. In fact, Aliza calls me, 'the calculator.'"

Aliza Rozencwajg- 561-803-2118

Bethany Williams- 561-803-2118

Erin Roper-561-803-2108

Josue Leon-561-803-2104 "I speak 4 languages fluently."

Lauren Wade- 561-803-2104 "I have visited four different continents."

Matt Stegall- 561-803-2105

Rich Gaus- 561-803-2111

Spring Break Mission Trip! Part 1

2011-03-01T15:28:00.005-05:00

I've never led or been on a Mission Trip. You see, I have this fear of flying. It gets in the way with the whole concept of oversea Mission Trips. Who would've known? Anywho, my friend told me about the Miami Mission Trip sometime in October (2010). My thoughts on it were simple. Yes, that could be fun to go on...not lead. God had different plans. I found myself filling out an application to be a Mission Team Leader. I also found myself scheduling an interview to be a Mission Team Leader. During my interview, the Mission Planning Team told me that I would most likely be put as the Leader for an overseas Team.

This scared me so much.

I did not want to lead an overseas team. I wanted to lead Miami. I love the idea of working in our backyard. Miami is one of the most unchurched cities in the nation. There's always something to do in Miami.
I got a call from the Mission Planning Team congratulating me. I was a leader. But where?

MIAMI!

Within this entry, I will share my expectations. My team is leaving PBA and entering the Miami field this Sunday. We will be there 6 days (our Spring Break), and we'll be staying at a church. Our focus is on the homeless. While there, we will be visiting an abortion clinic and teaching migrant workers English.

I love the team! There are only 5 of us, and I would not have it any other way. I look forward to sharing my experience with you during Part 2!

PS. I am currently in the process of designing T-Shirts for Team Miami, so that I can surprise them with the shirts before we leave. Unfortunately, it is incredibly frustrating, and time is running out. It is already Tuesday! I am excited to see if this actually plays out.

Battle of the Bands 2011

2011-02-28T10:56:00.012-05:00

There was a time before I was a Sailfish. I knew where the school was located in comparison to the beach, Iknew where the school was located in comparison to City Place (outdoor mall), and I knew that the school held an event called,
Battle of the Bands!

Every spring semester, Palm Beach Atlantic University holds a Battle of the Bands. This event is one of my favorites. When I was a senior in high school, I attended the Battle of the Bands. I was excited to see how the students interacted with each other. I understood that PBA was a Christian school and was excited to see it first hand. A tour is wonderful but attending a PBA event felt a lot more real.

This past Battle of the Bands event happened to fall during an Open House event. With that said, there were many high school seniors. There were free T-Shirts being thrown, free iTunes gift cards being given, and plenty of free soda being handed to the audience. Let's not forget to mention those bumpin' beats. A few bands competed for the ultimate prize! Only one would leave the Rubin Arena (in the gym) with the grand title.

The audience and the judges loved the band,

Carry on and the Wayward Sons!

They took home a little more than a T-Shirt, an iTunes gift card, and a soda. They won the Battle of the Bands 2011!

Tele-Counselors!

2011-02-17T17:40:00.003-05:00

What is a Tele-Counselor?

Tele-Counselors are PBA students that call prospective students to identify their interest level. They are interested in building friendships and sharing their PBA experiences. From freshmen to seniors, our Tele-Counselors are diverse. Some Tele-Counselors are international students, and others are from right down the road. Don't be shy! Answer the phone. They are excited to hear that you have expressed an interest in PBA. Our Tele-Counselors work Monday through Thursday from 4 to 9. They're also here on Fridays from 3 to 6 and on Saturdays from 9-1.

Tips for Parents!

2011-02-15T16:48:00.004-05:00

As your high school senior begins to prepare for PBA, you, as a parent, may begin to feel like you are losing them. You're not! They will always be your little one. The picture on the left is of a freshman that now lives in Baxter Hall. Her name is Skye and she is from Sarasota. Like Skye, many students and their parents come to visit the school. This jpicture just happens to be at one of the very many events we offer for students and their parents.

When I came to college (Fall 2008), I was a commuter, which meant I lived at home with both of my parents. It was very hard to adjust to PBA, because I felt like I was not part of the community. When it came to friends, I had a very small amount. I was miserable.

In the summer of 2009, I worked at Admissions. It was a whole lot of fun. They offered me free housing, because I was working 40 hours a week. I brought it up to my parents. At first, they weren't too thrilled. They didn't want to lose me. I am their only child, and I have always been over protected. They eventually agreed that it would be a wonderful experience.

After the summer of 2009, it was time to leave dorm life and return home for my second year of college. I could not figure out why God had given me such a huge blessing, and then taken it away just as fast. As much as I love my parents, I really was starting to enjoy living away from home. I had learned a great deal and God knew that.

I received an email that was said that my scholarship was going to extend onto the Fall/Spring semester. This meant that I would not be leaving dorm life! Words could not describe the excitement. Now my parents really felt like they were going to lose me. This idea of now moving into Weyenberg Hall instead of home was confusing for them. No doubt we were all nervous about the changes.

Since then, I have been living in Weyenberg Hall, participated in multiple clubs and organizations, met many wonderful friends, and felt comfortable being called a PBA Sailfish. I love PBA's community, because it is a home away from home. Moms and Dads, it will never replace real home; don't even fret about that.

...And Getting Caught in the Rain.

2011-02-11T11:15:00.014-05:00

Most students would say that their favorite things about PBA are the Christian Atmosphere and the location. We are located directly in downtown West Palm Beach, FL. Nearby, City place stands. City Place is like an outdoor mall. There's a movie theatre, various restaurants, multiple shops, live music on certain nights, and much more. It is also in walking distance of PBA's campus. Although City Place is a great place for entertainment, it is also a marvelous place for job opportunities. Because it is so close to PBA, many PBA students work there.

Well, who wants to walk anywhere when it is raining outside?

Apparently, not many people. The sidewalks are, for the most part, empty.

However, sometimes, you'll run into some students that are running for shelter. I know it doesn't look like it in the picture, but it was raining pretty hard at this point.

While some simply run, others remember to bring their umbrellas...and run.

That building in the back is the Greene Complex for sports and recreation. I don't see any athletes outside.

I want to take this moment to let you know that, in order to get these pictures, I creeped on people. Another wonderful thing about PBA is the size. You pretty much know most of the students at the school, which makes creeping on people, creeping on friends.

Even the plants are getting soaked.

Just be grateful that you were not on a tour during this rainstorm.

If you are interested in getting a tour just call us at 561.803.2992.

Stay classy and dry,

Jenny Bacallao on behalf of Admissions

Feb 2011- CoffeeHouse

2011-02-09T18:00:00.002-05:00

Like Monday Night Live (MNL), Coffeehouses are huge events at Palm Beach Atlantic University. These kinds of events are great for socializing and supporting one another. Before MNL showed up, Coffeehouse was my favorite PBA social event. There's something about live music, coffee, and fellowship that just sounds so appealing.

Luckily, there is a Coffeehouse this Friday at 9:09!

Coffeehouse Line Up

1. Alex Franks and David Denton : Singing/Piano/Ukulele

2. Macayla Prevost: Singing/Guitar

3. Alli Lenk: Singing/Acoustic Guitar

4. Jenny Bacallao, Peter Copan, James Carter III: Singing/Guitar/Piano

5. Robbie Santis: Singing/Guitar

6. Evelyn DeJesus: Poetry Reading

7. Tebby Burrows: Singing

8. Tabitha Meeks: Singing/Piano

9. Crysys

10. Angie Caswell: Singing/ Electric-Acoustic guitar

11. Maco Monthervil: Acoustic Guitar Duo

I am pretty excited about this Coffeehouse, because the theme is chocolate! I hear there are going to be candles, decorations, and, obviously, chocolate. However, the line up for musicians is way better than the candles, decorations, and chocolate combined.

Let's get to the point. I. AM. EXCITED.

Monday Night Live (2nd Show)

2011-02-08T16:04:00.012-05:00

Monday Night Live is done every few months. This is a shame, because it is very popular on campus. After the superbowl (Congrats G.B.) MNL (Monday Night Live) was on the brain. The actors were preparing, the costumes were getting put into boxes, the props were being counted, and the audience was gathering. On the MNL Facebook event page, over 200 people said they would be coming.

Over 200 people were jammed into the HKP Recital Hall. Some students were on the laps of others while most students were sitting on the aisles. One of the cast members peeked through a backstage door and told the cast that there were more people standing than there were people sitting. The nerves were about to burst through the roof. Although nerves were high, the excitement in that recital hall was much more immense.

The cast is made up of PBA students and 2 Resident Directors, Jeff Timmer(RD of Weyenberg Hall, Rinker Hall, and Samaritan Garden Apartments) and Amy Burroughs (RD of Baxter Hall). It is evident that they are all in it for the fun. They have been preparing for their February Show since their last show, in October, ended. It takes a long time to prepare for these things, like script writing and video editing.

Monday Night Live is similar to
Saturday Night Live. There's a host and a musical guest for each MNL show. It is composed of various skits that are each separated by a video clip. At the very end, the video bloopers are shown.

For now, the MNL cast is preparing for their April showing. It would be nice to have a March MNL, but there just isn't enough time to prepare. I think I can speak for the entire student body when I say, we are super excited for the April MNL.

The Glorious Outside

2011-02-03T14:49:00.004-05:00

While the North receives snow up to their ears, we, in our shorts and flipflops, skip on the various green lawns located all throughout the PBA campus. A few of us were watching the weather channel and noticed the warnings near Michigan. It is hard to imagine living anywhere super cold like that. I've lived in West Palm Beach, FL, my entire life. I have visited colder locations and have never felt like I could fully enjoy it. The cold weather is just not my cup of tea.

THAT'S ANOTHER THING!

I can't imagine drinking hot liquids all of the time. I'm not saying that, as a Northerner, you can't drink cold liquids. I'm just saying that most people would think you were ridiculous if you were drinking an iced coffee in 20 degree weather. I like smoothies too much. Anyways, I am really enjoying this weather. Currently it is 80 degrees outside. I've seen many students with surf boards and tan lines.

THEN AGAIN!

I get pretty cold at 65 degree weather. The coldest I have ever been in was 17 degrees. That was in DC during the holidays. I thought I was going to die. My Florida Jeans (yes, that is a THING) were too thin and very far from being considered any kind of shield. I learned my lesson. I had thick and unflattering jeans on the next day. However, I had scarfs, thick socks, thermals, huge jackets, and straightened hair. Other than the hair, I looked like a pillow. If I had fallen I would have bounced right back up.

LONG STORY SHORT!

PBA is a great place, because it is beach weather (most of) all year round. It depends on where you're from. Just because I would not go outside doesn't mean you would not. Maybe you would consider West Palm Beach as having beach weather all year round.

Here's proof of THE GLORIOUS OUTSIDE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAHgl7J3ewc

"Why would I take 18 credits?"

2011-01-13T17:01:00.003-05:00

Many students went home over Christmas break (2010) to spend time with their families and friends. It can be hard walking out of your dorm room for the last time, but a break is always needed. College can become overwhelming in the blink of an eye.
For Christmas, we had a family gathering. It was a lot of fun. When I wasn't with my family, I was with my friends from High School.
For New Year's Eve my family went to Disney World! It was packed! The capacity for Walt Disney World is 100,000, and they reached this amount at 9:30am. Many of the rides had a two hour wait because of this overpopulated fun zone. Overall, it was a wonderful time full of fireworks and Mickey ears.
When we got home, I still had one more week before school started. This was a time full of laundry, ordering school books, selling old school books, and using up gift cards.
Once I got back onto campus all I wanted to do was see my dorm hall mates! It was wonderful seeing everyone.
As soon as classes began, I realized how difficult this semester would be. I have 18 credits, a part time job, a resolution that requires me to go to the gym, and many extracurricular activities. Through all of the stress and lack of time management skills, I find peace. I know this is where I am meant to be, and I thank God for the opportunity to get an education from PBA.

A Final Story

2010-12-14T13:29:00.003-05:00

You know it is Fall Finals Week when it's 1:45 a.m. and you're still in the library. Let's back up to 7:30p.m.

Your thoughts:
"Why does this happen??!"
"I've been on Facebook for more than 5 hours!!!"
"I need to watch the YouTube video where the camel falls on some asian kid...for the 600,000th time."

Now it's 12:30a.m.
After you avoid those thoughts and actually get to work, you find it hard to focus. People walk by your study room and you, because it is PBA, know them. Of course you're going to walk out of the study room, and do some socializing. I mean, afterall, you've only been socially networking this entire time. You owe it to yourself to talk to real humans.

Now that you're done with that, it is time to start getting down to business. Some things get done. It isn't too long before you realize you haven't had coffee in 2 hours. You decide it is time to get some. Since it's about 1a.m. now, you have to walk to your dorm to get your energy booster. As soon as you walk out of the library, you experience chills like none other. It's about 20 degrees outside. What happened, Florida?!? It's not worth it. So, you go back into the library.

On the first floor, you encounter about 100 people you know. It would be rude not to greet EACH and EVERY SINGLE ONE. That is exactly what you do and by the end of it is about 1:40a.m. At 1:45a.m. you walk into your study room determined to get work done. As you begin to read the chapter in your book, a librarian enters your study room.

"The library will be closing in 15 minutes."

"Perfect."

Don't Miss the Mess- GLO PARTY 2010

2010-11-17T15:46:00.003-05:00

• Featuring DJ Ben Katzaman
• Random paint attacks to keep the party going!
• Bring CA$H to support PBA Missions! Mission trip members will be selling plain white t-shirts to raise money! All proceeds go directly to PBA Missions Fund.

This is just one of the many events that you get to attend as a PBA Sailfish. I went to last year's GLO party, and it literally was a slap in the face of fun. It started with paint being thrown from everywhere. It ended with a huge dance party full of dirty, painted on PBA Sailfish. It was great walking around like a penguin- not by choice.

I know what you're thinking- why is it called GLO? I wondered the same thing, because the paint didn't glow. Each PBA Sailfish is given light sticks, light bracelets, and light necklaces! As you run around dodging your roommates handful of paint, you'll look super fly with your glowin' accessories. Why would you ever want to miss this mess?

PBA is one of those schools where community is everywhere. It's easy to get involved. Once you are involved you will meet tons of people with similar interests and your time at PBA will be one of the most memorable things!

Your GLO experience will be just one of the many memories that will...stick...with you.

Radio Shows at PBA

2010-10-27T16:45:00.005-04:00

"The Taylor and Nate Show" and "J.A.W.S Radio (Jenny and Wendy Show)" are two of the popular PBA Radio Shows at PBA.

"The Taylor and Nate Show" is on Tuesdays at 8 pm. "J.A.W.S. Radio" is on Fridays at 6pm. The two do not compete, in fact, there is talk of them collaborating for one show. If there wasn't talk about it before, now there is.

The two shows are actually quite different. "J.A.W.S. Radio" focuses primarily on the artist. From musicians to poets, they cover it all. There is a "Shark Tank Time" where guests are asked ridiculous questions by the co-hosts (Jenny Bacallao and Wendy Georges) and the listeners. "The Taylor and Nate Show" is well rounded; they, Taylor Smythe and Nate Goodlet, lead interviews and have special guests.

The two are different, but they have one similarity! They are both worth listening to.

LISTEN LIVE: http://sailfishradio.pba.edu:8000/listen.pls

FALL BREAK!

2010-10-27T16:31:00.003-04:00

As Friday approaches, pencils get dropped and papers get put to the side. The library is put on hold. Some students go home or on some sort of exciting vacation. Some others take avantage of the quiet campus.

"I am playing with the Bryan Reynolds Band (local band made up of PBA students), and I was planning on visiting Seminaries. Also, my family is coming to visit me. So, we're going to watch an air show and a shuttle take off on Monday," says Shane Hess, 21 (Senior).

"I'm going to South Carolina to visit family I've never met before! I will chase Fall!" Kristen Scarcella, 21 (Senior).

"I really love PBA, so I'll be spending my Fall Break with my roommates. None of us are going home! I'm really excited. The RA (Resident Assistant) is planning on doing some fun Fall activities like Pumpkin carving. It's going to be great. I also love that it is October and we can still go to the Beach!" Ashleigh, 18 (Freshman).

As for myself, I'll be taking this opportunity to relax, do some homework, watch some movies, and hang out with friends. A lot of the weekend is unplanned, which is awesome! Let's live it up spontaneous style!

Have a wonderful Fall Break, PBA!

Monday Night Live

2010-10-26T16:36:00.002-04:00

MNL:

A live, sketch-comedy event based on the concept of SNL (Saturday Night Live), but with a PBA-spin.

Yellow Figures Appeared!

2010-10-11T18:25:00.004-04:00

Imagine a yellow, wooden figure that stands on its own and has a secret meaning. It appeared one day. No one seems to know where they came from. Are you afraid?

Now we know where these attractive models came from. There is a scultpure class of 17 students that was assigned to build 5 abstract figures. They were divided into groups. One student claims that the planning was the hardest part, because the styles seemed endless.

The Mystery of the Yellow Figure has been solved.

Retreat!

2010-10-11T16:52:00.012-04:00

Let me start by telling you how important Hall retreats are. What a great time to fellowship with other girls and take a load off from the academic life.

Like most years my dorm (Weyenberg) was teamed up with another dorm (Johnson Hall). Unlike most years, we went to a place that we had never been to before- The Hilton in Singer Island. Glorious! It was such a good time.

We left late afternoon on Friday. We got there and unpacked. At 9pm, we met up with everyone to discuss the plans for the rest of the retreat. We also did a little worship out by the pool. Introductions were done. They fed us vegetables. YUM! Unfortunately, we were feeling a little more on the junk food side. Thus, PIZZA was delivered to our suite.

As the night progressed, we were all getting very excited for the next day with reason. The following day was jam packed with beach time, pool time, soccer time, lunch, and, of course, fellowship time.

It truely was the best retreat!

Overall, I'd give it 5 stars.

SALSA DANCE NIGHT!

2010-10-11T16:41:00.002-04:00

PBA holds an annual Salsa Dance! Last year was amazing, and I didn't think anything would ever be as good. These were my naive thoughts until I stepped into this year's Salsa Dance.

"Move those hips," encouraged the Ballroom Dance Club. They had everyone team up with a partner. Then, they taught us some simple ballroom dance steps before the party even started.

There was a station with chips, salsa, and various fruity drinks. Then on the stage there was a professional Salsa band playing music from tons of Latin Countries! What a blast!

I love PBA's tight community. We really are a family. Those that knew how to dance were teaching their moves to those that had never moved their hips like that before.

Welcome Week 2010!

2010-09-01T17:23:00.016-04:00

Check-in was last Wednesday and Thursday!

Here are some of the highlights!

Thursday

The opening rally!

Catch Your Fish: a bunch of ice breakers where you meet a hundred people!

Friday

Steering Committee lipsync

Michael Jr Comedy

Captura La Bandera

First Night of Hat Punishment: As a new student you are required to wear a sailor's hat. It is more than tradition. You come in with a sailor's hat and leave with a graduation cap. What a beautiful picture! :)

Saturday

Workship

Time for Fish Groups to work on their own Lipsyncs

Sunday

Lipsync judging

Foot washing ceremony

There were 4 rallies and each one so different from the rest! Steering Committee and Fish Leaders worked very hard to make this year's Welcome Week the very best! I think it was a success.

Don't miss out on Welcome Week 2011. Apply today at www.pba.edu/applynow!

S.O.A.R.

2010-07-28T13:14:00.005-04:00

S.O.A.R. is a one-day orientation event for incoming freshmen, transfer students, and their families who have sent in their $300 deposits.

There is only one S.O.A.R. event remaining!

Registration for SOAR is done through our student portal myPBA on the New Students Tab.

Students will receive their myPBA password and user name once they have submitted their tuition deposit.

If you have questions about SOAR, please call the Student Success Center at (561) 803-2063 or email us at student_success@pba.edu.

Welcome Week!

2010-07-28T13:07:00.002-04:00

What is Welcome Week?
Welcome Week is a PBA tradition that helps incoming students get used to university life; and each year we do our best to provide the biggest, warmest welcome ever!

When is Welcome Week?
August 25/26- August 29

What do we do at Welcome Week?
http://www.pba.edu/studentlife/first-year-experience/welcome-week/events-students.cfm

What can my parents do?
http://www.pba.edu/studentlife/first-year-experience/welcome-week/upload/Parent-Schedule-3.pdf

GET PUMPED!

Islands of Adventure!

2010-06-29T09:30:00.012-04:00

PBA got this great deal where we could go to Islands of Adventure for only $15 (transportation included). Islands of Adventure is inside of Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, and we are about 2-3 hours away. I went back and forth debating whether or not to go. You see, I'm not a big roller coaster fan. In fact, motion sickness and rides that go upside down are two of my enemies. I thought it'd be a waste of my time, but friends of mine encouraged me in saying that there was more to do there than to just ride rides. Long story short-I ended up going.

Waking up to be ready at 5:45AM was fun. I truely believe that if the sun isn't up then I shouldn't be either. Having it be a Saturday made getting up even harder to do. Though these are negatives, everyone seemed to be awake within minutes including myself. Energy can be contagious sometimes.

We got to the Park and immediately were told that the Harry Potter world that just opened had a waiting line of 2 hours. The weekend prior was the grand opening and the wait was....SIX HOURS! Can you believe that? I'm not really a big Harry Potter fan but those I was with were.

Either way, by the time we got to the Harry Potter world the wait was 90mins. We waited and waited- I have to admit, it was pretty good.

The trip overall was pretty awesome, and I'm glad I got to go!

These are some of the things we do at PBA!

Come join in on the fun!

Top 5 Reasons to Apply Online

2010-06-17T15:07:00.002-04:00

College searching can be difficult. You may find yourself wondering why apply online. We have discovered the solution to your question.Stay tuned for another Sailfish Bite!

Sailfish Bite (East Side)

2010-06-16T14:13:00.003-04:00

"Sailfish Bite" is a series of short episodes. The goal is to have the viewers dive into Palm Beach Atlantic University with PBA Sailfish leading the way.

There are three dorms on the east side of PBA's campus: Weyenberg Hall (Honor Students), Rinker (All Men), and Johnson Hall (All Women).

There are also offices on the East side of PBA's campus! Check them out!

"Sailfish Bite Infections" are bloopers that we surely hope you enjoy! These bloopers come directly from the East Side Videos that were hosted by student Jenny Bacallao.

Stay Tuned for another Sailfish Bite!

Finish My Lyric!

2010-06-01T14:08:00.004-04:00

The summer may remind you of beach balls, oceans, snorkleing, surfing, frisbee, tanning, swimming, laughing, pools, sun, relaxing time, lack of school, freedom, late nights...and boredom. Sometimes ya'll just need to let loose. Certain games bring out your inner child...or your inner ROCK STAR!

A fun game entitled "Finish my lyric" was brought to my attention through a friend with an exciting personality. All you have to do is say a word and the other person has to sing a song with that lyric.

For example, if I say "Knees", you could sing....

"Falling on my knees in worship..."

Fantastic Song. Fantastic Game. Fantastic Summer.

Now it's your turn. "Fade"

Weekend Madness!

2010-05-24T14:33:00.001-04:00

You've got to check out this awesome blog by our very own Allison Kirwin!

Peanut Island and a Baptism

by Allison Kirwin

The guys planned a trip for us all to kayak to Peanut Island on Saturday. We rented the kayaks from the Greene Complex at PBA and the guys were in charge of putting them on top of the car. Unfortunately, the way they tied them stopped the door from being able to open. Which meant that we all had to climb through the window.

Robbie got baptized on Sunday at Clarke Beach!!!! The entire group plus Robbie's family from Ohio came out to support him. There really isn't a way to describe a baptism but it was absolutely amazing.

For more visit http://allipba.blogspot.com/.

Summer!

2010-05-24T12:43:00.004-04:00

This 85 degree weather is just beautiful. The glorious beach and sky really create the perfect summer setting. You can find me there on the weekends.

On the weekdays you can find me working a full shift at Admissions with 10 other amazing students. Giving tours, making calls, sending info packets is what we do. I couldn't ask for a better job.

The area is gorgeous regardless of the time of year! We are in walking distance of the beach- The Palm Beach Island. Palm Beach is one of the wealthiest Islands in the nation. Also in walking distance is City Place. City Place is like an outdoor mall with big brand shops, ice cream shops, smoothie shops, IMAX theatre, live music on certain nights, Publix, Barnes N Noble, Starbucks, and many other fun things. Both of these locations are fantastic for job hunting! There are a lot of on-campus activities too: http://www.pba.edu/studentlife/activities-clubs/clubs/index.cfm

Come visit us over the summer! To schedule a campus tour, call 561.803.2992.

So Begins Summer Living

2010-05-19T17:53:00.002-04:00

And by "living" I mean "working." The start of summer means the start of full time work. Contrary to popular belief, working 40hrs a week means having more free time than you do during the school year. While you're doing school you always have this horrible task list filled with homework, student clubs, work and studying. But during the summer the only thing on your to-do list is work. It's beautiful!

We at the admissions office are beginning to find the rhythm of this year's summer team. Last summer the student worker's staff was led at the helm by two of our finest PBA men, Rod and Glover. But alas, the tides of time have carried those two away to bigger and better jobs.* Left standing in their place is the Lone Wolf: Jon Spallino. Out of a staff of 11 student workers, Spallino is the one male. God bless him. Spallino has decided to record his ventures in the female work place on his personalized blog. I never realized just how odd us girls are until I read his blog. It's quite enlightening! http://redefinedministries.blogspot.com/

*Rod is now a official genuine Admission Counselor for PBA!

Sailfish Softball Beats #2-Ranked Valdosta State at NCAA Regional

2010-05-17T11:42:00.008-04:00

Hard work certainly pays off! This win against Valdosta secures PBA a spot in the region championship game.

After an extra innings win over the University of West Florida on Friday, the Palm Beach Atlantic University softball team came away with an even more improbable victory on Saturday as they defeated #1-seed and #2-ranked Valdosta State University in the second game of the NCAA South Regional.

Whatever team comes out of the loser’s bracket will be forced to defeat Palm Beach Atlantic (36-11) twice on Sunday if they plan on earning the regional championship.

For the second straight day, Sailfish senior right-hander Ashley Jones (24-7) was absolutely dazzling as she allowed only three hits to a Valdosta (43-7) club who entered play with a .330 team batting average including a pair of hitters in Marti Littlefield and Alyssa Shirey having hit 16 and 18 homeruns respectively on the season. Jones tallied 11 strikeouts as she posted her second win of the tournament.

As was the case on Friday against UWF, the Sailfish were forced to come from behind to earn the victory. The Lady Blazers pushed across a pair of runs in the third inning to break a scoreless tie as Shirey delivered a two-run single up the middle that narrowly escaped the glove of PBA second-baseman Natalia Ojeda.

Palm Beach Atlantic wasted little time however in getting the game tied up again as they also tallied a pair of runs in the third frame. Sophomore catcher Erica Walters worked a leadoff walk to get things started followed by an advance on a passed ball by the VSU catcher. Then came another walk to Brittany Schneider followed by a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Caitlin Bouschet to move both runners into scoring position.

After an Ojeda groundout, senior Candace Horton stepped in and connected for a single to right-field that cut the lead to 2-1. The Fish caught a break on the next play as Mari Stokes’ grounder to the VSU shortstop bounced off her glove and allowed Schneider to come in to score and tie the game.

The score would remain tied over the next few innings as Jones continued to rack up strikeouts and place zeroes on the scoreboard for the VSU offense. PBA would go back to work in the bottom of the fifth inning when Boushcet led off with a walk that then saw VSU head coach Thomas Macera make a pitching change. Margaret Carter would enter and retire the next two batters while leaving Bouschet still standing at first-base. With two outs, Stokes would step in and drill a double into the left-centerfield gap that allowed Bouschet to run all the way around and score to move the Fish in front 3-2.

Now backed with a lead, Jones returned to the circle and despite some trouble in the sixth inning, retired the final two batters on strikes as PBA was then one inning away from a victory.

In the seventh inning, Jones retired the first two hitters on easy popups to third-baseman Miranda Welch, then leadoff hitter Amber Shaw beat out an infield single, putting the potential tying run on base. After a long battle that went to a 3-2 count, Jones struck out left-fielder Morgan Johnson for the final out, securing a hard-earned victory for the Sailfish.

Both teams finished with three hits with Horton, Stokes, and Welch each registering base-hits for PBA.

Senior Research Project Presentation

2010-04-28T15:48:00.000-04:00

I just got out of my Senior Research Project Presentation. What a relief. I was not nervous until I realized the people who were coming to watch. The provost, Dr. Kloba, and the Vice-President of Student Development, Mr. Flemming along with a few of the science professors. Although I was a little freaked out that they were there, looking back I am thankful. Thankful, that I go to a University where the provost and vice-president would take time out of their busy schedule and attend my presentation. This would not occur at a large university.

Sunfest

2010-04-28T11:30:00.001-04:00

Tonight begins one of the biggest weekends in the Palm Beaches. Downtown West Palm Beach will be full of people from all over South Florida for a five day concert festival, all weekend, called Sunfest. This event was founded in 1982, and is now Florida's largest waterfront music and art festival. Sunfest is held annually in downtown West Palm Beach, Florida the first week in May. SunFest attracts more than 280,000 visitors from all over the world.

Many PBA students are especially excited about the headlining act tonight, Weezer. Even though many students have papers and projects to turn in this week, they are budgeting their time so that they can have a little fun. Also performing tonight are a bunch of new musical artists who are just getting into the business.

The weekend continues with musical artists like Sister Hazel, Sean Kingston, Smash Mouth, ZZ Top, REO Speedwagon & Shinedown just to name a few. The event prides itself with offering a huge variety of musical artists so that everyone will have someone they like. This is a family frendly event with a variety of activities during the day for people of all ages, along with the concerts on three different stages.

The best part about the event, especially for all PBA students, is the Fireworks show that closes out the festival on Sunday night. Typically PBA students are unable to attend the event on Sunday for a variety of reasons, two of which being lack of sufficient funds, and the fact that final exams begin the next morning. This does not matter though because the firework show can be seen from all over the city, and looks especially great from across the Intracoastal Waterway on Palm Beach Island.

Spring Formal 2010

2010-04-27T13:18:00.006-04:00

By Michelle Kappas

Contributing Writer

Ties, tuxedos, dresses, stilettos, surprise vendors and the Harriet Himmel all have one thing in common: Spring Dance 2010.
Spring Formal has struggled with success in the past, but this year it was no problem.

“It is my understanding that the event will be free and attract 200 to 300 students as opposed to the 160 that attended last year,” PBA president Lu Hardin said.

Hardin was teaching a Law and Society class on Tuesday nights and lecturing on the concept of promissory estoppel when the issue of Spring Formal was brought to his attention. He was informed by PBA student Kelly Stoltzfus that there wasn’t going to be one this year due to lack of funds.

Hardin was able to pull money from his discretionary fund to make the dance possible. Stoltzfus and Nu Delta Nu partnered together to research reasonable pricing for venues and other preparations.

The team chose the Harriet Himmel Theater in City Place because it is within a walking distance from campus, and set the date for April 16 from 8 p.m. to midnight.The theme of the night will be “A Night in Hollywood.” The night was full of dancing, free red bulls, free Chick-fil-A nuggets, free water bottles, and delicious chocolates on every table.

“We wanted to get our name out there by bringing the school together,” Nu Delta Nu President Jared Stresen-Reuter said. “It has been really great working with Kelly because she has worked with Spring Formal before. Her experience really helps us, and right now each of our members has a job to do so we can all contribute to make this event a success for the school and for our fraternity,” Stresen-Reuter said.

Hardin has stepped back and is allowing Nu Delta Nu and Stoltzfus to take the reigns, but they say his planning and determination cannot be ignored. For the first time in the history of PBA’s Spring Formal, Ballroom Dance Club, the Swing Dance Club and the Bombsquad will perform every hour throughout the night. However, the students were not the only ones dancing a jig. President Lu Hardin and Mrs. Hardin showed off their moves, and they had the crowd going wild.

“The Spring Formal at PBA is an important event and I believe it should be a yearly tradition rather than every other year,” Hardin said.

Saturdays

2010-04-26T16:51:00.022-04:00

Operation Hope

What comes to mind when I say Saturday? Perhaps the phrase sleeping in comes to mind. I had signed up for a Saturday Workship opportunity to serve those in need.

What is Workship?

Workship is a distinctive community service program that has been at the heart of PBA since its founding in 1968. Workship combines "work" with "worship," serving God through serving our community.

Through Workship, our students are encouraged to make a Christian response to human needs by volunteering in nonprofit agencies, churches and schools.

All full-time undergraduate students are required to serve 45 hours per year. Students may choose from PBA-sponsored group service events, or may serve individually at a non profit organization, church or school of their choice. For students, Workship is a great way to serve in the community and to show "Love in Action!"

I contemplated my upcoming commitment to Workship. My motives for not going were selfish. I wanted to sleep in and attend the annual Beach Fest event. Thankfully, I was surrounded by friends that convinced me to go. They knew we would all benefit from going.

The Workship opportunity was with Operation Hope. http://www.operationhope.org/smdev/index.php
We visited a local home and provided our very limited landscaping skills. The final product was great! I met some really great people and am looking forward to my next Workship expedition.

When we got back from Workship, the annual Beach Fest was just beginning. We grabbed our swim suits and headed for the beach!

The afternoon consisted of free sodas and chips, Italian ice, beach balls, a glorious sun, and fantastic waves. We even played limbo two different ways.

It was a great Saturday full of serving and sun!

Newsflash: I do not know everything

2010-04-23T10:59:00.001-04:00

College has been a very rewarding experience. I have gained vast amounts of factual and theoretical knowledge from the great professors, staff and students at PBA. I have studied countless hours and taken around 200 exams and written nearly the same amount of papers, some of them up to 20 pages long. This is incredible just to think about all of the hard work I have put into my education. It is most definitely worth it. I know for a fact I am much smarter than when I entered PBA as a freshman in the fall of 2006.

I have also had my worldview shaped by the experiences in college. Professors challenged my beliefs and values so that I could own and develop my own faith which is a combination of the faith of my family and the personal relationship I have with the Creator. This was also developed by long conversations, sometimes well into the night, with roommates and friends. I have become the real me and it is great.

One of the main ideas I have figured out during college is that I do not know everything. There is so much related to God and life in general that are still completely a mystery. In the past that might have been a problem, but you know what? I am perfectly good with it. It is good that I do not know everything, so that there is still more to learn after I graduate in 16 days. Even though I will be graduating with a Bachelors Degree in Biology, I am excited that I can continue my education beyond college and learn even more about this amazing world we live in.

I also thought that I would have my entire life figured out at this point. It is quite humorous that I am not completely sure what I will be doing when August comes around, Spain is the plan – but plans change, much less the rest of life. It is stressful, but more exciting than anything else. There are so many opportunities afforded to me because of my education here at PBA. Bring them on!

The Countdown Begins

2010-04-22T11:58:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that this semester is almost over. Time really does just fly on by. With only 7 actual school days left, students are beginning to move into the library and forget the definition of sleep. Even though it is a stressful time, the summer air is a huge distraction. Students are praying for focus here on the PBA campus and I certainly fall into that category.

Next week is our last week of classes. This time of essays and reports is just the opening act. The following week, May 3rd-May 7th is Finals Week.

Continue to pray for the PBA family because this really is a hectic time.

President Hardin: PBA's Theatre Program Is Outstanding

2010-04-19T10:29:00.003-04:00

Saturday Morning in the City

2010-04-16T11:04:00.001-04:00

Typically on a Saturday most PBA students remain asleep, some well into the afternoon. I usually awake late morning because I have to get up so early during the week for 8am classes. There are a few reasons why I will get up early on a Saturday. The first of which is breakfast at my favorite downtown restaurant, Bonjour de Paris Bakery and Cafe. They have delicious French baked goods and mouth-watering breakfast sandwiches. I am partial to the sausage, egg and cheese croissant. Plus the lovely French couple, whom own the place, are always fun to be around.

Another reason, most often in conjunction with the previous reason, is the downtown WPB Green Market. The Green Market is very similar to farmers markets found throughout the world. You can buy produce and other items grown locally and usually organically. The best part is the free samples of things like apple cider doughnuts, guacamole, kettle corn and fruits. The Green Market is a place to see and be seen, and most people come with their dogs to spend some time in the morning sun.

The only other reason as to why I would choose to wake up on a Saturday morning is the beach. If I do make it to the beach before lunchtime it is only because I have already been to Paris Café and the Green Market because the beach, although awesome, can wait until the afternoon.

Huge changes coming to PBA dining

2010-04-15T13:17:00.004-04:00

Even though I am graduating (I feel I may write about that fact everyday) I was privileged to be on the Student Government this year and was chosen to participate in a student committee concerning PBA on-campus dining. The contract with the previous dining company expired and PBA has decided to go with a new company, Aramark. This means HUGE changes to the on campus dining experience, which I am frankly jealous of. PBA has four places in which a student can get food on campus.

Two of these places, Common Ground Café and Jazzman’s Café, are being completely altered. CG, which is located in the Green Complex for Sports and Recreation, will be replaced with the favorite fast-food restaurant for the PBA student body, Chick-fil-a. Yes, you will be able to ‘Eat Mor Chiken’ on campus next fall! Jazzman’s, which is located in the Warren Library, will be renovated into an Einstein’s Bro’s Bagels. Both of these options will allow for more delicious freedom in the meal plan and for commuter students who eat on campus.

The Cafeteria will also be undergoing a much needed renovation and $1.3 million face lift. The Caf will feature the Fresh Food Company and will offer uninterrupted dining all day from 7am until 10pm during the week. The meal plan, which will remain the same cost as now, will be altered to allow unlimited access for either 5 days a week or 7 days a week. This way if a student only wants to grab a cup of coffee and a banana, they do not have to waste a meal swipe. The main part of the Caf will be the FFC. This will be located in the center of the Caf and will offer food created with the ingredients you request right in front of your eyes. This will allow for more healthy options than the regular cafeteria food.

España por un Año

2010-04-14T13:29:00.004-04:00

I am usually not a person who worries. I can typically go with the flow and make decisions at the last minute without much stress. This semester I have experienced stress. Not only am I graduating in 24 days, but I am uncertain of what comes next in my life. I know that God will provide, but I still have to take action in the direction He is calling. Just a few weeks ago, I felt like I needed to forego my plans since the beginning of freshman year – go right away to Medical School – for a new plan. I decided that I am going to teach English in Spain for a year.

This is not completely ridiculous; when I graduate on May 8 I will have a Spanish Minor as a part of my bachelor’s degree. Being fluent in Spanish is one of my life goals, and this is the best possible way I can see to accomplish that goal. Plus I get to live in Europe for a year. What more could a person ask?

Anyways, part of the application process involves a whole lot of paperwork. I have been waiting, and waiting for all of it to get to my mailbox here in West Palm. Needless to say, I have been freaking out a bit. The deadline, tomorrow April 15, has been quickly approaching. My background check, which I had to order from my hometown Maitland (Metro Orlando), STILL had not come as this morning. Luckily I was able to get the police department to e-mail me a copy of the report. Everything is coming together, and I could not be happier. It seems like this might actually happen. Life is GOOD. Now I just have to wait until the last week of April or the first week of May to see if I am accepted and find out the exact school I will be teaching in. Maybe I can occupy my mind with the plethora of homework I need to do before then. Probably not.

Everyday is a Birthday at PBA

2010-04-12T13:10:00.005-04:00

There must have been something in the air in July back in 1987, and ’88 too for that matter. I am pretty sure that I have never experienced a week like this before. I literally have a PBA friend who has a birthday on each day this week. It is not just my run of the mill, acquaintances either. I am talking about real, down to earth, good friends. All of them. It is very exciting that there will be something to celebrate each day this week (seriously, Monday-Friday), even though most of them are turning old – and by that I mean 22 or 23.

I just do not know how I am going to be able to afford the celebrations, both in my time and in finances. Typically a birthday celebration involves going out to dinner at a nicer place, which means more expensive, usually somewhere in the vicinity of City Place or Downtown. My goal is to persuade at least some of these important individuals to combine their respective celebrations, and hopefully postpone them to Saturday night instead of during the week.

With only 3 class weeks of school left, the projects, papers and exams are approaching their due date – which means I am beginning to start them. Procrastination does not pay off, now that I have wasted much of the semester, and will be forced to prioritize homework. Looks like I will be spending a whole lot of time at my favorite place, the Lassiter Reading Rotunda in the Warren Library, at every moment I am free this week and all weekend. It will be worth it in the end even if I complain along the way.

Founding Chairman Reflects on University’s Past, Future

2010-04-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

In what he called his last public speech, Palm Beach Atlantic University's founding board chairman Dr. Donald Warren on Tuesday called on his successors to continue leading students on a path of morality.

Dr. Warren, a retired cardiologist, said that he and Dr. Jess Moody, former pastor of First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, founded PBA more than 40 years ago out of concerns about the moral decline of America. They also were dismayed by the increasing number of colleges and universities that had left their Christian roots.

"It dawned on me American needed a trail to follow back to the morality of the past," Dr. Warren said during the University's annual Founders Day chapel in the Rubin Arena.

Dr. Warren said that while the campus has seen significant improvements over the years, those changes aren't the most important thing. "The only product we have are the students, and they are America's future," he said.

Speaking directly to the students, Dr. Warren said that God calls everyone. Young people might not realize the talents they have, but as they use them, they will grow, he said.

He advised students to "turn off your gadgets" on a regular basis in order to have quiet time to hear God speak.

"You will be stronger, America will be stronger and God will be pleased," he said.

The Founders Day event was sponsored by the University's Alumni Association. Among those in attendance were Dr. Moody and several trustees, alumni and invited guests. The program included a performance of "The Impossible Dream" by Dr. Moody, his son Patrick and Dr. Lloyd Mims, dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts. The song was the University's original alma mater.

Also, Dr. Warren's grandson, current PBA student Kyle Singerman, read the opening scripture from the book of Proverbs.

Dr. Warren and his wife, Bebe, have lived in Palm Beach County since 1956. Dr. Warren built a cardiology practice that included some of the wealthiest and most influential men and women in the country.

He is the founding president of the Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties. He also has served on the executive committees and board of governors for both St. Mary's and Good Samaritan medical centers, as well as on the board of governors for the former Intracoastal Health Systems.

Dr. Warren was PBA's board chairman from 1968 until he became a life trustee upon his retirement in 2006. The campus library is named for the Warrens.

He also is the author of the recently published book "Miracles and Wonders: A Chronicle of Palm Beach Atlantic University."

Sterotypical Easter

2010-04-06T17:31:00.002-04:00

HE is RISEN!

I have always known that PBA had a family atmosphere, but I never really realized it until this Easter. I had two friends from my dorm (Weyenberg) that were not going home for the Easter break. They had their reasons: distance, cost, no form of transportation, and so on. I invited them to my home to celebrate this beautiful day with my family. They had never celebrated Easter without their families, so I knew I had to make it fantastic.

Easter 2010 started off with us going to bed at 6:30AM after talking for a little over 8 hours. We attended service at 11 and by 2 we were at my house. As the day continued, we played volleyball and threw around a frisbee. After having my parents hide the Easter eggs, the competitive hunt began. A friend and I tied with 12 eggs. This could only mean one thing, a friendly competition of wii tennis. We then ate the delicious food my mother had prepared and after that we dyed the eggs. This completed our Easter.

The sense of community at PBA is great. I am so grateful for the friends I have made here. I am even more grateful for having had the opportunity to share such a wonderful day with such wonderful people.

Exit the King - PBA Theater Production

2010-04-06T13:44:00.001-04:00

The Palm Beach Atlantic University Theatre Department will present the absurdist drama "Exit the King" by Eugene Ionesco April 15-17 at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday with a matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Performances will be held in the University's W.G. Lassiter Student Center, located at 900 South Olive Ave. in West Palm Beach. Tickets are $15 general admission or 2 for $25; $10 seniors; $5 students with I.D. For tickets, contact Ticket Central at 561-803-2970 or ticketcentral@pba.edu.

Premiering in 1962, Ionesco's absurdist drama "Exit the King" examines life and death through the unusual ways that ancient King Berenger deals with his own mortality. Palm Beach Atlantic University theatre student Trent Stephens plays the lead role of King Berenger and is pictured above.

This production is directed by Rob Homer-Drummond, professor of theatre at Palm Beach Atlantic. Homer-Drummond earned his bachelor of communications from Wheaton College and his master of fine arts in acting from the University of Louisville. He has studied Lecoq movement technique, Linklater voice technique, and participated in workshop studies with Actors Theatre of Louisville.

President Lu Hardin shares about PBA's excellent faculty

2010-03-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

Easter Break

2010-03-29T10:51:00.003-04:00

The 40 days of lent are almost over and Holy Week has begun. This, as I am sure you are already aware, is one of the most important weeks in the church calendar. I congratulate those of you who were able to keep their Lenten commitments and fast during the past 35 days up to today. Fasting is a very powerful and meaningful experience, if done correctly and completely. There is a lot of joy involved in this week including two of my favorite Sunday mornings. The first being Palm Sunday, I love when the children of the church parade in with palm branches to signify the entering into the city of Jesus on that Sunday many years ago. Then again, there is nothing quite like Easter morning. The joy and celebration during morning worship, either at sunrise or a reasonable hour. Altogether it is a good week. There is, and should be, a few days of sorrow also included in the celebratory week. Maundy Thursday and Good Friday are two of those days that remind the believer of the sacrifice of Jesus for each of us. Remembering these two days helps to make Easter morning that much more of a celebration!

There is also another, although somewhat less important, reason why I greatly enjoy Holy Week.

Easter Break. Class has begun to get a little crazy and the assignments have begun to pile up all around it seems in the two weeks since Spring Break. I know that I need some time to rest and relax before I plunge into the rest of the semester. At Palm Beach Atlantic we are graced with two days off of school in celebration of Easter. We get Good Friday and Easter Monday off of classes so that we can travel home to spend time with family on this most important of Sundays. It allows for time to paint Easter eggs, or go on an egg hunt (either letting you act like a kid, or maybe just spending time with important children in your life). Either way, the Easter Break is a vital and important part of the spring semester at PBA. All of my friends who attend secular universities are always jealous!

PBA's FLY ON US Program

2010-03-26T10:51:00.000-04:00

Today on campus, many prospective students and their parents can be seen walking around because of the fact that there is an Open House today. One of the best ways for a student to know if PBA is a good fit for them is to come and visit campus. Open House provides a glimpse into the real everyday life of a PBA student. It allows the student to stay in the residence halls with real students and also experience the cafeteria and a chapel service. While I was wondering around the school website I noticed a new and exciting program offered out of the admissions office. The new incentive is called FLY ON US. The logistics of the program are that Palm Beach Atlantic will reimburse a prospective student's airfare up to $200 for one visit to PBA. That is a fairly large amount of money that can be put toward the cost of tuition. This program is to encourage students to come to campus, because when they do they will surely be hooked and enroll. The campus is beautiful and full of life, even on a day when it seems that the sky will open up in any minute and a monsoon will occur. It seems like students do not have any excuse for not visiting campus anymore and anyone who is interested should contact the admissions office and schedule a visit today.

Palm Beach International Boat Show

2010-03-24T10:54:00.001-04:00

This weekend a huge event is coming to the waterfront in downtown West Palm Beach. It is time for the 25th Annual Palm Beach International Boat Show. This is one of the best boat shows in the entire country and features more than $350 Million worth of watercrafts and accessories to go along with them. The Intracoastal Waterway is filled with boats and yachts plus a few floating islands to spend the day. Many PBA students attend the event every year to check out everything from small inflatable boats to 150 foot mega-yachts. Admission to the event allows you to take tours of all of the boats and just enjoy a day in the sunshine. The event allows for PBA students to see what they can, maybe, afford if they work hard. This is good motivation at this moment in the semester when exams and papers are piling up. Tickets are $12 online or can be purchased at the event for $14.

Bring on the Warm Weather

2010-03-22T15:55:00.003-04:00

Spring has begun, well, it did two days ago. I have been waiting, impatiently I might add, for this winter to end. I do not like cold weather. There is one exception to this rule, I can handle cold only when I am snow skiing. It helps to have all the specialized clothing and layers. I tolerate the cold for that week, and then want to be home in sunny Florida, hopefully on a beach. I want to give all of you props who spend the winter up in the northern states, and when I say northern I mean Georgia and Alabama. Everything else even farther north just seems ridiculously cold to me and I cannot even imagine an entire winter spent up in Illinois or North Dakota. Despite a little bit of rain this morning, this has turned into a nice day in south Florida. Much nicer than I would assume is happening in Chicago with a wind chill of 39° or even New York City for that matter, at 52°. I am thankful that I was born in Florida but even more thankful that I decided to move south and get away from the artic cold in West Palm Beach. I am pretty sure that no one is basking in the sun in a bathingsuit on Lake Michigan today, yet the beaches down here will be occupied.

Spring Break!

2010-03-15T14:00:00.001-04:00

Ah, Spring Break, just saying the words would make any student happy. At PBA we just finished up our Spring Break and students are returning to campus from all around the world. The adjustment is difficult, as always. Mission Trips are a very important part of the PBA experience, and I would highly recommend taking at least one during your time in college. I went to Santa Cruz, Bolivia my freshman year and it was an experience I will never forget. Sophomore year I took a trip to Guatemala City, Guatemala with a couple friends. Junior year a couple of friends and I road tripped up to Ponce Inlet, Florida to spend the week together at the beach.

Every break I felt the need to travel somewhere to have a fun and relaxing spring break. This year, my final year, it hit me. Why would I want to leave this paradise where I live for school for spring break? The stress of travel takes away from vital beach and relaxation time. In the past PBA has charged students to remain on campus during spring break, this year they decided to drop that expense which means free housing ALL spring break right near the beach. What more could a college student ask for? I do not actually live on campus, I live with 3 roommates in a downtown condo within a mile of campus, but I would have enjoyed living on campus for the break as well.

Being that I am from the metro Orlando area, I have many friends from home who attend the large state schools in Florida. In the past, PBA has always had spring break at another week than everyone else in the state. This year was different, we lined up with mostly everyone. We also happened to line up with the college one of my roommates transferred from in Illinois. What does this mean? My condo was full of good friends the entire week. Every college student around the country dreams of spending their spring break in sunny south Florida. So I stayed here and brought old and new friends here to spend a great and tranquil spring break getting my tan on at Clarke Beach (below) and at the pool/hot tub (mid right) in my condo. If only spring break was two weeks!

Spring Break Presidential Address

2010-03-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

Spring Break Mission Trips

2010-03-04T13:21:00.023-05:00

Palm Beach Atlantic University senior Ashley Anderson has been to the Dominican Republic twice on mission trips, and she's headed there for a third time this weekend. "In my mind there is no better way to spend my spring break," said Anderson, 22, who is majoring in psychology and minoring in cross-cultural studies. "I love to help those in need and to serve God and my brothers and sisters in Christ." Anderson, of Bowie, Md., is co-leader of an eight-member team that leaves Friday and will spend the week in the mountain town of Peralta, where the University partners with a network of churches. In the past, team members have volunteered with construction projects, interacted with local children and led church services. "We're just trying to prepare ourselves to be flexible for whatever they have us do," said senior international business major Jeffrey Boyle, 22, the team's other co-leader from Bartlett, Ill.

Similar mission projects will take place in various countries across the Caribbean and Central and South America next week. In all, more than 100 students serving on 10 PBA mission teams will visit such places as Bolivia, Brazil, Guatemala, Haiti, Peru and Jamaica for spring break, which runs from March 7-13.

This year, the 13-member Haiti team has received a great deal of attention in the wake of the catastrophic Jan. 12 earthquake in the island nation. The decision to proceed with the trip came after numerous discussions with Mission of Hope, the University's partner organization near Port-au-Prince that operates a church, school, orphanage and hospital. The students' safety was a top priority, said Christian Dzadek, the University's coordinator of interational service projects. Team members said they expect they will be helping with the relief effort to some degree, as well as assisting the organization with its ministries. The Haiti team, like the others, has undergone extensive training for the past several weeks. Students also raised their own money for the trips.

icole Valentin, one of the leaders of the seven-member Guatemala team, said her team has met once a week since November to practice the leadership activities they will be teaching at different schools there. The group is sponsored by PBA's Impact Leadership Team. "We also shared our personal testimonies with one another and discussed our motivation for the trip," said Valentin, 20, a junior accounting major from Orlando. Her co-leader, senior mathematics major Rod Venegas, 23, is a native of Guatemala City. He believes the leadership activities that his team will share with local students will benefit his homeland in years to come. The team's aim, he said, is "to plant seeds, knowing the impact it can have in the individual lives of those kids."

Sarah Thomas, 19, a freshman nursing major from Boca Raton, also is looking forward to interacting with young people this spring break. She is co-leader of a 10-person team that is departing for Cochabamba, Bolivia. The team will lend its assistance to Children's International Network, which operates an orphanage and ministers to boys on the street. "I have been very anxious to go all last semester and even more so now," said Thomas, who went on her first mission trip to Mexico at age 11. "I feel like my best self on mission trips, almost like I am fulfilling my purpose here on Earth."

Musical Theater Production: She Loves Me

2010-03-01T10:47:00.021-05:00

During this past weekend and this week the Musical Theater department at Palm Beach Atlantic University will be putting on the production She Loves Me for their annual spring musical. The musical is based upon a book by Joe Masteroff, the song lyrics are by Sheldon Harnick and the music in the production is by Jerry Bock. This production is one of the world's most charming musicals. This little gem of a show by the creators of Fiddler on the Roof and is about two perfume shop coworkers who dislike each other, but are actually in love with each other's pen-pal persona. Based on Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo, this story has been made into three popular movies: The Shop around the Corner with James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan, In the Good Old Summer Time with Van Johnson and Judy Garland, and most recently, the romantic comedy blockbuster You've Got Mail with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It is a timeless classic that originally premiered upon Broadway in 1963 and enjoyed a reward winning revival in 1993. The original Broadway poster from the original show is pictured to the right, and two of the cast members from the PBA production are pictured to the left (Sierra Minot and Daniel Schwab). The production is excellent at PBA and one of the many perks of the university during the springtime when the annual musical comes around. I would highly recommend seeing it this week at the remaining performances in the Helen K. Persson Recital Hall in Vera Lea Rinker Hall. Tickets are $15 general admission or 2 for $25, $10 seniors 65 years and older, and only $5 for students.

New Downtown Waterfront

2010-02-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

Just in case you are unaware, the city of West Palm Beach is located directly upon the intercoastal waterway which is locally referred to as Lake Worth Lagoon. Across the lagoon is Palm Beach island. Palm Beach Atlantic University is located in the southern section of downtown WPB also adjacent to the intercoastal. Water is a huge part of the life of a PBA student and citizens of Palm Beach County. Many changes have been occurring in downtown to make WPB a world-class city. Recently the old library was shutdown and a new, and beautiful library and city government complex was created that would rival that found in any major city. With the relocation, the old library property became vacant. This property is located in the core of downtown on Lake Worth. It is prime real estate that could have been sold the the highest bidder. This did not happen, the land was modified and fixed to create a beautiful city park complete with brand new landscaping, walkways and three city docks that extend into the intercoastal.

This past Saturday night was the grand opening celebration for the new waterfront downtown. The event began at 4:00pm and continued until 11:00. PBA students and faculty participated in the performances and entertainment and also attended the event as spectators. The new downtown waterfront is located within a few minutes walk from campus right near all of the downtown restaurants. The evening culminated with a fireworks extravaganza over Lake Worth. It was an excellent event, and fun was had by all. There are very few colleges that can boast as having such entertaining events and amazing public facilities, right in their backyard, as PBAU. It is truly great to be a Fish!

Here is the promo video for the event from youtube. A video of the fireworks show was, sadly, not available.

Fourty Days Until Easter

2010-02-17T10:54:00.000-05:00

Today is Ash Wednesday and many PBA students are using today to reflect and prepare for the Lenten season. Lent is a great reminder to refocus one’s life upon the eternal and truly meaningful aspects of life found within Jesus and his message. Many students on campus are choosing to give up some aspect of life, maybe chocolate or facebook for example, so that they can focus upon their faith and relationship with God much easier. The Newman Club, which is composed of a group of the catholic students and faculty on campus, will be hosting its annual Ash Wednesday chapel at 3:00 this afternoon. This is always a very meaningful and moving chapel, helping students and faculty to focus their attention on the Jesus of Good Friday, and that of Easter morning. The Newman Club is a very active club on campus. Ash Wednesday also serves as a reminder to the student body that the middle of the semester is approaching and it is most definitely time to buckle down and complete all necessary tasks before Midterms and Spring Break arrives. The coursework and study in college should be used as an act of worship to God because he is our Creator and Sustainer.

I hope that you are able to take a moment today, either corporately or in private to reflect upon your own Faith and work to improve your own relationship with God.

Implosion of a Downtown WPB Building

2010-02-15T15:16:00.008-05:00

This Valentine's Day morning at 9:00am a 30-story abandoned condo building was imploded just two blocks from campus. Most of the student body, and surrounding community was in attendance to see the 3rd largest building in United States history implode. This is just another amazing aspect of the urban environment of Palm Beach Atlantic University that I am glad to be able to take advantage of. The video does not do it justice, but it is still pretty cool. This video was taken from Palm Beach Island and you can see the southern section of campus at the far right side of the video.

Sailfish Baseball Set to Open Season at Roger Dean Stadium

2010-02-02T13:23:00.000-05:00

JUPITER, Fla.- With the 2010 baseball season just around the corner, the Palm Beach Atlantic University squad is gearing up for what they hope to be a successful year under new head coach and Major League Baseball Hall-of-Famer Gary Carter. The Sailfish will have the special opportunity to host the defending NCAA Division II National Champions of Lynn University at Roger Dean Stadium for their first game on Tuesday, February 2nd at 6 p.m.

As a part of the season opening festivities, admission to the game will be free to all visitors as will be the team’s second home game which will take place a week later against Florida Tech, also to be played at Roger Dean Stadium on Tuesday, February 9th at 6 p.m.

One of the finest minor league complexes in all of baseball, Roger Dean Stadium plays host to both the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals during Spring Training each year while also acting as the home facility for the Jupiter Hammerheads (Marlins Single-A affiliate) and the Palm Beach Cardinals (Cardinal Single-A affiliate).

With a seating capacity of over 7,000, the Sailfish and Fighting Knights won’t be expecting to fill the stadium to reach its max however it does provide both teams with the unique opportunity to play at a state-of-the-art facility while fans on hand will get to watch and experience a first-class stadium atmosphere.

Fans entering the stadium are required to enter through GATE B where there will also be opportunities for them to get information on Palm Beach Atlantic University, buy Sailfish merchandise, and also visit the concessions stand.

Those fans and parents that cannot make it out the game will be able to tune in live and listen to the game via the Sailfish Sports Network.

Money makes the world go round

2010-01-29T11:34:00.003-05:00

Private Christian education can be quite burdensome economically upon the individual. It does not matter if your parents are a billionaire or do not have any money, university education is expensive. An education at Palm Beach Atlantic University is not cheap, yet I believe it is definitely worth it. I am currently a senior, graduating this coming May. I am excited, yet also terrified (we will not get into that at the moment), about the coming changes that will occur in my life. I know that I will be prepared for whatever comes my way because of the excellent education I have received inside and outside the classroom. The professors at PBAU are very knowledgeable in their specific areas and are able to impart much of that wisdom into their students. The campus atmosphere and surrounding city also allow for learning outside the classroom. Downtown West Palm Beach is a great place to go to school and allows for numerous opportunities to experience college life, as well as a world-class urban city.

With all of that said, the current economic situation in our country does not allow for much financial freedom. PBA has a great scholarship program that awards monies to almost all admitted students. There are other government programs that can help to defer the cost of the education. One of those programs is provided by the state of Florida to Florida Residents. This scholarship is called the Florida Resident Access Grant, or FRAG for short. (you can access more information about the grant by clicking here). This grant is given to all Florida residents, regardless or need, to help offset the cost of a private school education. It allows you to choose a school that is perfect for you, without having to worry about the cost as much. The grant is usually around $3000 per semester, but has lowered slightly in recent years due to the economic turmoil and budget deficits currently attacking Florida.

Miss Florida and Hall-of-Famer Share About PBA

2010-01-20T15:39:00.005-05:00

The Transformation

2009-12-16T14:32:00.003-05:00

The college search was pretty simple for me. I knew that I wanted to go to PBA! I also knew that I would be living at home since I lived so close and it made sense financially. Entering PBA as a commuter was tough. It was hard to meet people and I constantly felt disconnected from the rest of the student body. After a year of being a commuter, I received a scholarship that allowed me to live on campus! The Lord knew my heart's desires and blessed me.
Leaving was hard, but my family knew it was a wonderful opportunity. I completely encourage students to live on campus and here's why. I can wake up 10 minutes before class and still make it on time. I have met so many people in my dorm. Distance doesn't stop me from going to all of the PBA events anymore.
Living on campus is a blessing and I have enjoyed every second of it. It has taught me responsibility, independence, and how to manage my money.

Welcome Weekend Part 1 Jan 7th-8th

2009-12-07T16:25:00.003-05:00

Welcome Weekend

Part 1 January 7th – 8th

Student Schedule of Events

Thursday, January 7th

9:00 am – 3:00 pm: Move In to Residence Halls with help of MOVE IN CREW 2010

9:00 am – 5:00 pm: Check-In (Lassiter Student Center) You may be required to visit one or more of the following stations- • Residence Life – Housing Issues/Meal Plans • Registration – Add or Change Schedule • Financial Aid – Aid Awards and Documents • Payment Plans – Monthly Payment Arrangements • Health and Wellness – Health Forms, Immunizations, Insurance Waivers • Cashier – Pay Balance in Full • Student ID – Have your ID Card Created • Safety & Security – Parking Decal (Safety & Security Office) • Student Development – Community Values Statement • ID Validation and Bookstore Vouchers Depending on what stations you may need to visit, you should plan on spending approximately 2 hours at Check-In. When you register at Check-In you will receive a sheet outlining which stations you are required to visit.

5:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Welcome Dinner BBQ (Rinker Green) Families are encouraged to dine with their students, faculty & staff

7:00 pm– 8:00 pm: Welcome Weekend Opening Program (DeSantis Family Chapel)

8:00 pm -9:00 pm: Parents Social with Parents Council

Friday, January 8th

10:00 am – 12:00 pm: Student and Parent Information Sessions – Enlightening Minds (MAC 1291) • Chapel, Workship, Campus Ministries • Community Values • Safety and Security • Residential Life • Student Success

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm: Parent Panel Lunch

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: Campus Tours – Find your Classrooms! (Meet outside Frasier Dining Hall, Bring your Schedule)

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Concert of Prayer (Chapel)

3:45 pm – 5:00 pm: Worship Celebration - Enriching Souls (DeSantis Family Chapel)

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm: Farewell Dinner (Frasier Dining Hall) Parents connect with other parents and say goodbye!

F.I.N.A.L.S.

2009-12-07T15:42:00.002-05:00

F is for "Freaking Out"

I is for "I wish I didn't have as many classes now"

N is for "No more social life"

A is for "Am I ever going to sleep?"

L is for "Last Minute Studying"

S is for "Stressed to the MAX"

Wonderful Weather

2009-11-19T15:08:00.000-05:00

Currently in West Palm Beach it is a beautiful 82 degrees. You almost forget it is November 19. Many students at PBA are hitting the beach or the pool today to enjoy the warmth of the sun. The sky is perfectly blue and everything is great. I am sure glad I did not go to school in Chicago where it is currently a cloudy 46 degrees. Winter is my least favorite month and I am glad that I do not have to experience the extreme cold in other areas.

Homecomming Week

2009-11-05T13:44:00.003-05:00

This is a very exciting week on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University. The students and faculty just came off a very relaxing 4 day Fall Break. I personally got out of town with my roommates and spent the weekend at a condo near Daytona Beach. Sometimes it is great to just get away and not do homework. Anyways, this week is Homecomming Week and the theme this week is 'The Choice'. There are numerous activities throughout the week to celebrate numerous alumni coming back into town. The events range from movies on the green Paul Blart: Mall Cop, and Eagle Eye to an energetic paint dance party called GLO. Another campus favorite and PBA tradition is The Great American Bug Race, in which students and facutly alike can race roaches for a grand prize of $100. This is one of the longest standing traditions on campus. I am also particularly excited about the alumni basketball games aganist the current student squads. I am a huge fan of PBA basketball and am looking forward to a preview of the upcoming season. Altogether is is much easier to come back to campus from a break, when there is so much exciting things to do. I look forward to all that this homecomming weekend has to offer.

PBA’s urban location offers numerous activities

2009-09-29T15:07:00.002-04:00

This past weekend was one of the best I have had in a while. I am very glad that a few of my friends who graduated in May were able to be in town to make it awesome. I am exhausted right now, and am really going to need a nap this afternoon. I really had a blast, participating in many different activities across the community surrounding campus. This weekend was parents weekend and there were tons of activities for students to do, alongside their parents. The cafeteria food was extra good; the school hosted a murder mystery dinner, and theater production Nunsense just to name a few. That being said, my parents have never visited me during this weekend, and since I am now a senior they did not start.

The weather was nearly perfect all weekend, albeit still very hot, and I took advantage by spending quality time with friends and the Atlantic Ocean most of the day Saturday. The water is a perfect temperature this time of year, and almost perfectly crystal clear. Saturday night was when most of the student population at PBA was at one of two places. A huge number of students went to the Blink 182 concert featuring Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects and Asher Roth. It was at the Cruzan Amphitheatre just down the road from campus. West Palm Beach is a fairly large city and has been able to bring a lot of good bands to the area, especially at Cruzan. Another large group of students, including myself, went to a free show at City Place, within walking distance of campus, featuring Kate Vogele, and Andrew McMahon (lead singer from Jack’s Mannequin and Something Corporate). My roommate and a few friends and I had such a great time at the show, we actually decided that we would drive across the state to Ft Myers to see the same free show again last night! We did not get back home to West Palm until a little after 2am this morning. It was definitely worth it. One of the great parts of college life is making random spontaneous decisions, like my road trip to Ft Myers yesterday, and just spending quality time with friends.

College is Busy

2009-09-24T10:30:00.002-04:00

These past two weeks have been incredibly busy around campus. Last week was connection week, which is a weeklong event with different ways to plug in on campus and in the community of West Palm Beach. Potential employers, different churches and nonprofit organizations set up tables on the Rinker Green to connect the student body with the city and surrounding communities. As for on campus connections there was a club rush event where all of the different campus organizations set up tables to allow students to join. As the president of the college republicans club, I had a lot of work to do to recruit new members at the event. The entire connection week was a success.

This week, as you already know, is Christoval which is our spiritual emphasis conference week. It just so happens that this week I also have 3 exams, a paper due and a presentation. Needless to say I have only been able to make it to one Christoval so far, but I plan on attending again today. Life sometimes gets busy, but it is nothing that I cannot handle. I like the busyness actually. I am definitely looking forward to this weekend to rest up from the last two weeks. A bunch of friends who graduated from PBA are coming into town this weekend and I am very excited to be able to spend time with them. Life is great.

Francis is Coming to Town!

2009-09-15T13:39:00.002-04:00

Next week Francis Chan is coming to PBA to speak at our very own Christoval Festival! To say we students are excited, would be an under statement. To get an idea as to why we're so pumped about having Francis on our campus check out this video: http://www.juststopandthink.com/movieextras_movielg.php

my summer adventures

2009-09-08T14:01:00.003-04:00

It is truly great to be back for another year at PBA! I missed the city of West Palm Beach, and just being around fellow sailfish. I had a very enjoyable summer break full of many adventures including two epic road trips with PBA friends and I also went on a Travel Study trip to Greece and Turkey. The first, of the epic road trips, was from Florida to Arkansas for a wedding of two of my very good friends, who just graduated PBA last may. On the way back we made a pit stop in Mobile, Alabama to stay with one of my first friends at PBA before returning to Florida. The second road trip was back to school from Chicago with my roommates. Altogether I visited 10 different states this summer, having a great time. If you ever want to take an extremely boring drive through nothingsville USA, you will have to drive across Arkansas or Illinois. Luckily in both cases I was in a car full of sailfish and we were able to make the best of it. It is great that even though I have been away from school for the summer, I have remained completely connected with all of the many friends I have here at PBA. The student body and especially your close friends that you make at PBA honestly become a second family.

I cannot even begin to describe how blessed I feel about being able to visit the beautiful and historical countries of Turkey and Greece. I went on the trip with the Honors College at PBA as an extension of our learning. The biblical studies department also came with us. Three of the best professors the university has to offer, came with us and acted as our mentors and friends as we visited the numerous historical and biblical sites the two countries had to offer. We saw such historical sites as the Parthenon, ancient Ephesus, Corinth and the Homeric city of Troy just to name a few. My life will seriously never be the same. It was one of the most profound religious experiences I have had in life, visiting many of the ancient biblical cities. It makes the faith real and alive to visit the places where Paul and many others walked and lived their lives. Just wow. I would highly recommend that everyone experience a travel study trip at least once during their time spent in college. Traveling is one of the best and most fun ways to learn about a new place, but even more so about yourself.

*TOP - Some of the group outside the Grotto where John recieved his Revelation on the island of Patmos, Greece

*BOTTOM - The whole travel study group in front of Hagia Sophia in the old city of Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey

2 Weeks!

2009-08-11T08:04:00.003-04:00

School is 2 and half weeks away!!!!! The excitement on campus is apparent. Athletes are moved into their dorms. RAs, Point 58s, and Fish Leaders are slowly arriving back on campus for training tuned specifically for their leadership roles. Welcome Week T-shirts have been handed out to faculty. Dorms are cleaned, fixed up and ready. Rest up and take full advantage of your last two weeks out of the college scene, and we'll be seeing you in the very near future! :)

We're on TV!

2009-07-22T13:31:00.002-04:00

PBA has a local commercial on TV! Who were the actors used in the commercial? None other than your fabulous Admission's Staff! Check it out right here!

Won't You Ring Your Bell?

2009-07-14T14:25:00.007-04:00

Have you deposited to PBA? Did you know that when you deposit we ring a bell in honor of you? It's true! Someone will go up to one of our bells and make it ring loudly so that everyone in the Office of Admissions can hear it! Then, everyone claps and cheers for YOUR deposit!

If you have any questions about Depositing contact your Admission Counselor.
We want you to join our PBA family! Deposit Today!

Have you had your bell rung?

The Biggest Second of Our Lives

2009-07-09T10:02:00.003-04:00

for one split second time counted up from 1 to 9

at 12:34:56 in the 7th month on the 8th day during the 9th year of the second millennium

PBA Requirements

2009-07-08T14:43:00.004-04:00

Everyone knows that PBA doesn't really have actual requirements...we have averages. Our average GPA is 3.5, SAT is 1090-1100, and ACT is 24-25. Simply because you may not have the average score is no reason not to apply since they are just averages.

Here are the actual Requirements.
Know the following definitions and be a fan of them:

10. Tenth Avenue North
9. Workship
8. Federal Workstudy
7. City Place
6. Beach
5. The Sea Wall
4. Lip Sync
3. Sailfish and School Dance/Cheer
2. Chick Fil A
1. Jesus

Thank you for your time. Remember requirements NOT averages.

The Other Side of West Palm

2009-07-07T09:15:00.005-04:00

Being in West Palm Beach over the summer, you experience things you never would during the school year. For one-the bugs. The bugs (specifically mosquitoes) are ridiculous during the summer months. When I was gearing up for the summer I purposefully bought a bottle of bug spray. Did it help? Nope. I need one of those new Off fans constantly attached to my hip. Thank goodness that come September, mosquitoes will be a rarity.
During the school year I am continually found staring up in the sky admiring God's handiwork. A spectacular sky scape is pretty common in South Florida. But it seems that in the summer months God ups the anti. I am regular brought into a state of awe by artwork displayed in the skies. My poor roommate is regularly be dragged outside to check out the newest cloud creation. In the past two months I have witnessed skies that look painted, lightning strikes that could outdo any fireworks show, red moons, and a complete bold rainbow which landed directly in front of my dorm. The beauties in the sky quickly make the bugs an afterthought.

What to Do, What to Do...

2009-06-16T15:51:00.009-04:00

"So what's there to do here?"

and so goes the infamous question everybody asks everywhere they go. Here's what we West Palmians do for fun:

*the beach (ofcourse)

*find people with rockband, befriend them, and copy a key to their door (kidding about that last part)

* rapids water park
*kayaking (you can rent kayakes from the Greene Complex)
*Norton Museum of Art (it's free on Saturdays to West Palm residents!)

*intermurral sports on campus

*film nights hosted by the Film Department (they a classic every other week. it's free and there's snacks!)

*skateboarding, skating, or running by the intercoastal
*hitting golfballs into the intercoastal

*Coffee House

*picnics
*concerts at Cityplace (they're free and sometimes big names drop by)

there's so much more you can do on campus or around West Palm Beach. The key is:be creative!

Things to Buy

2009-06-01T16:45:00.003-04:00

My best friend once told me that memory foam was the #1 best purchase that she bought for college. Shoot dang was she right! Here is my own little list of best buys for your dorm/college life at PBA:

1. memory foam
2. Brita water filter
3. Old Navy flip flops (2 for $5!)
4. an ethernet cord long enough to reach across your room
5. a wallet just big enough to fit your I.D card (with a key ring attached to it)
6. bike
7. shower mat
8. tavel coffee mug
9. extension cord
10. full size mirror
11. bed risers or...
12. loft bed (you can take apart the bed that comes with your room and just stick it in the closet. bringing your own loft bed frame saves SO much space!)

the Best Advice my Prof Ever Gave me

2009-05-18T13:40:00.001-04:00

Last semester I was on the verge of tears in professor H.D.'s office when he was kind enough to share this life changing advice with me. Due to my overloaded schedule I was feeling worn out and absolutely overwhelmed.HD told me that what I needed was to take at least five minutes every day to simply sit. To just sit still and do nothing but be. Be present. Be alive. Be thankful. Be in the presence of God. Just Be.When HD was first saying this my one thought was "I don't have 5 minutes!That's the whole reason why I'm in your office now!" Without even realizing it I began taking his advice. Lunch's I began eating outside in front of the library or by the water. There were days where I would take ten minutes to just sit in my room and breath.This semester the 5 minutes has turned into 30 and sometimes even a full hour where I get to simply be outside enjoying the Florida sunshine. My friend Christy also taught the importance of carrying a Bible and/or my journal around with me. Often I'll take a short break to sit under a stick of an orange tree next to the Theatre building. Sometimes I'll just lay there other times I'll read or journal.I guess the point of this all is: Don't forget to relax in College.Sophomores-the Sophomore Slump is real.Don't get eaten alive by it.Take as little or as much time as you need every day to get charged. It will change your health, mood, and performance.

Sunny Side Up?

2009-05-13T10:27:00.003-04:00

It's summer!...and all of us PBAers are bummed at some level or another. It's crazy I know. How often do you really hear about students feeling down because summer has finally arrived? We're not sad about classes being over (or at least most of us aren't), but it's the separating PBA that leaves us bummed. The best part of summer is the day you return back to campus in August. You will be hard pressed to find any other place where upon arriving you feel such a strong sense of belonging. It's on that day that everything feels right. Everything is right. I realize this all sounds extremely sentimental and sappy but give yourself a year at PBA and you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about. And all this does not go to say that summer is the most depressing time of the year, as we all know summer is the perfect opportunity for ample adventures. Simply be prepared for summer (your first one especially) to teach you just how attached you are to PBA's community.

soon everybody asks what became of you

2009-04-23T12:04:00.004-04:00

I only have 2 weeks left as a student at PBA. It’s kind of hard to imagine graduating. Graduating is a bittersweet thing for me. It’s an exciting time, because the future is open to me. I can go wherever I want from here. I’ve been praying that what I want is also what God wants for me. I want to follow God’s plans for me, and be ok if His plans don’t line up with exactly what I have planned for myself. It’s easier said than done, but in the end I know it’s worth it and God’s plan is always better than mine.

I have applied to be a Language and Culture Teaching Assistant in Spain. I will find out next week if I was selected and where I will be living in Spain. Earlier this semester I received a brochure from my Spanish profesora about grants that are offered to students in North America and Canada to go live in Spain and teach English. I’m really anxious to find out, and I’m praying that whatever the outcome I will be content.

Today was my last day at my internship with the Lake Worth Herald. I only have one more article that is due on Monday. It was a really great experience and I’m kind of sad that it’s over. My editor was a really cool man, and I learned a lot from him. I am glad that I was able to finish before final exams though, because it was a lot of work and I know that I’m going to be busy with final projects and papers next week. I am the “queen of procrastination,” and am really good at waiting last minute to work on things! As for now, I am going to be a busy body for the next two weeks, but I plan on making the best of them.

It's been a long time...

2009-04-17T14:29:00.002-04:00

Hello all,
So it’s been a while since I’ve posted some new delights for you all to read…I guess now is as good a time as any. So not too too much has happened since last time; Easter break was this past weekend. I went to my roommate Anna Grace’s aunt and uncle’s house in Marco Island, Fl. Her family has graciously invited me into their home for the past 4 Easters. They are so great—I love them so much!

This picture is from when Anna Grace, Alyssa, and I (r-l) were dyeing Easter eggs.

Another weekend is upon us, not that I’m going to really be able to enjoy it that much. This past week I had many assignments due for my night class, regular homework, a project due yesterday and a paper and a presentation in another class today. I didn’t go to sleep last night. I did sleep from 6:30-8:00 this morning though. My roommate and I are in the same class, so we both stayed up all night to work on our papers. We are throwing our engaged roommate a bridal shower tonight, so that should be lots of fun before the work weekend of all work weekend begins! I have 2 papers and a project due on Monday, not to mention all the other projects due later next week. But that’s what I get for taking 18 credits….but graduation is the reward, so I know it will be worth it all!

Well, I have to go and start cleaning my apartment for the party for Anna Grace!
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

Until next time…..

A Much Needed Vacation

2009-04-08T13:49:00.005-04:00

I am going home, to Orlando, tonight. Why you may ask? My classes are canceled tomorrow. Now, if I went to another University, and not PBA, I would have class on Good Friday – but luckily I do not. Just getting those two days off of school is pretty legitimate, but because PBA is awesome, we also get the Monday following Easter off of school. Cool right? Most definitely. I am very excited to get to relax, sleep in and spend quality time with my family at home. Mostly just sleep though, sorry Mom and Dad. Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays, first and foremost because of the messages of hope and peace that are found in the Resurrection. You may think it weird but I also rather enjoy the marshmellow Peeps® and I love the Reeses® chocolate and peanut butter eggs. Hopefully I have not grown too old to wake up to an Easter Basket outside my bedroom door Easter morning. Maybe I will fill some Easter Eggs and hide them in the yard? Or maybe I will just sleep the whole break.

This Easter Break is exactly what I need after the week that I have had. Up to this point, my week was not totally bad, just a whole lot of hard work. I had a 12 page research paper due on Monday for my Honors class. I spent ALL of the weekend in the library preparing, researching and writing. It would have been nice if there was torrential rain or if it was cold out all weekend, but it was not. It was beautiful, and everyone else I know was able to go to the beach, without me. I guess I should not feel bad because I am in college to learn, I guess. No really, I feel good about it my paper. I spent enough time and had good research and decent points to bring up.

Compared to the rest of the week, that paper was the easy part. This morning I had two difficult exams in Human Anatomy and Organic Chemistry. I had to memorize countless chemistry equations, and pretty much most of the human internal anatomy. I guess I got what I signed up for, but it always seems that my hard exams always fall on the same day. University life always keeps you on your toes and that is part of the reason why it is so great. You never know what to expect around the corner.

Twitter!

2009-04-08T12:51:00.005-04:00

Lately I've become addicted to a website called Twitter. You can ask Amy. She rolls her eyes whenever I get excited and tell her about some new way I’ve discovered to use the website.

It's basically a website where you can update your status, like you would on facebook, whenever you want to let your friends know about a cool website you found, or some exciting news you've discovered.

Facebook recently tried to buy Twitter, and was not able to, and then changed their design to be more like Twitter's. I'm pretty sure no one is a big fan of all the changes that keep happening on FB.

Some of my friends try to tell me that Twitter is stupid and pointless, but au contraire I think it is fun and can be helpful. For example, there is a graduate student named James Karl Buck, who was in Egypt doing a photography assignment for his master’s thesis, when he was arrested for being at local anti-government protest. He sent the word ‘arrested’ to his Twitter and a friend got the Twitter, informed the University, and they were able to get a lawyer and get Buck out of jail. Here’s the story ~> http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/06/05/twitter.maree/index.html

Twitter has grown a lot in the last few months. Pretty much everybody has one these days. You can find any news organization, non-profits, your favorite musicians, and just your plain old friends that have one. I'm following one of my fav authors, Don Miller. Oh, and Palm Beach Atlantic University even has its own account! (http://twitter.com/PBAtlantic)

If you want to keep up-to-date on someone's life, you click can 'Follow' on their page and then you will see every time they update their status on your home page. You can respond to someone’s status by clicking the reply and it will say “@username” before whatever you write to direct the message to them.

It’s a little confusing at first, but it’s not too tricky. I created an account last summer just because it was something new, and then never got the point of it, but now everyone is using it and I’ve kind of become addicted.

Follow me! http://twitter.com/nessievanessie

New Languages and Yay for Weekends

2009-04-03T15:02:00.004-04:00

So I read something for my History and Philosophy of American Media class titled "The New Languages" and it was about how with each introduction of a new media (from radio, to TV, to internet) we have to accomodate our languages used to each new medium, or way of communication. I thought this was interesting, because there are such different ways of speaking for every individual medium. It's curious how we are taught these languages and how younger generations just adapt themselves naturally to a new language, but some older generations cannot even "speak" them whatsoever. It made me think about what possibilities there are for new mediums when I am in that older generation and what new methods of communication there will be! Hmmm, it's a thinker.

Well, it's Friday and that is exciting. I'm a big fan of weekends. I don't really know what I'm going to do this weekend, but I don't have class and that is cheerful. I have some papers and other random homework to do, but I would rather just have it done and not have to worry about it anymore! We'll see how much I actually get done come Sunday night. Hopefully the weather will be nice this weekend...which is basically saying, I hope I can go to the beach, even for a little bit. I hope!

Well, enjoy your weekend too! Until next time...

Anatomy and FRAG

2009-04-03T14:48:00.001-04:00

Today has been interesting to say the least. My morning started out early for my 8am Human Anatomy class. I had the joy, and privilege, of a wonderful lecture about the male reproductive system (notice the sarcasm). The only thing worse than that would be the lecture I will have Monday morning, about, you guessed it, the female anatomy. I am a Biology major with a pre-health concentration so I do actually care about all of that; it just came unexpected this morning.

Anyways, my day continued tabling outside the Caf in the Rinker Green. I am pretty sure that you are aware of the current economic situation in the world, and if you are not please go outside. Currently all Florida Resident students who go to PBA, and all of the Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida, get $2850 from the State of Florida per year to help with tuition costs. This money is named the Florida Resident Access Grant. It is actually the 30th anniversary of the grant this year. The state of Florida is pretty much almost bankrupt and this money, that is vital and necessary for most of us to attain a higher education, is in jeopardy this year. Although there seems to be much support for the FRAG in Tallahassee, the capital of Florida, almost all programs across the state will see budget cuts. Today we ran a postcard campaign to important and prominent state Senators and Representatives thanking them for the grant and encouraging them to continue it into the future. All Florida Residents and even non-resident students signed the cards that will be mailed in the coming days. Maybe, if we send enough post cards and raise enough awareness of the excellent grant program, we could see an increase in the amount – instead of a huge cut.

Curly Tail Lizards

2009-04-03T14:28:00.008-04:00

PBA has curly tail lizards. They're from Cuba or something. I had never seen them before, and then I saw like ten at a Chili's about six years ago. Now they're all over. We saw some guy feeding them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich the other day.

While they are really fast, I have been able to catch three of them. One time, I stayed behind a pole and caught him on the other side. Another time, I trapped one in a field of grass with no holes. The third time, I was sitting on some rocks, and one came up to me.

They're all over South Florida, and I have come to like them. They don't speak English, so I don't know if they like me.

Founders Day Chapel

2009-03-31T14:02:00.004-04:00

Today was the Founders Day chapel service. I wish I could say that I went, but that would be a lie because I slept through it, on accident of course. I did hear from multiple people that is was a good chapel service. Palm Beach Atlantic University was established in 1968, so this year marks the 40th Anniversary of our great institution. The founding President, Dr. Jess Moody (pictured at right), introduced this year’s chapel speaker, current President, Dr. David Clark (on left side). The University has had five presidents before Dr. Clark in the 40 year history, Clark started at PBA in 2003. It is amazing to think about all of the great leaders PBA has had over the years and even more interesting to think about how much the campus has changed. God has definitely been good to PBA. Hopefully the next President of our school can fill the shoes of the great men that have gone before him.

On a related note, I just wanted to discuss the whole aspect of chapel at PBA. I am sure that many people may be nervous and uninformed on what chapel actually is. Students are only required to go to 24 chapels each academic year. Every year there are nearly 100 chapel opportunities for students to attend. These range from the normal weekly chapels, which I will explain in a little bit, to conferences, movie nights, guest speakers and the Newman Club chapel (which is a Friday Catholic liturgy of the Word service). It is clearly not hard to get your chapel time in. During a regular chapel week there is chapel everyday Monday through Thursday. The Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday chapel is contemporary usually with the chapel praise band playing the worship songs. Thursday chapel, my favorite and usual chapel day, is the traditional chapel service. I grew up in a traditional church and enjoy that type of service but it is easy for you to find your place in the chapel calendar, worshiping God in the way that works best for you.

random thoughts for today.

2009-03-31T13:41:00.003-04:00

Hello all,
Well, this past weekend was very fun…it was Vanessa’s birthday and I’m pretty sure she already wrote about how her boyfriend came to surprise her. Can I just say that it was one of the most fun surprises I have ever seen! We all had known for weeks that he was coming and she had no idea! It was great!

Here are some of random thoughts for the day:
I am ever grateful to Baxter 2nd floor because without it, I wouldn’t have found some of my best friends. I love my friends so much and am getting depressed thinking about not living with them after graduation.

I’ve learned that I much prefer day classes to night classes…mostly just for the fact that I have a very hard time sitting in one classroom for 4 hours. My night class was let out early last night and so I was able to hang out with some friends and watch a little TV…24 and FRIENDS is always good.

I am reading a book called The Silent Language for one of my classes. It is mostly about what people unknowingly communicate through time and space within cultures. I like learning about cultural differences and how that effects our communication. Also, reading about different cultures makes me want to watch the Travel Channel…and then visit wherever they go!

My sister goes to school near Chicago and although I am excited for her new experiences in college, I am in no way envious of her…mostly because I love living in Florida. I can’t do cold weather for more than a few weeks. I love the sunshine.

Ok, well, I’ve got to go to class soon…so I hope you have enjoyed the randomness that is how I think! Until next time…

Birthday Surprises and Pridefest.

2009-03-30T12:10:00.004-04:00

I had the best birthday weekend ever. I'm a big fan of surprises, and I was definitely surprised on Friday. On Thursday, my friend Ricky asked Amy and I if we wanted to get lunch at Common Ground at 12 p.m. the next day (which was my birthday), and I didn't suspect anything because we usually go to CG together for lunch. Well, it's almost 12 and Ricky called Amy and told us he was done with his "meeting" and was walking over to CG, so we could leave to come meet him. When I walked in, I noticed that the big booth was filled with a bunch of my friends, and then I noticed someone in the middle was sitting with his arm blocking view of his face and looking down. I wondered who it was, and I just assumed it was someone else’s friend. Then he looked up, and it was my boyfriend. He surprised me and came down from Virginia-where he goes to school- for the weekend! I was so shocked when I saw him; I asked him if he was really there. haha. It was great. We all went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill that night and then I went back to Jordan's house and his mom had a cake and gift for me. It was a great night :)

This weekend, I also had to take pictures at Pridefest for my internship. What an experience it was. The thing that bothered me the most though, was that there were Christian protesters there, holding huge signs and shouting through a megaphone at all the people. While I do believe that homosexuality is a sin, we are all sinners, and shouting at people is not the way to bring someone to salvation. Everyone was booing at the protesters and saying "haters, go home!" I felt ashamed to have these people representing Christ and other Christians. Later on, as the parade was ending and everyone was heading down to the park where booths and festivities were set up, the protestors continued to yell at people and started to attract a crowd around them. I was pushing my way through trying to get pictures and find out what was going on and holding my camera over my head trying to capture what I couldn’t see. One of the protesters ended up getting arrested for disorderly conduct because he put his hands on one of the cops who were trying to break up the riot. It was quite an event. It was really heartbreaking to me though. I just wanted these people to know that Jesus loves them, and that Christians aren’t all like these people. I understand that God does have anger towards people who sin against him, but he still loves these people despite their sin. I'm pretty sure the people at the parade aren’t going to want to have anything to do with the god that these two men were portraying.

It was a nice weekend, but I got little sleep last night because I had to wake up at 5am to go to the airport with my boyfriend. Today coffee is my best friend.

Mike Huckabee visits PBA!

2009-03-26T11:32:00.003-04:00

As Richard mentioned in his blog, Mike Huckabee came to speak on campus the other day. I got to attend the brunch before chapel and then I went to chapel and got to briefly meet him afterwards. The picture above is Huckabee, my friend Chiara and me.

During election time I didn’t know much about Mike Huckabee, but I have gotten to know a lot more about him since then. With his television show on Fox news I feel that he has gotten a lot of exposure and his voice is being heard. I agree with Huckabee on a lot of topics, especially his view on abortion and the role of government.

During the brunch Huckabee said that he believes the reason people voted for Obama was not because they trusted the government more than they trusted themselves, but because they thought he would bring them up, rather than down. He calls this “vertical politics,” which is where voters make decisions based on whether they believe the nominee will bring them up or down, not on how far on the left or right side they stand.

Magic Filet Mignon

2009-03-26T11:23:00.007-04:00

This has been an extremely busy, but rewarding week. Like I explained in my blog (on March 24) Governor Huckabee was on campus for two days. I got the privilege of working at the event at the Breakers Hotel on Tuesday night. There were a few hundred community members from around West Palm and Palm Beach Island. When I say that I worked the event, I really mean that I was just greeting and directing people to the ballroom. Going to the event would have been worth it if I just got to hear the Governor speak, and play his bass guitar. Oh but there is more. I got to eat the amazing food that the guests paid $200 a plate for. When I say amazing that is a complete understatement, what I really mean is incredible, astounding and remarkable. Maybe even the best food I have ever had. We had melt in your mouth filet mignon, risotto and a delicious salad (now that is something I have never said before I am sure, do not count on it ever coming out of my mouth again). The desert was a banana split of sorts (not the same kind you had in elementary school), more of an adult banana split with frozen chocolate covered bananas and delectable ice cream. It is currently 11:30 in the morning but I am getting very hungry so I better quit this discussion and move in a different direction…

On a completely unrelated note but almost just as exciting for me – the Orlando Magic beat the Boston Celtics last night. It was pretty cool (and seeing since I was born and raised in Orlando) I am and forever will be a Magic fan. I think that Dwight Howard is a beast and he had some pretty sweet plays last night at the game in Orlando (saddly I watched on ESPN). If you happen to be walking around the Towers and Lakeview parking lot on campus I bet you will be able to find my door – a huge Superman (Dwight Howard) poster will guide your way.

My Classes

2009-03-25T12:48:00.004-04:00

Since this is my last semester at PBA, I'm not taking very many classes. Here are the ones that I am:

1. European History II - I have this class on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8am. While I don't enjoy waking up that early, the class is a good one. Dr. Hembree is a great teacher, and I learn a lot about European history.
2. Politics of Developing Nations - Although I disagree with Dr. Calhoun on many issues concerning politics, interesting topics and issues are brought up in the class. I also learn a lot about the history of non-Western cultures.
3. Public History - Since I want to pursue a master's degree in Museum Studies, this class is especially interesting for me. Dr. Chapman brings up all of the major issues that are being dealt with in public history today.
4. Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness for Ministry - While this is not my favorite class, Dr. Grenz does teach us many of the important issues in church leadership today.
5. Introductory Biology Lab - This is my only class that is not on Tuesday and Thursday, and it's my only class on Friday. I took the lecture portion of the class a couple of semesters ago, and I wish I had taken them at the same time. It's not too bad, but sometimes I forget some of the points that are still fresh in everyone else's mind.

Also, Mike Huckabee spoke on campus today. While I really enjoyed both of the events, I wish he had spoken some about the FairTax.

That's it.

Special Guest Speaker

2009-03-24T12:54:00.004-04:00

This is a huge week in the life of Palm Beach Atlantic University. Each year we have a big event, this is actually the 5th year, called the Ethics and Character Lecture Series. A prominent speaker comes to campus and provides his (or her) viewpoint on ethics and character. It sounds simple enough, right? Anyways, this year the students (and faculty) at PBA are especially excited because the keynote speaker is former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. Governor Huckabee is an extremely important evangelical and conservative leader and it is amazing that such a small school as PBA could bring him in to speak.

The Governor gets into West Palm Beach this afternoon (Tuesday March 24) and will be speaking at an event hosted by PBA for community members tonight at the Breakers Hotel on Palm Beach Island. I actually get the privilege to help with this event where a seat is $200 a person. I am pretty excited.

On Wednesday the Governor will be having brunch with Student Leaders at the University. It will be an excellent opportunity for the Leaders to learn how to develop better Christian ethics and character. Immediately following the brunch, Governor Huckabee will be addressing the entire PBA community with the main keynote speech in the Rubin Arena during the regular chapel hour.

While I was researching (not really, just reading Wikipedia entries) I found out that both Governor Huckabee and former President Bill Clinton were both born in a small town in the southwest corner of Arkansas called Hope. It just goes to show that you do not have to be from a huge city like New York or Chicago to rise up and make a difference in this world, you just need a little hope (pun totally intended).

Birthday Weekend!

2009-03-23T11:41:00.007-04:00

It was my birthday this weekend, as previously mentioned. My friends are amazing, might I add. Story time: so Friday afternoon we (Vanessa, Anna Grace, Hannah and me) went to show Hannah around West Palm Beach because she was going back to Arkansas the next day. So, as we drive right by where we were supposed to go, Anna Grace turns to me and tells me that I am going to be kidnapped and taken somewhere. So I am blindfolded in the car and waiting in great anticipation for where we are going! Eventually I can feel that we have pulled onto gravel, but I still didn’t know where we were. Someone pulled me out of the car and I stood there blindfolded for a few minutes. Finally, someone took my blindfold off and there was a bonfire going and all of my closest friends were there too! It was so much fun and I was so surprised! It had been pouring rain earlier that day and so they were worried that it might get rained out, but it didn’t it was a beautiful evening! The sunset was fantastic! We roasted marshmallows and made s’mores too! So so so much fun!

Saturday was my actual birthday and I just hung out with my friends again and talked to my family and some friends from home on the phone. It was good. That is one of my favorite things, just hanging out with friends. We don’t necessarily have to be doing anything; just being with them is fun. Always good times. Sunday, I did pretty much the same thing. I went to church with some friends and just kind of did nothing for the rest of the afternoon. I went through pictures from this weekend and hung out with my roommates and other friends. Again, good times. But now I’m a little behind on homework, so that will have to be caught up on sometime. Oh well. Ok, well that was pretty much my [amazing] weekend in a nutshell. Until next time…

Geography

2009-03-23T10:53:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I went for a walk from Towers to Lake Worth Rd and back (approximately 13.5 miles). I saw a lot of interesting buildings, such as a Crematory Society, a bakery and a couple of churches. The National Cremation Society had a sign that said: "That's my wish." There were some pigeons hanging out on the building, and it kind of looked creepy.

Lake Worth is supposedly "where the tropics begin." I read somewhere that Lake Worth has a high population of Finnish people, but I didn't see any evidence of it (specifically, flags). Finns and tropics are usually not associated with each other. I did see enough evidence to lead me to believe that hippies might reside in Lake Worth. More research may be needed for this conclusion, though.

While I walked, I listened to some lectures on the Geography of Europe that I downloaded from iTunesU. The professor discussed the European Union, de facto countries in Europe, and agriculture in Europe. It was really interesting.

Birthdays, Fajitas, and Monsoons.

2009-03-20T12:32:00.006-04:00

Hey Folks!

It’s the end of another week here at PBA…..and everywhere else too I suppose. But my birthday is this weekend, so that should provide some entertainment. Vanessa’s birthday is at the end of next week, so that is fun that our birthday’s are so close. We have lived together, first suitemates and now roommates, for the last 3 years, so we usually have birthday celebrations together. Last year, our friends took us out to Outback Steakhouse for our birthday, along with one of our old suitemates Jeanette whose birthday is also the same week as Vanessa and mine. It was so cheerful! And I'm sure that this year will be just as fun! PS - the coasters that we are holding say, "it's out bloomin birthday!" In case you were wondering.

Random discovery at PBA: ok, so one of the campus dining facilities is called Common Ground Café. It has varied in the food choices for all 4 years that I have been here. Their food is okay, but this week I realized something new…..they have chicken fajitas. Now, I have always seen these on the menu options, but never really considered them, mostly because I was scared to try it and didn’t want to waste money on something I was not going to enjoy. Well, it turns out that they are pretty darn good! There is a tortilla and chicken (obviously) with some cheese and a little pepper and onion action sometimes too! Yum.

Also, just in case no one believed Ricky in his last blog, let me tell you that there was a mini-monsoon here today. I walked out of class and it started to lightly rain. Within 10 seconds of this it began to pour! No kidding. And the sun was brightly shining just minutes ago. The monsoon lasted for around 20 minutes and then it just stopped raining. I am looking forward to the sunshine again. Hopefully it will be a lovely and bright sun-shiny day in West Palm for my birthday!!!

Ok, well, to those who are reading, have a great weekend!

Bring Your Sunscreen…and Your Umbrella

2009-03-19T14:27:00.002-04:00

Today I awoke into the beautiful sunshine of West Palm Beach. It is currently a balmy 73 degrees outside with a nice cool breeze. Not to rub it in if you live in Michigan or something, but I was just looking around weather.com® and noticing the weather around the country – mostly up north. It is much colder everywhere else. It is even snowing in some places. This is just unreal to me. Do not get me wrong I like snow, for like a week, while I am skiing or something but it gets old. I am a native Floridian hailing from the Orlando area (the real Orlando, not Disney World) and I really do not like cold weather at all. The sunny and warm weather brought me to PBA kind of, although it was not the actual main cause of me coming to PBA, just a huge bonus. The beach being so close is a great asset and allows many days of tanning or beach fun – providing that you go to class and keep your GPA up enough to stay here all 4 years.

I am not going to lie to you. The vast majority of days spent in West Palm Beach are close to perfect especially during the winter. Yesterday was not one of those days. All of Palm Beach Atlantic University awoke for our morning classes to what could only be described as a monsoon outside. Not to be completely cliché, but it was raining cats and dogs. Luckily I found a huge umbrella last semester. Now I know what you are thinking, I did not steal this umbrella, it was left in my Towers Apartment by a former occupant. I would recommend everyone to get a super huge umbrella for those random days where it rains because as they say, when it rains in West Palm it actually pours. You can get by with a small umbrella but it is much more fun to be able to save your friends from being washed away, on your way to class.

Let's have a tea party...

2009-03-19T13:23:00.004-04:00

This week is going by pretty fast. I can't believe tomorrow is already Friday.

Right now, my roommate's friend/my new friend, Hannah, is here staying with us for her Spring Break. Hannah goes to the University of Arkansas and this is actually her first time in Florida. I love being with people when they experience Florida for the first time, because I was born and raised here and it’s a place that I love. It’s fun to watch people get excited over palm trees and the ocean.

This weekend is Amy’s birthday, so if you can comment on these blogs, or if you see her, be sure to wish her a happy birthday!!

This weekend is going to be a busy one for me, but I feel that I am getting back into the swing of things, after being sick and not doing a whole lot over Spring Break.

As a Journalism major, I am required to complete a 90-hour internship before I graduate. I am currently doing my internship with the Lake Worth Herald, a small weekly newspaper in Lake Worth. The experience has taught me a lot so far. I am learning how to work on deadline, which is something I have always struggled with. In the newspaper world, deadlines are vital. I’ve also had my articles published in the paper, which is very fun to experience! This experience is also teaching me to have more confidence in myself, and to do things as I think of them instead of waiting. Sometimes it is nerve-wrecking to pick up the phone and call a complete stranger to ask them questions about a story that I am writing, but it’s gotten easier with time.

This weekend I am going to be very busy with assignments. I am writing two articles and I am taking pictures at the Reggae Fest in Lake Worth on Saturday. This shall be a unique experience, I’m sure. I’ve never been to a reggae concert, but I think the music is cool and it will be cool to go out and take pictures and use a press pass to get into the event for free! I’ll try to post some pictures up here if I can.

Also, one of the articles that I am writing is about the Tax Day Tea Party. If you haven’t heard about it, you can find out more info at taxdayteaparty.com. It is basically a reenactment of the Boston Tea Party in protest of big government spending. There are events going on in cities all over the U.S. Some cities are already having protests, but everyone is going to protest together on April 15th, which is tax day. If this is something you feel strongly about, find out if there is a protest planned near you and join in!

Well, that is all for now internet friends. I hope you all are having a lovely week.

Tangerines, 24, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Publix.

2009-03-17T12:54:00.003-04:00

So, it’s the first week after Spring Break and I already miss hanging out with my sister and stealing tangerines from our neighbor’s tree, but that’s okay because I’m back at school with all my other friends! And that is cheerful.

I have a Ministry class that didn’t start until the middle of the semester and it is on Monday nights from 6-10. I don’t really know that many people in the class because it is a lot of night students and just a few daytime students. It is a good class though, we talk about everything that we have learned in all other ministry classes and apply it to the books we read and our papers. But, because it goes until 10 this means that I cannot watch 24. A few months ago this would not have mattered, but some of my friends brainwashed me into watching it and now I really like it! Jack Bauer is pretty cool. So I came back from class and there were only ten minutes left in the show, and I watched it even though I knew it was going to spoil the rest of the show whenever I watched it online. Whatever, it’s okay.

Because I just got back from Spring Break and have not gone grocery shopping I have nothing to eat in my apartment. All I have is almonds and cranberries and pasta. Oh, and the ingredients to make chocolate chip cookies. One of my suitemates and I decided that last night would be a good time to make them, being that we had no other foods in our apartment and so we made them last night and they were delicious of course. And now the only thing in my apartment for me to eat….is cookies. And that’s that.

For my Writing for Public Relations class I have to write a Media Kit which is just a lot of information about any organization and I’m not sure what I will write it on yet, but I’m thinking Publix Supermarkets. The best grocery store ever. No joke. Anyway, that should be interesting to write.

I think that this has been sufficiently random enough for my first blog post and I hope that I am not as tangent-y whenever I write again!
Until next time!

Wearing Green While Listening to Great Music

2009-03-17T12:39:00.008-04:00

Today is St. Patrick's Day, I am wearing green. Not that me wearing a specific color shirt is something truly special. Green is my favorite color and I wear it very often, and a holiday like today is just another excuse to wear my favorite green shirt. Even though I am not Irish in any sense of the word I have always grown up celebrating this day. Nothing too special, there was always the fun game of pinching friends or family members who somehow forgot to wear green. Occasionally my Mom would make an Irish themed dinner or we would eat shamrock shaped cookies. It seems to me that many other PBA students have had the same experience in childhood as me. Most of my friends rolled out of bed this morning before their morning classes and managed to find a green shirt or other clothing item in their closet. Hopefully, most, if not all, of them were also able to find their shower and clean up a little!

PBA has a small St. Patrick’s Day celebration tonight that I am particularly excited about. We are having a Coffee House out on the Rinker Green. For those of you who do not know, PBA has many Coffee Houses during the year all run by Student Activities and usually all take place on Friday nights. There is an abundance of excellent musicians at PBA so the events are always a great way to start off your weekend with good music, good company and free Starbucks® coffee. Anything that you can get for free is just astounding, and with the price of coffee these days it always helps to get it free. Tonight three good bands Alexander, Leone and Cold Kerosene will be playing. Cold Kerosene was the winner of the annual battle of the bands contest a few weeks back so it will be a real treat to hear them play again.

Spring Break.

2009-03-16T13:52:00.004-04:00

This Spring Break, I went home to Naples without any real plans. I was going to try to pick up some hours at my summer job, but they had just hired a bunch of new people and didn't have any for me. I thought this would leave me with a lot of free time to hang out with friends, but instead I got sick and spent the majority of my time indoors watching television.

Here are some things I did...
1. Saw Slumdog Millionaire. Amazing.
2. Watched FOX news a lot and now I know pretty much everything about Bernie Madoff.
3. Created a Tumblr account. http://vanessaelaine.tumblr.com/
4. Rediscovered the fact that old people can't drive.
5. Discovered Kohl's plays Brooke Frasier's music in their store. :)
6. Spent 4 hours talking at Jason's Deli with 2 amazing girls.
7. Found starfish on the beach.
8. Took antibiotics and Motrin and cough medicine Tuesday through Friday.

Now it is back to PBA and the real world. I have to go write an article for my internship at the Lake Worth Herald and start writing a Spanish paper for my Spanish Cinema class.

Living Close to Campus

2009-03-11T11:37:00.004-04:00

This is my eighth and last semester at PBA, and I am not leaving Palm Beach County for the majority of Spring Break. A lot of students at PBA go home for these longer breaks (Spring, Fall, Easter, Christmas), while I can pretty much go home any time I want. Although I live in Tequesta, which is about a 20 or 30 minute drive from PBA, I decided to live on campus.

The price of gas from 2005 to 2008 was high due to the "gas bubble." Two daily thirty minutes drives could be quite costly, though my lodging cost would not change. Another reason that I decided to live on campus is the atmoshere of college life. While I still would have friends as a commuter, I may not have developed the stronger friendships that I have from living on campus. Also, my parents probably wanted to get rid of me. Just kidding.

I have lived with eight roommates and twenty-eight suitemates in six rooms and three halls at PBA. A lot of these people have become good friends, and I don't regret choosing to live on campus. By the way, Lakeview was my favorite dorm.