Monday, July 25, 2016

Adelphi Bucket List: Attend Spring Concert

Adelphi University has an annual Spring Concert that is put on by the Student Activities Board. Attending Spring Concert is one of the most exciting ways to make the most out of your years at Adelphi. Here, we have Ambassador Tyler speak about his experience at Spring Concert!

Ambassador Tyler with more Adelphi students having fun at Spring Concert!

Throughout the year, Adelphi definitely has a lot of anticipated traditional events put on my numerous organizations on campus. From Family Weekend in October to Southern Cookout in May, there are always so many different events to attend, most of which are free admission! My favorite traditional event on campus, by far, is none other than the Annual Spring Concert! Coming from a small school like Adelphi, you would think that performers we have for our Spring Concert aren’t too popular. Well, you thought wrong!

Over the past few years, Adelphi’s Student Activities Board has managed to attract some huge names to campus for our Spring Concert. This past year, which was my first Spring Concert, we had Shaggy and Fetty Wap perform for our students. In past years, we have had other big name artists like Ke$ha, Jason Derulo, Lupe Fiasco, and many more! Luckily enough, not only does our Student Activities Board have the opportunity to bring all of these celebrities to campus, but they also manage to keep the price of each ticket very low so that any student on campus can afford to attend! Tickets usually range between $20 and $30, which is surprisingly cheaper in comparison to what you would have to pay to see some of these performers outside of Adelphi.

A close up of the 2016 Spring Concert performer, Fetty Wap!
This past year, I also served as a member and chair for the Student Activities Board. Because of my dedication and service to the club, I was actually given the opportunity to meet both Fetty Wap and Shaggy before their sets! How many people can say that they’ve had the opportunity to meet Fetty Wap!? Being involved with clubs on campus definitely has it’s perks, and I am forever grateful for Student Activities Board and all of the work they put in so that students can enjoy free/cheap events on campus! 

Overall, Spring Concert is just a really fun way to have fun and de-stress around the time of finals week! It is a great day to go out, spend time with friends, and enjoy the chill atmosphere that the Spring Concert provides to our students! Going to at least one spring concert during your time here as an undergraduate is a must, because you’ll never be able to see these artists for such cheap prices anywhere else.

Members of the Student Activities Board taking a picture with Fetty Wap (bottom right)

Friday, July 22, 2016

Adelphi Bucket List: Attend Relay for Life

Relay for Life is one of Adelphi's biggest community engagement events. Here, we have Ambassador Jena speak about her experiences at Relay for Life and what Relay for Life not only means to her, but to the whole Adelphi community. 


"Cancer Never Sleeps, So Neither Do We"

A view of the Luminaria bags during the Adelphi Luminaria Walk

According to the American Cancer Society, Relay for life is “the world’s largest and most impactful fundraising event to end cancer.” This past year, Adelphi’s Relay for Life took place in our Center for Recreation and Sport on April 9th. The twelve hour event raised over $68,000 for the American Cancer Society. Relay celebrates the survivors and their families, and it also serves to remember the loved ones who have been lost. As someone who had recently lost an aunt after her four year long battle, it was important for me to represent her life and the hard battle she had fought.
Relay allows for cancer survivors, some of which are professors and students at the university, and family members to speak about their experiences - however difficult, enlightening, or even life-changing those experiences may be. The most poignant part of the event is the Luminaria Ceremony. Participants personalize hundreds of stark white Luminaria bags to reflect those who they are honoring - whether it be a parent or grandparent, a neighbor or a friend. Just as the sun sets, the only source of light illuminates from each bag that traces our indoor track. It’s a hauntingly beautiful sight as participants walk in silence.
AU Evolution Hip Hop Dance Team performing at Relay for Life
As emotional as Relay may be, the students and Center for Student Involvement recognize that this is a time to celebrate life and the memories of those lost. Student organizations like AU Sapna, AU Evolution Hip Hop Dance Team, Cheerleading, and Paws and Rewind A Cappella group dedicated uplifting performances and skits to energize the crowd. During “Miss Relay: Drag Show”, male students dressed in drag and participated in their own entertaining beauty pageant to raise money for the American Cancer Society.
Our 2016 Miss Relay Participants
As simple as it may seem to those of us with healthy hair, women experiencing hair loss as a result of chemotherapy oftentimes find themselves feeling less beautiful. With the help of Pantene Beautiful Lengths, students can donate a minimum of 8 inches of hair to be made into wigs for cancer patients. Donating my hair seemed like a rewarding way I could contribute to Relay. Imagine sitting in a chair, along with twenty or so others, as hundreds of people around you watch as you get a haircut. My friend Karla Hernandez was kind enough to take on the task of cutting off my 9 inch ponytail. It may seem silly to have been exhilarated as well as terrified to get a few inches of hair cut off, but it was the least I could do to honor my aunt.
[From Left to Right] Ambassadors Karla and Jena after the hair cutting ceremony
As one of our biggest fundraisers and events on campus, Relay for Life is an essential part of involving yourself within the Adelphi community. Not only are you helping others, but you're also learning just how strong and unified Adelphi University is.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Adelphi Bucket List: Attend Family Weekend

The Admissions Ambassadors team understands that the college transition process does sometimes get overwhelming. You may not know what to do when you get to campus, so a few members of the Adelphi community came up with the "Adelphi Bucket List" - which is a list of things that all students should do while they're at Adelphi!

First up, Ambassadors Meghan and Sarah share their experiences about our annual Family Weekend and why it's important that you attend it as a member of the Adelphi family!

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The AU Spirit Carnival

It's Meghan and Sarah here, and we're both Admissions Ambassadors here at Adelphi! We want to share our fun memories of Family Weekend with all of you future Panthers.

Every year, Adelphi encourages students to invite their families to enjoy an array of activities on and off campus for Family Weekend, which is Adelphi University’s homecoming. The carnival that’s held on our school’s campus includes a variety of rides, games booths with representatives of clubs and organizations, petting zoos, food, and much more. The highlight of the carnival has to be the coronation of the King and Queen. The past three years the Adelphi Queen has been fellow Admissions Ambassadors; Adelphi Queen 2013 was former Senior Ambassador Nicole Ferrigno, Adelphi Queen 2014 was former Ambassador Lauren Jacobson and Adelphi Queen 2015 was recently graduated Senior Ambassador Karla Hernandez
The 2015 Adelphi King and Queen pictured with President Riordan
In addition to the on-campus events, Adelphi encourages students and their families to explore the outside community and the campus’ close proximity to New York City. This past year, students and their families had the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to Broadway’s “Fun House” and “An American in Paris”. This upcoming year, families can see the Tony Nominated shows, “The Book of Mormon” and “The Color Purple”. Adelphi also added a sporting event to this year’s schedule for all the football fans out there; the New York Jets will be taking on the Seattle Seahawks in East Rutherford, New Jersey at Metlife Stadium. And there’s no need to worry about transportation - Adelphi includes free transportation with each off-campus event.
Don’t forget that Family Weekend is not limited to the events scheduled for the beginning of the semester. Families are encouraged to visit students as often as possible with the multiple events we have throughout the school year. You can always visit our school’s website to see the upcoming activities listed.
Two students having fun at the AU Spirit Carnival





Thursday, June 23, 2016

Hi again everyone- it's me, Minh!


Check out how I fell in love with NYC when I came to Adelphi University from Vietnam!


Share Moments. Share Life.


My second home- NYC

JUNE 1, 2016
Far from home, I always miss that feeling of belonging and closeness that I have at home around my family back in Vietnam. At first, I imagine my life in the US would start with isolating myself in my room, reading though the pages of my Anatomy book. However, thanks to my friends and my second family here in New York, now, New York is the second home to me.

Coming here, I am lucky enough to have met my second Vietnamese family. My dear auntie  Mrs. Nguyen, has always been supporting me in every hardship that I faced here in this new environment. She made the best Vietnamese food (even better than my mom does). She took me to go shopping, helped me move in to my residence hall in Adelphi, and taught me so many life lessons.

My cousins – Phuong, Rob, Nam, and Susanna are my best friends. I shared every moments of my life with them. All the nights that I stayed up for exams, or craved for Vietnamese food, or went crazy in EDC, they are always there by my side. Rob, Phuong, along with my two little cutie pies Addison and Penelope, organize my first birthday party in the US for me. My “New York fam” means a lot to me, and I am very thankful to share every moments of my life with them.


Fig. 1. My New York fam: (L to R): Penelope, Rob, Me, Addison, and Phuong.

Being a student of Adelphi, I was lucky enough to have met my Vietnamese best friend/ sister- Hannah. Hannah is like the big sister of me, whom I have never had. She took me out to countless restaurants to satisfy my hungry stomach, took me to the city to go shopping nearly every weekend, and introduced me to many other cool Vietnamese friends. I shared so many things with her, and she always listens to all of my daily rants. Hands down to the nicest and most patient sister ever!






Fig. 2. Hannah and I went to the city for our Halloween party.


Fig. 3. My Vietnamese friends and I.

Not only Hannah, I have made many other awesome friends in Adelphi University. As a member of the Levermore Global Scholars (LGS) Program, I get a chance to be in a class full of wonderful hearts and minds. Everyone in LGS are so nice and welcoming, which made me feel like home. Once, our professor – Dr. Thornburg (or we all prefer to call him Dr. T) invited all of us to come to his house and have lunch there. We all had a fun time there, as you can see in the picture below:


Fig. 4. My LGS Fam went to Dr. T’s house.

In LGS, I have made friend with my big mama Jenna, who has helped me so much during my time in Adelphi. I got a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving in 2015 with Jenna and her family. They were so nice to me, and I spent two days with them. I got to taste the best turkey ever that was made by Jenna’s mother, and also the amazing dessert that her family has offered me. I also got a chance to experience the “craziness” of Black Friday Sales in Roosevelt Field Mall with Jenna. (It took us nearly 45 minutes to find parking, but it was worth it since we shopped a lot with many good deals. Thanks mom!)

Fig. 5. My Islip Fam.

Besides LGS, I have also made friends in my Nursing class. Aisha and Tessy are the two friends that have helped me get through finals, and also have taken me to many places to experience many fun activities during my first college year. Thanks to these two, I got through finals with good grades, and also had the best time during all those nights that I stayed up to study.
Fig. 6. My Finals Squad.

Last but not least, being friend with my Japanese roommate/ best friend – Momoka is one of best part of my freshman year here in Adelphi. We share so many things in common. We went shopping together to the city, to the mall, and have dinner together on many special occasions. On May 14th, Momoka and I decided to go to EDC (Electric Daisy Carnival) in Citi Field. We have a blast there as we made it to the front row and saw all of our favorite DJ!


Fig. 7. Momoka and I went to Macy’s for Christmas.       


 Fig. 8. Momoka and I at EDC.
Thank you so much for following up with my adventure! Hope you guys enjoy it!
Minh, xoxo

Thursday, June 2, 2016

MinhLe Express (#1)

Happy Summer Panthers! My name is Minh and I'll be sharing my unique Adelphi experience with you all! Be sure to stay tuned for my future posts!:)

Share Moments. Share Life.

New York City, Adelphi, and I
I was accepted into Adelphi University on the last day of 2014 – December 31st. And that my friend, is the day that I realize my life is going to change in a big way.
It does.
Coming from Vietnam, a country that is not 10 hours, but 24 hours away from the United States, I had a quite big culture shock when I came here. There are not many mopeds or motorbikes like there are in Vietnam. On the second day that I have been in New York, I decided to go to Times Square to experience the city life that I have been craving for since day one. I took the Q train from Brooklyn, and somehow made my way to the city. New York, I must say, is super crowded. New Yorkers are always in a hurry, every hour seems to be rush hour. While I was trying to figure out my way up to the streets, people rush through me like the Flash rushing through time and space. As soon as I reached the 42nd street, the first thing I saw was skyscrapers. Tall buildings were everywhere with huge and extravagant electrical signs. Famous brands that have never been in Vietnam popped up with every blink I took. I bought my first New York jacket in American Eagle Outfitters, along with bunch of T-shirts to get ready for the heat of the summer. New York’s heat is very different from that of Hanoi, Vietnam. It has the low humidity that no place in Vietnam can have. I prefer the weather in New York than in Vietnam.
Fig. 1. Times Square 42nd street, 2015.
That’s enough about my New York City experience. Now, the main reason for me to come to the US: Adelphi University. Why did I choose to go to Adelphi?
Simple. Hannah Montana says that nobody is perfect. And here is Adelphi. 

Fig. 2. I visited Adelphi University for the first time.
Adelphi University is among the best universities of the United States with its prestigious Nursing program. The university offers students great scholarships and supports whenever the students need it. One of the Admission Officers- Shannon Paul, came all the way from the US to Vietnam to meet me and my family. She was so nice and thoughtful to help me building the next 4 years of my life in Adelp
Fig. 3. I met Shannon, the Director of International Admission of Adelphi.
I have finished my first year of college. As pictures says a thousand words, here are some photos that sums up my freshman year in Adelphi, and they will also explain why Adelphi University is the best choice I have ever made in my life:
 
Fig. 4. My Admissions Fam and President Riordan.     

             
Fig. 5. My LGS Fam.

Fig. 6. My Islip Fam
  
Fig. 7. Me and my first Holi ever.


Fig. 8. I was at a DPI/NGO Briefing in the UN Headquarter.


Hope you enjoy my adventure in Adelphi!
Minh, xoxo