I’d say last weekend was pretty eventful. Friday I got to hang out with some cool kids from Parca. Parca is an organization that provides support for people with developmental disabilities. The group is open to people of all ages as well as their friends and family members. The Psi Chi honor society at NDNU has been putting together two events a year in conjunction with Parca.

The people that come are always so full of energy and joy. Even playing with something as simple as a balloon brightens their day. I want that same happiness and simplicity in my life. I love those kids; they are so inspirational. I think that from the people at Parca, others can really learn to slow down and appreciate the little things in life.

After the eventful and entertaining Parca social I just fell asleep; the week had really taken a toll on me.

Saturday was the last fall ball game for lacrosse against Sonoma. It was a really close game and went into over time, but unfortunately the Argos lost. Oh well. Nick’s mom was here for the weekend to see him and to watch his game, so I got to catch up with her while we watched. Then we went back to Nick’s apartment and his mother showed me how to make her famous and amazing margaritas! They are amazing! After that she left to go visit her friend in Santa Cruz. Once she left we started setting up for the boys’ big Halloween party. That went really well; so many people came! I left before the night was over, and can only imagine the disaster that was left behind to be found in the morning.

Now, it’s Sunday, relax day. I went to have a late breakfast lunch at Whispers Café with my roomy; it was so delicious. After our meal we  just chilled, and enjoyed some much needed quiet time off campus.

This post is part of a series about Kyndall’s travels with study abroad program Semester at Sea.

Although this is long overdue, here is the continuation of my blogging from the summer voyage!!

Yay! Six full days of classes from Istanbul to Morocco. In order to get in the full amount of classes, the ship has to move painfully slow through the Mediterranean. Outside there is no wind at all due to the snail pace, and the sun is amplified by the water. Great for tanning, terrible for anything else.

It would have been a great six day break between ports had I not had so much school work!. I had a test the first day, an essay due the next, another test on the third day, and two more essays due the next two days. I was a busy busy girl. But I got everything done with limited amounts of stress, thank goodness. And I even had time one of the days to get a little sun.

During this six day break, the ship held a talent show for anyone brave enough to present themselves in front of the entire ship. Everyone did an amazing job! I was so surprised at how many talented people there were on the ship. The most popular performance type was musical, showcasing the singing and instrumental capabilities of the students. Some people even wrote their own music; very impressive! Others danced, read poetry, and presented a comedy act. It’s hard to say who was the absolute best, because everyone had an amazing talent, but some people definitely stood out with their performances: Rio a guitar player, singer, and song writer; Keenan, a guitar player, who just learned on the voyage that he had an amazing voice; a group of three girls who did an interesting contemporary dance that was very well choreographed; and Willie De, also a singer, songwriter, and guitar player. Willie De actually won the talent show, and as it turns out he has some of his own recorded music on iTunes! He has two CDs out already, and a new one scheduled to hit stores in the fall. He had a few of his new CDs to give to people on the ship, so I got some of his music!

After all of my tests and essays were done, we had just enough time to get a general plan for our first day in Morocco. We figured out what we were doing and who all would be meeting us for breakfast at 7:45, on sixth deck. Our last day was spent relaxing and making plans for our second to last port of the voyage.

EPIC!

I had only been to festivals and never to a real concert, and Pretty Lights was my first!! That in itself is awesome, but then actually going and experiencing the whole thing myself was even better. Now I know why my little sister goes to them all of the time!

There were about fifteen NDNU kids going in our group, so we carpooled to the BART station in Millbrae then rode the train to the venue. That was an interesting ride. Everyone I was with was dressed in unique outfits to say the least; all eyes were on us. Not to mention we were pretty loud in our excitement for the concert.

We finally got there; thankfully, the venue was a stone’s throw from the train station. There was one person left to open for Pretty Lights when we walked in. We also fit in more as far as attire goes. The other crazed fans and crazier outfits only hyped us up more for the main show. Then the famous Pretty Lights countdown began and we went wild!

He played all of his new stuff, and some songs none of us had ever heard before. The way he blends the sounds together is really creative. He played for what seemed like hours; we were all lost in the music and in our own selves as we danced along. The finale seemed to come far too soon. It was! Pretty Lights came back and played all of the old favorites! I thought the crowd was crazy before, but man, everyone went berserk!!!!

Such a great experience! I’m very glad that I finally saw my first concert; I couldn’t have asked for a better performance. I also can’t wait for my next concert!!! I am officially addicted.

The following is an article by Melissa Book McAlexander, Ph.D. and Isabelle G. Haithcox, Ph.D. that will appear in the premiere issue of NDNU Today, the magazine of Notre Dame de Namur University. The entire magazine will be available online Wednesday, October 10 at ndnu.edu/magazine.

NDNU is about to embark on one of the most exciting endeavors in its history. Thanks to over $6 million in grants from the federal government that we were eligible to receive as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), NDNU is instituting exciting new programs to help Hispanic and low-income students succeed in college. Some of the grant funds are earmarked especially to help more Hispanic and low-income students pursue careers in what are called STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professions. Yet for all our good intentions, programs like ours will fail miserably if we don’t take science education at the high and middle school level more seriously.

Case in point: California, a state known for its progressive environmental policies and leading-edge technology, ironically stood on the cusp of setting science education back by decades during the state budget negotiations earlier this year. At a time when the rest of the world is becoming increasingly competitive in science and technology, a little-known provision of Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed 2013-14 budget would have eliminated the requirement that high school students take two years of laboratory science and instead require one.

Thankfully, the approved budget salvaged the funding for a second year of science, although Gov. Brown promises massive cuts to education in November if voters don’t approve a tax increase. But the fact that California’s leadership, overseeing the ninth largest economy in the world, so devalues science education that it’s willing to risk producing a generation of science illiterates is alarming. Our focus needs to be on better preparing our students. As it is, students in California and across the country all too frequently arrive in high school with limited science experience from elementary or middle school. The intense focus on testing in math and reading in early grades, increasing class sizes, and ever-smaller budgets leaves little room for serious science education. Even two years of mandatory laboratory science in high school can’t completely close that gap. The effect of these years of limited experience in science is that many students arrive in college uninterested in science and at a disadvantage in developing critical thinking skills. One of my colleagues, who has taught middle and high school science, says science is critical for “figuring stuff out.” Science experiences help students gain the skills they need to solve challenges and make decisions in all areas of their lives, not just in chemistry. Additionally, students who may be interested in science degrees often lack proper foundations for scientific observation or measurement when they begin college-level work.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities struggle to fill gaping holes in STEM education. How can students from low-performing and under-funded schools eventually pursue the high-paying jobs available in STEM fields, when they arrive at college ill-prepared for even the introductory coursework in these majors? To adequately support these students, we’ll need more tutoring and academic support; otherwise, these students are at risk of earning low grades or changing majors before they’ve gotten through the gateway courses.

Why does all of this matter? Well, for one thing, the federal government has been emphasizing the importance of strengthening science, technology, engineering and math education to keep the U.S. workforce competitive in a global economy. President Obama has called for training 100,000 new STEM teachers by 2020 and generating a million new STEM graduates in order to keep the United States’ edge as a leading technological innovator. The country needs graduates proficient in STEM fields to fill jobs in fields ranging from computer science to environmental engineering to renewable energy. We also need knowledgeable teachers at all levels, from kindergarten to university, to prepare
our students to pursue these careers.

High school science classes are vital for exposing students to STEM fields; for some, it will be the last science instruction they ever have, and for others it will lay the groundwork for a college major and perhaps a science-related career. Either way, we’ll only harm ourselves by failing to provide comprehensive science education in high school. By generating high school graduates uninterested and ill prepared for STEM majors and careers, we’ll be creating a knowledge deficit from which we might never rebound.

While programs like those now offered at NDNU are invaluable, they’re no substitute for good educational policy and investment in science education. St. Julie Billiart, co-foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame said, “Teach them what they need to know for life.” In providing support for students pursuing STEM fields at NDNU, we are doing just that.

This post is part of a series about Kyndall’s travels with study abroad program Semester at Sea.

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey… “Don’t wear short skirts or shorts, and no tanks ladies! As for you boys, if you wear shorts and tank tops they will think you’re walking around in your underwear.”  This is what the deans told us during our logistical and cultural pre-port for Istanbul. Well, they were definitely wrong. The locals were wearing less clothes than us, not that everyone from SAS was dressed skimpy, but still! Even the mosques were lax about their dress code, which surprised me. So right off the bat, Istanbul was not what I was expecting.

Anyway! I was excited for Istanbul because Nick had been there before and kind of knew his way around. The first day we just decided to walk around and take it easy because everyone had big plans for the evening because it was one of the few Saturday nights we had while in a port. We aimlessly walked around, got a little lost, then we just happened upon Nick’s friend’s house, Cemo, who he met last year in Turkey. The guards let us in to wait for Cemo to come up, but wow! What an amazing view that boy had of the city; it was beautiful! Their terrace looked over Istanbul and the Bosphorus strait. You could see for miles; it was crazy!

After seeing Cemo’s house we took a cab to Taksim, the main shopping/tourist street in Istanbul. We walked around and got some chewy ice cream, which I wasn’t really a fan of. But the ice cream man fooled me and kept stealing the ice cream from my hand! It’s like a game that all of the ice cream men on the whole street play on anyone who wants ice cream. But after that, we got some Turkish food at a cute little café down some side street. We met the owner of the café; he was old and adorable and so happy to talk to us. When we left he wished us luck with the rest of our travels and hoped we enjoyed Turkey. We walked back to the ship after that to get ready for our night out.

At 9:30 in Tyamitz Square, the meeting place for everyone going out on the ship, always, we met up with a good 20 people who were planning on following Nick anywhere he went. And they did. It was so hard to go anywhere with that many people, but after about an hour, half of the group went their own ways and our time was much more manageable. We went to a local bar Nick knew from last summer and the owner remembered him, and we got some good deals on our drinks. Then we went to a night club just down the street. So many SAS kids were there, and the place was packed! Apparently, this place was a hot spot in Turkey on Saturdays. The club was right on the water under the bridge that had light shows every 15 minutes, it was so pretty! As we were walking around inside, we bumped into Cemo and his little brother Orfio! They had a bought a table at the club and treated us for the night. It was so nice, and made the experience even better.

Day two, Nick and I had another trip with Semester at Sea that took us to see the Byzantine architecture in the city. Our first stop was the ever famous Hagia Sophia! I got a little tear in my eye when I walked in. It was breathtaking. The gold inlay on the walls and ceilings sparkled with the light from all of the windows. The Nave was huge, everything was huge! Everything was so ornate, and well made. It was so great to finally be able to see the Hagia Sophia not in a book or on a slide show. After that we went to the Basilica Cistern, an underground place to hold water. That was crazy! There were 323 columns, all with different capitals. The fish were giant, and the lights at the bottom of the capitals gave the place an eerie glow, but it was beautiful.

We woke up early the next day and spent hours at the grand bazaar. There were over 1500 stores! The best part was the bargaining; we got so much stuff for so cheap. The key to bargaining was walking away; once we started to leave they followed us and gave us what we wanted for way cheaper. We went to the spice bazaar the next day. It was really similar in the bargaining aspect, but it was much smaller and smelled delightful from all the spices and tea.

Our  last day in Turkey was our field trip for my African Diaspora class. We hiked through some pretty sketchy parts of Istanbul to get to the Theater of the Oppressed. This was so interesting. We were taken into a dark underground room, with two lights and all black walls. Jale, the lady in charge, had us do ice breaker games that she has used in places like Brazil and Panama to help the people deal with the oppression they face as immigrants or colonized peoples. One activity in particular stood out: the name game. When you shook someone’s hand, you introduced yourself with your own name, but once you shook hands, you took the other person’s name. So if I shook Nick’s hand, I would become Nick and he would become Kyndall. After about five minutes, we stopped and people introduced themselves to the group with whatever name they had acquired. Except, only four of the original names remained, the other eight all disappeared and got lost somewhere in the exercise. This relates to how people’s cultures can be lost over time by the introduction and assimilation of new traditions and ideas. We continued the day with more exercises that were equally as powerful. After a delicious traditional Kurdish meal, the most oppressed culture in Turkey, we went to the Office of Intergovernmental Organization for Migrants. Here we learned more about oppression, migrants in the Mediterranean and how Turkey viewed them and dealt with them.

We finished our field trip about an hour before we were supposed to be back on the ship. Nick and I ran back so that we would have enough time to have the famous Turkish pizza: lahmacun. It was delightful, and a great way to close out our awesome time in Istanbul.

This post is part of a series about Kyndall’s travels with study abroad program Semester at Sea.

Another famous ancient city, with a rich history.

My first day in Napoli was not enjoyable. For some reason every country we have visited is experiencing this crazy heat wave: Greece was no exception! It was 112°, and we weren’t even lucky enough to have it be a dry heat. Oh no, it was as humid as humid can be! On the super packed outside train from Athens to Piraeus with ZERO air-conditioning, Nick, Patrick, and I were literally dripping sweat! I have never been so soaked.

We always seem to end up in Chinatown. It has happened in four of the countries we have visited so far. Now I don’t know how Chinatowns are in the states, but these were all smelly and dirty with garbage and sketchy people scattered across the sidewalks and streets. But once we got out of there, our AMAZING dinner saved the day! The restaurant we ate at was literally spitting distance from where we first got off the train. They had gyros, or soulvaki as it was more commonly called, for only $2.50! Not only was the price good, but it was the most delicious meal we had on the whole trip so far. The meat was cut fresh off the rotisserie, the sauce was a secret but so great, and there were French fries in it! So good!

After our late lunch we decided to explore the opposite way of Chinatown (left), which was just at the base of the Acropolis. Well, it turns out we just went the terribly wrong way to start. The new part we were seeing now was beautiful. There were ancient artifacts everywhere and green trees and pretty flowers. As we were stumbling around nearing heat exhaustion, we found a great little shopping district that had anything you could imagine. But by this time it was a tad late and we had to get back to the ship in Piraeus. So the last part of the day was spent dying on the train wishing we had gone left from the beginning.

The next morning we had a field practicum through Semester at Sea, to see the Acropolis and other sights of Athens. We rode a nice air-conditioned bus to the city, which was so much better than the day before, even though it wasn’t nearly as hot. Our first stop was the famous Acropolis. While we were waiting at the entrance to get our tickets, I looked over and saw a man whose face looked very familiar. I slapped Nick and asked, “Hey, is that Christian?” Nick was surprised at how uncanny it was to see someone who looked just like the NDNU athletic trainer in Greece. We stood there analyzing this guy’s whole appearance for a good five minutes: well he’s wearing the same khakis as Christian, same running shoes, he kinda stands the same too. Hmmm…. So Nick did an awkward slow walk by to get a closer look. But we still weren’t sure. So when this man walked by I yelled, “Christian!” Sure enough he turns and was just as surprised to see us, halfway across the world. Apparently, the NDNU athletic trainer doubles as a Greek tour guide during his summers. It’s amazing how small the world is though, to be from the same small private school in Cali and then to be not only in Greece at the same time, but to be at the same gate, same day, at the exact same time, is absolutely amazing.

After we left Christian at the bottom of the Acropolis we made our way up the same path the ancient Greek people had walked many times to pay tribute to the goddess Athena. We saw a Roman concert hall on our way up. And then we were at the Propylaea; the original stairs were gone but new ones were put in the place where the ramp had been in the center. As soon as we walked through the columns, the Erectheion and Parthenon rose up in front of us. It was so beautiful! It’s crazy that the Greeks were able to have the innovation and power to build something so impressive and sturdy as a tribute to a goddess. Unfortunately the roof was blown off when the Visigoths exploded the gunpowder the Turks had been hiding inside. Because of this and years of wear and tear from the violent wind atop the Acropolis, it is due for renovation. But regardless, it’s still an amazing sight to see.

After that we puttered around the city for a bit, then Nick and I went off on our own to do some shopping. Due to the horrific economy in Greece, it was surprisingly inexpensive. Later, we found our way back to the same restaurant from the first day, because other gyros just couldn’t compare, and had another great meal.

Unfortunately, once back to Piraeus I received some disheartening news from home, so the rest of my Greece experience is kind of a blur.

Although parts of the city were unpleasant, overall Napoli was a great place. I recommend it to anyone, just don’t go to Chinatown! Byee!!

We don’t know about you, but we find a bunch of numbers are much easier to grasp when they’re jazzed up with graphics, so we’re trying something a little different.

Every year we put out a Fast Facts card with the latest enrollment stats; here it is revamped as an infographic!

We hope this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect at NDNU!

P.S. This infographic comes along with a new design of the About Us section of our website – why don’t you take a look?

This post is part of a series about Kyndall’s travels with study abroad program Semester at Sea.

Italy, Italy, Italy… I think my standards were set a tad too high for this country, I didn’t quite know what to expect. We ported in Civitavecchia, a small town about an hour away from Rome. I was very, very anxious to visit this ancient city. As an art history major, Rome was a must, including St. Peter‘s Basilica, the Coliseum, the Trevi Fountain, the Arch of Constantine, etc. I was absolutely blown away by all of these pieces of amazing architecture and art, and acted as my own tour guide when Nick and I visited. I cried a little when I saw the massive Pantheon come into view as I stumbled around a random corner. Everything old was absolutely amazing, but all that surrounded these beautiful pieces of history was crowded, smelly, and covered in trash. It was such a tragedy to be visiting such a famous city, and have it be ruined by the carelessness of those visiting and those living there. I have heard people say, Rome is a dead city, they were right. So much, too much attention is focused on the past and exploiting the wonders of the ancient world that not enough attention is paid to maintaining the current city.

For me, Italy was a bust, until I went south to Sorrento, where all of the images of a beautiful and hospitable Italy came rushing back. Sorrento is a quaint town on the cliffs of the Italian coastline. The city was impeccably clean and everyone I encountered were nothing but nice. Everything was very well priced  and well made, the food was delightful, and not once did I feel unsafe or insecure. Lesson learned, get away from the big cities, and visit the small Italian towns.  That’s where the real Italy is.

Side note, I hate with a fiery passion tour groups. I was in one for the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, and Pompeii.  I have never spent so much time waiting for people to pee, and standing outside the gates listening to the tour guide give us warnings about what not to do. There was barely any time to see anything worth while because everything was so rushed due to the previous waiting. If you’re going to do anything when on a trip, avoid tour groups like the plague, you will have a much better experience if  you just go on your own!

I do plan to go back to Italy, and give it a second chance, as I plan to visit more of the countryside. That’s all for now. Thanks!

At NDNU, we’re always looking for new ways to give our students a leg up. That’s why we just teamed up with SALT, a program of American Student Assistance (ASA), to help our students manage their education funding and personal finances. Best of all, this service is available at no extra charge to all of our students and alumni; you just have to sign up!

SALT is simple. When you log in to your account for the first time, you’ll be asked a few questions about yourself so it can gather your federal loan information. Everything you need to know about your student loans will be in one spot, making it easier for you to see the big picture and manage your payments. No financial mumbo jumbo. It’s all laid out for you in a way you can understand, so you can finance your education and set yourself in the right direction financially for the future. If you also have private loans, you can add those in manually. SALT will crunch all the numbers and tell you how many loans you have, how much you owe, and your monthly payment based on the standard repayment plan. If that number is too big, SALT shows other repayment options available to you, gives you a reason why each option is better, and tells you how much you would have to pay under those plans.

But it doesn’t stop at student loans! SALT also helps you manage your money in other areas in your life. Let’s say you have a job, or are looking at a certain kind of job and know how much income you’d make. Enter that income and the type of place you’re living in or want to live in (small, average or large city), and it lays out your options in a simple graphic – your payments for your loans, housing, recreation, food, and transportation, and what you’ll get in each of those categories. Looking for a job? There’s a tool for that. Need scholarships? There’s a tool for that too. If you’re confused about all the fancy loan names, SALT breaks it down for you, in a way you understand. And let’s not forget that with My Money 101, you can take financial courses online in areas such as budgeting, credit cards, and reaching your financial goals, so that you’re armed with the financial know-how to go out in the world and pave the life you want.

Are you ready to take charge of your student loan management? Get financially savvy with SALT at NDNU.