Last Summer

I keep forgetting to talk about my experience last summer after I came home from being abroad in Australia. I interned at Goldbrick Games, which is a small family board game company in my town. It was my third summer doing this and it's pretty much the best job ever. We have two games out: Perpetual Commotion and Debate This! We sell in small game stores all over the country and we also have distributors in several countries including Australia, France, Germany, and England. I love love loved working for a game company. My friends and I are always playing games like Cranium, Taboo, Apples to Apples and of course Perpetual Commotion. So, working with games all day was not only fun, but also very interesting.

I worked with the co-owner/creator of Goldbrick and I was in charge of so many things. I had my own desk where I answered emails, organized retailer files, took consumer orders, updated the website, picked contest winners, sent retailer samples, answered phones, organized tournaments, researched other games, checked on orders, created databases, helped with design creations and even thought of game questions! I was able to get a small business experience while learning how the retail world really works.

One week, the owner and I drove 3 hours to a kid’s summer camp and hosted a Perpetual Commotion Tournament for 63 elementary to middle-school aged kids. It was pure chaos for the first 45 minutes as we single-handedly attempted to teach the ‘older kids’ the game so they could then spread out and teach the others. The day was full of surprises, improvising and lots of hands-on teaching. I felt a new satisfaction watching kids excitedly play a new game that I introduced to them 5 minutes before. In the end we gave away an iPod to the winner and shirts to our helpers.

Oh yeah, and I even getting paid for all of that too. When I came into Wheaton as a freshman, I was given an annual scholarship that included a one-time-use stipend that I could put towards an unpaid internship during one of my summers. I requested the stipend while I was over in Australia; and the money was put into my account before I even returned home! posted by Coriann at 5:38 PM 1 comments  

Life of the Party

So this weekend mostly consisted of the Dance Company's performance "Life of the Party" which was on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. I went to all three nights and had a blast. Each night I tried to sit somewhere different so I could get a new perspective. I know I've mentioned it before, but I just love the Dance Company. Throughout the semester, my roommate would come home and show me a new move that they learned that day, so it's fun for me to watch their final show. I love the music, colors, costumes and the amazing dancing. This show they did some ballet, lyrical, hip-hop, and tap. They danced to some Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, Mozart, and En Vogue. My roommate had a solo and she was amazing.

The rest of the week was normal. Monday we had our weekly Relay for Life meeting. That is coming up pretty soon in April. I never had heard of the Relay before I came to Wheaton, but it's an all-night walk around the Dimple to raise money for cancer research. Everyone gets sponsors and then it's a big fun night with everyone. We already have around ten teams signed up, our theme this year is music.

This week has been been pretty busy. I have a takehome exam in my Number Theory. I also have a meeting with the company that my Mathematical Consulting class has been working for on Friday. Then I'm going to see TRYBE, which is the other dance group on campus. That one is student run and they dance to more modern and multicultural music. Pretty exciting. posted by Coriann at 10:22 PM 0 comments  

Wheaton Weekend!

Looking back on the weekend, it's crazy to think about how much was packed into it. All classes are done by 12:20 on Friday afternoons, so I always keep it free to relax after the long week. Last Friday, my roommate and I went up to the Wrentham Outlets so she could do a couple errands.
That night there was an illusionist in the chapel. He was basically a magician and he was very entertaining. When we first got there, there were only about 20 people in the first couple rows. Then all of a sudden the place filled up. He was really good and he had won some international awards. It was sponsored by the Programming Council as a kickoff to the Big Event. After that, there was an open mic night in Chase. A few of the acapella groups performed and then some students. The best parts were the pub food and then a sing-a-long.
The next day I went to the synchronized swimming invitational. Watching synchronized swimming is such a unique experience, and something I would only expect to see on TV for the Olympics. It's a sport I can't even imagine trying and I have such wonder for how they can lift themselves out of the water like they do. Wheaton won.
After that, my boyfriend and I went and each bought some sneakers and dinner (all in Norton)! Then we came back for the Big Event. Basically, it's an indoor carnival. This year they had dodgeball, laser tag, blow-up Twister, toilet races, a big slide, mechanical bull and cotton candy & snacks.
Later on, we went to my friends' campus house to play board games. There were about 12 of us and we played a couple different Cranium brand games.
Then of course the next day I did homework all day. posted by Coriann at 7:48 PM 0 comments  

Still here

So yeah, finals last semester were fine, and the holidays up in New Hampshire were lovely. I spent New Year's in Hartford and then I moved back into my room the day after. I've been here at Wheaton all January break, working in the Admissions Office and babysitting.

Being on campus for break was peaceful. It was like having a full time job from 8:30-6:30 all week and not having any nightly obligations. Finally, everyone has come back on campus and it's back to the same old routine. The good thing is that the dining halls have opened back up so I can stop spending money on groceries. It's taken me a while to get back into the homework mode though.

This semester I'm taking three classes and doing an internship. I'm taking Number Theory, Mathematical & Statistical Consulting, and Senior Seminar. I technically only need to take one class to graduate, but I need three to stay a full-time student. I chose the extra two math classes, technically for 'fun.'

My internship is with Tyco Healthcare in Mansfield. Every so often, we get emails from the Filene Center about jobs and internships in the area, and last semester, this one caught my eye. I'm worked with a couple people in the Filene Center to perfect my cover letter and resume, and then went in for an interview. There are a lot more fun details that I can talk about later.

There are a few things that I'm looking forward to in the next couple weeks. First off, is the Dance Company's yearly performance. As I've bragged about before, my roommate is one of the captains and she's also on all of the posters. That is coming up next weekend. I'll be going to all three shows.


Also, this weekend is the Big Event, which is sponsored by the Wheaton Athletic Mentors/WAMs. It's an alcohol-free weekend and they put on a big indoor carnival! posted by Coriann at 7:26 PM 0 comments