Hi everyone! Hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks! Since coming back to Holy Cross after spring break, I have been looking to capture the authentic sense of joy I discovered in Mobile, and the bustle of life at Holy Cross has brought me quite the busy and blessed few weeks!
Firstly, being able to cheer on Holy Cross sports teams — namely men’s hockey and women’s basketball — as they compete in the championship stages of their season was a blast! For the women’s basketball game vs. Iowa (the #1 seed in the country!), the Office of Student Involvement hosted a watch party in the Prior Performing Arts Center, where students, faculty, alumni and community members gathered, in their best Purple Pride, to cheer on the Crusaders! The energy, love and support given to the team before, during and after the game was absolutely unbelievable to witness, and I will forever be thankful that the electric atmosphere of March Madness was able to reach (if only for a brief time) the hills of Holy Cross.
Additionally, I have been appreciative of the opportunities Holy Cross provides for students to hear the stories of others. Agape Latte, an event coordinated through the Student Government Association, invites a community member to share and reflect on their faith journey, and the Creative Writing department sponsors a Working Writers series where guest writers come to campus and share how they approached the writing process (as well as some excerpts from their latest work!). These events are offered various times throughout the academic year, but I find them to be especially helpful during the spring because it helps us discern what us students would like to do with our lives (i.e. for summer internships and jobs). Hearing how others took their personal experiences and values to build their career into something they are proud of is very inspiring, as it makes dreams feel possible. Off-campus, I am able to get a glimpse into the field of education through participation in SPUD, where I help elementary school students with their homework for about an hour once a week. This hands-on experience not only benefits the students and their school community, but personally is a great way to engage with the city of Worcester in an attempt to discover what I love!
I have also been able to immerse myself in experiences that bring me joy through participation in extracurriculars. The school’s literary magazine, The Purple, is currently in the beginning stages of building its annual issue, featuring the best creative writing and art of the student body, and as a member of the Purple staff as well as a creative writer, I am eager to share my work — and the collaborative work of the English department — at the end of the semester! On top of that, the Dance Ensemble has been working tirelessly to choreograph and perfect our dances for our spring show. The musical theatre class and I will be dancing to a mashup of several songs from Mean Girls: The Musical, and it has been an amazing and fulfilling experience to work with a spectacular group of (not mean) girls!
Lastly, this year, the end of the month brings the conclusion of the Lenten season — and the start of Holy Week! This past weekend I was able to participate in the celebration of Palm Sunday mass as an altar server, and it was such a beautiful way to welcome the new season with the rest of the Holy Cross community! Later this week I will be heading home to spend Easter with my family, but to have even part of the Easter celebrations occur on campus was really special.
Wishing everyone the best this Easter season — see you again in April!
