I don't like cities, but I love New York!

I think I have made it very apparent that I love to travel. Usually, I do not enjoy traveling to big cities, but I just recently went on a trip to New York City and had a fantastic time. The trip was organized through the college activities office on campus and a lot of people from the college attended. I had the best time and I cannot wait to go back to New York. We left La Roche on a Thursday night and drove through the night on a tour bus. We arrived in NYC that Friday and had free time to do whatever we wanted both Friday and Saturday. Sunday we had to be checked out of the hotel by eleven, and the whole group went to the Yankees baseball game.
My friends and I were so overwhelmed with the city; we did not know where to begin. We had some places in mind that we wanted to visit, but we just decided to spend our time without having an itinerary, which turned out better. On Friday, we went to Times Square, which was amazing. There were so many great stores and restaurants that I could have honestly spent my whole trip there. That night, we got dressed up and went out to dinner and hung out in Times Square again. I loved Times Square at night because all of the lights were on and there were so many people. And it really is not a joke when people say that the city never sleeps, everything is continuous; 24/7.
On Saturday, we decided to do some sightseeing. We took the subway (which was not as bad as what we thought it was going to be) to south ferry, which is where the statue of liberty is located. It was a beautiful day and my friends and I took the Staten Island Ferry across to see the statue of liberty. Afterwards, we went to the Twin Towers memorial site, which was extremely devastating. It was nice to see a picture of the new memorial they are building in remembrance of all the people that were lost on that tragic day.
After, we decided to grab lunch and do some more shopping around that part of the city. We eventually took the subway back to our hotel and got dressed to go out that night. Saturday night was so much fun. My friends and I went to China Town and Little Italy. We ate dinner in Little Italy and it was the best Italian food I have had in a long time. We also ate dessert at a little pastry shop; it really felt like we were in Italy. That night, we just shopped and browsed around China Town and then went back to our hotel. On Sunday, we went to the Yankees game and I had a great time. I love baseball and going to games is one of my favorite things to do. After the game we got on the bus to come back to La Roche. There are not enough words to express how much fun and how amazing New York City was. My friends and I are already talking about taking another trip there considering we had so much fun! This was a great opportunity that the activities office offered and I hope they offer more activities like this in the future.
Unfortunately, I had to come back to classes on Monday, but we only have three weeks left. Now I am busy with exams, projects, and papers because the end of the semester is inching closer. At least summer is right around the corner!

Adiós! :0)
-Ashley

A busy Spring...

Lot’s to do in the spring

Spring break was fantastic. It’s always great to have a break in the middle of a semester to relax, vacation, and catch up on work. This semester is really flying; I can’t believe it is almost April! My spring break was nice; I hung out with my friends, went shopping, and did some homework. I would have loved to go away, but it is kind of difficult when there was still homework and tests to complete. I’m going to New York City in a few weeks and I am really excited. I have never been there before and I have been working extra to make more money so I can do lots of shopping!
This week is scheduling week for me, a perspective junior. I cannot believe that I am going to be going into my third year of college already, the time is flying by; you really need to be sure to enjoy every aspect of college. Scheduling is always a remotely stressful time, trying to manage classes you need with the master course schedule. Always make an appointment with your advisor ahead of time to review classes you need to take. I highly recommend keeping track of the classes you have taken and completed on your own course guideline sheet as well. I have decided to minor and possibly double major in psychology along with Spanish. I have always been interested in child psychology and adding it will not be too difficult to manage.
April is going to be a difficult month with homework and tests because it is the last month of the semester. Personally, I do not mind the work that much, but it is always nice to know that summer is right around the corner. Well, I better get back to reading for my Latin American literature class; I will keep you updated on things occurring towards the end of the semester!

¡ Hasta Luego!

-Ashley :0)

New semester and a new outlook..

Well the start of the semester has been great. Classes are going really well and there have been some great activities held on campus. I am going to New York with the school in April and me and my friends cannot wait, it is going to be a fantastic time. Last week, there was a blizzard beach bash, which was a lot of fun. My Latin American Literature class is not as hard as I expected, but I have been putting a lot of my time and effort into the class to make sure I do well. I cannot believe it is already February, but at the same time I am so excited, before I know it, it will be summer, my favorite time of the year.
Instead of writing about school and activities for the whole blog, I decided I would write about something different. There is one class in particular that has changed my way of thinking; creative dramatics. I guess you could say I have come to think more, creatively, if you will. Haha. I never thought that someone could teach you “how” to think differently, but in a sense I have been “taught” to think differently. Perhaps, it is more of realizing there are multiple ways to look at things. I now realize that there is more than one single answer to each problem and not every little thing that occurs is as significant as it may appear. Thinking creatively not only has improved how I react in social aspects, but also with academics. Giving more time to ponder homework assignments, papers, and even writing this blog, for example, allows oneself to come up with more ideas, branching off original ideas to produce more elaborate and interesting results.
Most people know where they are in life, but have no idea where they want to be. I, on the other hand, know exactly where I want to be, but sometimes do not realize or focus on what is around me at one point in time. After this class, I have come to enjoy everyday and everyone around me. I have realized that little things are not impossible to overcome and worrying about every little thing will not get me to where I want to be. I have decided to start doing more things that are of interest to me, for the mere fact that I enjoy doing them and they are able to spark my creativity, such as reading a good book (not on the required reading list) or taking a walk outside. I think that each and every person take aspects of their lives for granted and need to become aware of their surroundings.
One quote that really sums up how to recognize the significance of ones surroundings is by Leonardo daVinci; “The average person looks without seeing, hears without listening, breathes in without awareness of aroma of fragrance, eats without tasting, touches without feeling, and talks without thinking.” This is a quote that I live by; well now do, considering I was only introduced to it at the beginning of the semester. I have come to realize that my whole life I have tried to live this way, cherishing every moment of everything and that this quote is one that I in reality have been living by all along.
I, have above all, began to notice the people around me, the ones who really care. I believe that everyone has something to share and that you meet each person for a reason. Every individual has a story; motives as to why they may react a certain way or how their personality has developed. I am starting to appreciate things people say to me, listen more and learn from them, for everyone has something to teach. I hope that you can realize what is around you and began to appreciate what is right in front of you. Begin to think outside of the box, more creatively, and you will become happier and maybe even discover new answers, viewpoints, and ideas that you never thought existed.

Hola Marcos!!!

Feliz Navidad (Merry Christmas)

Christmas break was amazing, to say the least. There are never words to describe how relieving it is when a semester is finished. But before each semester ends, everyone has to go through finals. Finals week is probably the most stressful week each semester during your college career. Basically the tests and projects the professors give make or break your grade. Keeping up with tests, notes, and participation during the whole semester is crucial, but doing well on the finals is also just as important. My tip to anyone is review your notes every week for each class and make yourself a review sheet. At the end of the semester, try not to get too stressed out (even though everyone does), review all of the notes taken in class and the review sheets you made or given by the professors. If you are always up on your classes, your test scores will turn out well and your grades will reflect that at the end of the semester. My semester was rough, with 19 credits, but I ended up doing really well and making the deans list.
After finals week, it is nice to know that you have three weeks off for Christmas break. My break was a lot of fun. The day after my last final, I left for a vacation to Florida for a week. The weather was beautiful and I went to the pool and went shopping everyday, very relaxing. When I came home, I spent time with my family celebrating Christmas. I also spent time with my best friends from high school, my friends from La Roche, and my boyfriend. Before I went away, I ordered my books offline. I highly recommend buying books used offline, because they are a lot cheaper. All of my books have already arrived, and I have all of my materials such as notebooks and binders ready to start the new semester.
It is always so nice to know that a new semester is approaching with a fresh start. Also, after the fall semester, you are half way finished. The spring semester always goes faster than the fall semester, at least for me. Hopefully, I’ll be able to do well like last semester, I am really nervous for my Latin American Literature taught by a professor from Guatemala. I’m sure after the class starts; it will help me improve my Spanish, which is exciting. I’ll keep you updated during this semester with classes and events occurring within the school. I’m excited to go back to see all of my friends, professors, and staff members, I missed the La Roche community during break. Hope all is well, and I’ll be updating soon! :o)

Chau,
Ashley

Get involved

College has been a great experience for me. Meeting new people is one of the best parts of the whole college experience. In order to meet new people, you must get involved. My one tip to any new student is to become involved in at least one activity or club that interests you. There is one quote that states,
“75% of the time you spend in college is spent outside of the classroom, do something with it.” Even though homework and exams are part of the college experience, everyone has enough time to get involved in the schools community.
I have become the Spanish Club president, a member of Kappa Delta Epsilon, a member of LaRoche Activities Forum, an Orientation leader, and a red hawk recruiter in the Admissions office. Each of these organizations and clubs has allowed me to meet new people and get involved with what the school has to offer. Each night LaRoche has at least one fun activity going on. One night my friend, Eva, had a Deal or No Deal game night sponsored by the resident hall association. For this, I was one of the models holding the case along with a group of other people. This was a great way to get the students involved at night and possibly win some money. I enjoy doing activities that the school offers because at first I was worried about making friends. Considering I am a commuter, I knew making friends was going to be difficult. But, after joining the clubs and attending the activities I noticed that I have become apart of the LaRoche community and met a lot of great people. LaRoche offers many clubs and organizations. This is your College experience, so you need to make the best of it by taking advantage of everything that is offered to you.
Next week is finals week, which I am not looking forward to. No one does, actually. However, I know that my friends and I are very excited for winter break. I am going on a trip to Florida over break and I cannot wait. I always take advantage of the breaks between semesters and holidays, by traveling as much as possible. Well, I hope everyone has a nice holiday, and I’ll be updating after the winter break, I’ll be sure to let you know how my vacation went as well as starting the spring semester! Happy Holidays! :o)

PS. The picture is of our Deal or No Deal event. I was briefcase 12.

Chau,
Ashley

Meet Ashley!!

¡Hola! My name is Ashley DePace and I am a sophomore at La Roche College. I graduated from Quaker Valley High School in 2006 located in Sewickley, Pennsylvania. My major is Spanish and I have two minors; teaching English as a Second Language and Special Education. I plan to obtain my teaching certificate after graduating and I hope to teach at the high school level. I am involved in many activities at La Roche including working in the admissions office as a work-study, orientation leader, La Roche activities Forum, Spanish Club President, and Kappa Delta Epsilon. I recommend to anyone attending College to get involved in at least one activity, it is a great way to meet new people and it allows you to become part of your schools community.
Some of my interests include, traveling, culture, and international relations. I love traveling and I went to Spain last summer for the first time. I went on a two week tour with other students from La Roche and my professor; it was a great opportunity. The experience was life-changing and I cannot wait to go back. I plan on studying abroad next year for a semester in Seville or Toledo, my two favorite places we visited. I hope to continue to travel to Europe and become fluent in other languages such as Italian and French.
I also enjoy spending time with my boyfriend, friends, and family, they all mean a lot to me. I love shopping and buying new things. Also, I love meeting new people. My favorite place to go is the beach and I love learning about marine biology. I am fun and outgoing and I love to laugh a lot. College has been a great experience, I love meeting new people everyday. I have met great friends, staff members, and faculty that have left a lasting impact on me and I plan continue to become involved in activities and organizations to fully experience what La Roche has to offer. :o)