Allie's blog

So Long, Sophomore Year

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:30:00 PST

Halfway there. It’s unbelievable. The end of finals week marks the midpoint of my undergraduate career, and I cannot figure out where the time went.

Time is a funny thing, especially in college. It doesn’t seem like a full two years have passed since I donned my high school graduation cap. At the same time, so much has happened since June of 2010 that it doesn’t seem possible to fit everything into two years.

Sophomore year was full of surprises, good and bad. I never expected that a stress fracture in my femur would force me to take three months off from running. Then again, I also didn’t expect to come back from that to have my best track season ever. I didn’t think I would meet so many awesome, fun-loving freshmen. I also wasn’t prepared to grow so close to members of the senior class that their graduation would make me this sad. I didn’t expect that the random people who ended up in my car on a Casa bowling night in January would be some of my best friends by June. I mean, even my breakfast habits changed, in that the oatmeal I despised last year is now my go-to Benson favorite. Who would have thought?

This year has been full of adventures, and while I could go on for days and days, I’ll just list a few of the most memorable experiences:
I sprinted through the streets of San Francisco.
I pulled off a flawless prank involving pink streamers, princess decorations, and a dozen unsuspecting boys.
I managed to bake six dozen cookies, two batches of brownies, and two pans of Rice Krispies in less than three hours.
I survived the Physics sequence, and then realized that compared to upper-division engineering classes, Physics was easy.
I helped design a cable car that will eventually assist a village in accessing clean water.
I went to my first-ever “real” concert, and I’m sure I have the hearing loss to prove it.
I set off my smoke detector more times than I could count.
I landed the internship of my dreams working for a medical device company.
I experienced the glamour of being a fashion model.
I interviewed a professional card counter.
I went to my first pro football game (Go Niners!).
I broke the school record in the 1500 meters.
I became closer to my friends here than I ever thought possible

So much has happened these past two years, but that doesn’t mean I’m content to settle down as an upperclassman. I have quite a few items on my college bucket list that I’m determined to complete before I graduate. For instance, I want to experience the craziness of running the Bay to Breakers race in San Francisco. I’d like to learn how to actually cook, and not just bake cookies and make pasta. I want to take a class purely for fun, without it counting for my major or fulfilling any core requirements. And I really, really want to find a way into the top tower of the Nobili residence hall.

I know the next two years are going to fly by even faster than I can imagine, but if they’re even half as good as the previous two, I know I have some epic adventures in store.

Sophomore Year Déjà vu

Asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 11:31:00 PST

On Saturday, I spent seven hours standing in the hot sun, having my eardrums damaged by incessant noise. On Sunday, I spent another four hours in the heat, only to return with my legs covered in bruises and every inch of me caked in dust.

Sound like fun? It totally was, because when your weekend consists of hanging out at an awesome music festival and climbing rocks with your best friends, all the sunburns and lost homework time don’t really matter so much.

The music festival was put on by a Bay Area alternative radio station, and it featured dozens of bands that you probably haven’t heard of. There were a few groups with big radio hits, like fun., Neon Trees, and Angels and Airwaves, but my favorite band was the lesser-known group Imagine Dragons. We spent most of the afternoon packed in a parking lot with hundreds of other crazy concertgoers, but it was totally worth the heat and the crowds to hear songs like “We Are Young” performed live. The funny thing is that the last time I saw this many bands perform in one venue, I was at the Rock and Worship Roadshow, which showcased some of today’s top performers in Christian music. Although I had a fantastic time at both concerts, the experiences were extremely different. For example, I’m pretty sure there were more tattoos in a five foot radius of me this weekend than there were in the entire crowd of thousands at the Roadshow.

The music festival was a completely unique experience, but the rock climbing and hiking adventure felt suspiciously familiar. I left with three of my friends Sunday morning to hike in Castle Rock Park, which not only looks like Oregon, but also has amazing rock formations that visitors are free to explore. Last year, we took a similar trip to Castle Rock, but we didn’t realize similar it was until a few hours into the hike. Not only did we (unintentionally!) end up howfollowing the same trail, scaling the same rocks, and taking extremely similar pictures, but the guys even wore the same shirts as last time.

I think the concert and the hike can serve as good metaphors for sophomore year. In many ways, it’s impossible to even compare it to freshman year. Although the essential idea of life at SCU is the same, the differences in my classes and my relationships seem as dramatic as those from the Roadshow and the music festival. At the same time, some things, like my close friendships, haven’t changed a bit. The similarities and the differences have made this year an adventure, and I couldn’t be more grateful for my friendships and experiences, both old and new.

Three Days of Freedom

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:08:00 PST

Remember back in elementary school when the bad kids had to stay inside for recess? Sometimes, being on campus during a three-day weekend can feel like that. Walking the rose-lined paths of Santa Clara feels strange without running into all of my friends, who are back at home or spending the weekend in Santa Cruz. Still, for those of us with no cars but plenty of imagination, there is more than enough to do. Here’s my short list, just from this weekend:

Check out on-campus events. Just because it seems like everyone is gone this weekend doesn’t mean that campus life shuts down entirely. I spent Saturday evening at the gospel choir showcase, highlighting the incredible talent and enthusiasm of the Santa Clara gospel choir and other choirs from nearby churches and colleges. I was expecting a nice, sit-down event, but instead, I got to experience more than two hours on my feet, with everyone clapping and dancing along to every song. A quote from my friends describes it best: “It’s impossible to watch that without smiling.”
Host the Cleaning Olympics. With move-out less than three weeks away, it’s time to start discovering the actual color of your carpet. Suggested events include: “Who can find the moldiest item in the fridge?,” “Pretend that sweeping the floor is actually curling,” and “Timed drain clog removal.”
Take advantage of free time to do what you love. My friend Rachel is a mechanical engineering major, but she also loves photography, and this weekend, she used the time off to take pictures for a fashion magazine contest. I got to model for her in two different shoots: one with a high-couture outfit and some intense face paint, and another based on the Hunger Games. You can check out my Katniss hair and the smiling faces of my friends who helped us out in the picture below.
Remember that you don’t need to have a car to have fun off campus. By the end of the weekend, I had run to a nearby park, bussed to the mall for a shopping spree, and biked to dinner and a movie. As much as my friends’ beach photos might make me long for summer, I’m glad I had the chance to hang out around campus for one free weekend before the craziness of finals sets in.

The Perks of Being Sustainable

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 PST

As I’ve mentioned countless times, I wholeheartedly believe that I live in the best residence hall on campus. Not only does Casa Italiana have kitchens, air conditioning, all-expense paid trips to San Francisco, and hilarious, quirky residents, but now, because of our total domination over the other RLCs, we also have community bikes.

Every winter quarter, an epic challenge takes place among the residence halls to see which dorm can conserve the most energy. To make this fair, each dorm’s energy usage is compared to historic data for that residence hall. The school makes a big deal out of the Energy Challenge by heavily promoting it in the RLCs and posting the standings in the newspaper each week. Right from the beginning, Casa took the lead and held onto it for ten weeks to emerge victorious. I’m proud to say that my suite contributed by turning off lights, unplugging appliances, and refusing to run our dishwasher until it reached maximum capacity. This final energy-saving strategy may have resulted from our collective laziness and unwillingness to clean, but I prefer to call it “living sustainably.”

Our grand prize for being so awesome arrived a week ago. All Casa residents can now rent one of five refurbished bikes, complete with U-locks and helmets, for whatever reason they desire. I tested out the system with two of my friends a few days ago. I was prepared to have to give a detailed reason for my bike rental and sign my life away, but all I had to do was provide ID and sign a waiver.

We proceeded to navigate the streets of San Jose until we found the start of the Los Gatos Creek Trail less than four miles from campus. The wide trail was extremely biker-friendly and surprisingly pretty for being in the middle of the city. As we biked over bridges and passed flowers, trees, and streams, we couldn’t stop saying, “How did we not know this was here?” Our biking adventure only left us wanting more, but thanks to the community bikes, I know I’ll have more chances to explore before the end of the year.

Designing for the Future

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 14 May 2012 00:00:00 PST

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to watch three inventors unveil their plans for an innovative medical device. They designed their pulmonary embolectomy catheter to break up damaging blood clots that affect over 600,000 people per year. It goes above and beyond existing techniques to offer a safe, comprehensive, and minimally invasive way to treat pulmonary embolisms. The best part? The inventors are only two years older than I am.

Their presentation was just one of the highlights of the 42^nd Annual Senior Design Conference. All seniors in the Santa Clara School of Engineering work on a yearlong project in their field of study before presenting their results to judges who have extensive engineering experience in that field. Underclassmen are allowed and encouraged to sit in on the presentations, so for the second year in a row, I had to make a tough choice about which sessions to watch.

First up, I listened to one of my teammates present a plan to implement a gas station, minimart, and car wash in a land parcel right off of Highway 101. There had been numerous requests to put a gas station in that spot, but until now, nobody had taken the time to research the feasibility of such a plan. What I love about the design projects is that they address problems that really matter. The presentations also include discussions of non-technical issues, which in this case included things like zoning permits and economic viability. Their presentation made me realize how much careful planning goes into every single building I take for granted.

For the next session, I watched two bioengineers present their interactive model of particle flow through brain tissue. They collaborated with the computer engineering department to design a MATLAB simulation to help neurosurgeons “see” how injected drugs travel through the brain. Something that struck me about their presentation was how open they were about the difficulties they had faced and the goals they had failed to meet. One thing I learned in my statics class last quarter was that real engineers are constantly revising and improving designs, and that in the end, perseverance matters just as much as creativity.

Later in the engineering quad, some of the groups showcased their inventions, like a solar-powered incubator and an elaborate steel bridge. That was followed by a dinner and post-conference celebration for the seniors, who definitely deserved free food after months of hard work. If the micropumps, water purification systems, robotic kayaks, and nanosatellites they’ve already invented are any indication of future greatness, I’m confident that the engineering class of 2012 will have an impact that extends far beyond the SCU campus.

The Microwave and The Smoke Alarm

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 PST

How to Cook Like a College Kid

It’s amazing how many people blog about food. Lately, there has been an explosion in the number of people who post absolutely stunning pictures of their baked goods and entrees online, along with directions that should lead their readers to the same results.

I’ve decided that most of these blogs must be photoshopped lies. No matter how hard I try, my food never looks as good as it does in the pictures, and the directions are never as easy to follow as the authors claim.

What follows is my own realistic cooking blog, designed for people who don’t know the difference between fondant and fondue and whose kitchen gadgets consist of a burned cookie sheet and a fork. That’s right; this is cooking for college kids. Bon appétit!

So you want to be a collegiate cooking pro? Let’s start with the essentials. All college kids need to become acquainted with the two most important appliances in their kitchen: the microwave and the smoke detector.

The microwave is a deceptively complex machine. It’s not simply a matter of punching the buttons; it’s about understanding the subtle nuances and quirks that cause half your quesadilla to vaporize while leaving the rest unmelted. Understanding your microwave means knowing which plates are microwave-safe and which plates will overheat/melt/emit carcinogenic fumes. Lastly, it is vitally important to know how to microwave popcorn without burning down your building. Nearly every week, the Campus Safety report in the newspaper mentions another incident of burnt popcorn causing a dorm evacuation. Don’t be that kid.

That brings up the second important appliance, the smoke detector. Stop denying it; you will set it off much more often than you would expect. I suggest having a detailed plan to prevent yours from going off and deactivating it quickly when it does. My suite’s plan involves cracking a window, opening the door, turning on two fans, and keeping a chair directly underneath the alarm so we can reach the button to turn it off. Of course, that’s only the most basic plan, reserved for when we’re boiling water or making toast.

Once you know how to use a microwave and how not to set off the smoke alarm, it’s time to build your cooking repertoire. By the time you graduate, you should know how to make at least one food for each meal that doesn’t already come in a convenient microwaveable package. It’s best to work your way up slowly and simply. I eventually arrived at the amazing pasta casserole in the picture below by starting with EasyMac, then progressing through boxed mac and cheese, spaghetti, and egg noodles.

It’s also a good idea to cook with someone who knows what they’re doing. My friend Maya collaborated with me to make the pasta casserole, and she was full of helpful advice, like suggesting we pre-cook the onions and use a hot water maker to help the pasta water boil faster. It’s always nice to have a cooking buddy around for company and to make sure that you don’t eat an entire batch of cookie dough on your own.

Finally, use common sense. Milk that expired yesterday is probably fine, but the onions that you chopped a month ago are probably not. Don’t set plastic bowls on top of warm burners unless you really want your kitchen to smell like burning rubber for a week. If the package says to cook the brownies for 22 minutes but there is already smoke pouring out of the oven with three minutes to go, please take them out early.

Cooking is always an adventure in my suite, and although it’s a little less convenient than Benson food, the satisfaction of making something from scratch- even if it’s just pasta- is always worth it.

Adventures of a Mad Scientist

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 22:29:00 PST

College students are forced to confront many important questions during their time in school, such as “What do I want to do with my life,” “What kind of person am I becoming," and “Is this color blue, green, or blue-green?”

The final question may not seem quite as significant, but for those of us in General Chemistry III, it feels like our lives depend on it. Future bioengineers, chemists, biologists, and environmental scientists have ten weeks to analyze five unknown chemical compounds and report the results with infuriating accuracy if they hope to move on to Organic Chemistry.

Every Tuesday, I arrive at the Daly Science building at 1:00 pm and prepare to don my super-attractive lab coat and goggles. I try to think inspiring and motivating thoughts, because I know that breakable glassware, toxic chemicals, and dangerous burners await. (After an unfortunate incident in high school involving a burner and a poorly placed paper towel, I don’t trust myself around open flames any more.) Luckily, my lab instructor also awaits, and she is by far the highlight of chem lab. She has this fantastic French accent and manages to remain genuinely cheerful despite the fact that she has to spend four hours a day watching students suffer as they complete titration after titration.

The stated goal of the lab is to teach us proper lab technique so that we can complete experiments with accuracy and precision. The unspoken goal of the lab is to test how frustrated we can become before we toss our super-attractive lab coats to the ground in utter despair. We spent the first few weeks of the lab adding acid to a flask with our unknown compound until the color in the flask changed from blue to blue-green. This seems simple enough, but after four hours of repeating this process over and over again, the psychological torment caused by trying to distinguish the two colors was too much to bear. Of course, the minute I started to join my classmates in complaining, the kid across the table raised his hand sheepishly and said, “Professor, I’m color blind.”

Moments like that remind me that it could be much, much worse. Another student completed the correct analysis, but for the wrong compound. One girl spent twenty minutes cleaning up before realizing she had an hour left in lab and had to set everything up again. Another boy managed to turn all of his flasks yellow instead of blue-green. The work is definitely tedious, but I know that at the end of the quarter, I’ll be extremely well-prepared to take on lab work. Just don’t ask me to work with any blue-green solutions.

Preview Days

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 PST

There are some movies where you only need to watch the trailer to understand the film. Take Twilight, for example. Just from the previews, any reasonably astute observer can guess that that the mumbling girl will fall in love with the pale, sparkly guy and that they will face obstacles because he happens to be a vampire, but they will eventually mumble their way to happily ever after.

Last weekend featured Santa Clara’s own previews, cleverly titled Preview Days. The purpose is for admitted students to come and get a series of short glimpses of what life is like at SCU. Students and their parents tour the campus and the RLCs. They attend information sessions about different majors and programs like pre-law and study abroad. They also walk around the Malley Center, where dozens of clubs set up tables to start recruiting next year’s freshmen.

I helped out with the club tabling and once again felt old as it hit me that it had been a full two years since I was in the same stressful situation as the admitted students who walked by. I was impressed with what I saw of the program, but at the same time, I kept thinking that this was only a narrow preview of SCU life. Sure, going to school here does mean signing up for clubs and walking around campus in the sunshine, but honestly, those aren’t the main reasons why I love SCU. The connections I have with people on campus, including my classmates, suitemates, and professors, are what make going to school here so great.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to capture that in one jam-packed weekend, so Santa Clara does an admirable job showing off everything else. One other highlight of Preview Days was Global Village. Different on-campus organizations joined together in one street fair to sell food and crafts and provide entertainment inspired by different cultures. One of my friends offered to surprise me with face paint, and she did such a fantastic job that I left it on the rest of the day (see picture). It’s little things like that that make my SCU experience fun- and unlike Twilight, even better than the previews.

The Perks of Being an Early Bird

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:37:00 PST

College kids will find a way to complain about anything. Consider the issue of the dining hall, for example. We complain about eating Benson food. We complain when Benson is closed. We complain when we have to eat waffles for dinner because there were no other appetizing options, when really, we secretly wanted waffles all along.

My latest reason to complain is that my track coach switched our weekday practice time from 3:30 pm to 7:00 am. During this transition, my teammates and I have had to adjust to less sleep, weird eating schedules, and an unprecedented amount of free time in the afternoons that we don’t quite know how to handle. Still, when I get out of complaining mode, there actually have been some benefits to early morning practice.

First, it gets my day started off right. I have to remind myself of this whenever I want to throw my alarm clock out the window, but it really is true. I feel so much better after I run, especially after I tackle a hard workout. There’s something about running up a mountain while most of my friends are sleeping that makes me feel like I live a secret agent double life, or something like that. The picture this week is from a morning run in the rain that turned into a full rainbow as soon as we finished.

Early practice has also made me appreciate how awesome my friends are. One of the challenges this quarter has been getting to my class directly following practice. Most days, I don’t have time to shower, but for some reason, my friends still choose to sit by me and even kindly tell me that I don’t smell all that bad. They respect my early bedtime, even though it tends to correspond with the time that they start their homework. They also offer an almost excessive level of sympathy that makes me feel like I’ve gone through a major life tragedy (“Are you okay? Let me know if you need anything!”).

Honestly, it could be much worse. I could be on the crew team, and have to wake up for 5:30 am practice. I could live anywhere but here, and have to run in torrential downpours or hurricane-force winds instead of warm weather and beautiful sunrises. I could be getting up for an early morning chemistry lab, which would really make me want to throw my alarm clock out the window, along with my lab coat and goggles. Instead, I get to start off each day with some of my best friends, doing what I love. Don’t tell my coach, but maybe that’s not so bad after all.

Easter Egg-stravaganza

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:00:00 PST

My weekend started off with something I’d never done before and ended with something I’ve done every year for as long as I can remember.

My brand-new experience was actually quite monumental: I survived my first time driving in California. My skeptical friends have told me this is not a big deal, because driving is driving no matter where you do it. However, I must point out that in the wonderful land of Oregon, we use our turn signals, rarely exceed 65 miles per hour, and have few highways with more than four lanes total. I managed to drive my friend’s car all the way back from Palo Alto without any major mishaps, and although it may take me a few more months to find the courage to actually get on the highway, I’m confident I’m taking steps in the right direction.

Friday, one of my track teammates took the driver’s seat to take us to San Francisco State University to compete at what proved to be our best track meet of the year so far. The weather was perfect for racing, and many athletes set lifetime bests. I ran my fastest-ever 1500 meter race, and the best part was that my family drove all the way down from Eugene to cheer me on. I spent the rest of Friday and Saturday spending time with them before they began their long trek back to Oregon.

Around 11:30 pm Saturday night, my friend and I began to bake. I gave up desserts for Lent this year, so as soon as our cookie bars came out of the oven shortly after midnight, I began a sugar-eating craze that continued for the rest of Easter. I went to the Easter service at my church in Palo Alto and then went to a brunch for the college students and young adults at the church. It was great to be surrounded by a big happy community at Easter, and I was thrilled that I got to hunt for Easter eggs again, just like I have every year for as long as I can remember. It was the perfect weekend to kick off what looks like it should be a fun (and sunny!) spring quarter. Happy Easter!

Free Joy

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 00:00:00 PST

Cookies and hugs really do make everything better.

For the past three quarters, I’ve helped Core Christian Fellowship provide free baked goods and finals week encouragement in the midst of exams. We set up a table in the Benson Memorial Center and give out cookies, scantrons, and encouraging notecards.

Many people initially didn’t believe us when we told them that everything was free. One girl stared us down accusingly for several minutes, demanding, “What’s the catch?” When we finally convinced her she didn’t need to sign up for anything, she cautiously took a cookie and bolted off the other direction. In a way, this is understandable, because most of the clubs that table in Benson want to add people to their email list or get donations. What makes the Core table different, and awesome, is that we’re just there to show love to our campus when it needs it most.

My favorite story from this round of tabling reminded me of the profound importance of little acts of kindness. One day while I was handing out cookies, two of the other people in Core held up signs that said, “Free hugs!” One of the workers in Benson walked by and eyed us suspiciously. I had ordered food from her quite a bit earlier, and she had always seemed unhappy. That day, she declined a cookie, but turned to one of the boys holding the signs, and said, “Can I have a hug?” He gladly obliged, and she got the biggest smile on her face. We all started clapping, and in her newfound enthusiasm, she even gave a hug to a random girl who happened to be walking by at that moment. The next time she took my order, I made sure to give her a big smile.

We also had a lot of fun storming the library Sunday night before finals. Dressed up in winter gear so we’d stand out, a group of us passed out homemade baked goodies to students cramming for their exams. We got a lot of strange looks, but also a lot of genuine gratitude. I loved hearing people say, “Yes! This was exactly what I needed!”

In a way, this was exactly what I needed, too. I had four very stressful exams to take this term, but tabling and sharing joy with others gave me dozens of reasons to smile throughout the week. As I stayed up late baking Oreo chocolate chip cookies, took part in an impromptu dance party at the Benson table, and wrote out little messages of encouragement to the people who walked by, I was reminded that the best kind of happiness really is free.

Welcome to the Week of Sunshine, Rainbows, & Happiness

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 00:00:00 PST

Traditionally, the week preceding final exams has been known as “Dead Week.” According to legend, this moniker originated in schools where professors stopped teaching new material and spent the week in low-key review.

Clearly, this tradition did not start at a quarter system school. We only have ten weeks of classes per term, so for us, Dead Week usually means cramming in last-minute material, turning in projects, writing papers, and even taking some exams early.

My friends and I all agree that it makes little sense to keep referring to week 10 as Dead Week, so I decided to take the initiative and come up with some nicknames of my own.

Nostalgia Week: Week 10 is a time to look back on the quarter and reminisce about the highs and lows. It’s funny how much can happen in such a short time span. There are so many things I did for the first time this quarter, like going to a concert with thousands of people, visiting Lake Tahoe in the winter, and working on a real-world engineering project. I also got to know a lot of really amazing people, ranging from a man who once had his picture featured on milk cartons across the country, to a remarkably humble girl who used to play soccer internationally, to a nine-year-old who gets up at 5:00 am to practice violin and study Latin.
Epic Procrastination Week: This is the time when students who are already expert procrastinators really step up their game. After all, who has time to study when there are so many other important things to do, like watch Shrek, bake four batches of granola bars, and plan out wedding guest lists for you and your single friends?
“How is your finals week looking?” Week: This becomes the dominant small-talk question for those awkward moments when you end up walking to class with someone you barely know. Secretly, I think we’re all glad to have something to talk about besides the weather.
Weird Eating Habits Week: With the extra stress and pressure to study, study, study, the already questionable college diet tends to turn a bit unhealthier. One of the highlights of this strange week is the free Midnight Breakfast, open to all SCU students. After waiting in line with hundreds of other people, I was welcomed into Benson by guys dressed like leprechauns giving out “study packs” with essay booklets and coffee energy drinks. Then, we were treated to a full breakfast of tater tots, eggs, bacon, and pancakes.
Leaves You Dead Week: The pessimists on campus tend to call this week variations of the Dead Week theme, like I Am Dead Week and Death Week. Personally, I prefer something a bit more optimistic, such as…
Almost There Week: Last year, one of my friends received a cake from her parents that simply said, “Almost there.” We laughed about it at the time, but it really is a good thing to keep in mind. Although these three-hour exams and ten-page papers seem to loom over us like the gray clouds that suddenly appeared over Santa Clara this week, in a few short days, we will experience the glorious freedom of spring break. Look alive, SCU!

Stuff daVinci Girls Say

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 00:00:00 PST

I am proud to say that I don’t have a Twitter account. I just don’t think my life is fascinating enough to send out updates multiple times a day. They would likely turn out something like, “The water pressure in the shower was FABULOUS today!” or maybe, “Bought more cereal- got to love those Safeway deals! #OatSquaresForLife.”

Still, this doesn’t mean I’m isolated from the Twitter universe. One recent Twitter trend is an account called (in my PG-world) Stuff Girls Say, and it includes feeds like “Can I steal a fry?” and “Take these chips away from me!” that make fun of the slightly ridiculous things that girls say more often than we’d like to admit.

Since I live with seven awesome girls, I thought I’d try my hand at this tweeting thing and offer up some real-life quotes from my suite. Enjoy this glimpse into the Adele-singing, ever-baking lives of college girls!

“Want to try the cookies I made?”

“I was going to do homework, but then I decided that decorating the suite was much more important. Hence, the twenty snowflakes on the door.”

“I made brownies!”

“Can I show you a funny video?”...(two hours later)…”Oh wait, just one more!”

“Why do we have six pints of Ben and Jerry’s in our freezer?”

“Aren’t our fish just adorable?”

“Never mind, I’ll find, someone like youuuuuuu….”

“HOMEWORK PARTY!”

“It’s Friday night- you know what that means? Say Yes to the Dress!”

“Who wants a cupcake?”

“Girls shed too much.”

“I’m so glad it’s finally March. I really hated the February picture on your calendar.”

“Why are you Facebooking me while we’re sitting in the same room?”

“I set fiiiiiiire- to the rain!”

“Is it cold outside? I’m too lazy to open the window and check.”

“MY LIFE IS SO AWKWARD.”

“Be sure to try our gingersnaps!”

“The hair clog in our drain looks like a dying rodent.”

“I’m boiling water…I hope the fire alarm doesn’t go off.”

“What homework are you working on?” “Oh, just Facebook stalking.” “Hey, me too!”

“I’m procrastinating by straightening my hair.” “You already have straight hair.”

“We have eight jars of jelly and five jars of peanut butter, but no, we do not have bread.”

“Our fish is looking better today, but why is its color so different?” “Oh, that fish died…we got another one.”

“Don’t you just love life?”

“Smile- because you are AMAZING.”

Honestly, with these girls, I rarely need to be reminded to smile. #BestSuiteEver

A Taste of Honduras

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 00:00:00 PST

Being involved with lots of clubs and organizations has caused me to develop an aversion to fundraising. I always feel guilty asking people for money, and many fundraising events are difficult to coordinate and time-consuming to plan. However, last week’s Honduran Culture Night definitely put the fun back in fundraising. I mean, how often to you get to see a crying man stick his head in the freezer?

Allow me to provide a little context before I explain. The event benefitted the Santa Clara chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), which I’ve been involved with since my freshman year. Our goal is to provide a sustainable supply of clean water for a rural village in Honduras called El Pital. The two most common health problems in El Pital are parasitic infections and dysentery, both resulting from drinking contaminated water. One emphasis of EWB is empowering communities, not simply building a project and leaving them to fend for themselves. That is why this is a huge project with many components, including educating the residents about sanitation, providing biosand filters to the villagers to treat their drinking water, and building new water transportation and storage infrastructure to accommodate the growing population.

As you might imagine, big changes like these come at a cost, even though most of the materials and labor for the project will be provided by the village. That is why events like Honduran Culture Night are so important for maintaining funding and momentum. Honduran Culture Night featured a simple Honduran meal, a presentation about the project, entertainment by the SCU a cappella group Vocalicious, and a raffle at the end. Nearly fifty people attended, including engineering professionals and the dean of the engineering school.

I worked on the food committee, which met several hours in advance to prepare rice, beans, veggies, plantains, and horchata. I learned many important lessons, like how to properly chop lettuce and how to avoid overfilling a rice cooker (I had no idea rice expanded that much!). My favorite part was watching the boys who were chopping onions. By the time they filled their big bowl, tears were streaming down their faces and they were rushing to put their heads in the freezer. Apparently, that’s supposed to ease the sting, but I think it’s more for the benefit of everyone else watching. Whether or not it worked, we managed to prepare enough food just in time to pull off Honduran Culture Night without a hitch.

If you’re interested in learning more about the SCU chapter of EWB, check out http://www.scu.edu/ewb/.

Just Call Me a Tour Guide

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Before this week, I had never been to an electronic dance party, never made lasagna from scratch, and I certainly had never been upstaged by a squirrel. Thanks to my exciting life, I can now check those things off my list.

While the dance party (hosted by Santa Clara, featuring glow sticks and face paint) and pasta-making (with three cheeses and yummy focaccia bread) were entertaining and enlightening, the squirrel story was part of the most important event of my week. Together with one of my suitemates, we led a campus tour for 40 high school sophomores from the San Diego area. Their trip was part of the AVID program, which stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination. The program is designed to get high school kids from underrepresented groups excited about higher education. AVID’s mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society. (www.avid.org)

My friend asked me to help out because I had experience giving tours to cross-country recruits, but I soon found that giving a tour for one person is quite different from leading around a group of 40 people. We came up with a plan in advance to see all of the major campus sites, like the Mission Church, the Leavey Athletic Center, the library, and my residence hall. Along the way, we fielded questions about everything from school colors to ROTC to engineering projects. It was strange being regarded as a Santa Clara expert, when less than two years ago, I was on my very first campus tour asking the same questions. It made me realize how much I’ve learned since I came here, and it made me appreciate how the small size of our campus has allowed me to get to know it inside and out.

And about the squirrel? Well, while we were talking about the classrooms in Daly Science, a fat squirrel scurried up the palm tree behind us. This is a normal sight on our campus, although it really is weird when you think about it. As soon as one of the students on the tour shouted out, “Look at that!” the rest of them couldn’t take their eyes off the squirrel, which by then was practically hanging upside down. But hey, if that squirrel made the trip memorable enough for them to consider SCU when they apply to college, then that is perfectly fine by me.

Am I Getting OLD?

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Sunday night, I went to a birthday dinner for one of my good friends. While we were laughing and talking and eating way too many tortilla chips, I realized that my friend was turning 22. This was strangely unsettling to me. I know that in college, it’s perfectly normal for seniors to turn 22, but until last night, it never really occurred to me that I might be old enough to be friends with 22-year-olds.

Last Wednesday, I officially passed the midpoint of my sophomore year. This means that I’m halfway through with being halfway through with college, which means that I’m almost in the real world, which basically means that I’m getting old. This whole aging thing is a slippery slope. Every time I walk into Safeway and get excited that the cleaning supplies are on sale, I worry that next thing you know, I’ll be driving around a minivan and falling asleep before 10 pm. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that; I mean, minivans are great for dance parties and I could certainly use more sleep, but the whole notion of being old enough for those things worries me. To see if my concerns are valid, I put together two lists. The first shows the signs that I might be getting old. The second suggests evidence that I might never grow up. Feel free to use my guidelines to judge your own true age.

Signs you might be getting OLD:

You know which days to go to Safeway to get the best deals.
You’ve been through fifteen job interviews in the past year.
You don’t find Justin Bieber attractive.
Of all the reasons to look forward to living in an apartment next year, you are most excited about having your own washer and dryer.
On a no-school day, you successfully navigate public transportation to shop the ritzy boutiques of Palo Alto.

Signs you’re not too old yet:

You use those Safeway sales to stock up on snowflake-shaped chicken nuggets and Cheez-Its.
You ended up talking about cheese, squirrels, and baking cookies at those job interviews.
You’re still younger than Selena Gomez, and therefore, young enough to date Justin Bieber if you did find him attractive.
You wait to do laundry until you have completely run out of one essential item of clothing (like pants or socks), and even after that, you improvise. Who says you can’t wear sundresses in the winter?
You spend your shopping outings playing dress-up in the fitting rooms.

After compiling these lists, I decided that I’m a fairly typical college sophomore. I’m glad I’ve had chances to be independent and learn how to deal with real-world issues, like paychecks and budgeting, but I’m also glad that I don’t have to have all of adulthood figured out just yet. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go run some errands, clean my bathroom…and finish off those snowflake-shaped chicken nuggets.

Girls Go Tech

Asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Saturday morning, I left my suite carrying my wallet, a camera, and a cardboard catapult powered by rubber bands. I definitely received a few confused stares from strangers as I paraded past the fitness center with my cardboard creation, but I did it all for the future of engineering.

Most of my memories of my days as a Girl Scout involve coloring Shrinky Dinks and selling those amazing cookies. Here in the Silicon Valley, it’s a slightly different story. My catapult served as a prototype for an all-day workshop designed to get 4^th-8^th grade Girl Scouts excited about engineering. The program, called Girls Go Tech, takes place at different college campuses and uses undergraduate volunteers to guide the girls through a fun day of science activities.

I worked with the “Thrillbuilders” group, which used amusement park examples to explain important principles in engineering. Before I arrived, the girls built their own cars out of spools, cardboard, and skewers. I expected most of the cars to look more or less identical, but when I showed up in time for the final race, I was surprised by the level of creativity. One girl shaped her car like a cookie, another girl built a couch on wheels, and another constructed an elaborate bicycle instead. As the girls chattered about wheels and axles, and asked to keep making improvements after it was lunch time, I knew that I was helping with a great program.

The next activity was Engineering Pictionary. Each of the college volunteers talked about a different type of engineering before we invited several girls up to the whiteboard to sketch an engineering career for the other girls to guess. When I was in elementary school, I thought all engineers worked on trains, so it was encouraging to hear the girls rattle off the differences between structural and industrial engineers by the end of the activity.

Their final task was to build a small catapult to toss a ping-pong ball. I walked around and helped the girls that needed it, but most of them caught on quickly. While they waited in line to test their catapults, I talked to a few of them about engineering. One girl told me that although she wanted to be a doctor before she came to the workshop, she now thought that engineering was pretty cool, too. Another told me she was excited to build more cars and catapults when she got home. The point of the workshop was to let the girls know how exciting and interesting engineering could be, and by the end of the day, I could tell that it succeeded.

A Break in the Midterm Mayhem

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

We’re five weeks into the winter quarter, which means that levels of stress and sleep deprivation are reaching alarming heights. With all of my math-based classes, this is the most homework I’ve had in months. After multiple late-night study sessions last week, and with two midterms looming on Monday, you might think that I would take advantage of a completely free weekend to catch up on homework and sleep.

But I didn’t…and I’m glad.

Instead, I went up to Tahoe with other college students from Peninsula Bible Church to spend the weekend in the mountains. We stayed in a cabin in Truckee that was so cozy I almost forgot that it was freezing outside. My tolerance for cold weather is much greater than that of most of my California friends, but even I was a little shocked when I attempted to go for a run in 14-degree weather.

Some people took advantage of the snow to go skiing, snowboarding, and snowshoeing. I borrowed snow gear from about 10 different friends and went sledding for the first time in nearly a year. However, most of us agreed that the best part was spending time together in the cabin. It was great to have hours of free time to hang out and talk. We played board games, talked about faith, made a lot of music, and ate way too much sugar. With 20 people there, the group was the perfect size to fill the cabin with constant laughter while allowing us to form deep bonds as well.

So much of my college life is activity-driven, with me always rushing off from practice to class to meetings to study sessions. This weekend, I got to just be with people, which was really nice. It was exactly what I needed to remind me that while my tests and assignments are important, my faith and my friends ultimately matter so much more.

Hi, I Have Food: How to Meet New People

asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

Making new friends as a freshman is easy. It’s essentially a three-step process:

Say hi to any person you don’t know…
Ask the following questions, in this order: What’s your name? Where are you from? What’s your major?
Add them on Facebook…

That’s basically it. Surprisingly, many of these somewhat shallow initial interactions have led to the strong friendships I have today. However, after the first few months, the friend-making frenzy dies down as the freshmen settle into their groups and get bored with asking about other people’s majors. This doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to meet new people after that critical window, but it can require a little more effort. Luckily, I’ve picked up on a few tips recently that have broadened my circle and made my SCU experience even more fun as a sophomore.

My first, and probably most logical tip is to offer people food. My suite is famous for always having something baking in the oven, and for always being full of people. This is surely not a coincidence. Sometimes people stop by just long enough to grab a cookie or cupcake, but others end up staying to chat. Turns out, those friendships have lasted, even on the rare occasions when we don’t have any food to offer.

My second tip is to continue to take advantage of RLC socials and campus events. Last night, I went cosmic bowling with other daVinci residents. I ended up in van with quite a few people I had never met before, but we had such a good time on the ride there that we stayed in the same lanes throughout the evening. After spending two hours bowling gutter balls and loudly celebrating our mediocrity, we came back to Casa Italiana for an epic game of CatchPhrase. Since we’re due for a rematch, I know I’ll be seeing that group again soon.

My final tip is to make the most of opportunities. Stuck in a class full of freshmen? The course will be much more pleasant for those who choose to get to know them, instead of spending the time wishing that more sophomores had signed up. Waiting in line for dinner? Chat it up with the girl behind you. Have free time? My friends and I will wander around our building saying hi to new faces.

Being a sophomore isn’t an excuse to stop acting like a bubbly, social freshman that wants to meet everyone. I’ve made a lot of new friends, but I know there are still many awesome people out there that I’ve never met.

Good Evening, Mr. President!

Asibole@scu.edu (Allie Sibole) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

Have you ever been running late, and wished you had an impressive excuse for not being on time? I’ve decided that my favorite (legitimate) excuse is, “Sorry, I was dining with the president.”

Now obviously, “the president” could mean anyone from the head of the Baking Club to Barack Obama, but in my case, I meant the president of Santa Clara University, Father Engh. Along with seven other honors students, I had the opportunity to take part in a formal dinner and discussion of Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point.

We enjoyed a three-course meal in the President’s Dining Room in the Adobe Lodge. The Adobe Lodge is located by the Mission Church, and although it offers daily lunch specials, most students go there for fancy academic events, like the annual Women in Engineering Dinner. After doing a little research, I found out that the building was first built in 1825 (yes, that’s before the Civil War), but it took on its current design in 1926. Despite updates and renovations over the years, I still felt like I was stepping into a Spanish mission. The room had whitewashed walls and a fireplace, with an awesome Harry Potter-esque table and nine high-backed wood chairs (check out the picture!).

For over an hour, we alternated between eating the delicious food and elaborating on the main themes of the book. Gladwell focuses on why certain trends, epidemics, and ideas spread so quickly, providing anecdotes ranging from the “Blue’s Clues” television show to teen smoking. We agreed with many of his points, critiqued some of his logic, and wished the book could have included his thoughts about the impact of Facebook on social epidemics. The event was mostly lighthearted, although we did have an honest conversation about college drinking as well. It was a unique opportunity to talk about important ideas with Fr. Engh, while enjoying a formal dinner. The president hosts dinners like this for honors students every quarter, and I hope I can take part in another one soon.