Excitement Before the End

Yesterday marked the end of the semester for the University student newspaper, The Aquinas. It is bittersweet knowing our final issue of the year hit stands Thursday morning. It’s been quite a year for the Aquinas! From heightening our social media engagement, changing the size and format of the paper itself and having some incredible stories published, I’m so proud to see how far we’ve come. Although this is my first year on the paper, it definitely feels like I’ve been here from the start. The hardworking, talented and fun people on the staff, who have quickly become some of my best friends, have made the experience worthwhile. Looking forward to next year!

My co Arts and Life editor Emma!

My co Arts and Life editor Emma!

Emma, me and Editor and Chief Carmine!

Emma, me and Editor in Chief Carmine!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, last weekend was the University’s Relay for Life! From 5 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday, University students joined together for a night of entertainment, games, raffles, ceremonies and food. Like last year, I was on a team with Men and Women for Octaves (Octaves and Royal Harmony). Each group performed two songs; Octaves sang at the beginning to kick off the event while Royal Harmony sang during the beautiful Luminaria ceremony to honor those who lost their battle to cancer. My fellow Octaves Jimmy, Jen, Genny, Megan, Alexis and Tom were the ones from the team who managed to make it through the entire night. Describing the event as fun would be an understatement! It’s always nice spending quality time with my a cappella group, especially if it means competing in a lip syncing battle, playing basketball and winning gift cards in the raffle (I couldn’t believe I did!). Relay for Life is a beautiful event that really brings the Scranton community together and I’m glad I’ve had the opportunity to experience it the past two years.

My friends Hailey, Emily and me at Relay!

My friends Hailey, Emily and me at Relay!

The final 6 at the conclusion of Relay!

The final 6 at the conclusion of Relay!

Speaking of the Scranton community…HAPPY 5.06! For most of you reading who probably don’t know what 5.06 is, I’ll give you a quick overview. This the University’s second year hosting the event, ran by University Advancement, is a day dedicated to giving/donating to Scranton. The goal is to receive from 2,016 donors! And the money donated can be given to, if desired, any organization on campus of your choosing. It’s such an exciting day on campus. First floor in the DeNaples student center is filled throughout the entire day: table sits for club donations, free popcorn and Ritas, prizes, etc. Check out the website! See if you can find the picture of me and my friend Emily J I donated to the University’s fund for a school in Uganda. To the end day, Octaves will even be performing exactly at 5:06 and later on downtown. It is a great day to be a Royal!

http://www.scranton.edu/development/royalfund/day-of-giving.shtml

Happy 5.06 from me and Emily!

Happy 5.06 from me and Emily!

Set up finished before all the excitement!

Set up finished before all the excitement!

The excitement on campus will continue into tomorrow with USPB’s annual SpringFest! Last year, we were lucky and had a beautiful day for SpringFest, so hopefully it doesn’t rain! The entire day is filled with games and activities, as well as musical performances later in the night. This year, the musical guests are Anthem Lights and White Panda.

Well there you have it! As you can tell it’s been a busy time on the Scranton campus, a great way to have the end of the semester. But I wish it would slow down!

Be back next week!

Catherine E. Bombard

Hi! My name's Catherine, but you can call me Catie and I'm a sophomore from Wayne, NJ here at the University of Scranton. I'm an English major, Communication minor hoping to have a career in publishing one day. I'm a member and the publicist of Octaves, an a cappella group on campus, along with being a writer and editor for The Aquinas, the student newspaper. Thanks for checking out the student blogs and I hope you enjoy hearing about my "Scranton Experience"! :)

One thought on “Excitement Before the End

  1. Hey Catherine! Congrats for a successful first year on the paper. I also work on a newspaper / magazine called Kuje Reflection in Kuje. It really becomes part of your life. Enjoy the break.

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