First week is over

posted by: Katie

My first week back to school is over, and I'm glad. I'm so busy already! I always need that first week to get things together, trying to get into the mode of things. I'm actually updating my blog while I am at my internship at a major t.v. network.
But this weekend I spent a lot of time in the television studio, where, as a TV and Radio major, that's where all my free time seems to go! We recently organized a "news team" so we can be more on task and focused with the News at Rider, our campus news program, where I am also the anchor. There are only six of us, and we are each producing packages, for a half hour show, so that means running around campus going to as many events as we can, and then editing the footage that we take.

It's a lot of work, but it's also fun because we get to know what's going on campus at all times, and reporting it to other students. And that's where I am headed after my internship today, back to the Rider television studio; I guess I just can get enough of the TV!

~Katie

Back in the swing of things

posted by: Nikki

It's only the second week of classes and I already feel at home. I love my new classes and my new teachers. I even have one teacher that I had last semester. This time around settling into classes seems so much easier. I guess that already having friendships established makes it less scary. Although, establishing new ones is always great too!

Last night was my first meeting this semester in my Emerging Leaders group; it was great to be back.

The "freshman 5, 10 or 15" (wherever you fit in) is not a myth and I'm swearing to introduce myself to the gym this semester and have lots of salads for lunch.

My courses this semester seem pretty typical. Two of them require doing some volunteer service (which I actually love haha) and group projects. I love group projects because you get to brainstorm and get together with friends all at the same time. Another class requires me to see the new show by the Fine Arts department, The Trials of Oscar Wilde (I love theater, so this will be great). Tonight I'm headed to
movie night for another class assignment.

This was an exciting week for me. I received notification that I made the Dean's List, and I was invited to join the Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society. On lighter notes, today was my brother, Justin's, 17th birthday (Happy Birthday Justin). He is now on the road among us. I am also the proud owner of a Conover Hall sweatshirt.

Life is good....

Well, that's all for now, hope you're all doing great. Talk to you soon.

Nikki

I'm in London!

posted by: Zuri
Hello, everyone. I'm Zuri . I'm a junior here at Rider University. I'm from Newark, New Jersey and I chose Rider because like my high school Morristown-Beard in Morristown , New Jersey, it is relatively small. I love it. Everyone is so friendly, it's so easy to make friends, and the classroom size is a good enough number that you wouldn't be intimated to ask questions and the professors will also get to know you.

Another way to meet people is to join clubs and organizations that interest you. Although, I'm not on any committee boards, I still like to be an active member by attending their events. Currently, I'm in the Black Student Union and Women's Center. I also have two on campus jobs. I work as an office assistant for Residence Life and as a tour guide and student ambassador for Admissions. I spent my first two and a half years at Rider living the typical college life. Live on campus, attend campus events, hang out with friends, and let's not forget--attend class.

However, I got accepted to study abroad in London, England for my second semester junior year and it is amazing. I now attend Richmond, The American International University in London. I'm taking a full load of courses, however, they don't offer the courses I need for my major, so the credits will just transfer as general liberal arts and science electives which are still needed. Despite all that, the experience here is great. I would highly recommend studying abroad to anyone.

I'm meeting so many new people from all over the world and as a "first timer" in Europe I still feel like a tourist and I've been here for a week now. I'm the girl who stands in the tube station (train station) with the huge map in her hand. ( haha ). But, I'm here for four months so I know in the end I will be able to leave my residence hall without my map. Until next time.

Zuri

My internship

posted by:Katie
So, this is the semester I graduate, and I am surely not taking it easy. I have some interesting classes, like a course called Mesozoic Ruling Reptiles, an elective, where I learn about dinosaurs and looked at fossils during the first class. And then there are my course requirements, Advanced TV, where I will finally get to make the movie I wrote for one of my classes when I was studying abroad in London. But most importantly, I have my internship, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and my first day was this Tuesday!

I have a long commute now, and I have to be in New York for the Evening News with Katie Couric at 10am, and I leave when the show is over at 7pm. Today, I did research for feature stories for February, and transcribed a package (edited footage) for the telecast Tuesday night. I also put together the scripts for theexecutive producers and the director of the program, and was in the control room during the program, even though Katie Couric was in Washington for the President's State of the Union address. I'm looking forward to next Thursday, when the studio for the Evening News does a special dinner, that the executive producers are ordering food and drinks for the employees. It should be fun, and an opportunity for me to meet people and network. Yet, today was a long day, and then the train isanother hour, but hopefully I'll be able to do well, and this will be a positive experience for me- and help get me a job when I graduate in 4 months!

My second semester begins

posted by: Nikki

The holiday break was great!! I always have a good time with my family. I got a lot of my Christmas shopping done on campus between the Rider Store and the Holiday gifts bazaar at the BLC. So most of my time before Christmas was spent catching up on sleep!

My holidays were great. We spent lots of time together and celebrated my birthday along with a few other family members' birthdays too. December is one great big party at my house.

The New Year brought excitement about our family trip. We set sail on a cruise to the Western Caribbean. We visited Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, Cozumel and the cruise lines private island in the Bahamas. I did a lot of shopping, a lot of exciting excursions and a whole lot of eating and tanning!!! We had a great time and it was a great way to end break and get back into the swing of things here at Rider.

I was so excited to be back and see all my friends, hear about all their holidays and just plain catch up. I'm also excited about starting my new classes. They feel a little more personal this time since I chose them myself. I made the wrong choice in one of my courses and I've already had to make a change. My advisor got right back to me with help and making the change with the registrar was painless. I love Rider!!!

Well, that's about all I have right now. I'll keep you posted on how my semester is going. Hope you all had a great break and are as happy as I am to be back. I hope to see you around campus…please stop me and say hi. Talk to you soon.

Nikki

Winter Break in Jamaica!

posted by: Joshabel
Over the winter break I chose to take a class that is called the Jamaica Service Learning Trip. As a first time visitor to Jamaica I was totally amazed by the exposure that we got to the whole Jamaican culture. We lived like typical students would live in a dorm in Jamaica at the United Theological College in Kingston . We visited the Bob Marley Museum and The Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Factory(Jablum). We also visited Lime Cay, which is a cool beach off of the coast of Jamaica. Then we lived at Pringle Home: a home for children that was located in the mountains of Jamaica . I, along with a remarkable group of six other girls, worked at Pringle Home where we went to Carron Hall High School or Carron Hall Primary School . At Carron Hall High School we taught classes in all different types of subjects, such as Literature, Food & Nutrition, Principles of Business and Accounts; I taught Spanish to grades seven through eleven. The Rider University students that were at the primary school taught letters, math, and everything in between to kids ages three through five. When we got out of the schools for the day we did everything from tutor Pringle Home Students to just talk to them. Then one of the highlights of my day was when I got to teach them ballet and they taught me some reggae moves like the dutty wind and others. We also ate all meals with the kids up at Pringle and we hosted an ice cream party before we left.
It was truly the most heart-warming point of the whole experience. Lastly, we
lived in Columbus Heights , a luxurious complex that overlooked all of Ochi, or Ocho
Rios. We taught at Iona School during the day and were free during the afternoons and evenings. This was overall the best experience I've had in my whole Rider career and I recommend anyone that can experience this to do it.
Yeah mon!

Joshabel