A Gamecock by Nature

Not only did I survive 10 days in Eastern Europe, but I cannot wait to return.  Romania is a gorgeous country with mountains, open fields and very well kept cities.  I traveled from Columbia, South Carolina with 10 USC students and one business professor, Dr. Lambdin sponsored by the Moore School of Business in July.  The trip was long but by the time we arrived in Romania we were all pumped to begin our journey. 

I was very fortunate to be selected to participate on this trip.  Our group spent most of the spring semester working on the business classes and cultural classes we were going to teach to the camp of high school students.  As part of the Global Business Immersion Camp we had to prepare lesson plans and think of creative ways to get the high school students to interact.  I taught a business course along with my friend Jordan about business etiquette which included business attire, resumes, business cards, interviewing over a meal and handshaking.  We taught the class 5 times alongside two Romanian university students as the purpose of this trip was to pass over the camp to the Romanian university students.  The high schoolers loved the course and enjoyed the opportunities we gave them to practice shaking hands, identify appropriate and inappropriate clothing pictures and compare Romanian business dinners to those in the USA.  It was extremely rewarding to also see our Romanian university students take over our class and really teach it themselves. 

Along with my friend Rae we prepared a cultural lesson plan about basketball and games.  We taught groups of students some popular games in the USA such as Horse, Around the World, Knock Out and 3 vs. 3.  I must say Knock Out was probably the favorite.  In the case of rain (which it did rain on the 2nd day of the camp) we played electronic Catch Phrase with the students.  This was the perfect game because it forced the students to practice their English in a creative way.  By the end of the camp the Romanian teachers wanted to purchase the game for the English classes and the students wanted one to play with their friends.  Another big hit was the card game called Egyptian War. 

It is important for me to share with you that Romanians absolutely love Americans, which as you may know is very difficult to find in Europe nowadays.  The students hung on every word we said and constantly wanted to hear us speak and they wanted to learn as much as they could from us.  It was interesting for me to find out that many of the students improved their English by watching Cartoon Network through their adolescence. 

As part of the trip we traveled throughout Transylvania and visited places such as Bran (Dracula's) Castle, Peles Castle, the gorge (beautiful water and mountain area) and Romanian businesses.  We went to a Christmas ornament factory, Farmec (cosmetics company) and took a drive on the new superhighway they are building.  The Christmas ornament factory was so neat because we were able to see the workers hand blow glass balls as well as hand paint each ornament.  They are actually currently filling an order for Pier 1 throughout the USA! 

The women of City Hall were the ones who took care of our arrangements.  They were absolutely incredible and even arranged for us to meet the Mayor in Cluj-Napoca.  He was a very nice man and they say he will probably become the next Prime Minister of the country. 

This is definitely a country I plan to return to in the future.  My best recommendation for all of you is to look into opportunities to travel while at USC, whether it's study abroad, a faculty led trip or another type of fellowship or scholarship.  There's tons more I would love to share about the trip!  Feel free to post a comment or question.   

Posted by Lydia at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Moore School of Business is a very generous college.  I have been very fortunate to reap the benefits of being a business student at USC.  This year the Moore School selected a handful of students to be part of the Moore School Emerging Leaders Program.  It was a pleasant surprise when I read the email informing me I had been selected.  After reading the email, I had to fill out a profile about how I believed I acted as a leader and I had to have two other people fill out a profile about how they perceived me to be as a leader.  After the results were processed by one of the academic advisors, I learned that most people view me as sometone who searches for opportunities to take risks and also fosters collaboration among others. 

The advisor also hosted a "mini conference" about leadership and its role at USC and in our organizations.  This seminar enabled us to share our insights and learn more about our personal leadership styles.  I learned that I enjoy a very participative leadership style and use my charisma to positively impact groups and goals.  My favorite quote from the lecture was by the authors Kouzes and Posner.  It state "leadership is the act of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations." 

As an Emerging Leader and a rising senior, I had the opportunity to travel to Champaign, Illinois to attend the LeaderShape Institute for six days last month.  You're probably thinking, "how fun can a leadership conference during your summer really be?"  Well let me tell you, this was the most life-changing and impactful six days I've probably ever experienced.  The Institute had 58 students from universities and colleges across the country who wanted to learn how to lead with integrity.  It was such a diverse group of students based on background, religion, experiences, organizations, and visions. 

It is hard to express in words how much of an effect this week had on me, so I will just tell you what we did.  Every single day was jam packed with learning.  We met as a learning community to watch clips from movies and videos, we talked about our roles as leaders in our organizations and played games that reflected opportunities to show our integrity.  We spent our free time bonding with one another through deep conversations and playing games such as Jenga, Egyptian War and logic games.  We wrote encouraging notes to one another throughout the week and placed the notes in one another's hand designed brown bags.  In our family clusters of 12 people and headed by a facilitator we discussed our passions and our vision for our school, community or the world.  This group of people saw me laugh, smile and cry.  They were such a supportive group of people who truly wanted to see me succeed with my vision.

The Institute made me realize that there are so many other people my age that want to cause great things to happen.  It was a very motivational experience and I loved being given the opportunity to attend LeaderShape. 

My recommendation for each of you is to come to college and seek out every opportunity you can to learn about yourself and others.  For me, I was very fortunate that LeaderShape found me.  Stay positive, work hard, and great things will happen!  Let's go Gamecocks!

Posted by Lydia at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

5 full days without school work and time with my family was exactly the energy I needed to get me through the last three weeks remaining of school.  I hadn't seen my parents since move-in day in August!  On Tuesday, my parents picked up my freshmen brother and I from campus and we drove to Myrtle Beach.  During the week we went shopping for clothes for Christmas at the nearby malls and to Wal-Mart to restock on some school supplies and necessities.  You'd be impressed by the amount of toilet paper college kids go through each week. 

On Friday, we didn't do the expected Black Friday shopping but instead we drove to Charleston and spent half of the day on King Street.  The area is extremely nice and the shops are gorgeous, but the prices are definitely on the high end.  The best part was eating at the Japanese restaurant and randomly running into one of my fraternity brothers while crossing the street. 

On Saturday my parents dropped us off at campus and made their good-byes short since they knew they'd see both of us in three short weeks.  After they left, I was so productive since I had my entire apartment to myself.  I vacuumed, cleaned the bathroom and organized my entire room.  I mean everything!  I rearranged the chests under my bed, I organized my school binders, I straightened out each of my desk drawers and I neatened out my closet.  This is definitely a pet peeve of mine right before big exams.  I have to have everything in order to I have no obvious distractions.  At 7 o'clock I turned on the USC v. Clemson football game.  Our team, especially the defense put up a good fight, but in the end we fell short by 2 points.  I enjoyed watching it on tv since I could hear all of the commentary and I didn't risk getting sick from sitting and standing outside all day. 

I also started my new work out plan to finish the semester.  I lifted weights on Saturday and Sunday along with playing basketball.  My goal is to not put on the holiday pounds, especially since I tend to drink a lot of Starbucks during exam week and while I'm home with my family. 

That's all for now!  Let me know if you have any questions, especially as the holidays approach.   

Posted by Lydia at 01:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend I had the pleasure of driving four hours with four of my Delta Sigma Pi fraternity brothers to Atlanta, Georgia for LEAD (Leadership and Excellence Academies) Conference.  On the drive down, the five of us bonded over music, our fraternity, school issues, and a variety of other topics.  I was really happy I brought my i-Pod because that meant I got to be the car DJ.  We listened to the song "Crank That" by Souljah Boy about 3 times since it was the car ride's #1 request!

Once we arrived in Atlanta we checked in at the Marriot and headed to Cheesecake Factory for some dinner.  After the delicious meal, we went to the hotel where we met up with 14 of our other fraternity brothers and pledges.  In case you are wondering why I keep saying fraternity and I am a female, it is because I am a member of the co-ed Professional (business) fraternity called Delta Sigma Pi.  On Friday evening we all had an opportunity to create a stronger bond between our pledges and brothers by playing card games, listening to music, and watching tv.  

Saturday morning was the conference.  We all started our morning off with a cup of coffee since we probably stayed up later than we should have.  During the opening session, when our chapter was called on the attendance roll we responded with "Beta Gamma BYAH" which got the other 300 brothers from other chapters to laugh.  It was a reference from a comedian's skit.  Everyone went to four sessions at LEAD of their choosing.  I learned information about proper ways to send emails in a professional setting, I learned about better ways to interview, more in-depth components of our risk management policy and about better ways to recruit new members.  In between the sessions, we all attended an etiquette lunch that was informative and filled us up! 

In the evening, our entire chapter, along with two brothers we met from UNC-Chapel Hill joined us at P.F. Chang's for the most amazing meal of my life!  We all ordered appetizers, dinner and dessert that was shared among all.  I was in heaven! 

Saturday night we all mingled with the brothers from the other chapters in attendance.  There was chapters from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Virginia to name a few.  I made a lot of new friends and I met up with people I had met in prior semesters!  I have so many new friends on Facebook (an online social network) now!!

I am so glad we had a good chapter turn out!  Now we are all excited to share our knowledge with the rest of our chapter and start planning for LEAD Provincial in Birmingham, Alabama in February. 

Enjoy the change in weather!

Posted by Lydia at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend was Fall Break, which meant I didn't have any classes on Thursday or Friday.  Fall Break is a perfect time (mid-way through the semester) for most students to take a break from classes and see their families for a few days.  Unfortunately, I don't get a chance to fly home for a few days because most plane tickets back to Tampa cost about $200.  I am very fortunate, however, to have my best friend, Joanne and her family close to Columbia. 

On Wednesday evening Joanne and I drove an hour to Fort Mill, South Carolina to sleep in comfortable, large beds and eat at nice restaurants for a few days.  Over the long weekend, her parents also took us to Charlotte to shop, to the YMCA to work out, and to the Greenway to go on a nature walk. 

I was so thankful to have a chance to sleep in and have an opportunity to do homework at a steady pace instead of trying to stay up late into the evening to complete my assignments.  I also was able to watch some television shows along with some sporting events. 

On Saturday, USC played UNC Chapel Hill in football and beat them 21-15.  I am so proud of our players and coaches.  I'm even more thrilled that the next game is a home game! 

Now that it's Sunday night, I'm back in my dorm room getting my belongings together for tomorrow's classes!  After that I'm heading to bed, so have a great night!

Posted by Lydia at 11:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This past weekend 400 Delta Sigma Pis gathered on Jekyll Island, GA to network, enjoy the beach, and relax.  Spring Fling is one of my chapter's main fundraisers.  We ensure the location by working with the hotel and plan the activities that brothers and their chapters can participate in while on the  island.  As one of the Spring Fling Chairs, I was in charge of planning and executing the games. 

On Friday night, we hosted a Chapter Tug-of-War tournament.  This was an extremely competitive 5-on-5 tourney.  The guys were impressively strong and in the final match my chapter, Beta Gamma lost to Alpha Kappa from the University of Buffalo.  As a reward I gave Delta Sigma Pi luggage tags and key chains for each of the winners.  There was also a women's tournament and again the kids from Alpha Kappa won.  I know the girls that served as the anchors for their team were exhausted by the end!  

On Saturday morning, chapters signed up and competed in a 6-on-6 volleyball competition.  There were some brothers that came with the same team they played intramurals with and had matching t-shirts.  The 8 teams that signed up played in a single elimination tournament in order to win a free ride for a brother in their chapter to next year's Spring Fling.  

Saturday afternoon was my absolute favorite part of the day.  Every year, couples from each chapter compete in the Mr. and Mrs. Spring Fling competition for a crown, bragging rights, and this  year the winning chapter also received a free trip for a brother to Spring Fling 2008.  The couples competed in a variety of relays such as a wheelbarrow race, 3-legged race, and an egg and spoon race.  There was also a toothpick and lifesaver race which was hilarious.  Two pairs played together in order to make this a relay event.  Every person had a toothpick in their mouth and had to traverse a certain distance while passing lifesavers on the toothpick down the line.  There was also  an orange in the neck passing game that was equally funny.  The final game was the best because it was two pairs dualing it out for first place.  The pairs were each given 2 cups and told that they had to fill a bucket by racing to the ocean and back while the girl was on the guy's back.  The piggyback aspect of this game made it strenuous and entertaining for everyone gathered on the beach to watch.  

The last game we hosted was a "Search for the Booty" which was basically a scavenger hunt for a variety of random items such as 2 perfect shells, 5 can tabs, and signatures from current chapter presidents to name a few things.  The funniest part about Saturday was that the same chapter won all 3 events and collected 3 free trips to Spring Fling 2008!  Aren't they lucky?

I picked up a lot of trash over the weekend in order to keep the hotel looking tidy with the other people who came to work from my chapter.  It was definitely worth it because the hotel has invited us to return for next year and treated us to breakfast Sunday morning for being the first group ever to come and pick up after ourselves.  

Our chapter made about $6,000 this year and I am proud at how smoothly everything ran and the compliments my chapter received.  I'm already excited about next year! 

Posted by Lydia at 12:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I saw snow, real snow this past weekend for the second time in my ENTIRE life.  I went to Franklin, Tennessee (near Nashville) for a Provincial LEAD Conference for Delta Sigma Pi (Professional fraternity).  I woke up Saturday morning in the hotel to my friend Elyse (USC '10) chanting "it's snowing, it's snowing" to Brittany (USC '10) and I.  I almost didn't get out of bed because when I was younger my brother had pulled that line on me as a ploy to get me out of bed early one morning.  I slowly opened my eyes and I was completely fascinated by the white stuff falling from the sky and slowly covering the ground.  I almost felt like chicken little yelling "the sky is falling". 

Saturday was the actual conference part of the weekend.  We woke up early and had an opening session followed by four workshops and a closing ceremony.  There was also lunch and dinner provided during the day.  The chicken and rice pilaf along with loaded cheesecake was incredibly delicious.  I learned a lot at the conference about my fraternity's history and ways to better my chapter.  I also was able to make a lot of connections with national officers.  While at this conference I was constantly promoting Spring Fling which is my chapter's huge national event in April.  I had flyers to pass out to everyone and I was really busy meeting people and learning their names in order to stay in contact with everyone.  It was definitely a networking weekend. 

The weekend was very productive.  I was able to better myself professionally, fraternally, and I had fun at the same time!  (That is actually part of the purpose of my fraternity.)  Saturday night there was a DJ and some great music.  We danced to some popular rap, the electric slide and a few other popular tunes.  After hitting the sack around 4 am, it was already time to be waking up and head back to USC. 

In total, it was one of the greatest weekends of the semester so far.  I am so excited about talking with my fraternity brothers about my new found knowledge. 

Posted by Lydia at 11:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I FINALLY arrived in Tampa on Wednesday morning, only about 9 hours after I was originally scheduled to do so.  It was amazing to enter my cozy, blue house after an almost 4 month absence.  I was greeted at the door by my mom and after a few hours my two siamese cats seemed happy to have me home as well.  I am so attached to my cats, so I was glad when they were finally crying for my attention. 

Thanksgiving was the real reason to be home for a few days!  For the first time in years my family was able to enjoy Thanksgiving day with a larger portion of my family.  My immediate family (the parents and my brother) and my grandma went over to my second cousin's house in St. Petersburg where there was every type of food your heart could desire, from green bean casserole all the way to the pumpkin pie (but sadly there was no whip cream).  I got to spend time with my third cousin, who's only 11 years old, playing piano and the heart and soul duet.  We also watched the Tampa Bay Bucs lose once again...hopefully this won't be USC's fate on Saturday.   

Since I tragically missed Grey's Anatomy on Thursday night, I decided to call it an early night after watching Miami beat Boston College because Black Friday awaited me!  And yes, my mom planned to wake me up at the crack of dawn to go to Target for their overwhelming amount of sales!!  It should be a fun filled day of shopping!

I hope you all enjoyed the holidays at home!  Don't forget that the December 1st application date is next Friday!

Posted by Lydia at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)