• There will be therapy dogs to pet and help relieve the stress of upcoming finals exams.
• The library and other campus buildings extend their open hours.
• Massage chairs, play-dough, stress balls and arts crafts tables are located on different areas of campus.
• The library will provide a variety of sugary snacks and free coffee to keep you up and studying !
• Each dorm holds counseling sessions to provide a safe space to vent about finals week or any other stressful life circumstances.

Last week, I was able to attend a presentation in Syracuse hosted by PRSA. Any, Public Relations major coming in be sure to seek out and attend networking such as this one. I was able to speak with active PR professionals and gain insight on what to look forward to with the PR industry. The presentation was awesome! It was packed with soo many tips and tricks to get your material “clicked, read, & shared.” With the takeover of social media this presentation was definitely informative.

I must give props to Career Services, they really facilitate my ability to attend events where I would need a car to get to. They’re cool about covering costs to get students out there mingling, networking, and actually getting a job!!

Last Wednesday, the PRSSA (Public Relations Student Society of America) hosted a program titled “What’s Next?” Three Oswego Alumni were invited as guests to answer questions concerning life post-grad. The alumni were visibly eager and open to sharing their experiences. The alumni told their stories of adjusting to life post-college, looking for a job, and making the best of your time in college.

I’ll mostly focus on their advice while in college more than post graduation, as I feel it’ll be more helpful to the audience reading this.

One of the thing the alumni stressed was the importance of utilizing the university’s sources to get internships. One of the alumni guest said he was able to be hired right out of college because of his internship connections. The school is constantly throwing opportunities at your feet, it’d be in your best interest to take advantage of them.

Another piece of advice was to take classes that either further aid your major or just plain interest you. One alumni said she took a course simply because it intrigued her, and to her surprise she was able to utilize the knowledge gained in that class and further expand on it in her current job. One also highlighted the importance of taking your Capstone course seriously.

Lastly, the alumni advised students to “know your worth” Whether that means taking much needed time to relax or taking yourself out of un-beneficial situations such as a job/club/class/relationship or etc. Knowing your worth will always lead you in the right direction in life.

This Monday I went to a program held by the Latin Student Union club on campus. The event was titled The Call Out and attendees were to come together and talk about stereotypes attributed to different cultures. It only sounds kind of yawn and dispiriting but it was soo much fun. Although, most attendees were Latina or Latino, people of other cultures were invited and present. It was this really cool space where we can laugh and kind of poke fun of the accuracy and/or lack of accuracy over the stereotypes each culture was known for. We first waived off the general Latino stereotypes like: “the women being hot-headed” “being too loud” “loving spicy food” “expert dancers” “cooking with Adobo” “always partying” and other hilariously untrue fun facts.

The program presented different flags (i.e. Dominican, Salvadoran, Bolivian, Puerto Rican, &etc.) and had everyone throw out opinions about what they’ve been lead to believe about that group of people. Some were ridiculous, some were weird, some funny, some were compliments, and some were insulting. The moderators then followed up with stats and facts to support or contradict the answers.

The atmosphere was not tension-some nor uncomfortable. It was more educative and fun. Everyone there was eager to hear stories about each other’s personal experience with his/her culture. Especially stories involving our parents which are always a good laugh. I felt very connected with attendees in the room and the emotional support was present throughout the whole time.

My favorite part, besides the competitive game of Kahoot, was the conversation we had about speaking Spanish. Everyone had a different perspective when it came to one’s ability to speak it or not. Some, such as myself felt it was a vital part of being Latino/a and should always be upheld. Others shared the prejudice they faced for not speaking Spanish, or fearing being different when they do, or even struggling to speak English and the presence of a Spanish accent being a source of embarrassment. It was a very honest and lengthy discussion. But it ended on a solid note, in which we all agree that Spanish is a beautiful language and we vow to continue learning it for ourselves and/or teaching it to the future generations to come.

For any new Latino/a students that are reading this & are looking for a sense of community within their culture look up Latin Student Union. They are super inviting and you’ll feel right at home. Even if you’re not Latino and want to learn more about the culture I would advise to attend the meetings you’re guaranteed a really good time. I mean if you haven’t heard we’re “always partying.”