Don't Pump the Brakes

     I just got back from Washington D.C. with the East Side High School Student Council. After being surrounded by 9 th graders for the first seven weeks of school, it was very different being with the brightest 11 th and 12 th graders East Side has to offer. When I was first asked to chaperone the overnight trip to our nation’s capitol, I was so excited, as I really enjoy the D.C. area and  I have been involved with student government for as long as I can remember . I expected to have a great time touring Georgetown and American University and all of the historical artifacts in D.C. What I did not expect, however, was just how powerful these two days were going to be. Students waiting outside the 4D movie at the Newseum      I first want to mention how appreciative the entire group was from when we first boarded the bus until we got home. From going to the 4D movie at the Newseum to the many rounds of candy given out on the bu...

It is kind of hard to believe that it has been a year since Hurricane Irene hit landfall last summer. For many people, Hurricane Irene was just another terrible storm, affecting some more than others. Hurricane Irene hit Marist pretty badly- power was lost to many buildings, areas were closed off to students due to severe flooding, and infrastructure was heavily damaged because of all of the water. Marist students rescue a car from a flooded parking lot during Hurricane Irene The day after Hurricane Irene ended, I received an intense crash course in crisis management that I will never forget. I woke up to a phone call at 7:00 in the morning, and it was an unknown number. I answered it, and it was the President of the college, Dr. Dennis Murray , asking me if I could come to a makeshift command center in the student center as soon as possible for an emergency meeting. About a half hour later, I got to the student center, and the entire senior administration alongside...

     For this post, I want to share a letter I wrote for The Circle (the student newspaper of Marist College) during my last week as Student Body President. It addresses the concept of "making a difference:"       Last summer, I had the privilege of attending freshmen orientation and meeting the Marist Class of 2015 before their first day of college. Everyday began with an amazing video put together by the First Year Programs staff that helped give the newest members of the Marist community an idea of what college was all about. The video ended with a few lines that read, “Life doesn’t last forever. Neither does college. Make the best of both. Make a difference at Marist.”      But what does “make a difference” exactly mean? For those who know me well, they would say I am a big believer in the “Starfish Poem.” In short, the “Starfish Poem” talks about how everyone can make a difference to the world, no matter how big or how small ...

      Everyone has someone in their life that always cheers them up, no matter what kind of mood they are in. I am fortunate to have several people like that, but the story I want to share today is about my friend Steve Townsend . Steve is one of those people that can make your day, even when he is 300 miles away (literally). Steve offered me some great advice throughout my college career, but the best advice he gave was ironically written in a note taped under my desk. When Matt Lubrano was cleaning out his desk during my first day as SBP, Matt found a note from Steve written for a future Student Body President. It read:      Steve was right- time certainly did fly by. College went so fast, to be honest. But let’s focus on that last word for a second: Smile (We’ll save the “stay humble” line for another blog post).       I am happy that I had someone that would write a note under my desk and occasionally call and remind me to sm...

     I want to thank you all for stopping by and reading my blog. I am not entirely sure where exactly this project is going to go, but I do have some ideas for starters: I hope to share some of the great stories and lessons I have learned over the years with the world wide web. I have always found the concept of a blog interesting, and I love reading the blogs of others, as well. But why did I choose to start a blog now?      During my last Board of Trustees meeting at Marist College , I was sitting with my normal “pre-meeting” crew, which included Justin Butwell (Director of Physical Plant), Sean Kaylor (Vice President of Enrollment) and Connie McCaffrey (Director of Housekeeping). We were talking for over an hour and laughing hysterically as usual. We started to talk and reminisce about the past year, and how crazy the last two semesters of my college career have been. Connie, who has been a dedicated employee of Marist College for the past 32 ye...