It never ceases to amaze me how much hustle and bustle there is on campus before classes even begin! With people running around as orientation assistants, to RA and preceptor training sessions, or pre-season. Having been in at least two of those positions in my years at Wheaton, I have to say that it felt pretty good just being able to go to the lab every day while my friends. A lot of work and preparation goes into orientation and it can all seem grueling at times, but there is defintely a feeling of satisfaction knowing that you may have affected a new freshman in some way. For me, I was able to participate in a performance called “First Impressions,” an event where cast members share their experiences dealing with any sort of diversity on campus for an audience of made up of about 600 people with the vast majority of them being freshmen. None of it was acted, and all the anecdotes are true. It happens as a sort of “stream of thought” so that the audience can hear and feel what we each went through at that very moment. This was an important event for me to partake in as I felt like it brought me full circle in my experience here at Wheaton, and figuring out my own varied identities. Preparation was an intensive process, and we barely had a week to finalize our stories. Despite our nerves, we pulled off a great performance and basked in the overwhelming applause.
Here is a picture of the cast before the big performance!

OK, now we’re officially back to school. For the first time, I actually had to attend the Convocation ceremony, but not with out first going to the bookstore and buying all of my graduation garb. That’s right, I’ve got the cap, gown, tassel, and hood. I’m pretty much all set for everything I might need for graduation- all I have to do now is make it through the year!
Convocation started off with a moment of silence marking the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Dean Sue delivered the keynote address emphasizing the importance of our roles in the future of Wheaton. However sweaty and silly we were in our polyester robes, every member of the class of 2008 listened attentively and even participated in singing the Wheaton hymn and anthem.
If i didn’t feel the weight of senior year and the reality of leaving this place, I think it truly sank in during convocation. But until I really need to understand what leaving Wheaton actually means, I still have the entire year to go: a sobering thought!
Luckily, the beginning of the year coincides with Labor Day weekend, something that definitely eases the transition! My friends and I spent the weekend lounging around Wheaton and enjoying the last of our summers. We went to my friend’s house on the North Shore of Boston for the last first time and enjoyed a day of boating and barbecuing before returning back to campus to do homework.
Thus far, senior year has been pretty great!

Make no mistake, it does not take any time at all for professors to delve right into the material. I am taking many of interesting classes this semester:
Chem 303: Current Problems in Environmental Chemistry
Psy 312: Perception
Psy 334: Practicum in Human Services
Anthro 225: Peoples and Cultures of Africa
and Psy 225: Brain, Mind, & Behavior
I am taking on more than the regular course load, but since my Practicum course is actually volunteering at a local hospital twice a week, Sturdy Memorial, it really doesn’t feel like much work! I am particularly enjoying this course because it allows me to volunteer and have a platform on which I can discuss my experiences. I spend about 6 hours a week (3 hours per day) volunteering in the Emergency Care Center(ECC) as an intern to the Patient Care Liaison (PCL). Wheaton is unique in having a program that actually allows undergraduate students to experience the emergency room. My role at Sturdy Memorial is to basically tend to patient needs both physically and mentally. Sometimes they might need a glass of water or a blanket, and sometimes they just want company. I am certainly being exposed to a variety of new experiences, but the ECC staff as well at the PCLs that I work with are very
supportive and are always willing to answer any of my questions.
But of course, it is not always about the books! Being 21 allows you many privileges, but perhaps the most important at Wheaton is permission to participate in all that is Sportsway Cafe, or Sporty’s (a local bar). A senior tradition here at Wheaton, is to mingle with your fellow classmates within the hallowed halls of Sporty’s on Thursday nights.
Although it is usually not the craziest scene, I think that most seniors are always willing to cough up a couple of dollars for a pitcher of beer and be surrounded by the good company of your fellow classmates.

Although October break sneaks up, it always comes around at the perfect time.
I spent my October break at home to spend time with my family and friends. The fact that I had 2 exams waiting for me when I got back to school seemed to have no effect on how I spent my break! It was a nice change of pace to visit my parents and catch up with people that I missed over the summer. I was even able to hang out with my Wheaton friends in New York City, a place that I have missed dearly!
I am proud to say that for the first time in my four years at Wheaton, I was actually able to get some work done at home! So with my batteries recharged, I drove back up to school and faced my exams head on.
That weekend, I went with other members of the Asian American Coalition to attend BASIC- Boston Asian Students Intercollegiate Conference, something that is hopefully becoming a tradition in our group. I care deeply for its causes, and it makes me extremely happy to meet new members and hear their ideas. This conference really served as a way to let us all connect with each other as well as with students from other schools. I was especially happy to learn more about the issues that I feel passionately about, and learn from the wonderful speakers and seminars.

This week presented a unique opportunity to attend a film screening and discussion with film director Werner Herzog.
I had been anticipating this event for a while having seen two of his movies, “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” and “Grizzly Man” so with a midterm the next day, I decided to study all afternoon. Eager for dinner, I stumbled out of the library and started walking towards the dining hall about an hour before the event started when I noticed that a cue of people had formed that stretched across the Dimple. I immediately forgot I was hungry and hopped on line, calling my friends to come over.
Sure enough, the chapel was packed to the brim with Wheaton students and professors, as well as people from the community, and students from all over the area. People came from all over to be able to be the 3rd audience to view Herzog’s new film for free.
Herzog gave a modest yet frank appraisal of his documentary, stating the difference between “Encounters at the End of the World” and what he called “another movie about penguins”(March of the Penguins?). Herzog became fascinated with the beautiful vistas and landscapes of Antarctica while doing post production on “Grizzly Man.” His film painted complex and compelling portraits of the men and women who are compelled to make strides in science and thus occupy the McMurdo research station. With a sense of humor he presents the many characters who have seemingly lost and found themselves on the vast continent. For example, a trained linguist who came to Antarctica (a place with no languages) and scoffs at treehuggers who idly stand by as languages become extinct-the reason for which he had to throw out his entire dissertation. Though the linguist is a bit of a ludicrous character, you’d never know it because Herzog’s wit litters the dialogue but never belittles their stories. Indeed, the people who occupy Antarctica are an interesting sort, and the focus is really on them rather than the penguins.
The audience was solemn throughout, and people still poured in and sat on the floors of our cramped chapel.
After the film, Herzog opened up the floor to questions and entertained a wide range of inquiries. To my delight, he talked extensively of how he came across the idea behind “Aguirre, the Wrath of God,” the challenges he faced while shooting the film, and discussed parallels of his new film to “Grizzly Man.”
In the past, Wheaton has hosted film directors of the like (such as Richard Linklater) and I anticipate more interesting people coming through Wheaton. Seeing these types of events come to fruition shatters any notion of Wheaton’s supposed insulation and expands the reaches of middle-of-nowhere Norton.

Homecoming was an appropriate reward for an intense 2 weeks of midterms!
Friday was a rainy New England day, but that did not seem to impede upon the spirits and enthusiasm of alumni!
I started off Homecoming weekend with a chemistry midterm, then I was on a panel moderated by Dean Sue for the Alumni Leadership Conference (ALC) where I shared my experiences abroad, both in the Philippines and South Africa. I was happy to have a place where I could actually share my experiences and know that they are appreciated by all because I wouldn’t have been able to have such a great time abroad were it not for Wheaton’s programs. After being on the panel, I went to the ALC luncheon in Emerson dining hall. I enjoyed delicious food and conversed with more alums as well as hear the keynote speakers- a group of young alumni who had started their own non-profit organization.
I was finally able to rest after a stressful week, and then joined my friends and their parents for a Thai dinner nearby. I called it an early night knowing that Saturday night would be jam-packed!
My friends Vanessa and Jamie, who I met abroad and go to BC, came and visited me and Victoria, another Wheatie who I met in South Africa. We had a joyous reunion and talked non-stop, sharing memories and creating new ones.
We all were excited for the Talib Kweli concert taking place in the Haas fieldhouse. This has been a highly anticipated event at Wheaton as Talib is one of the bigger acts to come our way in the past few years. Talib gave a wonderful and very memorable performance- there were even rumors that they used footage from the concert in a new episode of MTV’s show “Made” when a young man awkwardly was brought onstage and instructed to rap about the Red Sox!
I had a wonderful time with all my friends from different parts of my life mingling and talking. All in all, I have to say that my last homecoming was everything I could want it to be, fun, memorable, and productive!