Now that spring is finally here (let’s hope it is here to stay), the days are getting longer, the weather is getting warmer, and the grass is beginning to turn green. The change of season probably has you wishing you were in the bluffs or out on the lakes.
However, with a little more than one month of the semester left and summer quickly approaching, your schedule seems to be getting crazier by the minute.
For many of us, April is going to be a month filled with studying for exams, writing research papers and chipping away at that never ending to-do list. Sounds depressing doesn’t it? Well, as crazy as it sounds, April is actually my favorite month out of the whole school year!
I love April because even though my planner is completely filled, there are many events on campus that I love to attend during this month.
Some friends and I went to see “Spamalot” last semester to support a couple of our friends who were on the lighting crew!
You might be thinking, “Wow, she’s crazy. She said she is crazy busy, but she loves to add more events to her calendar… that doesn’t make sense.” The thing is, April is not just an insanely busy month for me. April is a busy month for my friends and everyone else on this campus.
With that being said, many of my friends are involved with clubs/organizations on campus, so for this reason, attending campus events is a joy.
I want to be my friends’ biggest cheerleader during hard or stressful times. I want to prioritize the people in my life and support them so that they are reminded how much they are loved and valued. I want my friends to know that even though school can be difficult during this time of the semester, that they are enough and that they are not defined by their grades.
I truly value education, but I do believe that the letter grade we receive at the end of the semester does not define our worth. Therefore, I want my friends to know that their effort and hard work is not going unnoticed.
Me and my friend Kassidy after I went to Dancescape last semester to watch the dance she choreographed.
For me, I like to show support to my friends by attending their events. However, supporting and encouraging your friends can be done in many different ways; showing up to their concert or game, surprising them by bringing them coffee at the library, leaving them an encouraging note in their planner, etc.
Today I want to challenge you; whether it is a friend or a stranger, I want to challenge you to do something to encourage someone else on this campus once a day for the entire month of April.
Are you up for it?
Maybe this challenge is too difficult for you…try doing this once a week to start out! The act in itself can be very simple and small. It’s the thought that counts.
Think about how much it would brighten your day if your friend or roommate left you an encouraging note in your notebook to find while you were studying for a big exam. Or think about how much it would mean to you if your friends showed up to your intramural softball game with signs and pom-poms to cheer on your team.
Me and two of my friends after last year’s International Dinner.
That would be very sweet and encouraging, right? Now you get to be that person for someone else! I challenge you!
Here are a few (but not all) of the events happening on campus that I will be attending in the next month to support some of my friends.
It would be awesome if you joined me to support the students who have worked hard to put on or participate in these campus-wide events!
- Intramural Softball Games – Thursdays from 4-5pm
- “Oh What a Lovely War!” Musical – April 5-8 at the Vivian Fusillo Main Stage Theatre on campus
- International Dinner – April 8 at 6pm in East Hall
- Dinner for the Ladies – April 8 at 5pm at Pleasant Valley Church
- Chi Alpha Senior Night – April 20 at 7pm in Somsen Auditorium
- Dancing Through the Decades – April 22 at 7pm at the Winona Athletic Club
- Food and Finals – Finals week at The Edge – bring your friends along for FREE meals during finals week… I don’t know about you, but a friend who invites me to go get a free meal is a good friend
