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Relish Today… Ketchup Tomorrow

Tia La Community, People Leave a comment August 11, 2017

Relish Today… Ketchup Tomorrow
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As the school year draws increasingly near, bringing new students with it to campus, I find the most common question I encounter is “What is there to do around here?”

The answer: whatever you decide to make happen.

The biggest piece of advice I can give my fellow students is to be proactive. Introduce yourself first, make friends, be open-minded, and make the decision to have fun. If you live on campus, you’ll likely get RAs and other students knocking on your door to invite you to various events. Why only wait for them to come to you? It’s so easy to find things to do at Penn College.

With the warm weather we’ve been having, why not get some friends together at one of the campus grills?

There are two grills with pavilions per residence hall complex. They have picnic tables and are easily accessible, making for great locations for outdoor gatherings. If you’re looking for something to do while the food is grilling or after eating, there is open space near the Rose Street Commons pavilions to toss or kick a ball around. Both The Village and Campus View apartments have a beach volleyball court near their pavilions.

To make things more cost effective, you can coordinate with your friends so everyone contributes an item. You can also make the most of your meal plan by using your flex or declining dollars to buy charcoal, paperware, plasticware, hot dogs, buns, soda, water, chips, and dip at Fuel and Wildcat Express. If you’re feeling more adventurous and want to prepare your own food, there are several grocery stores easily reached by bike, bus, foot, or car.

The campus has brushes, pans, and bins available to clean the grills. Just bring your own lighter, charcoal, and cooking utensils.

You could also choose to set up a hammock so you have a place to relax.

If you or any of your friends are culinary majors or foodies, this is a great time to experiment with flavor profiles! As an alternative to the classic ketchup, mustard, and American cheese, I chose to put arugula, garlic aioli, and swiss cheese on my burger.

With good food and good company, it’s difficult not to enjoy yourself.

It’s the conversations we have…

and the connections we make that will stay with us.

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Tia La

Tia is a pre-physician assistant student and works as a student photographer and community peer educator.

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Well-rounded global experience

By Cayla Erisman, April 18, 2019

My initial global experience through Penn College affected my life in many positive ways. This was my first opportunity to travel to another country, and I never expected or planned to travel abroad until my college education was complete. As an architecture student, I have been studying buildings and cities across the globe for many years. When I heard about the European Sustainable Building, Historical Architecture and Art (ACH270) course that included a trip to London and Paris in May of 2018, I was immediately interested in the opportunity to study abroad. My interest transformed to reality when we landed in London and instantly started our educational journey. As we navigated our way through London and Paris, I started to recognize buildings and various structures like the Tower Bridge, the Gherkin, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Eiffel Tower, to name a few, all of which I learned about either in high school or at Penn College.

It was truly an amazing feeling seeing such extraordinary architecture and learning more about the history of the structures by physically being there.

In addition to bringing my textbooks to life, being in another country for almost two weeks taught me about the lifestyles and cultures of the cities we visited. We went to a lookout on the 72nd floor of The Shard, in London. The views were breathtaking, and standing that high above the ground was absolutely thrilling! I feel that appreciating diversity is one of the most beneficial aspects from my global experience.

My newfound awareness of culture is going to help me both personally and professionally.

After my experience in London and Paris, I’m confident in my ability to visit any city and successfully navigate my way, since I had the opportunity to lead a small group to various attractions in London. We all had locations that we wanted to visit during our free time, like Abbey Road where the Beatles’ famous crosswalk image was captured. I personally wanted to see the house where part of “The Parent Trap” was filmed, so I found the address and led a small group to these locations. During another free time excursion, I led a group downtown to see some of the architecture like the Gherkin, and then back to our hotel. It was so much fun learning how to navigate this foreign city throughout the week with our tour guide and then using that knowledge to guide a small group on my own.

When I returned from London and Paris, I knew that I wanted to visit more countries as a student. To that end, I am planning to participate in the global experience course, Global Cities: Architecture Ideals, Urban Forms, and Artistic Aspirations (ACH271), that will include travel to Italy in May 2019. I am already excited for the memories and experiences that are to come from my next global experience.

For more information on Penn College global experiences, contact the International Programs Office at international@pct.edu.

Education, Global Experience, People