My Spring Break

Keri S.

March 28, 2010 - 10:30 PM

This past week has been spring break for school. This last term, I actually had no finals. Therefore, my spring break was almost two weeks long! Instead of spending lots of money on a vacation, I decided to go home to Salem and work a little for my dad. Not only did I not spend money, I also made some money too.

 

I did, however, get a few days to go on vacation. On Friday, I went to Lincoln City with a few of my friends from high school: Annie, Lauren, and Jenn. Jenn, Lauren, and I have all played soccer together since we were 10, and Annie joined our soccer team in high school! It is always so much fun to catch up with old friends. The weather at the beach was BEAUTIFUL all day, and we had such a relaxing time laying on the beach and doing absolutely nothing.

 

The very next day, I headed to the beach with my family. It has been quite a while since the entire family went somewhere together, so it was a great to go out just the 5 of us (plus the dog, of course)! We lucked out, as it was another beautiful day on the beach. The sun was out, and the wind was non-existent. Although sometimes family vacations have a negative connotation, this day trip was so much fun! I am lucky to have such a close family, and had a lot of fun relaxing with them on the beach.

 

The Oregon Coast is one of my favorite places to go! Honestly, if I could I would go to the beach every weekend! There is something about the warm sand and the soothing ocean sounds that makes it the most relaxing place to go. It only takes a second on the beach to instantly melt away all of my stress. Even though the ocean is cold and the weather is not always favorable, it is a lot less crowded than the California beaches. Plus, it is close to home. 

 

Once I put pictures onto my computer, I will share a few with you. Check back to my blog later in the week to see my vacation pictures. Hope you all enjoyed the sunny weather and had an enjoyable break!

 

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Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Keri S.

March 24, 2010 - 8:00 PM

I have so much in my life to be thankful for. Not only do I have an amazing set of family and friends to support me and help me in whatever I do, but all of my basic needs have been met and exceeded. I have been truly blessed in so many ways, and I am so thankful for all of the opportunities I have been given so far. As I often take these blessings for granted, I overlook that not everyone lives the type of life that I do. I hope, in any small way that I can, to be able to help others with whatever abilities or assets I may have to offer.

 

There are some things in life that cannot be explained or reasoned with. One of these things is cancer. Cancer is something that has touched me personally through close friends, family, and teachers. I know people who have joyously overcome this disease, people who have tragically passed away too young, and people who are currently fighting so strongly to overcome and conquer it. Their determination and motivation makes them some of the strongest people I know. I cannot express the admiration and strength that I see from anyone who has the ability to cope and fight cancer. It is a demanding and selfish disease, and is an unfair and unexplainable condition that could happen to anyone at anytime.

 

With all of this said, I have been growing out my hair for the last year and half with the intention of donating it towards making wigs for those cancer patients who have lost their hair. This is something I have heard about for a while but never done personally. Yesterday, I finally made the cut!

 

I have decided to donate my hair to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program after a lot of research. There are so many great programs available, and it was extremely difficult to choose just one. I ultimately decided on this program because the wig will go to an adult woman who has lost her hair to cancer. While some more popular programs focused on donating their hair to children, I liked the idea that my hair could go towards someone closer to my own age. I also liked that this program was dedicated specifically for cancer patients, as this is a disease that is close to my heart.

 

Donating my hair is something I have always wanted to do. After finally cutting it, it is something I know I will do again. I hope that my hair donation will help a woman somewhere to restore one piece of normalcy to her life, and that she can get one thing back from this disease that takes so much.

 

To learn more about Pantene Beautiful Lengths, please visit their website: http://www.pantene.com/en-US/beautiful_lengths.jspx

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To Chip, Ernie, and Mike

Keri S.

March 21, 2010 - 10:30 PM

For those of you who may have been living in a cave for the past few weeks, Oregon athletics has been in the news quite a bit lately. Unfortunately, it is not for all of the good reasons they have been featured for in the past, such as their outstanding athletic talents or their most recent all-star recruits. With the football players in legal hot water, the basketball coach recently fired, and the high-profile athletic director leaving campus for ESPN...it seems that every time I turn on the news I hear more and more about what is going on in the athletic department. I so far have avoided talking about any of current events, but have decided to touch on it now that most of the information seems to be out in the open. The following is my personal opinion on what is going on as addressed to Chip Kelly (Oregon Football Head Coach), Ernie Kent (previous Oregon Basketball Head Coach), and Mike Bellotti (previous Oregon Athletic Director and Oregon Football Head Coach).

 

To Chip: you have had an amazing season with a Pac-10 Championship, Pac-10 Coach of the Year, and a trip to Pasadena to go to the Rose Bowl. I had the ability to go down to the Rose Bowl this year, and was never so proud to be a duck even though we lost. Congrats on a great first season on the field. But what, my friend, is going on off the field? For weeks, all I heard on campus was the latest buzz on which football player was in trouble this time. Although it started off as ridiculous and funny rumors, I began to get upset when the so-called rumors have been leading to criminal convictions and year long suspensions. I understand that as a coach, you need to keep your athletes to certain standards. I also understand that you cannot control your players who may be driving drunk, breaking into fraternity houses, and assaulting alleged girl friends and mobs on the street. I do, however, believe you can clearly outline and constantly remind your athletes of the consequences of their actions. With nine football players in legal trouble since the Rose Bowl, you have had your hands full during this off season. I believe that Oregon Football should be in the news for their athletic achievements and not for their not-so-stellar actions off the field. I hope that in the coming years, you can continue to take a strong stand against these actions to give your athletes the incentive to keep their hands clean. Although, as an avid Oregon Football fan, I am upset of the year long suspension of Jeremiah Masoli and the suspension of other players as well, I support your decision and the rationale behind your decision. I know that our team is strong and deep, and hope that we can find replacements and back-ups to take the place of those athletes who could not best represent Oregon off the field. Keep up the good work and keep rocking the visor!

 

To Ernie: thank you for all of your dedication and hard work to Oregon Basketball over the past 13 years as coach and your many years as a player. Under your command, Oregon Basketball saw some great national exposure with an Elite Eight advancement during March Madness my senior year of high school, and with star players such as Aaron Brooks who now plays for the Rockets. Although I know this season was rough, I have always been a fan of yours and will be sad to see you go. Like Mac Court has learned, all good and historic things much eventually come to an end. The inaugural season at Matt Court will lead to many changes for Oregon Basketball, and sadly a new coach is one of those things.

 

To Mike: I am extremely saddened that you will be leaving us here at Oregon. Autzen Stadium has been your home for over twenty years, and campus will not be the same without you here. Although I know you will accomplish great things at ESPN, I hope like hell we don't soon lose you to another school. When my grandpa, the ultimate duck fan, was hospitalized a few years ago for many months, my mom met you at a soccer game in Eugene. My sister and your daughter were playing against each other in a pre-season high school game. My mom approached you for an autograph for my grandpa, and you so eloquently and sincerely wrote "To Bob-feel better soon and GO DUCKS!" I have always been such a fan of yours, and it will be hard to think of Oregon Football without you a part of the program. Best of luck at ESPN!!

 

Overall, I know that the University of Oregon has been through worse. Although the legal issues with the football players do not have an upside, I think that the changes that will come with the firing of Ernie Kent and the recently vacated Athletic Department seat will allow Oregon athletics as a whole will gain some new perspectives and continue to grow. With a strong attitude and a duck can-do sprit, I know that as an organization we will soon be looking back on this and wondering what all the fuss was about. For now, the best of luck to all those involved in the future decisions of the athletic department, and forever "GO DUCKS!!!"

 

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Winter Term Wrap-up

Keri S.

March 18, 2010 - 5:00 PM

As every term comes to an end, I always find myself surprised at how fast it has gone by. This term is no exception. With many late nights spend in the computer lab slaving away at group project, I sit back and wonder if it can already be over. It seems like only a few weeks ago I was sitting on the first day of class being handed a syllabus. Now here I am, back home in Salem, sitting out in my back yard in the sunshine and enjoying my spring break with no more finals left to complete!

 

This spring break, I have no big plans. Usually, I just take the week to lay low and catch up on some sleep and relaxation. This upcoming week, in addition to some much needed sleep, I also plan on working to save up a little bit of money. I know, a super exciting spring break, right? But it gets better if you can believe it! I also plan on filling out multiple job applications for internships and post-graduate jobs. When I tell most people my spring break plans, the laugh at me. I laugh at myself though...my very last spring break as a college student and I spend it working and filling out job applications.

 

As winter term ends, I quickly realize I only have on more term left here at the University. To break that down for you, it is only 4 classes, 16 credit hours, and 11 weeks! In 11 weeks, I will be walking across the stage at Mac Court in my cap and gown receiving my diploma! As with any graduate, this brings bittersweet feelings of accomplishment, relief, and pure panic. Although I only have 11 stressful college filled weeks left, this also means I am expected to have a career in only 11 weeks! I have this amazing dream where I take some time off after college to travel to Italy and the rest of Europe, but I have a pretty good feeling that the parents would rather I move out of the house and start making some money! Darn those parents-actually making you use that four year, $25,000 investment in tuition!

 

This past term has hands down been the most challenging term of my college career. Within the last 2 weeks of this term, I wrote a total of 160 pages between all my group and individual papers. I completed two capstone classes: BA 453 and SBUS 452 and another challenging business course, MGMT 335. I thought about calculating the amount of time spent in the computer lab, but with one weekend between week 9 and 10 totaling 30 hours between 3 days, I figured the term total number of hours would just depress me. I have only one thing to say to this term, and that is...

 

"Thank goodness you are done!!! Bring it on spring term!"

 

 

 

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My latest group project: the EYEnoculars

Keri S.

March 14, 2010 - 8:30 PM

Last week, I wrote about two group projects I was working on for my BA 453 and my Sports Business 452 classes. This week, I finished up my final group project for the term in MGMT 335. For this project, we had to think of a new project and write an initial business plan for it. My group decided on a product called EYEnoculars, which was a pair of glasses that were actually binoculars. This project was aimed at the avid sports fan that always has to sit in the nosebleed section and can't see the field to watch the game. This was probably my favorite project to work on this term simply because it allowed for the most creativity. Since this was a brand new product, we got to call all of the shots and create whatever we wanted. My other projects were sometimes frustrating because I found myself saying "If only this was actually like this..." With this project, we could make that happen.

 

If the technology was available for this product, I think it would have great potential to be a successful business. However, after our 15 page report my group discovered that the costs per unit were too high to make this a feasible business.

 

I decided for this post it would be fun to share a little bit of my work with you. Therefore, please enjoy our Power Point presentation for this project!

 

 

 

 

 

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