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Alright so I haven't posted about my life since Mardi Gras! I know you are all thinking that Mardi Gras was the high point of my Spring semester but YOU'RE WRONG!
Life has been busier than ever but thankfully I was able to have a, what felt very brief but actually was a week long, break from school.
This Spring Break I took myself to the only place that was full of cronuts (croissant doughnuts), napping sea lions, and so much sand that I didn't even get to visit them all. That's right, I went to California...again.
Instead of writing about my experience there, I took my GoPro with me on the trip and thankfully so did some of the people I went on the trip with so here is a mini-wrap-up of my Spring Break trip!
Enjoy!
Am I just realizing most of that video was just of us eating? Rest assured, we did a lot more than just eat in California. It was an amazing trip and while I was there I discovered the importance of living every moment you have to its fullest.
I think that we all get in this rut in school where when our schoolwork is top priority and nothing else matters but what I learned from this trip is that it is equally important to take care of yourself.
You can wall yourself up in the library and study all day on all of your classes and ignore the texts from your friends or miss a few events going on at school but I would highly recommend to really think about taking the opportunity to live.
At USU, I have taken a lot of opportunities to live. I won't list them all on here but on Monday, somehow it all came together on a little piece of paper I received from the Student Body President of USU.
On Monday, I was selected to be one of the recipients of the President's Award. For awhile I was wondering if I was living a little too much or in other words, I was trying to find the point of being involved but when I got that award, all of the hard work, the sacrifice of sleep to be a volunteer for Mardi Gras, the tweeting for USUSA elections, the new job, all of it came together on that one certificate and it told me that I was doing a good job.
My point is there are going to be times when school is the top priority and if not school then it is going to making a lot of money at work or something else but whenever you have a break, even if it only for five minutes, I want you to live.
Life is too short. Go out there and be amazing.
I'll see you all later.
I was going to write a post about my experience at Mardi Gras but I figured that if I could add a little music and actually show you some things about Mardi Gras, that would be even better so here it is!
Enjoy!
Few notes!
1. No REAL money was used at the casinos!
2. Those snakes are too huge for their own good
3. I hope you liked it and want more videos soon!
For the past semester, I have been working as an attendee for USU Campus Recreation. It was amazing opportunity and I learned a lot from working there.
The PR and Marketing director, Cory Checketts, got a new marketing job in Georgia so that opened up the position and I was just crazy enough to apply for it.
The interview? Great but I was so nervous..
The waiting time? Short but even that much anticipation almost killed me! Cory called me and offered me the position and told me that I would jump right into it on Monday!
In celebration of the new job, my fraternity brothers and I took a trip to Orange County, California! It just so happened that while we were there, Sigma Phi Epsilon, our fraternity, was holding a leadership conference in the same hotel we were at and so we decided to drop in and learn from the pro's!
The Carlson Leadership Academy
is put on by SigEp headquarters every year in different parts of the U.S. so all of the SigEp chapters can attend and learn how to be a better leader in the fraternity and in the community!
I was in the recruitment track of the conference where I learned a lot about how to be a better recruiter for SigEp. That being said, a lot of what I learned transfers over to being a better recruiter as an ambassador as well so I took a lot from my teachers and the group I was apart of!
You wanna know how I know that Carlson really worked? Because I was so excited to get back to USU and be a better leader!
I know this doesn't really connect to USU very much but this trip was one of the many examples of leadership opportunities organizations wiithin USU have to offer!
At the conference, we spoke a lot about Greeks on college campuses and how people assume that anyone with some funny letters on their clothes is the worst kind of college student. I can't speak for all Greek campuses but here at USU, the SigEp and the rest of the Greek organizations here on campus are respectable, service-oriented, awesome, fun, cool, charming, beautiful, and smart group of people I have ever met.
Huntington Beach Pier
My brothers and I! (Dallon, Tylar, and my little Angel)
My amazing big brother and youngest alumni at the conference. It was awesome spending time and learning from him.
This conference was just what I needed to start this new semester. It also helped that I was able to get away from the Logan cold and head to California for the weekend!
A lot of exciting things happening this semester at USU! Blogs and videos galore!
Hopefully you are all wearing your stretchy pants today and are preparing whatever feast your mom and extended family is preparing for tonight.
I won't take up too much of your time but I wanted to use today to tell you all a few Aggie-related things I am grateful for!
1. I am grateful for paying $16 dollars to see a movie
Sounds steep but it went towards a good cause! Relay For Life is a big deal here at USU and every year they host a really really early preview of an upcoming popular movie and this year it was the new Hunger Games movie! Next semester, they will actually host the relay where the donations go towards cancer research!
Abbie, Maren, and myself taking a selfie before Katniss arrives
2. I am grateful for diversity!
THE Braxton Beers. My Diversity Day Partner.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to be a group leader for Diversity Day which the admissions office hosts every year to over 200 multicultural high school students! I had the honor of being partners with Braxton Beers! I didn't get a picture of it but my favorite part of the day was when Alex Boye spoke to us. My favorite thing he said to us was "There is a lion in your mirror."
3. I am grateful for being a mentor.
Remember those two new little bros I mentioned in my previous blog? Well they went through their ritual for Sigma Phi Episilon on Saturday and it was awesome seeing them go through. Some of you may be older siblings or a mentor to someone else and so you know how it feels to awesome it is to be that leader and example. For those of you who are not mentors, I would highly recommend becoming one because it puts a smile on your face when you see your mentee achieve something.
One of my little bros Jordan and I taking a picture just after his ritual!
We call our family tree the House of Patriarchs. ( Braden (Trents big) , Trent (my big) , me, and Jordan (my little) )
4. I'm grateful for the Aggie family
This last one is the one near and dear to my heart. On Monday, I went to the Beards for Loretta showcase in the Taggart Student Center ballroom. This was the opportunity for all of the facial-hair growers on campus to come and show their beards to win prizes! There were some really great facial hair and even some ladies grew their leg hair for the cause!
What makes this so dear to me is because Loretta is the mother of one of the very first people who I met when I came to USU. Stephanie Mitzel Heinrich and her husband Scott (who is also my fraternity brother) were at the showcase to represent Steph's mom, Loretta Mitzel who was diagnosed with stage five pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer.
Seeing all of those students at USU at that showcase giving support to Steph and her family was overwhelming for me because it just made me realize how much I love being here at USU. You never know who is going to give you support but here at USU, you at least know you have support no matter what.
Steph and I
Now after you finish reading and oogling over Braxton Beers (yeah, he is single), I want you to turn off your laptops, put your phone on silent and spend five minutes thinking about all the things you are grateful for. If you do it right and without interruptions, your mind is going to think a million things you have that some others arent fortunate enough to have.
That's right people, the snow has fallen here at USU and I could not be more excited. Yeah I know, with snow comes cold but I am here to tell you that you can set your minds at ease because you don't have to freeze out there when you are walking to class or all of the events USU because I have done a few things this week and not even a small amount of frost bite has touched me yet.
Snowy at SigEp
On Tuesday, I was honored become a big brother again for two new members of my fraternity. All 14 new members of our fraternity went through what we call it the "Burning Heart Ritual". I won't go into all of the details but at the end of the ritual, the new members climbed into this big cave in Green Canyon and all of the big brothers were there waiting to greet their new little bro's. There was a lot of hugging and screaming (coming mostly from me) and now I have three amazing little brothers in my fraternity that I get to be a big brother to.
You may think I was cold but I had Jordan (Left) and Angel (Right) to keep me covered.
Arctic Tundra with Ambassadors
Before I got to become a big bro, the ambassadors went out and did service with a frosty smile!
Bree, Ryan and I getting a selfie during the service project.
Looking Hot in the Cold
I know all of you went out and donned on your favorite pair of winter boots when it began to snow! I for sure did and I know some of my friends did too so I decided to have a little fashion shoot with them!
Alex Geddes
Landon and Taylor
Andre
Nick
I think that way too many people think that Logan is the worst city to be in during the winter but to be honest, this is place isn't as bad as people make it. I remember visiting my high school for the first time as an ambassador and every high school student asked me, "I heard it is so cold up there," and I every time I would say, "Well yeah, I mean it is winter."
There will be more of my adventures in this winter wonderland later but for now, stay warm and I will see you all soon!
I feel like I need to explain my week through Kanye quotes so here we go.
1. "Would you believe in what you believe in if you were the only one who believed it?"
He's right you know. When you believe in something so strongly and you want to share that to the world, make sure you aren't the only one who believes in it. Bring someone along!
Thats what I did last Thursday at Bingham High School during their college day where all of the seniors can go and explore colleges in Utah! I had the opportunity to talk to over 300 high school students about my amazing time at Utah State University and what USU has to offer them as well! My "aggiemony" was strong on its own but what made it even stronger was the "aggiemony" of one of the fellow ambassadors and one of my greatest friends, Mr. Landon Howard.
It is safe to say that we killed it at our old high school stomping ground and I am excited to visit those seniors again (November 18th, for those Bingham Miners reading this) and see how many have applied to the best school in the state!
2. “If you know you're the best it only makes sense for you to surround yourself with the best. NO EXCEPTIONS”
I don't know if I am the best exactly but I do know that I try and surround myself with some of the best people I know.
I recently planned and executed my fraternities fall formal where we had some good music, some good company, and a bumpin dance party. I was just sitting there eating delicious catering (shout out to Iron Gate Catering) and looking at all of my brothers talking and laughing with their dates and each other and it dawned on me that this organization, this brotherhood that I have been a part of for the almost 3 years now has been so good to me and I am surrounded with men who have good heads on their shoulders!
Don't mind the devil eyes, I love these guys with all of my heart!
3. " I'm just the expresso...I'm just the shot in the morning to get you going. To make you believe that you can overcome that situation that you're dealing with all the time. "
When life gives you 18 high school student leaders to hang out with for the day, you make an awesome conference for them to enjoy.
Aggie Leadership Extravaganza was on Saturday and it was a BLAST! Brittany Peterson and I were Team Kat and we had 18 little kitten leaders to hang out with and they were just the coolest katz I have ever seen. At ALE we had games, food, dancing, posters, cheering, and a really amazing key note speaker. His name was Mike Schlappi and he will change your life!
Team House Kat
Momma Kat and Poppa Kat
4. "Everyone should be Kanye for a day."
Ok, this last one was actually said by yours truly but c'mon, that is totally something Kanye West would say and you know it!
On Saturday, I attending the Alpha Chi sorority informal with Miss Abigail Jarmin. She requested that we dress like the infamous Kim and Kanye West....
Let's just say we represented them quite well. .
Now, I want you to go and google Kanye West.
Click on the 'Images" tab.
If you are scrolling through the pictures, you are going to notice that a lot of them are of him frowning. I don't know if I would call it frowning exactly but I wouldn't exactly call it a smile either.
The final lesson I am going to leave with you is this:
There are going to be PLENTY of reasons to frown this week
And I am not saying you can't frown, sometimes your face doesn't have the energy to curve upwards.
Go listen to your favorite song, go for a run, eat some ice cream, vent to your mom, whatever you do to make yourself feel better. Get all of the anger and sadness out!
Two weeks ago, all of my professors got together and devised a plan to put all of the tests, articles, essays, and reading assignments they had on the same week in an effort to destroy me.
Okay fine, that isn't true BUT it certainly felt like that the past couple weeks. I know you all understand what I am talking about, when all of the important and crazy things decide to all happen on the same week and the only time you get to sit down is when you are sleeping and you think that one of your friends has put "Have You Seen This Person?" fliers with your latest selfie all over town.
Truth be told, I think that as I am getting older, I am beginning to understand more and more of what my high school counselor was trying to tell me for three years: Balance is the Key to Life.
Whenever I was feeling stressed, I would seek guidance from Mrs. Brady, THE most amazing counselor in the world. After I would vent my frustrations, Brady would just point to picture of an elephant balancing on a small ball with the caption, "Balance is the Key to Life".
As a college student, having balance in your life is key to survival and when you get stressed out and are beginning to feel a little off, you need to figure out what to do to get that balance again.
Which is what I had to this week.
Before I tell you what I did, I want to say that this is just a few things I thought of that I did to help myself, each of you are different and amazing in your own way so take what I say and spin it for yourself!
That being said..
The Stressed Out Student Survival Guide
1. Surround Yourself with Good People
I think that this is probably one of the more important things to do when you are feeling stressed out. There were times during the week when I really wanted to just lock myself in my room and scream into a pillow. Problem is that when I am by myself, it is just me and my thoughts and all I can think about is how how I have an assignment due in one class and a paper due in another and then I just get stressed out all over again.
That is when I get up and I start talking to people.
This does not mean I start to vent on social media! NEVER VENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA! Don't tell all 400 followers about your problems and frustrations. Call your friend, your parents, your siblings, people you trust and who are positive and tell them your problems. It is a lot better that way and you are more likely to get a response. ( #KeepSocialMediaPositive)
Fortunately for me, this week was homecoming week at USU so I had plenty of positive people to hang out with on Saturday during the homecoming parade!
Miss USU aka Megan Hill, one of the best people you are ever going to meet.
Brittany Peterson! Got the honor of being her partner for ALE this year!
THE Sawyer Hemsley! I would highly recommend checking out his photography, it is pretty amazing. Sawyer Hemsley Photography
2. Schedule the Big Rocks
In the ambassador class we every Thursday, we are learning about how to be productive people. One of our advisers, Kate, taught us about the importance of scheduling.
A lot of us have so much to do in one day and it's hard to remember everything that we have to do which is why it is really awesome to write it all down! Before I start my day, I'll sit down with a paper and pen and just write down what I have to do. Having a physical sheet in my hand really does help me focus and keep my day productive! What Kate taught me was that I had to remember that when I created this list that I had to keep the most important things at the top of the list. The higher the importance, the higher it went on my list!
3. Find Your Happy Place
Alright, this doesn't mean close your idea and start humming in your room. I mean find an actual place to go and think. After a few hours of being in my room or in the library, getting up and going outside is the best way to clear your head. One of my favorite places on campus is the cemetery by the student housing above campus. During the fall is the best time to go.
Even ten minutes at your favorite spot is going to give you some clarity. That is what is so great about USU, there are such beautiful spots for people to go to all over the place!
4. Eat Responsibly
Now I am not going to take a lot of time on this because I cannot judge anyone on what they eat since I purchase Ben and Jerry's Half Baked ice cream every time I go to the store so I will just say this; eat what you want but ask why you are eating it. Are you actually hungry or are you just stress eating? Oh, and drink water. I know that many people love their soda but water is the best option when you need to cool down and think clearly!
5. Take A Walk
Now this tip is totally up to you! Personally, I go to the gym everyday for at least an hour. Some people I know go for three hours. Don't feel like you need to hit the gym every day but when you are stressed, letting go of some energy on a walk, run, or quick workout might jump-start your brain again and have you ready to tackle the next assignment head on and just a little bit more swoll.
6. Create THE Playlist
Now I am just talking about an hour long playlist of some cool jams. I am talking about two or three songs that make you seem like you are in your very own music video where you are front and center on that stage. There is nothing better than when you plug yourself into your music and that one song comes that you feel was meant for you. I have a solid five but currently my two favorite songs are below!
Hopefully I come up with more tips soon!
I love my life as a student up here at USU and yeah it is pretty crazy at times but I haven't had any regrets so far and I don't think I will for quite sometime. College is great. USU is great. You're great.
Make good choices!
Love,
Chris
PS: If you have any questions or want to let me know whats going on on campus! Tweet to me! I want to hear from you!
"Fraternities and sororities? Don't those greeks just drink and party and wear weird letters on all of their stuff? Why would you want to join that?"
This last week, the fraternities and some of the sororities here at USU had their annual rush week where students can explore what Greek life is like.
During week, the fraternities here on campus have different events for the guys on campus to come and hang out with the different chapters. Things like car bashing, concerts, and jump-zones are just some of the events fraternities put here on campus! I remember when I went to the different rush activities and it was so awesome because I was able to go to each house on a different day and see what the brothers of the chapters was like.
That's a really important thing to remember when it comes to Rush week: You don't have to join a fraternity or a sorority.
I mean, yes, it would be awesome if you found the right Greek chapter to join and to grow and develop with men or women who value the same things as you but sometimes the shoe doesn't fit and you can walk away if you want!
On the last day of the week, both the fraternities and the sororities have their revealing of the new members of the the chapter.
The fraternities call it the Run of the Hill.
Alpha Tau Omega chapter
Essentially, the fraternities stay on top of the hill and yell something a fratenity chant or just their fraternity name down the hill as loud as they can down the hill.
Alpha Tau Omega new members running up the hill.
Then the new members (pledges if you will) respond with another scream (sometimes I really can't understand what they are saying) and then they run up the hill (get the title now) towards the chapter they have chosen!
Delta Sigma Phi chapter
DSP pledge class
Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter. (This is the fraternity I am in!)
My new brothers!
Sigma Chi chapter
Sigma Chi's pledge class
Pi Kappa Alpha's car bashing activity during Rush Week!
Sorry Pikes, I couldn't find your hill run pictures! But thanks for having a Facebook page where I could get this photo! It looked like a lot of fun!
Sister! Sister!
Two of the three sororities on campus had their recruitment during the week as well!
Obviously I don't know the on-goings of sorority recruitment since I'm, ya know, a boy. But I do know that it is a lot of fun and just after the fraternity men have their hill run, the sororities girls introduce their new sisters to the Greek community!
Alpha Chi Omega
Hannah Wood with the name of one of her new sisters!
Abby Jarman
(also a SigEp Sweetheart which is kind of like a spokeswoman for the SigEp fraternity)
New Alpha Chi members!
More Alpha Chi members!
Kappa Delta
Becca Glover (also the Traditions VP for USU/SA)
KD Sisters
KD New Members!
Welcome to the Sisterhood
I have been a Greek for almost 3 years now and I can honestly say that is is one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Not only do I have the opportunity to hold leadership positions, be a mentor to other college students, and gain some service hours, I am surrounded in so much love, values, and amazing people from all different walks of life.
Soooo the next time you see a guy or girl on campus with some Greek letters, I want you to stop them and talk to them! Greeks are not scary people, we are students, Aggies, just like you and we really love to talk about our chapters. Ask anyone from any fraternity and sorority and they can go for hours about their chapter. It really proves just how much we love and value being Greek here at USU.
If you have an interest in joining Greeks or want to know more, scroll down to the link below and check out the different sororities and fraternities here on campus and how you can get in contact with them!
We would love to see you at our next recruitment week because...
