Westward Bound

Just a few days ago I was in what seemed like another world, when in reality, it was just a little over a thousand miles from Purdue. For 18 days I traveled around the southwest with my family in a small RV, hiking, camping, white-water rafting and taking many pictures. We started out in Indiana and took the 22 hour drive to Arizona where we started our trip in the

Painted Desert in Petrified Forest National Park. We traveled to Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, hiked down the Grand Canyon and back up, boated in the stunning Lake Powell, white-water rafted in the Colorado River, hiked underneath the world’s largest natural arch, rode a cog train up 7,000 feet to Pike’s Peak, stood in 4 different states at one time, and ate cowboy beans

while listening to cowboy music at a ranch in Colorado. Not only were the views from the mountain and canyon-tops beautiful, it was a nice break from my internship at Roche Diagnostics. It was a chance to get away from everything, sometimes even my cell phone since the service was not always reliable, and recharge for the upcoming semester. It was also nice to spend so much quality time with my family as this could be the last vacation we go on together for awhile. We traveled through 12 states and logged over 4200 miles in the RV. It was an adventure to say the least. But I think my favorite aspect about the trip was being able to get in the middle of nature, with absolutely nothing around except raw wilderness and take time to appreciate the beauty of our country. Too many times when I am at Purdue I forget to slow down and take a moment to appreciate all that I have been blessed with in my life. Not only will I always remember the sights I saw on the trip, it was a perfect ending to my summer.

--- Kaylie Waltz

Back at Purdue University in 11 days!!

July 31st means one thing. I will be back at Purdue University in 11 days!!

The last three months have been a perfect way for me to wind down from my freshman year, but now it is time to get back on the horse and start classes again! I have enjoyed being with my family and friends back in the beautiful state of Colorado but it’s time to head towards flatter ground and reconnect with all the new people I met last year. Right when I get back, I will be preparing and getting pumped up for BGR 2011. I can’t wait to meet so many new students and teach them what it will be like to be a Boilermaker. I am also looking forward to orientation with my fellow HHS ambassadors! This coming year has a lot to offer and I am really looking forward to getting things started.

Boiler Up!

--- Geoff Ryan

Speech Therapy Volunteering

I began volunteering at a local long term health center for people with disabilities this summer and it was the farthest thing from what I expected. I was expecting a really uncomfortable situation but it ended up being one of the best experiences of my life! I volunteer in the “therapy room” where the physical, occupational, and speech therapies are held. I ended up becoming attatched to a 43-year-old woman named Julie. Julie was in a car accident when she was 19 which rendered her unable to walk or talk. She also had very limited use of her hands and her mental capacity is that of a 14-year-old. Julie is learning how to use a special spoon that has a very thick grip put on the end so that she can feed herself. Working with Julie has really made me realize that working with people and doing things for them can really help someone’s daily life. Volunteering has really opened my eyes as to how much one person can help another and has made me even more excited for my future as a speech therapist!

--- Lauren Rosswurm

World Travel

This summer I have had the opportunity to travel around the world and study abroad in London. In May I went to London with the Purdue London Internship Program. It was very exciting and the adventures did not end until I was on the plane back to the U.S. I interned at a company called Proscenium Tours. I did some marketing for the company, worked on the CRM program, shadowed my supervisor and went on a couple of package delivery trips. My favorite place I visited was Aberdeen Scotland and watching Phantom of the Opera Musical at Her Majesty Theatre.

My most memorable moment would be going to Wimbledon and seeing my favorite tennis player Rafael Nadal make it to the finals. I thought living with four other people I did not know would be very complicated but I made some really good friends on the trip. I learned that although I thought I knew the British culture most of the ideas I had were stereotypes and generalizations. By living in London for 2 months I learned a lot about British culture from the class I took called Intercultural Communication, meeting locals, interacting at work and just observing people on the tube and the bus.

My summer is not yet over as I am going back to Thailand tomorrow and will be going to Zimbabwe and South Africa in a week to see my extended family. I look forward to being a senior at Purdue and being able to share my experiences with my friends, prospective students and alumni. I can’t wait to hangout in West Lafayette with the friends I made in London.

--- Ska Nkala

Yeah Mon: Jamaica Mission Trip

Traveling to another country for the first time, eating exotic foods, and interacting with those of another culture has definitely been the highlight of my 2011 summer. In the third week of July I was given the opportunity to travel to Highgate, Jamaica for a mission trip. I was on a team with 35 other people, who went to a town in Jamaica and built two houses for two separate families, organized a vacation bible school for the Jamaican children at a local church, and even visited an orphanage to play with the kids. It was an amazing experience!! I had never been out of the United States before this trip so of course I was nervous, anxious, and excited all at once. It was a very eye-opening experience for me and definitely made me appreciate what I have here in the states. Also, being a psychology major at Purdue, it was fun for me to be able to talk to and interact with those of another culture. It was also a great experience for me as an Ambassador at Purdue because of the fact that I got to interact with people in another culture.

For the first time ever I got to help build a new house for a family in need. I actually had a lot of fun using power tools and a hammer! We built the house for a mother and three children so it was an amazing thing that God used our team to provide for this family. Vacation Bible School was a blast as well! The kids loved playing and learning about God and we loved playing with and teaching them! The kids at the orphanage were a blast as well! They don’t usually have people come visit and play with them so it was an experience that they will also never forget. The Jamaican people are some of the most beautiful people I’ve ever gotten to be around. Every day they taught me something new and were very helpful and welcoming. I definitely enjoyed my week in Jamaica and I am already waiting to go back!!

--- Alyssa Major

In Spain!

I recently just experienced the fastest six weeks of my life. In Spain! Before embarking on my first journey overseas, I thought to myself, "Wow, I can't believe I get to spend a WHOLE six weeks in Spain this summer! That seems like forever!" Let me tell you though, when you're over there living it, those six weeks fly by! The weeks were filled with new friends, new foods, and new experiences! I got to see amazing things, such as La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, La Alhambra in Granada, and of course tons of neat places in Madrid, where I lived and had classes. One of my favorite weekend trips was when we went to Barcelona. Most of the weekends were free weekends, so you could gather a group of students, and go where ever you wanted! There were so many options, some people even went to Paris for a weekend, and others went to Portugal! However, the weekend I spent in Barcelona was amazing. Seeing all of the Gaudi works was awesome! One of the most beautiful parks I have ever been to is Parque Guell, which Gaudi designed.
One of the weekends that wasn't a free weekend, the entire program went to Granada, and got a guided tour of La Alhambra, which was wear the royalty of Granada lived in the thirteen century! It was SO beautiful! Each building was amazing, and there were some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen, and most of them were inside the buildings, like a courtyard!
For the classroom aspect of the Study Abroad program, we had three options, and chose two to take. I chose a Food class with a professor from Purdue, and an Art class with a professor from our university in Madrid. The classes were great, but some of the times when I learned the most about the culture, or Spanish in general, was when I was out exploring the city by myself! You learn so much more when you're actually living in a culture than you will from any book, and you make amazing friendships too. In my case, I was rooming with a girl from Purdue, and our host mom was also housing a student from Pepperdine, so not only do you make new connections with Purdue students, but you have the opportunity to make connections with people around the US, and around the world! Studying abroad is something I would highly recommend to every student, and Purdue certainly offers innumerable opportunities! Just find something, or somewhere you would be interested in, and I would be willing to guarantee you will find a program you love at Purdue!

--- Ariel Demoret

Eventful Summer Internship

WOW! I cannot believe I actually have time to rest this weekend, and I'm not traveling out of state this weekend too! My summer has been packed with work, family events, and believe it or not...airplanes. Yes. Airplanes. I am a second year intern at Travelers Insurance, a leading property casualty insurance company. I am in the Claims Professional Development Program working with the Property Claims Department. I love my experience here because of the flexibility and the travel. This summer I have traveled to Hartford, Connecticut for a week, Chicago for a few days, Richardson, Texas for a week and all over the state of Indiana. My internship gives me the opportunity to work with insureds on a one-on-one basis but also allows me to build relationships with corporate executives from an overall business standpoint. My time in Hartford, Connecticut was exciting as I attended the annual Travelers Intern Symposium where all interns from all over the U.S. come in and hold a conference. I was able to re-connect with members from the Claims Board of Directors as well as other higher ups in the company. It is a business environment with a social feeling. I also attended a learning summit in Chicago for members of INROADS, which seeks to provide internships for minority students. I recently came back from a week long trip to Richardson (North Dallas) Texas for training to obtain my license to handle claims for Travelers. I PASSED! I have now obtained my Texas license which is reciprocal to 36 other states, therefore if I would like to work in another office somewhere in the U.S., I can with this license. Work definitely wears me out, but two more weeks left and I'm back to good old Purdue. Can't wait! Hoping everyone is enjoying their last few weeks of summer. See you all soon.

--- Alan Walker