Saturday, April 30, 2016

On the last good days of the year....


One of my favorite childhood songs is "The Last Good Day of The Year" by Cousteau. At this time, I would like to share 3 fun memories I made through LRC events. I went to Homecoming, Cause for Paws and had a successful film club premiere. These truly were the last good days of my year.


For homecoming, I went with Jeff and Andre (2 fellow officers from film club). We wanted to go with the theme of "There is no business like show business" so we came dressed in top hats and fedoras.


 The homecoming semi formal was held at the Hall of Fame Club at PNC park. We went to McFadden's, a nearby restaurant before the occasion.



Secondly, I went to Cause For Paws. The students from the marketing for non profits class held this event to benefit local animal shelters. I couldn't pass it up since it benefits animals and my fellow marketing students were helping out. There was free pizza, a photo booth,  a "pie the professor in the face", and raffle giveaways.

I didn't get to stay long because it coincided with the film club premiere but Jeff and I got to partake in the photo booth!



Lastly, Film Club concluded with its final premiere. We premiered "It's Sketchy!" episodes 3, 4 and 5 as well as the special that I wrote, "Streets of Cake". Jeff, Andre and I ran the event, with Ryan being there in spirit. We also entered the Film Festival with our film "Chef Swagger" taking 3rd place.


This is Andre, Jeff and I posing with Lori of Counseling and Health Services. She came to our premiere!


Jeff's mom made cupcakes to tie in with our special, Streets of Cake. We had a great turnout for film club this time.


Ryan as Adam Hunter, Jeff as Axel Stone and me as Blaze Fielding for "Streets of Cake". We play 3 ex cops who are trying to stop an evil crime syndicate from selling illegal pastries. It is a parody of the video game series, "Streets of Rage".




And here are the lovely cupcakes!

I hope that you all have a great close to the school year.

Best to everyone,
Mollie

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Saturday, March 19, 2016

The Luck of The Irish: The best weekend of my life!


Hello everyone!

As you know, I am one of the four stage managers/officers of La Roche's film club, Redhawk Productions. Recently, on St. Patrick's day, we were blessed with a good premiere for our comedy program, "It's Sketchy". We showed our 1st two episodes along with our special, Pirate Bar.

However, this premiere was not all fun and games before showing the final product. There was a lot of editing, planning and tweaking to make it polished before our fellow students got to see it. We had a tight deadline to face but our club pulled through and had a successful premiere.


Here we have 3 of the 4 proud officers for a great premiere! Pictured is Jeff, Me and Andre. Ryan couldn't make it but he was there in spirit!


Basically, its as the proverb says "Smooth seas do not make experienced sailors". Not everything is going to go perfect and smooth. But experiences serve to sharpen your skills which is vital to how you will handle things in the future.

As a student entering college, I strongly recommend trying for a leadership position of any kind. Yes, I know you probably heard a thousand times that it "looks good on a resume". That is absolutely true but it doesn't just look good on a piece of paper, it helps you as a person. Honestly, a leadership position has helped me work with others, stay organized, problem solve and think creatively.




We celebrated a great premiere with a small after party with video games and funny videos! (TOP: Courtnie, Amanda, Jeff. BOTTOM: Me, Andre)


The next day, we four officers went out to eat at BJ's Brewhouse to celebrate! (BJ's is located in McCandless Crossing, across the street from La Roche)  (Pictured L to R is Jeff, Andre, Me and Ryan)


This weekend has been wonderful and we 4 officers  are proud of all the efforts our cast and crew put in to make all of this possible. We give a huge thanks to everyone who has helped us.

Best to everyone,

-Mollie

Sunday, February 14, 2016

Fun in winter? No way!

Winter personally is my least favorite season. Summer was always my favorite because swimming is one of my hobbies.  Even though warm weather isn't here; the fun doesn't stop in the wintertime. Here are 4 things I did that were fun in the winter.


1. Whose line is it anyway?



I went with Haley, Nancy and Andre to watch the "Whose Line is It Anyway?" performance. These shows are put on by fellow students in the same style as the show.  These shows happen once a month. I am a big fan of comedies so I always try to come and support the performers. They hold tryouts every year to be a cast member.


2. The Blizzard Beach Bash


The Blizzard Beach Bash is hosted by LAF (LaRoche Activities Forum) and it is where you dress half winter, half summer. There's music, snacks and a hula hooping contest. There's even a costume contest where you can win prizes. This year, the prize was tickets to a Penguins Game.


3. On the radio!



I got to be a special guest for Andre and Kenny's radio show through the Radio Club. It was almost like being on a podcast; we basically got to be ourselves and play music. We talked about being on stage, talked about campus events and played songs we got to pick. I got to play some of my favorite artists (which include Depeche Mode, David Bowie and The Talking Heads). If this is the kind of opportunity for you, head to student development and be a radio star!


4. Filmed a production!



My friend Jeff and I wrote a script for film club's comedy series, "It's Sketchy!" The sketch is titled "Pirate Bar" and it is where a company tries to set up a business meeting at a fancy restaurant. However, they accidentally schedule it at a pirate themed bar of the same name. The filming and editing is complete. Currently, the club is putting together a release date for the first episode of the sketches. That is to be announced.

Whether you like winter or not, I wish you a fun one! (But spring needs to get here too.)

-Mollie


Friday, December 4, 2015

Finals Week!

              Hello everyone!

A lot has happened in these past few months. Unfortunately, Readhawks Library Club has disbanded and picked up by the library staff. There weren’t enough members and ideas to keep the club to keep it going so Kiersten and I closed it. It will be missed. I met a lot of new friends this year and all of them are very dear to me. I am so happy I got to know them in these short months.

 Finals week is looming however I am finishing strong! Here are 4 tips to keep your head in the game and to finish strong too!

1. Go easy on the caffeine. 


Caffeine, while helpful to keep you up, can make you feel jittery. You don’t want to feel too jittery while taking a test. Try drinking water to keep afloat…. And go easy on the pop!

2. If you don't study.....


Plain and simple. Keep up with your studies and you will succeed!

3. Group up!

Get your study squad together and learn from each other! Grab some friends and classmates and hold a study session!

And, finally (pun intended)

4. Enjoy your holidays over break!


I wish you all the best this holiday season!

-Mollie 


Monday, October 19, 2015

The Top 5 Things I learned in College (So far!)

The top 5 things I learned in college! (So far!)


College, itself, is a whole new world. It itself is a clean slate. New people, new environment and new experiences. You as an incoming freshman are going to try new things. But once you come here, this is it. You get the chance to meet new friends, try new things and overall become the person you want to be. Here are the top 5 things I learned in college so far in my experience.

1. Try something new!

There are many different kinds of activities on campus. Never ever limit yourself. There are lots of fun events to attend. For example, I attended  Mocktails and Karaoke. This event is held on select Thursdays. You get to drink “mocktails” and sing karaoke (alone or with friends). 

I got to cover Adam Lambert's "Whataya want from me?" and "Sweet dreams are made of these" by the Eurythmics on Karaoke night.



Aside from events, try joining a club. This weekend, I got to film for the school’s film club. Even though I am not a film major, it still is a fun experience because you get to do something outside the box.  I encourage you to enjoy something new because college isn’t all about schoolwork. Being outside of the classroom can help you learn things as well. In film club, I learned many important skills.


I learned how to improvise and think on the fly (which, can help you in the end when your original Plan A does not happen), I learned to work with other people (in a casting and a crew setting) and I learned that no matter what position you have, you are important. My first job in film club was the “slate” for Night of Your Lives 2. I didn’t get to act but being the slate was still important to the club. I had to keep track of the scenes on the whiteboard and assist the camera. It wasn’t the most exciting job but now I am a regular cast member on a sketch show called “It’s Sketchy!” and I am cast as a detective in a supporting role for an upcoming short film. This club experience taught me that sometimes, you aren’t going to get the exact thing that you want. You might get something else and that is ok. Take up the smaller position and learn from it. You may be surprised what kind of skills you will pick up. Maybe later on since you have honed your skills in the small position, you will get the bigger position. And all of this came from just trying something new!


On set for Night of Your Lives 2. My 1st film club job.


2. Say yes to the mess

We are students. And a student’s job is to learn. LaRoche’s mission statement states that the college promotes “lifelong learners”. And sometimes, learning is not pretty. Learning can be ugly. A good way to be an effective learner is to learn to “say yes to the mess”. Maybe you didn’t get the grade you wanted for that math midterm. Maybe you said something to a friend that you shouldn’t have said. Maybe you didn’t plan so well in your time management.

But that’s okay! We all make mistakes because we are human. The important thing is to do your part to make it right. For that grade you didn’t really want, try going to office hours or a tutoring lab and grasp the concepts. For that friend you said something you shouldn’t have said something to, be honest and talk it over. For that time that didn’t fall into your plan, write a “to do” list and prioritize the next time. What you learn from these mistakes serves to make you a better learner. With being a lifelong learner, your day to day experiences teach you something whether or not you are in a classroom.


3. Learn to laugh!
“A laugh can be a powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it is the only weapon we have.” –Roger Rabbit

Some of the best memories I made during college were all started with a laugh, including whenever my friend Matt did this in the photo below. We were all Orientation Leaders and he decided to do this in our "silly picture". It is something I can look back on and remember the experience. Want to know why? Its because I can laugh about it!
 If you learn to laugh, you can find humor out of situations. Laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes whenever something is stressing me out, I take a little time and watch something funny.
Matt posing face down during our funny group picture!

4. Communicate and Network

Get to know different kinds of people. You never know what you will find. The beauty of college is everyone is from different places and different backgrounds. What is unique about LaRoche College is the high amount of international students. Our student body has students from Tanzania, China, Vietnam, Nepal, Saudi Arabia and many other different countries to get to know. Try reaching out to someone new and network with others. You will gain other perspectives and different kinds of stories from others.

My 1st roommate was from Tanzania. A cool thing I learned about her was that people in Tanzania do not wear shorts that are above the knee during the summertime. Culturally, they believe that it is too short of a length.

The best thing you can do to network and reach out is to get to know students from different majors as well as your own. My friends pictured here are Kristen, Nancy, Andre and Kidareo. Kristen majors in Journalism/Professional Writing, Nancy majors in Child and Family Studies, Andre majors in Communications and Kidareo majors in Psychology. 

(L to R: Kristen, Me (top), Kidareo, Nancy, Andre)

From my own major (which is Marketing/Management), I have met one of my good friends, Kiersten. This is us before our big Advertising and PR presentation.


Meeting new people is a given in college and with all these new people, there are infinite possibilities! I have helped a friend with a project by modeling for a sample advertisement. I have helped a fellow classmate in math.  And, a fellow classmate helps me in Philosophy. All these people you meet can have an impact on your college life. You will find that if you are networked and connected with people, you will feel more connected as a whole.

5. You are your own boss!

You are responsible for yourself and your actions. So far, your college experience is a blank slate. Fill it with color. You decide what colors you want to use and how you want to fill it.

I’m sure that whenever you start college, you can make your own top 5 list! These are my tips so far but since college is about learning, inside and out of the classroom, I will surely have more experiences to add to my own canvas.

-Mollie



Friday, October 16, 2015

A little about me! (Updated)

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog. My name is Mollie Farruggia and I am a sophomore at LaRoche College. I study Marketing/Management and I work as a work study in our campus library. I have the pleasure of being a student blogger this year.

Aside from that, I am involved with:
-Film Club (Stage Manager, Officer)
-Marketing Club
-Orientation Leader (2015/2016 school year)

I hope you enjoy what you read and welcome to Learning At LaRoche College!

-Mollie