Sophomore Year in Review

     Well, it's summer.  I'm officially done with my sophomore year of college (wow!), which means that I'm now an upperclassman (double wow!!).   At the end of freshman year it seemed like that was the fastest any year had gone by in my life.  But now, here I am, a Junior in college.  Sophomore year came and went almost before I realized it.  So many things happened that its hard to keep track of them all.  My first two years of college have been a blur...I can hardly remember what happened when.  Let's see, what did happen during this past year?  I will try and remember some of the main things.
     Well, to start off, Matt Maher came and performed at Benedictine last fall.  I was super excited about that since he is one of my favorites.  My brothers drove down to see him too.  As expected, the concert was great, and we all had a blast.  Afterwards, my friend, Jake and I got this priceless photo with him.  We were pretty pumped after we got it.  Easily one of the best pictures I've ever been in.
     I spent fall break in Kansas City with two of my best friends, Jake and John.  We had an all around blast.  We watched movies, played video games, went go-karting, went to see a movie, ate good food, cruised around in a convertible, and best of all, we relaxed.  It was one of the best breaks I've had so far.
     My intramural flag football team started the season out strong with 2 wins, but then we lost our next three.  One of those losses was the fault of the guys in the striped pajamas (aka referees), but oh well.  We all had great fun anyways.  We're hoping for a great winning season next year.  One reason to hope is that the team that has won the championship 3 years running, and is pretty much unbeatable, had all its players graduate this year...so they won't really be a problem anymore.
     My frisbee team had great year, going 3-0 during the season, and 1-1 in the playoffs.  We made it to the semi-finals, before losing to the eventual champions.  I had to make some frantic, last minute recruitments after our best player ditched us for another team (the dirty traitor).
     I also played intramural softball this spring.  It was good to get back on the diamond again. I still think softball is kinda lame.  Oh, well...its better than nothing, I guess.
     While I'm on the topic of sports, I started a tackle football club at school.  We've played several times, and it has been lots of fun.  Nothing beats a good game of tackle football (touch and flag don't count).  I'm hoping to get recognition as an official club from the college next year.
     One of the most fun (and crazy) things I did all year was taking part in the Homecoming parade (representing Newman Hall).  Along with several of my friends, I painted my entire body red and black.  Unfortunately, it was only 45 degrees outside.  We had to endure that for around two hours.  But it was totally worth it.  I also was a little hoarse afterwards from screaming, chanting, and yelling, for two hours straight.
     Academics-wise, I took many interesting (and some not-so-interesting) classes this year as I move forward with my Political Science degree.  Some of which were: US History, Presidential Elections, Intro to Research Methods, Macro and Microeconomics, Theology of Vatican II, US Civil War, Public Policy Analysis, and Development of Political Thought.  I am currently sitting at a 3.2 cumulative GPA.  Hopefully that will go up a little over the next two years.  My professors are all really good, and they all take a personal interest into each student's progress.  That is one of my favorite things at BC.

In my 4th Degree Regalia

     This past year I became increasingly more involved with the Knights of Columbus, receiving my 2nd, 3rd, and 4th degrees.  As a fourth degree I finally get to wear all the cool regalia that the Knights are so famous for.  I was also appointed to the position of Vocations officer in our council.  Next year is looking to be an exciting year for St. Benedict's College Council #4708.
     I was also very happy and honored to be elected Vice-President of the Benedictine College Republicans.  I am very much looking forward to working with all my fellow Republicans next year.
     Earlier this semester I applied for an internship with Congressman Jeff Fortenberry, of Nebraska's 1st District.  I spent many hours laboring over my application and resume.  It was definitely all worthwhile, though, as I got an email asking when I was available for an interview.  I went in for the interview over Easter break, and a couple weeks later I got the job.  I am very excited for this opportunity.  It will look great on my resume for the future, and I'm getting my foot in the political doorway.
     The biggest highlight of the year was, by far, going to the March for Life, in Washington, D.C.  You can read all about that trip right here. This was the second year I was lucky enough to go to the March.  Both times were incredible experiences.  This year was even more special because I got to meet one of my heroes, Rick Santorum.
     I know I'm forgetting many things, but there's no way I can mention everything that happened this past year.  That would take a lot more than just one blog post.  Overall, 2012-2013 has been a great year.  I am looking forward to next year with great anticipation.