Small Town America

Monday, May 14, 2012

College Graduation...The Scary Truth

You’re 22 years old, the extent of your work ethic is writing papers and studying for exams, and with a sudden flip of the tassel you’re kicked to the street and told to be an adult. After college graduation, all of the decisions are yours; only you’ve never been on your own before. So what’s the appropriate emotion? Fear? Anxiety? Excitement? With the availability of jobs for recent college grads not being the most promising, this year proves to be a little more stressful than usual. I decided to talk to my sister, Jordyn Pecoraro about her thoughts on graduation and the future after her commencement ceremony from Philadelphia University. Being a fashion business major, jobs aren’t being handed out like candy to begin with, even before this economy. Even with her stacked resume of working for DSW for an extended period of time as well as studying abroad and landing an internship in London, the fashion capitol of the world for a semester, she was still unable to secure a job for after graduation. It makes you think if that’s not enough, then what is? After multiple rejections her last attempt was a success, and she got a 5 day a week unpaid internship in New York City for the summer. With her fingers crossed, she’s hoping to be hired by the end of it.

But finding a job isn’t the only focus of graduation. It’s the newfound independence, the freedom. After 17 years of someone making your schedule and plans for you, it’s quite a culture shock to now have to reconstruct your life. It’s a newfound freedom, yes, but for some it’s too much of a good thing. Another thing to worry about is where to live. For those who are fortunate enough to have found a job, it’s a matter of apartment searching and finding something affordable to your budget. But what is affordable when you’ve got 4 years of student loans piled up and no source of income yet? And if you do not have a job, then do you consider the option of moving back home? All of these things are concerns graduates have to think about before they walk off that stage and move their tassel.

Aside from the logistical plans of the future, it was expressed to me that simply leaving behind the memories and way of life is one of the hardest parts of graduation. That school is your home and those people are your family, how could it be easy to say goodbye to it all at once? You have to grow up and accept the inevitable change no matter how much it hurts.

There’s a lot that goes into college graduation, mentally, emotionally, and physically. It’s not all about the celebrations and parties and freedom for most graduates. Yes graduation day is one to rejoice, but you’d be surprised to find out how many fresh alumni actually fear the day, which I found out after speaking to my sister and her friends.

As I’m nearing the end of my sophomore year here at Hofstra, this has really made me realize I need to shape up!

Monday, May 7, 2012

EIF Revlon Run/Walk

Untitled from Joe Peyronnin on Vimeo.

266,870 will be diagnosed, and 39,510 will not survive the fight. 1 in every 8 women will be told they have breast cancer this year, and will be fighting the battle of their lives. If it’s not you, it’s a parent, a sibling, an aunt, a friend. Every one is affected by not only breast cancer, but all forms of women’s cancer, which is exactly what the EIF Revlon Run/Walk has been fighting against for almost 20 years. What started as a miniscule walk grew into something bigger than ever expected, raising over $65 million that has been donated to cancer research since it’s beginning.

The feeling in the air the day of the run/walk was pure magic. The fact that you took the 6am train to get there is irrelevant, and the less than perfect foggy weather is trivial compared to the feeling that overwhelms you as soon as you step into Times Square. Just by looking to your left and right you see people from thousands of different walks of life, all with their own story and own reason for coming out to support. No body knows each other, but everyone who registers is automatically connected, joined by the pure fact that they want this disease destroyed. You don’t know that mans story standing next to you, or what that child wearing a “survivor” sign has been through, but it doesn’t matter. At that hour on Broadway Street every person is equal, and that’s what makes this run/walk so successful.

The opening ceremonies started at 8:15, with different stories being told both of triumph and tragedy. The national anthem was sung, tears were shed, and hearts were aching already from the deeply personal stories from the speakers. At around 8:45, celebrity hosts Olivia Wilde and Emma Stone came out to give their introduction, causing mayhem in the crowd, and then were followed by the one and only Jimmy Fallon. After Fallon’s cooky speech, “I’m Walking On Sunshine” blared from the speakers and the confetti cannons explode with red and white paper signaling the beginning of the walk. The entire route was 2 miles, starting in Times Square and ending in Central park where the participants were greeted with music, free goodies from sponsors, and much celebration. Revlon gave out free samples of lipstick, Smart Water was handing out free water bottles, and a few stands had free food. What started with a somber beginning at the opening ceremonies turned into a celebration of life and hope by the time everyone crossed the finished line.

This event just gets bigger and bigger every year, and has become a major source of funding for cancer research. Watching this video doesn’t give the event justice, and I strongly recommend making the trip next year to witness it first hand.

Monday, April 30, 2012

RELAY - picture slideshow

Last Saturday, April 28^th marked Hofstra University’s 5^th annual Relay For life, drawing in more than 1300 participants. This was the most successful year yet, raising $104,000 for the American Cancer Society. The relay team and volunteers started setting up for the overnight event around noon on Saturday, not stopping until the intramural field was perfectly equipped with the stage, tents, sponsors, registration tables, and perfectly constructed purple bows around the perimeter. The event started at 7 and people from every corner of the Hofstra community came out to support. Greek life, sports teams, music groups, and individuals were all brought together for one night of remembrance, support, and hope. The relay started with an opening ceremony, featuring speakers giving a synopsis of the event, as well as some personal stories of their own battle with cancer. The relay itself got kicked off by a group of cancer survivors and their caregivers doing a lap around the field, and all other participants jumped in when their lap was completed. As you walk your lap, you pass countless tents of table sales by different organizations. For example, Delta Phi Epsilon had a bracelet station set up, where you add a bead every time you complete a lap, Sigma Delta Tau was selling homemade cake pops, and Sigma Pi had a moon bounce. Franchises such as Moe’s also had a table set up to sell their nachos and chips and salsa. Also lining the track were luminaria, purchased and decorated by individuals who wanted a way to honor either a cancer survivor, or someone who has passed. At approximately 9:30 the luminaria ceremony began where multiple members of the Hofstra community spoke about how cancer had affected them, bringing the entire audience to tears. One really special moment was a video of Erin Willet, a Hofstra graduate and top 8 contestant on NBC’s The Voice who had performed on that very stage as a Senior last year. She spoke of how cancer has drastically changed her life since the last time she was here. Once the speakers were finished, it was time to light the luminaria and walk a lap in silence to honor those who have passed, are currently fighting, or have won their battle with cancer. After this the night continued with a more upbeat attitude, with musical performances by different singing groups, a zumba class, flash mobs, and also a beauty pageant competing for Mr. and Mrs. Hofstra. By the end of the night when $104,000 was raised, the Hofstra community was really brought together, and I think people really have a different appreciate for others whom they didn’t know they had something in common with. This event is only going to get bigger and stronger in the coming years!