My First Semester by alessia contrino

Athletic Event

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-09-16 15:08:31 UTC

On Saturday, I attended the first football game of the year at SUNY Cortland. As I approached the stadium I was filled with excitement and joy as I felt a sense of home and community within the stadium. As I walked to find my seat there was an energy that filled the stands. This energy was hope, spirit, love, and happiness. I felt all these emotions within each cheer. This sense of community was so comforting because it truly showed me I was in a loving and supportive environment. Not only did I find comfort through the school spirit, but it also reminded me of home. One of my favorite activities to do at home was to attend the local football games at my high school. To finally attend a game once again, I felt at home again. It was a sense of relief that I can find activities at Cortland that I would participate in at home. During this event, my favorite moment would have to be meeting the mascot, blaze. Blaze carried a great aura to enrich energy within the stadium. I found it very entertaining to watch Blaze’s interactions with the students and local community. I am really glad I attended the football game. I will make a major effort to attend all the games, as it brought me such joy and comfort.

Social Event Submission

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-11-12 01:03:32 UTC

On November 9th I attended a play at SUNY Cortland. This play was John Proctor is the villain. This was by far one of my most favorite events that I experienced at SUNY Cortland. This play discussed a modernized version of the Crucible. This was an empowering play that contributed to modern day woman issues. It discussed sexual harassment, inappropriate relationships, feminism, domestic violence, etc. This was such a moving play that I think should be mandated for all students to see. This play advocated awareness and change. I was so moved throughout the entire performance. I felt a variety of emotions that I never knew a small act could cause. I would watch this play on repeat if provided a chance. I will 100% attend another play at SUNY Cortland. I am extremely thankful for COR101 for pushing me to explore new experiences available for us students at Cortland.

Personal Wellness Event

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-11-21 16:48:35 UTC

On Wednesday, November 20^th at 7 PM, I attended a thank you letter event hosted in Fitzgerald Hall. We all came together to eat snacks and discuss what we were thankful for. We got a variety of options of different cards and color pencils, markers, pens to write a letter of gratitude. I wrote two letters. My first letter was dedicated to my RA Jake. I expressed my gratitude towards him and acknowledged the major efforts he makes to support both the staff and students living in Fitzgerald Hall. I was specifically thankful for the support both RA Jake and Faith provided to me during my appendicitis recovery. The second letter I wrote was dedicated to Miguel who is a member of the Fitzgerald cleaning staff. Miguel wakes up at 5 A.M every day to arrive and clean the second and third floor. Miguel must deal with a lot of unnecessary messes made by many students, and he deserves to be shown the respect and gratitude that he shows us. This was a personal wellness event for me because I felt very moved to know I could change someone's day through a short letter. This even motivated me to write letters to myself for when I am down or stressed out. This was such a beneficial and moving activity that I beieve should be incorporated into every building in Cortland.

Culture Event

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-11-21 17:02:23 UTC

On November 21^st I attended SUNY Cortland's art gallery. Walking into the art gallery I expected just plain old artwork of splattered colors mushed together. However, this wasn't the case. I instead saw a variety of stories displayed through a mixture of colors, textures, and exhibits. It was so beautiful to observe the cultural display through the variety of artwork. Each and every image displayed a story, which I found extraordinary. One piece of art that stood out to me in particular was the graphite and ink on paper image that I attached below. This artwork pulled me in. I caught it in the corner of my eye, and I was unable to pull myself away from it. To me this image represents unity and diversity. All those of different souls, cultures, beliefs, races, etc. coming together and morphing into one society. It was a unique approach to emphasize the blending of others. I also loved the fact that there were numerous ways to interpret the image. I viewed this art gallery as a beautiful display of a variety of cultures emphasized through exploration of colors and techniques.

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-11-21 17:03:26 UTC

image that stood out to me at art gallery

Academic Club Event

alessiacontrino72 — 2024-12-03 15:19:42 UTC

On December 2nd, 2024, I attended an academic club event hosted by the Kinesiology Club. The kinesiology club is dedicated to the scientific study of human movement and how the body functions. The club approached an event through a workout class. This event was their spin cycle class, which involved learning about the different movements and their impact on various parts of the body. I found this class to be interesting due to the informative and impactful combination of working out and educational clubs/lessons. However, despite the engaging nature of the class, this was also one of my most difficult events, as it was both a painful experience and a fun one. I had a tough time keeping up with everyone else because I was not used to the intensity and heat of a spin class. Regardless, I was able to keep pushing myself through the motivation and information provided. I was able to even reach 5.8 miles in my workout. I was amazed because I did not think my body was capable of this. It was interesting to learn the variety of ways to approach different components within your body and to see how far your body could go aside from mental blockages.