Akeem Edmonds

This past week provided an excellent transition into the weekend. I ended the week by being the first new admissions tour guide/student representative to finish their final steps for training! Greatness in the making for sure. On Thursday, SNC had our FIRST EVER home track and field meet down at the new Schneider Stadium! It was exciting to have people come out and see us race. Even with the cold winds, I would say it was definitely worth it. Since the beginning of outdoor season, I’ve been getting over injuries so I’ve been taking it easy so far. At the home meet though, I felt like a million bucks. I ran the 4 by 1, and the 200 and did well. I FINALLY got to run my first 400 METER DASH of the season and I did okay for a first time. I broke 52 seconds with a 51.68. Compared to my high school times, I’ve ran faster but it was fast enough to guarantee a first place win AND the title of stadium record holder for the 400. It was a rewarding night for sure. Everyone on the team did phenomenal that afternoon, despite the cold weather. We’re trying to show everyone, nothing will keep us down for long!

Easter Break was a nice four day weekend of relaxation. I went to visit friends for the first night, but I spent the majority of break at home, which was a surprise to Chris who had no idea I was even coming. We spent Easter with some family friends, eating a huge meal which was delicious! I caught up on sleep too which, for this college kid, was much needed. We got that Friday and Monday off of school which was nice. On top of that, we also had advisement day this past Thursday. Sure we pick classes and talk with our advisers, but it means a day without classes, projects, or tests, sign me up ASAP. I actually don’t have my advisement meeting until next Wednesday, so after 6AM practice, I went straight to bed AGAIN. Tori, Alex, Gabbie, Chantre, and I went to see “The Titanic” in 3D together which turned out to be good. Tori LOVES that movie (like cries when the previews come on and Celine Dion sings My Heart Will Go On!) so it was a nice treat for her. Basically, a great start to a “productive” day! This next weekend, the track team has a meet at Wisconsin Lutheran, so hopefully all goes well. Big things are in store for the team as the school year begins to wind down. On thing I’m excited for is my birthday, April 16th!! You only turn 19 once, so I’m gonna hopefully live it up big! Let’s see how that goes =)

This past weekend, the track team got started up again and we had our first outdoor meet at Ripon and WE DOMINATED! Both the girls and guys teams took first place overall at the meets and we had a lot of great individual and relay races. My knee had been bothering me all week leading up to the meet, but it wasn’t anything really big. At the meet though, let’s just say I saw EVERYONE that I was running against cross the finish line. Coach should’ve probably said don’t let everyone pass you, let alone one person. I had to drop from my 4 by 400 meter relay team because of my knee which sucked because I hate giving up or quitting, but my team was right. I’d rather not run this one race than not run for the rest of the season. It’s fine now so hopefully I’ll be good for Carroll next week!

I just realize I am excited for the next school year to start. True, this one’s gone by so fast, but so much is happening next school year. I am working in Admissions as an OFFICIAL Student Representative. Now I’ll get paid for all of the things I’ve been volunteering for previously! I was told there is a packet to memorize. No, it’s more like reading the dictionary, but I actually think I nailed everything already. I’m ready to go and start every tour I have with “Here at St. Norbert College…” I’m going to be a pro at this. I’m also working as a S.T.A.R. mentor/coordinator next year, which if you weren’t able to tell from previous blogs, makes me excited. Then on top of all that, I can still do Student Government and work as a Connections tutor! Also, Alex, 6 other track guys, and I are all planning on living in Michel’s Service-Learning Hall next semester as roommates. I could not have asked for a better group to be rooming with. This is gonna be fun!

The week before Spring Break seemed like the longest week of my life and the week after Spring Beak went by way too fast! Time is just not on my side, but Spring Break was amazing so I can’t complain. These last couple of weeks, I’m glad I got to spend with friends. My friend Ben, is going off to Basic Training for the National Guards, so I got to spend time with him before he left. I also went back to Mooseheart to talk about experiences and successes in college to the juniors and seniors. It was nice visiting with my old roommate Brendon and my family teacher Jenise from high school. I also got to spend time with Kaitlyn Miller, Danny Haggerty, Danny Egan, Rebecca Liming, Nick Kemmler, and Sean Topacio( friends from St.Norbert) and went to a soccer game, had a bonfire, went out for Chinese, and toured Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day. Some Chicagoans don’t know how to act on St. Patty’s Day. There were so many people drunk off life in the park, it was amusing to watch. Good old Chicago! I had more bonfires with Sean and our friends, Maggie and Melissa then I can count. All this good weather only has me focusing on one thing: SUMMMER!!! One more month to bear through and I’m home sweet home. I can’t wait!

This past weekend was both disappointing and exciting at the same time. So the track team went to Illinois College for Conference this weekend. Love all the perks that come with that: Thursday and Friday (No Classes!), AMAZING FOOD (Olive Garden, Jimmy Johns, Long Horn Steakhouse), hotels, and bonding time with the track team! I just hate the pressure that comes with everything else: the 400, beating Monmouth, scoring points! I didn’t do as hot as I wanted to in the 400 meter dash. I felt good, but like always, I got stuck on the cut in after the first lap.9th place overall. My 4 by 400 relay team was on fire though. We ran hard and our efforts got us on the podium, third place. Not bad for a first time. Both the guys and the girls teams placed 3rd place overall at conference and A LOT of people “podium’d” this weekend.  Justin Johnson and Mike Verfuerth got 1st and 3rd in their hurdles. Hannah Andrekus got 3rd in her race. Mackenzie got 2nd in both the 3K AND 5K. This past weekend I felt I grew tremendously. I didn’t realize how attached I’ve gotten to the team.  On my way back from conference on Saturday, this was my status on Facebook.

I don’t need beer to make me die from laughter
I don’t need drugs to make me high off life
I don’t need a frat to have a brotherhood/sisterhood
You’re loses have become my disappointments too
And you’re wins have filled me with overwhelming joy

Honestly All I need is my SNC track team!

I AM SO PROUD of everyone this past season. Some of you may not be happy with your performances at conference, but that didn’t stop me from screaming my head off for you guys and losing my voice from excitement. If I took anything from the past weekend, it’s that we’re more than a team, but a family. We motivate each other to be our best all the time, and we celebrate each other’s victory as if it were our own. You guys are amazing and I can’t wait for another 4 years, 7 more seasons, to be with a team I count # 1 every time. You guys are awesome! Outdoor Season= Clean Slate, New Opportunities for SNC Domination! Let’s show ‘em what we’re made of!

I really can’t wait for what the future holds for our team. These are the moments when I remember why I love college and SNC so much!

This week just keeps getting better. This past weekend, we had a track meet at Grand Valley State University and like Coach Augustine said, we were PHENOMENAL!! We went up against Division 1 and 2 colleges and we definitely held our own. Everyone on the team PR’d this weekend and went above and beyond what they were capable of. Honestly, when the going gets tough, Saint Norbert gets going! I ran the 400 meter dash for the second time at GV and I got first place in my race! I was happy and then got excited when my 4×400 track team got first place too! Like I said, we were on fire. These are the reasons I’m proud to be a knight!!

This week is going by super fast! I filled out so many applications for jobs and scholarships this week and written more papers than I can count. I guess it’s with all the love in the air. Valentine’s Day was certainly memorable. One I won’t forget, EVER! Tori, Chantre, Gabbie, and I went to the movies. Guess what we saw? Sorry fellas, yes it was The Vow. It wasn’t all that bad except for the obnoxious girls next to us. What is so funny about someone losing their memory? Please tell me. It wasn’t bad though.

I may have not gone all out for V-Day. I made Stephanie a build-a-bear and left it outside her door for when she woke up. That was a funny and awkward trip with Hayden and Alex.  Then when she got to work in the LSE/MSS office, there waiting for her were white roses, which are her favorite. She thinks red roses are too cliché. To top it all off, with the help of Jean and Tessa August (Thanks ladies), I got her the most gigantic box of chocolates EVER, which they wrapped for me. The men’s choir for Valentine’s Day did singing Valentines that we delivered to people. It was great singing around campus. I would’ve done it for Steph, but she hates public scenes. Valentine’s Day is her favorite holiday so I’m guessing she was appreciative. Who knows though? Overall, this week is looking good. We have our final track meet at UW Stevens Point before conference. This is everyone’s last chance to get a time that qualifies them for conference if they haven’t. This is gonna be big, so knights, let’s make this good! Wish us luck on our road to success. Watch out Monmouth, Conference is ours for the taking!

Winter break was definitely necessary and well deserved! Two whole weeks of relaxation and fun, so I can’t complain. Before leaving SNC, Tori, Alex, Amanda, Gabby, Chantre, and I did a Christmas photo shoot. Alex, Tori, and I came out with Christmas cards, so get ‘em while they’re hot. They also came to Chicago to visit me and we had a night on the town. I spend tons of time with my friends all around Chicago going to malls, movies, and parks. I went to Navy Pier, Outlet Malls, Water Tower, and got lost of few times, but what’s life without a little adventure here or there? I got to see my peer ministry team from home and we spent a day in downtown Chicago. We just had our Winter Forum retreat. Between the dance, formal dinner date, and drag queen pageant, it was a great weekend before school started. Love those guys!

Break had to end short though because of Track. I though having to be back on Jan 4th would be bad. I was SOO wrong. The track team is a riot! Sure practices were super hard. It’s boot camp after all, but we did so much team bonding. LOVE THE TEAM! When you play hide and go seek in a practically empty residence hall, add in hoodies and a Hayden Hoffman, take late night trips to Cold Stone, throw in a little Buffalo Wild Wings, last packer cleanup (PACKERS LOST), Bowling, Pizza Hut, team videos, THE MALL OF AMERICA, AND A track meet overnight in Minnesota, hotels and all, you’ll understand what it means to be a member of the SNC track team. Track is DEFINITELY worth it. Our goal this year is to win. We have the talent, so I feel like this is our year to do big things. If Coach Augustine believes we can, that’s good enough for me! For college track, I’m doing well. I’m definitely not as bad as I thought I would be, but there’s always room for improvement. My goal is to get to conference and nationals sometime. I like to dream big. What can I say?

The new semester is in full swing and things are going fast already. I’m doing Men’s Choir this semester and voice lessons. I started tutoring at the Boys and Girls Club at Fort Howard Elementary School as well as at Howe Elementary School. The exciting part of the semester is…drumroll please! I’ve have declared a major! The very first day of classes I dropped all my classes, got a new adviser, and became an education major. I’m doing early childhood. Crazy, I know, but I’m excited. I’m like an 18 year old version of these kids anyway, so PERFECT. Big things await this semester. Well, until next time readers, Over and Out!

Thanksgiving break must be over because again I find myself busy all the time. My break was very good though. I spent time with Jordan and a lot of my others good friends (Cayana, Ben, Sean, Mario, Riley, Becca, Kim, David, and Cody!) We all went to eat and saw the Muppets in the theaters. I spent time downtown with Jordan and our friend, Shelby, who we hadn’t seen in two years. It was a good time. Thanksgiving was a good day. My cousin Chris is an amazing cook. It’s not my grandmother’s cooking, but it was good food, so I’m not complaining!

These last two weeks since break, all my classes have been about getting ready for my finals.  I just turned in a research paper for English. I have two papers for finals which are for Philosophy and English. On Wednesday morning I took the oral part of my Spanish test and I think I aced it. We’ll find out soon. The only exams I have are for Spanish and Calculus. Spanish has never been a problem for me, so that’s an easy A. Calculus is A LOT of memorization, but I can do it. I have my Spanish final next Tuesday and my Calc final next Friday so I have days in between to study. Just in case though, I’m definitely gonna start now. Well next week’s gonna be hectic with finals and Christmas parties. I’m gonna have a good time for sure! We until next time readers, Over and Out!

I can definitely feel the Christmas spirit all around campus. Everyone has Christmas lights and decorations put up. SNC is pretty festive. The weather’s gotten colder, but still no snow! I’m not a fan of the snow so I’m happy with the way things are right now! This is about the time everyone has their end of the year party and celebrations so I’ve got a lot of celebration coming my way. Sunday, guys and the honorary girls from our floor had a secret santa party. Erin Sullivan ended up getting me the movie, Friends With Benefits. I’m pretty excited. Last week, the residence halls, Mad/Lor, 3M, and Bergstrom, had their dinner/gala. Marcia and I sang Baby It’s Cold Outside for Karaoke, which was huge since I get nervous singing for people. People said we were amazing, so I’m pretty happy. This week was my last week tutoring at Howe Elementary school for the semester. We just had our last Student Government . Last Friday and Saturday we had our final choir concerts which were amazing. I’m not gonna lie, we sound angelic! Tonight(Wednesday) we have a RHA award reception. Congrats to Alex for winning Student of the Month for November! We are an unstoppable duo for sure. We both have banners hanging outside our door.We’re doing big things! Tonight we also have our STAR dinner at El Sarape! This is our last time with Maria, our STAR mentor and coordinator, this year. She’s going to Washington DC with study abroad. She’s gonna be sad, but we’ll keep in touch. The ALIVE team Christmas party was yesterday which had like 30 people, which is huge for a hall event. Last week, I also participated in making a sexual consent video with Alex, Tori, and some other people. It was fun to make and I know we did well. It’s gonna be presented at orientations, job trainings, FYE programs, and clubs so look out SNC! I’ve made it to the big screen!

As the school year comes to a close, I’m kind of relieved and sad. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about classes for the next 5 weeks, but I’m definitely gonna miss SNC and my friends. I’m excited for next semester though. Track and Field gonna be crazy! Next semester looks pretty promising. There are some big things in store like a diversity retreat, Black History Month and a Soul Food dinner in February. There’s some good stuff on the way! Well I’m not sure if this will be my last blog for the semester before break or not. So just in case, have a merry Christmas and a happy new year. Enjoy every moment of it and don’t eat too much! See you 2012 readers. Peace and blessings to all. Over and Out!

I’m pretty happy. This week has produced A LOT of results. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been getting random packages from places I’ve never been to like Texas and Colorado. My first thought is someone is trying to kill me! I eventually got more realistic and realized it’s from someone I know. After a month of random packages, I found out they were from Chris, my cousin/guardian. Thanks Chris! Also, I just found out I’ve been voted 2015′s Student of the Month! I don’t know by who or how, but I’m complete! Thanks to all of you who made that happen!

Like I told you guys in my last blog, my weekend went according to plan. Last week Friday Tori and I went to kick it with members of the ALIVE team at their program, “Not Your Average Friday Night.” They’re all friends of so I decided to go and check it out. We weren’t the only ones. The turnout was HUGE! There were definitely more people there than the team expected. They broke us all up into groups and we did a bunch of competitive team building games. It was a good time.

Saturday I went out for brunch with Tori, Stephanie, and Mary at the Nicolet. Their food is so good! The rest of the night was spent going to the play, “The Birds,” which was good, and going to Barefoot Volleyball, a simulation put on by the Zambia Project. Barefoot Volleyball was awesome! It went from 9pm to midnight. I got Alex, my roommate, and my friend, Sarah St.John, to play. My team came in second place. We were SO close to victory. It might’ve helped if volleyball wasn’t barefoot, but I accept defeat. =( To finish off the night, we went to Wendy’s and then we had a huge movie night in Tori’s room since Amanda was gone for the weekend. Sunday was the usual. I went to church, did brunch with friends, and then studied.

My school week went pretty fast. I’m glad we got Tuesday off for advisement. I didn’t get to sleep in like I wanted to. Alex decided he wanted to do something different. He convinced me to go along eventually, so we both did Shack-A-Thon! The club, Habitat for Humanity, held the event. We slept in boxes overnight on the lawn of the Campus Center. I know it sounds bad, but it was pretty cool minus the cold and the morning frost on the lawn. I sang around a fire with a lot of people like Sean, Chaz, and Micheal Tom O’Malley. It was a great bonding time. Then I stayed up playing games with Mary, Stephanie, Clifford, and Alex in our box fort. Good times for sure.

This weekend I’m spending time indoors. I have so much homework to do before Thanksgiving break on Tuesday. Saturday is Sarah St.John’s Birthday!! So Happy Birthday Sarah who lives in Rockford, but goes to school in De Pere!(Inside joke =))

For Thanksgiving, I’m going home to Chicago and to Jordan! My best friend from home, Jordan Holler, is staying with me for the break instead of going to his home in Colorado. I’m pretty excited. I’m hanging out with other friends from home too. We might catch a movie or go to the Thanksgiving day parade in Chicago. We’re definitely going Black Friday shopping. It’ll be my first time so watch out grandma! Well, hope everyone enjoys the break, travels safely, and gets fat off turkey. Until next time, Over and Out!

I feel like this week I have said multiply times, “Of course I’m that guy”. It has just been one of those weeks. For starters, this Monday when I smelled popcorn down my hallway in Mad/Lor, I decided I wanted to make popcorn. So I did! I put the popcorn in the microwave for two minutes and I  use my computer while I wait. Then all of sudden I start smelling it burn. I look up and there is SMOKE pouring out of the microwave. I jumped up immediately and opened the microwave. BAD IDEA! My room was overtaken by smoke and burnt smells. All of this went unnoticed by no one! Once I opened the windows and got out of my room, ALL OF MAD/LOR smelled like burnt popcorn for hours after. Another room burned popcorn that same night and they thought it was them. They whole building somehow knew it was me though. Out of almost two hundred people in Mal/Lor, Of course I’m that guy!

That was not the only time I said that thought. The same night I went to the laundry room and somehow got stuck in the dryer! After learning not to sit on washing machines again I said to myself, “Of course I’m that guy!” Also, when Wednesday was advisement day and the entire campus had a day off, someone forgot to mention it would be a snow day. I woke up to snow which meant no more shorts for me. Of course, I’m that guy!

This week wasn’t a total failure though. I went cosmic bowling with the cross country team this weekend. It was pretty great, especially when Melissa Menne and I asked the DJ to do a birthday shout-out for Alex who just turned 17! He felt so deprived of his 18th birthday of that. Sorry Alex!

Also, I went to the Men’s Hockey game with the Knightriders fan bus. Another win for SNC! The Birds play came out this weekend. It should be good so I’m gonna go with a group of friends to see the play. This weekend, my intramural volleyball team signed up for the Zambia Project’s Barefoot Tournament. The Zambia Project raises money to help support those living in Zambia. The ALIVE team also is holding a program called Not Your Average Friday Night from 9pm-12am. I’m gonna go to their program. The ALIVE team programs are always good so I’m in for a surprise for sure. Well until next time readers, Over and Out! I’ll be sure to stop making popcorn. Let’s leave that to the experts!