Stevens Admissions: Nicole

Junior Parent Weekend

This past weekend Stevens invited all of the parents of Juniors to campus for a day filled of fun.  There was a presentation in the morning that discussed everything we needed to know about Senior Year.  A Community BBQ followed to celebrate Spring Sports Day, with a  beautiful reception to follow. Afterwards, a group of friends and our parents continued the celebration at Arthur's Steakhouse. The weather was absolutely beautiful and a great time was had by all! 

Kidney & Urology Foundation Banquet

Last night, the Theta Alpha chapter of Alpha Phi Omega Service Fraternity was acknowledged at the Kidney & Urology Foundation of America's annual banquet.  Over the last 12 years, Theta Alpha has helped volunteer at countless walks and events including this year's New York Auto Show.  

For over 60 years, the Kidney & Urology Foundation has been at the forefront of the renal community providing programs that directly support the renal patients by providing personal outreach and support. They provide Patient Emergency Grants, College Scholarships, New Day Education, and Camp Opportunities. 

We were honored with a black tie event at the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack, New Jersey where we received the Community Service Award that can be seen below. 

Faculty - Student Bowling League

For the past month the Student Faulty Alliance (SFA) has been hosted their first ever Bowling League! Teams consist of 3-4 students and one member of the faculty and the bowling takes place in the basement of the Howe Center.  Professors such as Kevin Ryan, Dr. Billah, along with Dean Nilsen and Provost Korffiatis took the lanes in a friendly competition.  I am teamed up with 3 of my peers plus Professor Iyengar of the Electrical Engineering department.  It was so nice to meet a professor that without this league  I probably would have never met.  Turns out we all were pretty decent at bowling and have a chance at winning the competition!  Also, did I mention there is free pizza?! 

Matilda: The Musical!

 

This past Thursday, the Stevens Entertainment Committee hosted an off-campus trip to see Matilda: The Musical on Broadway.  Being one of my favorite books/movie, I just couldn't pass up on this opportunity.  Right after class, my friends and I ran and caught a bus to the city to see an amazing play al for $25! 

Matilda: The Musical is a musical written by Denis Kelly, with music written by Tim Minchlin.  The musical is based on the book by Roalad Dahl and concerns a precocious 5-year-old girl who loves to read.  The musical showcases how Matilda overcomes her crazy family, school obstacles, and helps her teacher reclaim her life. 

Pancakes with the President

 

On Sunday morning, I had the privilege to enjoy breakfast in the Hoxie House with President and Mr. Farvardin with some fellow classmates.  Here we talked about our varying experiences at Stevens and listened to our ideas about strengthening the university.  This was such a unique and wonderful opportunity.  It was so nice to be able to talk to the President in a relaxed setting, and to engage in conversations that ranged from Sustainability to Housing. Breakfast consisted of the cutest silver dollar pancakes, bacon, and fresh fruit all served on beautiful china. We even had a chance to play with their dog Martini! 

 

A jammed packed Weekend.

This past weekend was filled with all sorts of fun activities.  First on Friday night, members of Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity celebrated our annual formal at the Elks Lodge down on Washington Street in Hoboken. We all put on our fancy dresses and suits and danced the night away. The food, music, and evening was absolutely fantastic.  

On Saturday, I traveled to the Weehawken Waterfront Park to support the Stevens Softball team take on Alfred in a doubleheader.  It was a perfect day to enjoy along the water celebrating the team's Senior Day with an awesome tailgate.  That night, my friends and I headed to campus to attend Boken! Boken is Stevens annual festival that is always a good time.  This year's event featured a concert with Billboard's Top 200 Anberlin, and the supporting act of Paper Route. The night concluded with our own personal firework show along the Hudson River! 

 

Just call me Chef Nicole.

A big part of coming to college is living on your own.  There is no one to cook your meals, clean up after you, or do your homework.  This freedom can be scary at first, but after a while it becomes extremely invigorating.  Out of all the household duties, I must say I really love to cook.  To me it is not a chore, but something relaxing.  My roommates and I have a good system, I cook... and they clean! 

Recently, l have acquired a crock pot from one of my friends which opened up a whole new possibility of recipes.  Slow cooker's are ideal for a hectic college student because you can set it up before class and have a hot meal waiting for you when you get home.  Today, I decided to make a balsamic roast beef french dip. 

Here you take a 1 3/4 pound roast beef and let it cook in a combination of balsamic vinegar, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and garlic for about 6 hours.  It is then served on a fresh sandwich roll! 

 

Campus Cursive

Over the last few months, my friend Jorge has been working extremly hard to bring a part of the moreloveletters.com movement to Stevens. The mission is simple.  It is to spread love across campus and throughout the community through anonymous acts of love lettering and writing letters to strangers in need.  These simple letters are either hid across campus (during finals week!) or sent to a specific person who is going through a tough time.  

Throughout the month of March, a group of students have been meeting on Friday and been crafting these wonderful messages on fabolous stationery.     

A bunch of us writing love letters! 

The Origin of Stevens

Stevens Institute of Technology impacted Hoboken far more then just being a college located there.  In 1784, Col. John Stevens built a Georgian-style mansion at the top of the cliff on Castle Point as a summer villa for the Stevens family. Following in 1802, the Colonel Stevens became the president of Bergen Turnpike, which controlled the boats docks located on present day Sinatra Drive.  In 1814. Stevens and his family moved permanently to Hoboken and utilized the invention of the steam engine to commute back and forth to New York City.  During this time, the Colonel began selling off the remainder of his properties throughout Hoboken for both residential development and farmland.  He then created a scenic "river walk" that winded from the ferry, around Castle Point, and stretched all the way to northern Hoboken. 

    Colonel Stevens built a hotel, where his visitors and guests could dine and lodge, created "Elysian Fields", built a primitive Ferris Wheel, and set up a demonstration train on a circular track.  Throughout the Holiday season, thousands of Manhattan residents would cross the Hudson, to view real estate, admire the magnificent gardens, or simply enjoy the amusements. 

Over time Hoboken's population grew to closely 7,000 and the city incorporated in 1855.  Around this time, the Colonel son's Edwin and Robert replaced the villa with a new mansion called The Castle designed by Alexander Jackson Davis. The Italian-style castle was finished in 1859 and had a coach portal, campanile, piazzas, and a hanginng staircase. 

Duiring the 1860s, Hoboken's population grew to nearly 20,000 people! At this time, Stevens still owned property that extended from Washing Street eastward to the river and northward through a rural section of the Elysian Fields.  By the 1900s, the Stevens family only had control of the land between 7th and tenth streets.  It was here that the Instiute was born. 

Cirque Du Soleil: Totem

 

This past Sunday, the Stevens Entertainment Committee hosted a trip to see Cirque Du Soleil: Totem at Citi Field. As an avid circus goer, I was more then excited to get tickets to the show. We arrived to Citi Field after taking a coach bus (which was provided) to see a magical tent city set up in the parking lot. Quickly after taking our seats, the incredible acts captured our immediate attention.  

In one act, five women on sky high unicycles, each balancing a bowl on her foot kicked them into the air to catch them on each others' heads! It was completely unreal. Another act, included a couple on roller skates attached at the neck while spinning on a moving platform.  I was completely impressed, mainly because I barely can roller skate on steady ground. The crisp choreography and the impressive lighting made the show more then impressive. Cirque Du Soleil is only here for a limited time before moving onto another city, so I suggest to go grab some tickets right now!

Spring Break

I traveled to an island for spring break... Long Island that is! Last week, I traveled home to the south shore of Long Island to catch up with my family and friends I haven't seen since around the holiday season. The break mainly consisted of running countless errands and catching up on some tv shows via Netflix. Below are some photos that show some of the fun things I did!

 
I spent time with my Puppy 

 

What's left of my favorite place... Sandy hit us hard. 

 

Annual Trip to the Circus with my dad!