By Zelu Wang
I am very happy to have the opportunity to be a Chatham Ambassador. I have been working in the Chatham Ambassador Office for about a week and a half. During this time I have learned a lot of skills. I have learned how to answer the phone professionally, use CampusVue software, prepare for admission events, and scan documents and so on. The most interesting experience so far, was learning how to give a tour to prospective students and their families. Our supervisor Aleda Elkin gave me a practice tour and she also showed me how she gives tours. Vanessa Thompson, a fellow ambassador, taught me how to use the CampusVue software. She also showed me what daily work looks like as a Chatham Ambassador and that has really helped me to adapt to my new workplace as a Chatham Ambassador. People who I work with are very kind. They are willing to share information and are happy to help me whenever I have questions. I had an internship in China last summer at a Chinese company. I have to say, different countries have different styles of working. An American’s working style is more independent where as the Chinese’s is collective. I really enjoy working with different people from different places and I would love to share my information and knowledge with others. Being a Chatham Ambassador is an honor and I will remember this valuable experience my entire life. Hope everyone is enjoying their summer of 2010!
Zelu Wang
Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Business Management
My name is Zelu Wang and I am an international student from China. I am also a senior at Chatham University in the Business Management major. I lived in China when I was a child. After finishing my high school education I came to United States and became a student at Chatham University. Chatham University is a wonderful place and I really enjoy my studies and life here. I still remember my first semester, because it was a real challenge for me. Luckily, there are lots of faculty and staff members who were willing to help me during that time. Eventually, I was able to adapt to living my life in the United States as a college student. I can assure you that Chatham is a great school attend and you can really enjoy your college experience here.
By learning knowledge, making friends and having countless opportunities to grow at Chatham University, you will be ready for your future. Feel free to e-mail me to zwang@chatham.edu whenever you have questions.
This upcoming week is a busy one for Chatham undergraduates. It’s our last week of classes, reading day and the beginning of exams. Beyond academics, there’s also Closing Convocation, the Minor Bird book launch and Moonlight Breakfast. Moonlight Breakfast is by far my favorite tradition at Chatham! Moonlight, as the name implies, occurs on the eve of the first day of final exams, when Chatham professors come and cook the students food in Anderson. I think it’s one of my favorite traditions because after working so hard for a professor all semester, it’s very rewarding to say to them, “Dr. Lenz, may I have more peppers in my omelet, please?” Plus, it’s a great break from studying to relax with all your friends and forget about exams for a couple hours. This semester I hope Dr. Connolly in the Economics department is cooking – her final exam is sure to be a doozy!
In April of 2007, I attended my first ASD at Chatham. I remember having to wake up early in the morning for the five hour drive from DC to Pittsburgh. I had spoken to my counselor Tara numerous times over the phone and mailed my deposit. I had also spoken to and had lunch with a Chatham alum living in DC. I was excited and totally scared; I had already made the decision that I will be attending Chatham and there was no turning back. Registering for classes with Dr. Stilts, touring the residence halls, etc. was my first experience of what it may be like being a Chatham student.
In April of 2010, I attended ASD as a Chatham ambassador. Looking at all the accepted students and their families in Eddy Theater placed me at the other end of the spectrum; a current Chatham student. I realized that the years had gone by really quickly and Chatham was my new home. I could hardly remember what my life was like before Chatham. In a couple of months, the new accepted students would be like me. They would have become very accustomed to the environment that it would be hard to believe, they were ever some where else.
Being an ambassador gives me the unique opportunity to be one of the first students to interact with the accepted students. If I had to offer anyone advice about their first year of college, it will be study hard, make loads of friends, participate in school activities and don’t worry about the freshman fifteen because it’s only a myth.
The Roommate Question – Keara McKenna I think one of the scariest prospects about going to college is the looming question of “what’s my roommate going to be like?!” Well, since Accepted Students Day is coming up, I thought I would share with you how I met my roommate. Registering for classes is always, without fail, a pain for the simple fact that everyone is trying to register at once which slows the computer system down terribly. At ASD you will have the opportunity, just as my roommate and I did, to experience this for the first time. Joan and I were sitting next to each other in the computer lab when she leaned over, looked at my computer screen and said, “Hey, I’m trying to register for 2 of those classes too, but it says I’m not a student yet!” After we got her into the classes she needed, we went to lunch and learned we were both planning to study political science and had a ton in common. As the day came to a close we agree to friend each other on Facebook and went our separate ways. A few weeks later I received my housing information from Chatham. I got to thinking about “what’s my roommate going to be like?!” and decided to take a chance. I messaged Joan on Facebook asking if she would want to live together. She was ecstatic! For the following two years we lived in Fickes together and in that time I truly made a friend for life. So don’t be afraid at ASD to be a little outgoing and start trying to make friends early – you may find a new best friend!
My name Alexandra Ratliff, and I am a first year student at Chatham University. I am majoring in Environmental Science and working towards a teaching certification. It was not too long ago that I graduated from high school; I remember the ups and downs of my senior year. The school work never seemed to end, along with the work that went into my senior project and extracurricular activities. In addition to finishing up high school, senior year was about preparing for college. That meant filling out application after application, taking the SAT’s, deciding a major, and saying good-bye to many friends.
On my graduation day, I knew the hardest part of it was knowing that I would really be leaving my high school and my peers that I grew up with. We all hugged and said our good byes, knowing that we were finally ready for the next stage in our lives. Over the summer, I adjusted. I still was able to see my friends but was also able to prepare for college.
Then the day came when I left my home for Chatham. It was difficult but with my family’s help, I was able to make it through. Once at Chatham, I made friends easily and could relate to many of my fellow students here. The fit was perfect. Currently I am active in Chatham volleyball, ambassador program, student government, and my schoolwork overall. Now that I am settled in and it is my second semester at Chatham, I can truly look forward reassured of my future here at Chatham and in life.
Buhl Olympics is a long standing Chatham tradition in the science department. This year’s games were spectacular! Science students and faculty got the chance to participate in fun games, relax and eat together. Members of the science club and faculty have been looking forward to this event all semester.
During this event students got to participate in fun competitive activities and had chance to win prices. For example, Dr Gift and Dr Kostalos (Biology) had an environmentally themed activity where we classified organisms according to their biomes .Dr Johnson’s (Biology) activity involved classifying common foods. Dr Hallows (Chemistry) made a periodic table with over 80 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes and had a periodic themed puzzle activity.
In addition to the delicious food, students got the opportunity to ‘pie’ 3 professors. All the professors who participated in this activity had conical flasks and the professors would the most money in their flasks got pied by the students. The professors who got pied were Dr. Trout (Mathematics), Dr. Hallows and Dr. Falconer (Chemistry). All the money raised from ‘pieing’ bids went to charity. Despite Dr Hallows fervent campaign in class not to get pied and Dr Falconer’s threat to take away the candy from her office, they both got pied. Dr Trout managed to keep the pie away from his long hair.
Overall, Buhl Olympics was one of my favorite events on campus this semester. I got to hang out with my friends and teachers outside the classroom (although technically the activity was held in the atrium of the science building)!
Marldine Nganteh
Chatham ’11 (Biochemistry)
Spring break is always an exciting time of year. Friends traveling the world, warm weather approaching and midterms are over so everyone has a clear conscience to enjoy themselves. My spring break was especially exciting this year because while home I learned I had been accepted to Carnegie Mellon for the Accelerated Masters in Public Policy and Management!
The Accelerated Masters is a great opportunity if it aligns with your interests. As a Junior, I applied to the program last winter with the hopes of starting the Fall of my Senior year. Both semesters of my Senior year at Chatham I will take two graduate level classes at Carnegie Mellon, one Senior level class at Chatham and write my tutorial. For that year I will continue receiving scholarships from Chatham, and the following year upon graduating Chatham I will be a full-time graduate student. The advantages to the program are that I will earn a Masters degree in only 1 extra year (instead of the typical 2), and I will be able to do so at a fraction of the cost! Additionally, I have the opportunity to participate in one of the best public policy programs in the country and remain in Pittsburgh for an extra year.
If you have any questions about the process of applying to an Accelerated Masters program or just want some more information, please feel free to contact me!
After a busy first half of the semester, Spring Break finally arrived! As many of my classmates prepared to sleep in till noon, I departed along with 4 peers for Washington DC for the week-long Women and Congress seminar with PLEN. I had participated with this organization last spring break also with the support of Dr. DiMola. Dr. DiMola along with many other faculty members at Chatham support and encourage students to have experiences outside the classroom. These experiences add to my classroom work by providing the opportunities to experience the government and its agencies first hand.
PLEN is an organization that encourages college women to aspire to work in or run for a public office. PLEN focuses on the challenges of working in a male dominated field as well as how to network on Capitol Hill. As part of the sessions throughout the week, we meet with Senators, Representatives, non-profit organizations, and Capitol Hill staff. All of the speakers were very gracious about providing advice and support for us and our aspirations.
Around Capitol Hill, the advice that fills the air is “network, network, network!” After meeting with many Capitol Hill staff, from Legal Assistants to Senators, all agreed that getting to know people who have influence over Capitol Hill and understanding the process by which Capitol Hill procedures flow is the key tool to finding and obtaining a career on Capitol Hill. The opportunities of PLEN provided me with these invaluable skills that I will continue to use at Chatham and also to obtain a career on Capitol Hill after graduation.
The PLEN staff provided many opportunities to refine our skills through mock Congressional Hearings on the Paycheck Fairness Act, Lobbying receptions, and meetings with Congressional staff members. As a political science major, an opportunity like PLEN is vital to making contacts with people who could be helpful in making career decisions when I graduate.
I personally feel that this trip was very influential for me and my future goals both in college and after graduation. Prior to the trip, I was questioning my major decisions and questioning what I “truly” wanted to do with my life, after the trip I discovered that my passion is politics and I aspire to be a member of the Capitol Hill staff.
It’s true: snow days are so much better when you’re in college… and WE GOT FOUR! The snowstorm at the beginning of February may have made history in Pittsburgh, but these four snow day are legendary for our campus. It was a lot of snow, but it came on a Friday so we didn’t expect the present that Chatham was about to give us during the upcoming week. Many other campuses closed on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but Chatham also closed Thursday to be especially conscious of our large commuter community and professors traveling in from farther distances. Each night when the announcement came through via e-mail, Facebook statuses all simultaneously said something like “THANK YOU WALT FOWLER!” or “I’m going to send Walt Fowler a box of chocolates” or “SNOW DAY #3. Wahooooo!”. (For those who don’t know, Walt Fowler is Vice President of Finance & Administration and “Executive Snow Day Decider”. ) The 20+ inches of snow didn’t keep us, Chatham Women, inside though. People were out sledding down Chapel Hill, taking picture, and generally out and about. The residence halls and apartments all remained cozy and warm for when we came back in. Of course, there was plenty of time to catch up on course work, reading, hulu, movies, that article you’ve been meaning to read and for the unfortunate seniors, there was tutorial. It was a restful four days, and you know it’s been a good week when the first and last day of classes for that week
is a Friday!
I don’t know if Walt Fowler ever got his box of chocolates, but he sure does deserve them.
P.S. Dear Mr. Fowler, I could really use 4 more!
