Go Outside Your Comfort Zone

On the top of a mountain in Peru

Hey girls.  I’m Maria and I’m entering my last semester at Penn State.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not an outgoing person.  But I doubt any of y’all will ever see that.  It’s because WEP is a comfort zone for me.  But it wasn’t always that way.

I came from a small, private, all-girls high school - 83 in my graduating class.  I was a little hesitant to go to such a big school and not know anyone.  By participating in WEPO, I met friends who are still my friends today (and this is my 5th WEPO since I was a participant in 2008).  WEP quickly became my comfort zone at school.

But I wanted to meet people who weren’t engineers.  So I went to the activities fair in the HUB during the first week of classes and joined a few clubs.  While the clubs I have been involved in have changed, it has been easier to step outside my comfort zone and into something new each time because I have done it before.

I guess my biggest piece of advice is don’t be afraid to try something new.  Go ahead and step outside your comfort zone.  I am currently on co-op with Dow Chemical.  I am in Freeport, TX which is 1,611 miles from home.  Would you think I would be comfortable here?  Well, I am.  But I wouldn’t have known that had I not been sent here last summer (yes, this is my 2nd summer here).  

Looking back over the past 4 years, there is so much I would have missed out on had I not stepped out of my comfort zone and had a positive attitude.  Those experiences have made Penn State what it is for me and I don’t want y’all to miss out on them because you are unsure.  So when someone asks you if you want to do something, just smile and go along with it, you never know where it might lead.

Maria is a fifth year senior in Mechanical Engineering. This summer she is working for DOW Chemical in Freeport, TX. Maria is a mentor for WEPO 2012.

Faking Fearlessness: In Reality I’m Running Scared

I wish I could say that I was fearless and that when I entered the Atherton Hotel on the very first day of WEPO marking the start of my college career that I could have said “I know exactly what I am doing.”  But, alas, I did not.  I walked into WEPO thinking I was going to study biomedical engineering and work in either research or an industry closely related to the medical field.

Today, I find myself writing this from my temporary home in a town just outside of Steelton, Pennsylvania.  Most people have no idea that Steelton exists.  Those that are aware, know that the company by which I am currently employed is located in the town but do not realize that it is still functioning.  This is what makes ArcelorMittal, Steelton my diamond in the rough.

Of course, you are probably asking yourself “ArcelorMittal? What is that?”  For all you know, they could still be a research facility or industry location closely related to the medical field.  However, I have swayed far from that fantasy.  ArcelorMittal is a steel company.  Steelton, specifically, makes railroad rails.  I MAKE RAILROAD RAILS!  How cool is that?

Anyway…I am sharing this information because many of us walk in the doors of the Atherton thinking that everyone in the room has it all figured out and that they expect us to have it all figured out too.  Personally, I did not have it figured out until recently.  I conducted research in a Penn State lab, changed my major once, applied for different types of internships and ended up in a steel mill.  Luckily I LOVE what I am doing and as I enter my senior year, I am beginning to actually figure it all out.

With the help of my WEP family, I was able to determine that mechanical engineering was a better fit for me and now I find myself getting down and dirty in all of the grease and grime that goes along with the steel mill.  To me, this means climbing into cranes to get a better look at their moving parts and how to fix or replace them (pictured here), watching how rails are formed and shaped and various other aspects of the mill.  In the end, the fearlessness that I was faking that made it seem as though I knew exactly what I wanted when I graduated did me no good.  It is okay to be unsure of the future and to be a little bit scared.  I learned that it is for reasons like that that we have a WEP family.  I also learned that good things can come even if you do not have a certain plan.

So, I leave you with this thought: if you are unsure about where your engineering degree might take you, do not rule out the fact that you (like me) might one day be strutting your stuff in steel toed boots, green fire resistant clothing and a strudy hard hat!

Kati Shea is a senior in Mechanical Engineering. This summer she is working for ArcelorMittal. Kati is a mentor for WEPO 2012.

The Best Ice Cream on Earth- Berkey Creamery

Hopefully on your tour of Penn State you made it over to the Berkey Creamery. Maybe you even had to wait in a line stretching down to East halls. The Penn State Berkey Creamery is one of the most iconic points of campus, and certainly one of my favorites. In this blog, I am going to give you a few quick tips about the Creamery so you can look like a regular when you go there during WEPO!

1.     The Berkey Creamery has 20+ favors at a time. You can look at the board displaying all the flavors and check out which flavor has your taste buds salivating the most on that day.

2.     When you arrive at the cash register DON’T tell them what flavor you would like. All they need to know is if you want a bowl, cone, or milkshake (I have committed this error multiple times).

3.     After you have paid, someone will ask you for your flavor. Unfortunately, you must choose one flavor. No mixing L . Rumor is that the only person who was allowed to mix flavors was President Bill Clinton. Not even JoePa could pick two. Guess you will just have to go back again to pick another flavor!

4.     There are lots of seasonal flavors so some of the flavors in the fall are different than the flavors in the spring. I personally love Apple Cobbler Crunch and Pumpkin pie (yummo!).

5.     You can use meal points at the creamery!!!!! Also, if you have excess meal points at the end of the semester, you can buy a creamery card and not lose all of your points.

6.     You can purchase half gallons of ice cream and send them home with your parents! This should earn you lots of brownie points in the parental category.

7.     As much as I love the ice cream at the creamery, the creamery also sells other things. I personally love stopping by to purchase a nice hot chocolate on the cold winter days. They also have homemade cheese, yogurt, milk, and sandwiches.

8.     If you have a sudden urge to make a quick creamery trip, contact me and I would love to go with you! Any excuse to go to the creamery is great for me!

Fun facts: Vanilla is the most popular ice cream flavor.

                  Carrot cake is the least popular (discontinued)

                  The creamery makes over 100 flavors, 10 frozen yogurt flavors, and 6 sherbet flavors.

So excited to see you all at WEPO!

Happy creamery travels,

Lexi

Lexi Greene is a junior majoring in Industrial Engineering. She is working in DC this summer and is a Mentor for WEPO 12.

Which Engineering Major is RIght for You?

What a daunting question to ask yourself, right? Especially if you are like me when I was a first-year engineering student- I had NO idea which engineering I wanted to do, they all seemed interesting! But no worries, girls. There are ways to figure out what’s right for you and I am going to share them with you!

My name is Jacki Guillemette and I am going to be a senior in Mechanical Engineering in Fall 2012. When I started at Penn State three years ago (wow, I feel old), I came in as Engineering Undecided. I knew that I liked math and science but to be honest I didn’t entirely know what engineers did or how they applied their skills to their jobs. After attending WEPO, I quickly found out that engineers are essentially problem solvers and they apply their engineering knowledge and skills to advance today’s world- by making and improving airplanes, trains, cars, industrial processes, gasoline, healthcare products, electrical devices, and the list goes on. Pretty much every product in our world has been engineered. My question then was, “How do I pick the right major and industry?!”

In reality, picking your major and industry are two very big issues to tackle. Most engineering majors can go into several different industries and every industry usually hires several different engineering majors. So they’re separate entities but they are also very connected. If you know an industry that you are interested in, you could always see what kind of engineers they employ and choose your major that way. To do that, you can use this link made by the Penn State Engineering Ambassadors: http://www.engr.psu.edu/ambassadors/majors/index.html.

Or you can work the other direction and choose your major first- this is what I did. To do this, you need to do a couple of things. First, attend the different “Major Nights” that will occur in the fall. The College of Engineering, your classes, or WEPO will provide information about their dates, times, and locations. These are useful information sessions where you get to learn about a specific engineering major from a professor or students in that major.

Secondly, look at the required courses and descriptions for each major (found at: http://www.engr.psu.edu/Departments/majors.aspx). This will help you tailor your major decision to the academic interests you have. For example, I am not a big fan of chemistry but I love physics. So choosing mechanical engineering over chemical engineering was probably a wise decision for me.

Jackie's WEPO '11 team playing broomball

Lastly, USE YOUR RESOURCES! You girls are going to meet SO many women engineers through WEPO that are in ALL of the majors you are considering. Talk to us, ask us questions. We all voluntarily applied to be a part of WEPO because we want to help first-year students because we were all you at one point. Take advantage of that. And if you want even more of a broad opinion, ask your professors or classmates. Talk to any other upper classmen that you meet in your residence halls or in clubs that are in engineering.

It can be scary and difficult trying to figure out the best academic path to choose. But you have time and you figure out pretty quickly what you like and dislike and that will help you in your decision. Let me know if you have any questions or just want to talk!

And most importantly, ENJOY YOUR SUMMER! 

Jackie is a Senior in Mechanical Engineering. She is a mentor for WEPO 2012. 

College Bucket list: Don't procrastinate!

In high school you were probably told not to procrastinate.  You most likely did it anyways, but somehow it always ended up working out fine in the end.  In college things are not really that different: the same advice still applies.  Let me clarify that the difference with my blog is that I am not talking about school work (even though that is the whole reason you are here…).  I am talking about your college bucket list.  Four years may seem like forever, but I am sure every upperclassman would agree with me that these years fly by much faster than we want them to.

A typical Penn State bucket list includes climbing Mount Nittany, getting a picture with the Lion Shrine, etc.  Why am I telling you not to procrastinate if these things seem so simple?  Because every person’s bucket list is unique and has other items that might require more than 20 minutes of planning:

Studying abroad.  Two words:  DO IT.  I was able to take a class in France at the beginning of the summer, and I even got to travel around London for a few days before.  I was only in Europe for about three weeks, and it definitely was not enough time.  Studying abroad is life changing and one of my greatest college experiences, so if you have had a dream of going anywhere in the world start looking into it!  A lot of planning goes into studying abroad, especially if you are going for a whole semester.  I recommend talking to an advisor and the study abroad office about where you want to go and the best time to do it.  You might even be able to incorporate a language minor!  Penn State not only has partnerships with dozens of other countries and their schools, but you can also find ways for credits from schools outside that list to transfer.  With the endless location choices and opportunities for student aid, there is no reason you can’t check this one off your bucket list.

That thing you always wanted to try.  So you have always wanted to try sailing but the closest body of water was 4 hours away? Penn State has it.  You have been just dying to find others who appreciate pizza as much as you do? There is a club for that too.  Penn State has 945 recognized clubs at University Park alone, ranging from sports to Greek life to student government; you name it (http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/hub/studentorgs/orgdirectory/). Literally the amounts of activities you can become involved in are endless. From the random clubs to the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, THON (thon.org), the opportunities to be involved in what you love are endless. Read some of the blogs earlier this month for even more details on Penn State's awesome clubs.

Internships, co-ops, research…oh my!  You will hear PLENTY about these things at WEPO, but I am mentioning them now so you can start putting them on your bucket list.  Have you always wanted to try working for the government? Itching to do research in the medical field, or go out to California to work with companies like Johnson&Johnson?  Then go for it!  Look into opportunities in the fields you might be interested in and find out as much as you can about working there—classes you might need, government clearance (which can take months…), and other things that may surprise you.

When I say do not procrastinate, I am not trying to scare you into having your entire college career planned out by the time you get here.  By no means do I even have this year completely planned… What I am saying is to think about what you want to accomplish these next four years.  On this “college bucket list” things will get deleted and added along the way; that is inevitable.  But if you put some time into it, you can graduate having done everything you have ever wanted: a semester in Australia, two internships, a minor and double major, captain of your sports team, or even better—all of the above.

Sarah Krishner is a Junior in BioEngineering. This summer Sarah travelled abroad to France. Sarah is a mentor for WEPO '12

The ULTIMATE Roommate Guide

One of the biggest, and most valuable, life lessons that I have had to learn in college is how to get along with a roommate. I was absolutely terrified to be a college freshman and, more than that, to be a college freshman in a tiny dormitory. And it didn’t matter that I would be living with my best friend. Living with the one person whose friendship I valued the most did not feel like a safety net. For one thing, I had never shared a room with anyone. I had never had to live in such close proximity to another human being for more than, at most, a week at a time. And that was summer camp. At some point in June I started getting sweaty nervous palms every time I thought about sharing a dorm. Sweaty palms are weird, uncomfortable, and slightly inconvenient. I was panicked, fearful that Grace would grow to despise the way I tap my pencil and that I would soon abhor the way she chewed. Dramatic? Definitely. Silly? Probably. But it didn’t change the reality, which is that I was abnormally anxious about sharing a 12’ by 15’ room, instead of a cul-de-sac, with my best friend.

            I have had a roommate for the past three years and am also currently bunking (literally) with my sister in Washington DC. Between all four experiences, I have come out knowing a lot more about myself and about boundaries. My first roommate was my best friend. My second roommate was a random roommate from Denmark (who I ended up being very close with). My third was my other best friend. I’ve seen and done it all. I’d like to add that I’ve maintained (and begun) friendships with all of them. It does not mean that it was not without a lot of continual hard work.

The important thing, in what I consider my informed opinion, is to set boundaries early and to STICK TO THEM.  In addition, it’s really important to work on effective communication. Freaking out is not a good way to handle any situation (unless you’re about to meet (insert celebrity name here), and even then I don’t recommend it). I’d like to present you with my list for roommate success:

1.)    Boundary Setting- You and your roommate-to-be (whether it’s your best friend or a complete stranger) are both coming in with expectations. It’s important for each of you to make those expectations clear to the other person. Where there are disparities, it’s important to compromise.  Examples of expectations include:

a.       How late lights will be kept on

                                                                          i.      You and your roommate may have varying workloads, and you might also keep different hours. I have a desk lamp that I use when my roommate goes to sleep, so we can turn off the overhead lights. My roommates have always done the same.

b.      The volume of any imminent audio (YouTUBE videos, music, skyping, etc.)

                                                                          i.      Skype is a gray area that tends to require compromising. My old roommate Katharine talked to her family in Denmark via Skype. Denmark is 6 hours ahead of us, so sometimes when I was doing homework in the afternoon she would be skyping her family. Most of the time I would just put my headphones in, but if I had a really important assignment she would take her laptop down to the commons area. Concurrently, if something big was going on (her grandmother was very sick), I had lots of places I could take my work (example: the library). A lot of people won’t know to do that unless you ASK them, so it’s important that you both talk to each other. If something isn’t okay with you, speak up!

c.       Who can sleep over

                                                                          i.      Boyfriends: Both of my best friends had boyfriends that went to other schools, so when they came to visit they were in our room for the whole weekend. It wasn’t so bad for me, because I knew all parties present. I also didn’t feel very weird sleeping in my bed while the two of them slept in hers. It isn’t okay with everyone, though, so you need to examine how you feel about it.

But we had lots of rules. The rules are the things that mattered to us, and kept everyone from feeling uncomfortable or slighted.  It might be different for you, and you have to talk that over with your roommate!

                                                                        ii.      Friends: I sometimes used to crash at a friend’s dorm, and I’ve had friends crash at mine. We were all friends, and it was always on weekend nights. Bottom line, you need to be careful about both having friends crash at your dorm and crashing at friend’s dorms. Like it or not, your presence might be an inconvenience for someone else and your friends presence might pose an inconvenience to your roommate. Even if it is okay with your friend’s roommate, or with your roommate, both you and your guest need to make an effort to be respectful.

                                                                      iii.      People neither of you know: As a general rule, I don’t let friends of friends sleep over my dormitory. They can go back to my friend’s dorm if they need somewhere to sleep. Their sleeping quarters are not my responsibility and unless I’ve met them on a prior occasion, I’m definitely not cool with it. It might be different for you or for your roommate. As always- talk about it!

d.      Borrowing things:

                                                                          i.      I don’t like it when people borrow my things without asking. I’m usually more than happy to loan out my belongings when asked but sometimes, depending on the object(s), I’m not. It is definitely a manners thing, and not everyone feels the need to exercise this particular courtesy. If it matters to you then you need to communicate it and you also need to stick to your own rules. If you require your roommate to ask before borrowing your things, you need to ask them if you can borrow theirs. By asking, you set the tone for your room and encourage your roommate to extend the same politeness.

1.)    Texting someone to ask if you can borrow something, and taking it before getting a response, does not count. Unless your roommate expressly gives you permission to use something, you don’t have their permission.

2.)    Just because they said you could borrow it once does not mean they are okay with you borrowing it again. Continue to ask unless they tell you that you don’t have to ask anymore.

e.       Cleanliness-

                                                                          i.      My most recent roommate, my sister, is sometimes a mess. I’m cool with it, as long as it stays on her side of things. This, again, has to be talked about. Do you have cleaning days? Who vacuums? How often does old food stay in the room? Who takes out the trash? Etc.

2.)    Sticking to the boundaries

a.       Most Resident Assistants (all of them are supposed to, at least) will have you fill out a roommate agreement at the start of the semester. It covers a lot of the things I’ve mentioned above (and probably more, I can’t entirely remember).

                                                                          i.      It has to be signed by both of you

                                                                        ii.      TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. It seems silly when you first meet one another, and it’s also sort of awkward, but it’s important. Your RA will refer to this in the event that a conflict arises that the two of you feel you cannot work out.

                                                                      iii.      If you both don’t feel that a certain subject is addressed or addressed to a desired extent, write an addendum and give that to your RA along with the agreement. It is one hundred percent acceptable to include terms not covered in the provided roommate agreement, and clarity is always a good thing.

3.)    What to do if you disagree

a.       Discuss the issue calmly and rationally

                                                                          i.      Try to avoid accusatory language: “You did..”, “You didn’t..” It only makes people defensive. Try to stick to “I” words: “I dislike when…”, “I am bothered by..”

                                                                        ii.      Try to make concessions. Your roommate isn’t perfect, and neither are you. They may bug the heck out of you, but remember that you might do things that really bug them too. Be firm in your convictions, but be nice too. Compromise is a beautiful thing. You have to live with this person, and you want to avoid making it unbearable.

                                                                      iii.      Take breaks: If you can’t work something out right away, take a breather. Re-group and re-think. Is there a side to their argument that you aren’t seeing? Nothing comes out right when you’re really upset, and it’s never a bad thing to take time to think about where the discussion has gone thus far and what direction it needs to go in

                                                                      iv.      If you can’t work it out? Go together to see your RA. That’s what they are there for!

Some other important things to remember:

1.)    You do not have to be best friends with your roommate

2.)    Even if you do end up best friends with your roommate, try to also make other friends as well. It’s important to have an outlet other than your roommate, and important to have separate interests. Spending 100% of your time together can get dicey!

3.)    Your roommate might not be an engineer. IT ISN’T A BAD THING. None of my roommates have ever been engineers. In chronological order they have been: a biology major, an international student studying English, and an education major. It can be frustrating at times- they will probably have a lot more free time than you do- but try and remember that every major has its hardships. On the positive side, your roommate’s major can serve to broaden your world outlook. Think of your roommate’s major as an avenue by which you can meet an entire major full of new people with different interests and backgrounds!

4.)    Every conflict has a resolution if you’re willing to find it.

5.)    If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your roommate about something, talk to your RA.

6.)    If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your RA about something, talk to your WEP mentor/rover/lead. There is an answer to every question and no question is stupid or small! Sometimes it helps to talk it out, and that is what both your RA and your mentor are there for! Not to mention, they may be able to shed some light on the subject simply because of their own experiences!

7.)    My list is just an example of some of the issues that could arise. There are other issues you might have, and don’t be surprised if they pop up!

I definitely did not realize I had this much to say about roommates, but I suppose that three years of sharing a room gives you a lot to say on the subject! I hope that this is helpful!

            I can’t wait to meet all of you! August and WEP could not come soon enough! If you have questions, or want someone to talk to, I think I can speak for all of the mentors, rovers, and leads when I say that we are always available to girls in need!

            Until August!

            -Liz

Liz Krauss is a Senior in Architectural Engineering. This summer Liz is working in Washington D.C. She is a mentor for WEPO '12.

Say YES to the Major

Hi!
I'm Kylie Sheplock Sheplock. This will be my 5th WEPO!!! However, it still seems like yesterday that I walked into the Atherton Hotel doors for the first time. I also remember being covered in sweat from moving into my dorm room (not very attractive!).Then I remember walking over to group C, where I soon found out that we were all hopeful Civil Engineers. At that moment, being 18 years old, I thought I was going to be a Civil engineer because I thought I had to know right at that moment.


Well I am here today to tell you that you don’t need to know what you want to do the moment you walk into college. It is perfectly fine to select a discipline that interests you, but don’t stop there!! Talk to your mentors: find out what they do, where they worked, and what they like about their majors. In addition, I would recommend taking advantage of the major nights offered throughout the fall semester. Each engineering major holds an information session about the program. Often, current students in that major are their to share experiences and answer questions. Furthermore, every major has an adviser that is well qualified to answer questions and give advice. 


Another thing that I learned is: It is 100% ok to change your major within engineering. There are many students that change within their first 2 years of engineering classes, including myself. After talking to many students, advisors and researching I finally said “Yes” to the major. The major that I chose was biological engineering and I have loved it every minute since I had said yes! I had a Co-op with Kellogg last year, which insured me I was doing what I love! This summer I am working for Campbell Soup.


I would have missed out on finding my true passion if I did not explore everything else out there! So go out and try on all the engineering disciplines before you say “Yes” to the major.

Kylie Sheplock is a fifth year in Biological Engineering. This summer Kylie is working in NC for Campbell's Soup. Kylie serves at the Lead Rover for WEPO 2012.

The Weird, the Wacky, and the Wondrous

Hi everyone!

As the summer is getting started for most of you just graduating, I’m sure you are getting asked about Penn State at every graduation party.  With this being said, I hope to give you some of Penn State’s best kept weird, wacky and wondrous secrets!

The Weird:

Humans vs. Zombies

If you see a random marshmallow or rolled-up sock on the ground, it’s not a result of a ‘Project X’ type party; it’s from the Penn State Urban Gaming Club, Humans vs. Zombies!  This is the most epic nerf gun, marshmallow and rolled-up sock wielding, campus-wide war!  The game consists of players who are humans and players who are zombies that takes place all day and night ALL over campus.  Whether you’ve been caught in the cross fire or participate, it is definitely one of Penn State’s best kept secrets. 

Saxophone and Valentine Serenades

Penn State promotes an environment of creative entertainment!  There are many students on campus that have extraordinary musical ability and like to show it off by serenading (or stalking) people walking around campus and downtown like the Saxophone Man during finals week in 2011.  You can see him in action in the youtube clip below (and even get a nice tour of the campus)! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fd9LOA4plk

Valentine’s day is a time to show your significant other how much you really care about them.  And what better way can you show them than by embarrassing them in front of hundreds of their classmates with a singing valentine during class?!  The week of valentine’s day is always a treat when you have class in forum as you can be sure to hear one of the singing groups singing to a loved one like in the youtube clip below during class!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vc-qdUwCAw

The Wacky:

The Willard Preacher

If you happen to have class in Willard Building next semester, you are in for a big surprise.  You can be sure that Gary Catell, also known as the Willard Preacher, will be at the Willard entrance, rain or shine, giving a sermon to any students who will listen.  You will find that you should not try and challenge his views as you will only get frustrated and be late for class!  However, you have to applaud him for his dedication.

The Gorilla Man

If you find yourself feeling down on a Thursday, you can be sure to find yourself smiling after the Gorilla Man wishes you a Happy Thursday on his bike followed by his gang of skateboarders, bicyclists and unicyclists.  The Gorilla Man is simply a guy in a gorilla suit who is usually accompanied by a guy in a banana suit.  The combination of positivity and fun makes for a ‘Happy Thursday’ and definitely one of Penn State’s best kept wacky secrets!

The Wondrous  (besides THON of course!)

There are two specific words that come to mind when I think of the secret wonderful things at Penn State...

FREE STUFF (even at WEPO)!

FREE T-SHIRTS!!  If you participate in anything at Penn State you will almost be guaranteed to get a free t-shirt!  This includes going to volley ball games, gymnastic meets, paternoville, community service days and so many more. 

FREE HUB EVENTS!!  The HUB has even more free and exciting activities going on.  There is late night (crafting, music, games), movies, comedians, hypnotists, bands like FUN, and salsa dancing!  You can usually find out what’s going on in the HUB in the Daily Collegian or Stall Stories which can be found in the stalls in the dorm bathrooms (another one of Penn State’s best kept media outlets)!

FREE SHOWS!! If you enjoy going to the theater then you will love the No Refund Theater Productions in 111 Forum.  They do sketch comedies like Phroth Phest, dramas including ‘Rope’ and tragedies like Shakespeare’s Hamlet.  The term No Refund comes from the fact that their shows are FREE and are produced entirely on donations!

One other best kept wondrous secret about Penn State are the people you meet.  The ‘staters’ you meet in your 4 (or 5) years at school are some of the best friends you will ever make and whom you will have long lasting friendships with.

Hopefully you have learned some new interesting topics to talk about when people ask you about Penn State this summer and are getting excited about starting a new chapter in your life!  Hope to see you at WEPO!!

WEPO have spirit yes we do! WEPO have spirit how bout you?

Hi everyone, my name is Jill and I am the Spirit Lead for WEPO this year!  As Spirit Lead I am in charge of everything fun.  Just kidding, everything at WEPO is fun!  But I am in charge of spirit night which is a great opportunity to just let loose, have fun and meet girls that aren’t in your group.  The first rule of spirit night is that you don’t talk about spirit night, so I won’t be telling you any details, you will just have to wait and see!  However, I will give you a hint about the theme: it is based on a popular tv show where people compete in challenges to outlast each other.

Broomball fun during WEPO '11

I am also in charge of broomball, which is one of my favorite WEPO activities!  It is kind of like ice hockey but without the skates.  For this activity you will want to wear jeans because if you are uncoordinated or just really intense like I am, you will be falling a lot.  Other pants will work too, but jeans tend to be the least absorbent and the best protection for your legs.  Also, this will be in the ice rink and it will be chilly, so bring a sweatshirt or a long sleeve shirt.

Spirit is also something that Penn State as a whole is definitely not lacking.  Students have enthusiasm and pride for all things Penn State, and there is no greater feeling than your first Penn State football game in the student section.  I will admit, I am no die hard football fan and I had the misfortune of forgetting to buy season tickets as a freshman, but I went to the first game with my friends and was in awe.  To see the sheer number of students, alumni and fans cheering for Penn State made me feel such a strong sense of belonging to the Penn State family.  You will experience this in so many ways your first year at Penn State.  From football to Homecoming to THON, it never ceases to amaze me the amount of spirit and pride Penn Staters have and what a positive effect it has on everyone.  We really do live in a Happy Valley!

So get excited for all of the fun WEPO spirit events and remember WE ARE...PENN STATE!

Jill Holloway is a senior in Civil Engineering. This summer she is working for Chevron in Houston, TX. Jill is the Overall Spirit Lead for WEPO 2012.

Staying Healthy at State

Hey girls!

My name is Maria Poluch and I am a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering. I can honestly saying that deciding to attend Penn State was one of the best decisions of my life and CONGRATS to you girls for getting in and choosing blue and white!! 

During my first year, I made staying healthy one of my top priorities. As a freshmen, you have so much going on in your life, from figuring out where your classes are to making friends to adjusting to collegiate life style. It can be overwhelming in the beginning, but things start to slow down as the semester goes on. It is important to not forget to keep yourself healthy through your whole journey. Here are a couple ideas I have on how to stay healthy:

1. Join the gym. A gym membership at Penn State lets you use all the workout facilities available. There are four gyms located in various locations around the UP campus. The two most used are Rec Hall and the White building. Rec Hall is located on West campus. It is the biggest and offers the most equipment. It contains an indoor track, basketball, and volleyball courts. The White gym is located near the HUB and is complete with an indoor pool and basketball courts. I think the best thing about the White gym is the fitness classes. The classes are awesome! They have Zumba, calorie killer (an aerobics based class), full body workout, washboard abs, and more. It’s really fun to get a bunch of friends an go to the classes together. For more information on gyms go here:http://www.athletics.psu.edu/psustrength/index_rec.asp
2. Join a club or IM sports team. Penn State is huge and so has a team for almost any sport you can think of. IM (intramural) teams are open to anyone and are less of a time commitment. I played IM flag football last year with the THON organization I was in and it was so much fun! It was a great time to meet more people and get exercise at the same time. For more information about IM sports go here: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recsports/index.html. Club sports require try-outs and they usually take place during the first or second week of school. If you’re interested in joining a club sport, check out the website and contact the person in charge early on so that you don’t miss try-outs. Here’s the club sports website: http://www.athletics.psu.edu/recreation/clubs.asp. I have a couple friends who were on club teams and they all had a blast so consider this if you really love a certain sport. 
3. Run or bike around campus. Penn State’s campus is gorgeous, so take advantage of it!  There are tons of trails on and around campus that are great to run or bike. I would definitely recommend running or walking on campus in the beginning of the semester to get a feel for where your classes are located in relation to other buildings. Although it can feel big at first, the campus starts to shrink as you feel more comfortable and more familiar with the place.
4. Figure out where the health center is located. I know this one sounds a little obvious, but so many freshmen have no idea where the health center is on campus. With everyone living close together, it is easy for diseases to spread in college. Sinus infections and colds are common. I personally had never gotten a sinus infection before I went to school and then had two last year. The health center can diagnose you and give you antibiotics, so don’t be afraid to use their services. Also, there a a free advice nurse that you can call anytime for any reason.

Those are just a few things to think about so you can fully enjoy freshmen year! During WEPO, you will have a session about stress management and more. That information will really help you out too. I hope you’re all having a great summer! I can’t wait to meet you at WEPO!! Get excited for State!!

For the glory,

Maria 






Maria Poluch is a sophomore majoring in Chemical Engineering. Maria is a rover for WEPO 2012.