Blake

Hey there! I'm Blake, a sophomore at SLU studying computer science and communication. I'm involved with several things on campus and would love to answer any questions you may have about this great school. Hope to see you on campus!

[babblake]

Tournament Time!

It’s been a busy week! Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams have been playing in their respective A10 Championship tournaments! As a member of the pep band, I was given the opportunity to go to both!

Last weekend we travelled to Richmond, Virginia to play for the women’s team! Unfortunately we didn’t win the tournament, but it was still an excellent season for them! With our leftover time on the trip, we also got to explore a little bit of Washington, DC, too!

This week we are in Pittsburgh for the men’s team! We flew out here early yesterday, had a pre-game party with several Billiken Athletics staff and supporters, and then went to play for and cheer on the team!

The men came back from an 18 point deficit and won by 1 point in the last 2 seconds of the game! It was definitely one of the most exciting games that I’ve seen as a pep band member, and during a tournament no less! We’re excited to see what tonight holds! Watch us play George Washington tonight (3/9) at 8:30 PM ET (7:30 Central) on NBC Sports Network!

[babblake]

APO Leadership Summit!

Yesterday, my service fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, held our first ever Leadership Summit! One of our core principals is leadership, so educating our members and the SLU community is a big deal!

We learned about how to be a servant leader, how to best recognize our leadership potential, and how to help others grow as leaders, along with many other things!

We even got to have a question and answer session with Drs. Fred and Fran Pestello! They talked about their experiences at SLU and how they were challenged as leaders both before and after coming to the University. 

I’m glad we have such an awesome presidential family that makes time for student organizations and is willing to talk about their personal experiences with us!

[babblake]

Coffee!

One thing that I’ve been trying to do more in my junior year is starting to explore St. Louis more! Even though I’m from the area, there’s still so much that I haven’t seen!

One way that I’ve started to do this is by trying new coffee shops on Saturday mornings! It’s a good way to see the city and to get my caffeine boost. A new Kaldi’s Coffee (a St. Louis chain) just opened at the edge of campus that I visited last weekend! This weekend, I ventured a block further and found Northwest Coffee, a popular and unique coffee shop!

The outdoor seating was perfect on a warm day like today, and plenty of dogs and people were occupying the patio. The coffee and waffles I got were delicious, too! Exploring the city is one of the best parts of going to school in St. Louis, and I can’t wait to see what else I find!

[babblake]

An Eventful Week!

It’s been an eventful week for Billiken Athletics! Two of my favorite things about the past week were the unveiling of our new Billiken mascot and the Women’s Basketball Pink Out game!

This past Wednesday, our Athletics Department unveiled our new Billiken mascot that matches our updated logo!

This new Billiken was created from the results of a poll taken of thousands of students, faculty, staff, and alumni. I think it turned out really well, and am really glad that the opinions of the University community were heard!

In addition, Saturday was the yearly Women’s Pink Out game in support of breast cancer research! It was a very exciting game, with a few thousand in attendance! 

Women’s Basketball players signed autographs after their huge win over Fordham, which earned them second place in the A-10 conference! I’m excited to see how the rest of the season is going to end up with the women!

[babblake]

Bryan Stevenson

Each year, new first-year students at SLU read a book pertaining to the University’s mission! This year, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson was chosen. Stevenson came to speak at SLU last night and spoke about issues of racial inequality, poverty, mental health, childhood incarceration, and the injustice of the death penalty. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative, an organization dedicated to fighting these issues. 

It was incredibly interesting to see this man talk, as he has had so much experience dealing with those who have been treated unfairly and many sentenced to die. Hearing from someone who has fought to save lives, and sometimes seeing his best efforts fail, was very moving. The best advice that he gave was that in order to understand people and the issues that affect them, we must be in proximity to them. This is something that I love about SLU, since we are situated in Midtown St. Louis and are in an ideal situation to help those in need.

This is just one of the ways SLU enacts its mission, and I’m glad I got to hear from someone with real, impactful experience and stories.

[babblake]

Fall At SLU!

Although it’s midway through November, the trees at SLU are just now getting the message that Fall is here! This is one of my favorite views of the leaves changing down West Pine, the main stretch of campus!

[babblake]

Basketball Season!

It’s one of my favorite times of year yet again! SLU’s men’s basketball season began yesterday with our home opener against Ball State. I was excited to be back in my spot with the pep band watching the game and playing during breaks in the action.

Although we didn’t win yesterday, I have a lot of hope for this team. We just got a new head coach this year, Travis Ford, who has already begun attracting new top recruits to SLU, meaning that even if we aren’t at our best this year, the next few years are going to be very exciting for SLU basketball! Come to a game and see what it’s all about!

Bonus: I made a video for my Video Production class about my experience in band throughout the years and how it brought me to the SLU Pep Band! Check it out!

[babblake]

Walks at SLU

One of my favorite things to do with my free time is to take walks around SLU’s gorgeous campus! In particular, I love walking around our park-like space near Chaifetz Arena. Taking a walk allows me to clear my mind and relax after the stress of midterms is gone. Take a look at this beautiful space when you come to see us!

-Blake

[babblake]

Grand Hall Topping Off!

While it seems like just yesterday I was attending the Grand Opening of Spring Hall, we are already celebrating a new milestone for Grand Hall, our newest residence hall that is scheduled to open in Fall 2017!

Students got to sign their names on a beam that will permanently be a part of this new residence hall! I was happy to add my name to a part of SLU history.

After many people had signed, we heard remarks from students and school administrators, including Student Government Association members, Residence Hall Association members, and President Pestello! Then, the beam with all of the signatures was lifted to the top of the new building (although it’s a bit hard to see.)

It’s hard to believe that less than one year from now there will be students living in this new building! I look forward to seeing the finished product for myself! You never know, it could be you moving in there in just under a year!

-Blake

[babblake]

Golf Cart Parade!

This weekend was Homecoming & Family Weekend at SLU! This is always one of my favorite weekends, because campus is filled with the excitement of all of the families that are coming to see their students after a whole month away from home!

One of the best traditions that we have during this weekend is the Golf Cart Parade! This year I played in the pep band, following President Pestello and our new Billiken mascot! Although we didn’t throw out candy like everyone else, everyone seemed to enjoy the classic SLU cheers that we played as we walked by.

The night was topped off by fireworks at halftime of the men’s soccer game against VCU! All around, it was a great weekend that I got to spend with family and as a part of a respected, much-enjoyed tradition. Check out the video of the Golf Cart Parade below!

[babblake]

New Bro Bash!

One of my favorite parts of each semester is New Bro Bash for Alpha Phi Omega, the service fraternity that I am involved with! We get to welcome our newest pledges (members) with fun and games! I was so excited to welcome the newest members of the Phi family! APO is just one of many ways to get involved on campus, as well as one of the many forms that service takes at SLU! Here’s to a good semester of leadership, friendship, and service!

[babblake]

Fall Welcome!

-Photo by Luke Yamnitz

3 days of training, 2 days of move in, and countless Fall Welcome activities later, I am exhausted but happy. Fall Welcome has come and gone once again and today is the first day of classes!

As a member of Oriflamme, I got to help move in Griesedieck Hall! I really enjoyed meeting tons of first-year students along with their families and friends. Then I got to meet the community that I was assigned to, the 11th floor of Griesedieck (also known as 11G)! 

We went to many events, such as the Square Dance on the roof of one of our parking garages, a spirit competition and soccer game, street party, and much more! One of the events was Convocation, where the University community welcomed the newest Billikens! They all got to pose for a class picture beforehand.

Overall, I had a great time, and I think everyone else did too! I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the new students and getting to know 11G better throughout the year! Here’s hoping we will see you at Fall Welcome someday soon!

-Blake

[babblake]

Grand Opening!

Today was a historical day for SLU! We opened a brand new residence hall for the first time in many years. Spring Hall is now ready for its inaugural batch of students to move in just 2 short weeks from now. 

I was lucky enough to be on campus for my job and was able to attend the ribbon cutting ceremony. We got to hear from the university’s president, Dr. Pestello, as well as several leaders in Housing & Residence Life and Student Development about how successful this project has been.

As a student, this hall has been under construction for a good amount of my time at SLU, so I was especially excited to finally be able to see it finished! The rooms and common spaces (like study rooms and lounges with TVs!) are beautiful, and I have to say that I’m incredibly jealous of the students who get to live there! 

As I begin training for Oriflamme this weekend, we will all be getting pumped up to welcome the first residents of Spring Hall, as well as the rest of our on-campus residence halls! The next few weeks leading up to the beginning of class are exciting, and I can’t wait to see what they hold!

[babblake]

Billikens Night at Ballpark Village!

I had a good time at the first ever Billikens Night at Ballpark Village with the Pep Band last night! We got to hear from our new Men's Basketball coach, Travis Ford, and met several of the new players. Check out the highlights below and see if you can spot me!

Awesome time at the inaugural #Billikens Night at @BPVSTL. Thanks to our great pep band and spirit squads!https://t.co/mrrn5PnsOj

— Billiken Athletics (@SLU_Billikens) June 29, 2016

[babblake]

Hammocks!

While visiting SLU for the first time in 4 months today, I was pretty excited to see that the grounds crew had installed multiple new hammocks around campus for people to lounge in! Take a look at one of my new favorites by the Dolphin Pond!

[babblake]

Back Home

I’ve been back in the USA for nearly a week now, and while it’s given me a bit of time to adjust to the 7 hour time change and to life in the US again, it’s also given me time to reflect on my amazing experience in Madrid.

Coming into college, studying abroad in another country was not even something that I’d thought about before. I’d heard about SLU’s campus in Madrid, but always assumed that it would be too expensive or not possible to attend due to my two majors. But, luckily, I met my APO family first semester of freshman year. They told me about how several of them had gone and how incredibly easy SLU makes it, due to scholarships transferring and a wide variety of classes offered. So, I looked into it for myself.

I blinked, and suddenly it was sophomore year and I was accepted to SLU Madrid, had classes picked out, and was in the process of getting my passport and Spanish visa. I blinked again, and I was on the plane to Madrid.

I was lucky to have an amazing host mom, Maite, to take care of me during my 4 months abroad. Because of her caring nature, great cooking, and central location in Madrid, I was able to relax and really get to enjoy Madrid. I had heard from many people that their biggest regret was spending too much time traveling and not enough time getting to know Madrid, and was determined to make my experience different. 

Exploring Europe was amazing. I saw family in Ireland, went to mass with the Pope in Rome, sat under the Eiffel tower at night in Paris, and so much more. But, I’m happy to say that, although I travelled plenty (7 countries visited!), I spent many weekends and weekdays just exploring Madrid. By the end, I knew the city so well that I could figure out where I was in the city almost anywhere, no map or GPS needed.

I think that this made it much harder to leave. I truly feel like I know the city and its people. From enjoying their music, dance, food, and more, to vastly improving my knowledge of the Spanish language, I felt like I was connected to Madrid. Getting to know it was amazing, and I feel like I left a part of me there. But, I know that this means that I made the most of my time abroad. Now it is not a matter of if I will return, but simply when.

-Blake

[babblake]

Experience Madrid!

For my Media and Society lab class, I had to make a video, and I decided to focus on the places that I love in Madrid! Take a look and see all of the great things it has to offer! Enjoy!