Casino Night !!

WOW! I did not know what to expect at this event but it was actually great. I went in just to see the event and watch other students gamble their chips away when I realized that an hour later that was me ( lol). I did not gamble all my chips away, but I almost did. I started with 25 chips, then went down to 2, then came back up to 40 so my chips fluctuated that entire night. From that experience alone, I know that I do not see myself in Las Vegas anytime soon. But all jokes aside, this event was put on by SAC ( Student Activities Committee) for the students. There were prizes given away at the end based on how many chips you had you could receive 22 tickets to be entered in the raffle for prizes. For every 10 chips you had, you would receive 1 ticket towards the raffle. We were given one ticket in the beginning, we had the option of turning that ticket in so we could receive more chips to play with. Some students who ran out of chips cashed in that ticket to play and win more. While playing, I learned so much about the games and the chances people take in order to receive more than what they currently have. This is not something that happens in casinos but also in life, we take risks so we have receive more, at times it may be good and at times it may not be good. But we take them anyway.

SAA/BSU Conference

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend the SAA Conference in Chicago. It was an event that highlights the academic achievement of students from various schools within the Chicago area. These students are selected, based on their ACT/SAT/GPA, to become potential recruits for the 3 UofI i campuses (Chicago, Springfield and Urbana). I and another student (Charles Olivier) spoke to students about the University of Illinois at Springfield, more specifically, our major programs, the honors program and student life. A banquet followed after the fair, and at the banquet, we were introduced to the keynote speaker for the evening. Joseph B. White, the President of all 3 Uof I campuses was also present, he spoke with the students about their future aspirations and their schools of choice for college. The Keynote speaker who was, both a doctor and lawyer ( not kidding), gave and excellent speech about the rewards of hard work in her life. She explained how important it was for students to step outside of their comfort zone to try new things. Even though you may fall short at times, it is important to understand that an obstacle is not a point of failure, its a point of construction for your future. So challenge yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things, you have nothing to lose. I also had the opportunity to attend a conference in lincolnshire, IL it was the NBSU conference ( National Black Student Union Conference) this conference united all BSU across the nation in order to further the developement of each organization in their respective locations. From this conference we were able gain insight on programming/ fundraising ideas that would be benifical for us here at UIS. It was a wonderful experience, the keynote speaker who was also one of the founders of the Dusable Museum spoke at the final dinner. I enjoyed myself at both conferences during the break.