Scenes of Fall at STJ

          It is truly a wonder what a beautiful oasis exists inside the borders of St. John's University's Queens Campus, and to me, seeing the crisp fall foliage and sunlight caress the campus as autumn arrived was the paramount display of that beauty. Below is a photo I took this November from the patio outside Newman Hall, which offers a great view of that splendor.  

And below is a photo I took of St. Augustine Hall (which houses the St. John's Queens Campus library) being touched by rays of golden autumn sunlight.

My First Time Voting!

          Tuesday, November 8, 2011, was a historic day in my life: it was on that day that I voted for the first time! Since I turned 18 this past March, this was the first November election I was eligible to vote in, and having learned from family and school the importance of exercising this invaluable right, I was determined to do so the first chance I got. I consider this milestone a part of my STJ life because St. John's is actually where I registered to vote, as I filled out the paperwork at an event held in the D'Angelo Center this September in honor of Constitution Day.  

Me in front of my polling location!

Men's Basketball vs. William & Mary

          St. John's Men's Basketball team took on William & Mary at Carnesecca Arena on Monday, November 7, for its first Opening Round game of the 2K Sports Classic. Playing with Pep Band (of course) for my third men's basketball, and first non-exhibition game, I was still in awe by the whole St. John's basketball experience. Since a high school friend of mine, Vinny Giordano, is currently a freshman at William & Mary, I made sure I took tons of pictures, both for him and for my blog! The 'Johnnies' ended up winning the game that night, a 74-59 victory, and, as can be seen by my pictures, many other cool things took place as well!

   St. John's team huddle  and     William & Mary's team huddle 

The two teams hard at play

At halftime, St. John's often hosts mini games between kids' teams on the Carnesecca court. This was the first time I ever witnessed that awesome tradition at a St. John's basketball game - and this team was just too cute!

A Pep Band 'family' photo - Jess (bells player), Stephanie (flute player), me, and R.Lo (pocket trumpet player) - as R.Lo likes to call us, "The Island of Misfit Instruments," since all our instruments are unusual for a Pep Band! 

A photo courtesy of R.Lo, who sent it to me that day as a sneak preview
of how he had decked out his pocket trumpet 'Dorothy' with
Johnny Thunderbird and St. John's decal tattoos for the
first official basketball game of the season! 

Stacey & Me as STJ Twins!

          I just wanted to post this picture of me and my friend Stacey dressed as twins in our Red Zone shirts, which were given out at one of the Men's soccer games this semester. This photo was taken on November 7 in the Honors Commons, and we really enjoyed showing our STJ pride together in these shirts that day!

Women's Volleyball vs. West Virginia - Senior Day 2011

          St. John's Women's Volleyball team celebrated its Senior Day on Sunday, November 6, 2011, at the game against West Virginia held in Carnesecca Arena. This was the first STJ volleyball game I played with the Pep Band for; I had attended all the other volleyball games solely as a spectator. Although the team did not win this last home game for the season, that did not lessen the joy shared in honoring the STJ senior team members at the game, and Head Coach Joanne Persico addressed the crowd expressing her appreciation for all the girls' efforts this season and the continued support of their fans. Afterwards, those fans could join in celebrating the team's Senior Day by dancing the hula alongside professional hula dancers and a group of volleyball team members, finishing things off with a lot of fun and smiles. 

Hula Dancers, STJ Volleyball Players, and Johnny Thunderbird encouraged fans to join in the hula on the floor of Carnesecca Arena. 

STJ Women's Volleyball vs. Pittsburgh

          The St. John's Volleyball Team played against the Pittsburgh Panthers in Carnesecca Arena on Friday, November 4. The game was an intense one, as the set winning went back and forth, with St. John's losing the first, winning the second, losing the third, and winning the fourth. It was because of this that the game needed to go to a fifth set, which would be won by 15 points instead of the usual 25. Unfortunately, the Johnnies weren't able to pull off a win, but below is a video I took at the game of an exciting play. (You can even see Johnny Thunderbird dancing at one point!)

Me with InterVarsity friends Sarah (also from my Journalism class),
Mike, and Dan with Johnny Thunderbird at the game

An action shot of a set during play

An STJ Women's Volleyball team huddle

Men's Soccer vs. Georgetown - Meeting God'sgift Achiuwa

          Thursday, November 3, 2011, was a night I will always remember. The St. John's Men's Soccer team played Georgetown University then, and I had a great time making music with the Pep Band and cheering on the Johnnies, who finished with a 2-1 win. Also, that night, during halftime, I had the honor of meeting new STJ basketball star God'sgift Achiuwa, as he came over to visit Dana, a fellow Pep Band member who he works with in the St. John's student athlete study hall. I explained to him what a big fan I was, showed him the video I happened to get of his first basket (which can be seen in my blog post on my first Men's Basketball game), and asked if I could take a picture with him, which he graciously agreed to. Below is the photo - just look at the smile on my face - what more can I say?