DAC After Dark - French Toast

          DAC After Dark was all about French toast on Thursday, February 23. This was an exciting theme for me since my favorite breakfast meal when I was little was my mom's home cooked French toast. Although this wasn't mom's home cooking, it was fun to eat French toast in DAC, especially because of all the wild toppings that were available to dress the toast in, including maple and chocolate syrups, marshmallows, powdered sugar, and M&M's, all of which I enjoyed on mine (I skipped out on the fruit, of course.).

My French toast sticks right before I added the M&M's

Women's Basketball vs. WVU (a.k.a. Pink Night!)

          Tuesday, February 21, was a night my fellow flute friend Stephanie and I had waited for all basketball season. That's because it was "pink night," in which the women's basketball game would be played to raise awareness of breast cancer. To commemorate this, pink t-shirts were given out to everyone in attendance, including the band. The STJ team wore pink uniforms and sneakers as they played and won their game against West Virginia University (63-54), while head coach Kim Barnes Arico and assistant coaches also all sported pink clothing. It was so neat to look out into Carnesecca Arena and see a sea of pink, my favorite color! Before the game, I also attended my second Johnnies Club, this time held in the President's Suite in Carnesecca Arena, where I got another STJ t-shirt, a St. John's flag, and got to spend some time with friends again.

Stephanie and I so happy to have our pink shirts! 

A sea of pink in Carnesecca Arena

Me with some friends at Johnnies Club

Men's Basketball vs. DePaul

          Coming off their UCLA win, the Johnnies played a President's Day game against DePaul University at Carnesecca Arena on Monday, February 20. This was the first Carnesecca game since December, and the incomparable warmth of home fans helped the Johnnies have a very good game. Before heading over to Carnesecca to play with the band, I stopped by the DAC org lounge for my first Johnnie's Club, an event held before or after many STJ basketball games for students who will be attending. Being in the band, it has always been difficult for me to go, but this one started earlier than usual, so I got to stop by and see what it was all about -- free food, t-shirts, and all, while a Knicks game was on a screen for people to watch! I got to see my friends from STJ Student Government and Student Engagement, and I even got to sit at a table with some of my InterVarsity friends who I'd later see at the game! The Johnnies ended up winning the game 79-72, making everyone in their home arena proud!

I got a whole little cheering section going for God'sgift as my mom, as well as my InterVarsity friends Aleena and Jebin, came to sit behind the band!

The DePaul team preparing to take on our Johnnies

Men's Basketball vs. UCLA

          St. John's Men's Basketball team played its highly anticipated game against UCLA on Saturday, February 18, at Madison Square Garden. This was exciting because it was broadcast on national TV (on CBS), so we got to see a few more cameras and lights around than usual, before the game began. That day, RedZone students were given 'Go Johnnies' signs to cheer on their team, and I had brought my 'God'sgift to STJ Basketball' sign to The Garden for the first time, so we had a lot of fun cheering. 

          It was an exciting game all around. During one of the time outs, St. John's wished Pep Band director Kevin Vail a happy birthday, with a sign on the 'Garden Vision' jumbotron, as his birthday was the next day. The Johnnies went into halftime leading 35-30 with a free throw percentage of 100, so needless to say, we had happy spirits as we enjoyed the K-9 Crew Frisbee dog team halftime show (which happened to be the best halftime show I've seen yet-- hands down!). The Johnnies came back strong as the game resumed, and they ended up winning, 66-63, making this their first win I witnessed at MSG! Words could not express my excitement and joy over this major achievement!

STJ and UCLA at play

The halftime frisbee dog show

The final score - Yay STJ!

Rewind & Recall

          Now that I'm enjoying the days of summer after completing my first full year of college, I think it's a great time to rewind, remember, and share all of the things that kept me so busy during the late spring semester that I didn't get the chance to update my blog!