Recently, I attended the Schreyer Building Belonging Workshop at 3 dots in Downtown State College. This workshop included local community leaders and other students leaders within the Honors College to talk about issues that need to be addressed at Penn State. Led by Spud Marshall, the approx. 50 participants talked in small groups in 3 different rounds, based on topics that certain leaders wanted to discuss.
First, I attended a session led by Emily Stoller focusing on sustainability. Here, we discussed the current sustainability efforts at Penn State and gave ideas on how Schreyer could become a leader in this area. We highlighted how the Penn State Athletics culture really dampen the efforts that the university already have in the works. We also discussed the performative actions made by PSU around sustainability. This was an insightful first session!
Second, I attended a session with other Schreyer student organization leaders. I am a part of Schreyer Student Council, but there were also leaders from Schreyer for Women ands GSDS. We discussed the disconnect that our clubs have and how that can be improved. Also, Schreyer orgs have a retention issue, which we hope to improve through promotion at SHO Time and other events. We also planned some activities at Schreyer that the orgs. can work on together. This was my favorite session as so much true action was put in place which was really unique to see in real time.
Lastly, I attended a session surrounding voting and civic engagement, led by my friend, Clarissa Theiss. At this session, we discussed with community leaders how Schreyer and PSU in general can better promote voting/civic engagement. This event was actually very poignant as Emily and I had just completed our deliberation in RCL that focused on Civic Engagement at the university. We were able to discuss many of the ideas and research from the deliberation, which greatly helped to enrich the conversation. Below is an image of us putting a little poster together that summed up the ideas of this session’s conversation:
After all of the initial sessions had completed, all of the participants came together to discuss some general ideas/themes of the conversations we had. Community leaders spoke on how they could help make these ideas become reality and actually go into action. These ideas will hopefully help students feel more welcomed and heard at the honors college and university as a whole.
The community leaders then left, and the Schreyer student leaders had one last session based on feedback and thinking from our reflection with the community. At this final session, we really focused on making our organizations more welcoming in order to make the Schreyer community more welcoming. Main actionable items included the reformation of SHO Time to have more community development, the addition of student organization input/promotion at SHO Time, and a Schreyer beginning of the year picnic, which would happen a few weeks into the first semester. Emerging out of the Covid times, there was an understanding that leaders of the college have a great opportunity to create new traditions and make our mark on Schreyer Honors College. I am very excited to see our actions turn into real change!
I don’t necessarily know when I first watched this holiday classic, but I have watched it consistently for years, usually on Christmas Eve with my family. Will Ferrell is simply iconic in this movie and gives a great performance along with the rest of the cast. It gives a contemporary spin on the classic holiday tales and lore, which I appreciate. If I had to pick one holiday film, this is it.
This film is currently on HBO Max and one that I have mentioned before. Recently in award contention, Banshees tells a simple story with a heartfelt message. Irish people are fun to listen to and they have good stories, that’s about all I need to say.
I watched The Help for the first time a few years ago, and I was simply blown away. The racial undertones are so beautifully highlighted to drive the story. Emma Stone, Viola Davis, and Octavia Spencer especially have phenomenal performances in this film, even winning Spencer an Oscar. Plus, the late comedian Leslie Jordan adds to the complexity of the plot. It is a fantastic watch.
I love Chef, it is wonderful. Starring John Favreau, Sofia Vergara, and John Leguizamo, Chef tells a heartwarming story of a dad and son who leave everything to open a food truck together. It highlights the importance of family and the wonderfulness of doing things in the spur of the moment. I remember shedding a few tears after this one!
I had to include an animated film on this list, especially after the last vlog, so I chose my favorite, Lilo and Stitch. Stitch has always been my favorite cartoon character, and this film has so much heart in it. Plus, the theme, “Hawaiian Rollercoaster Ride,” is so catchy and fun. It is a nostalgic, classic, animated film that needs more attention.
I have always been attracted to murder mysteries and I think this modern film does the genre perfectly. Its great cast of Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, and many more add to the tension of the film. It is smart, witty, and insightful, which I greatly enjoy. Plus, its sequel, Glass Onion, is also great, but not as iconic as the original.
I am including both part 1 and 2 in this which may be cheating, but I almost always watch them together. The final installment(s) of the Harry Potter franchise is a cinematic feat that I would love to see for the first time again. I watched them so much as a kid, and now will watch them every once in a while as a comfort movie(s). The buildup, pace, and storyline are simply fantastic, with great acting all around. While it is not on everyones’ list, it had to place at least top 3 on mine.
Readers (the like 4 of you) have known how much I love this movie. I predicted its sweep at the Oscars which eventually it fulfilled because it is a revolutionary film. EEAAO is a masterpiece, with so many intertwined themes and insightful notes which come together in a way that has potentially changed the landscape of cinema. I am sure you have heard enough about the good of this film, so I’ll stop here.
My number one is also a film that saw some praise, winning best picture and many more Oscars in 2020. I was working at the College 9 when this film came out in wide release, and I simply fell in love. This Korean film is the first international film to ever win best picture and it deserves every single vote. Parasite tells the story of a servant family taking over their rich patrons’ house, emphasizing greed and class discrimination. Even watching this film in Korean with English subtitles, I was enthralled in the acting, pacing, and cinematography. It is currently streaming on Hulu, so please watch this one-it is the best film, in my opinion.
Starting with Kung Fu Panda, I thoroughly enjoyed this “rewatch”, seeing the film in its entirety for the first time. With an outstanding voice cast including Jack Black as the lead Panda, Po, along with Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogan, Jackie Chan, and Dustin Hoffman; the mantra of finding talent when given the opportunity is such a powerful one. I also love the variety of animals being animated along with the Asian culture and music. Kung Fu Panda also includes many different animation styles, especially when going into backstories. I was pleasantly surprised by this watch and am thinking about watching the sequels soon.
A couple days after, I finally watched How to Train Your Dragon. With perhaps a lesser-known cast included Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, and Kristen Wiig; I greatly enjoyed this well-loved film. It shocked me that it was released in 2010, as I feel it has been a sort of side-phenomenon in more recent years. I found the story to be beautifully drawn out, funny, and insightful. The animation has great quality and the film in general really showed the care given. It was quick-ish and to the point, with a great background score. This one also has sequels that I plan to watch soon.