Miller Scholars & Honors

I first learned about the Miller Scholars & Honors program 3 years ago when it began. I knew then that it was something I wanted to be a part of, even so far down the road. And here I am today, writing a blog about my experiences as a Miller Scholar.

The Miller Scholars are representatives of the Miller College of Business (MCOB) at BSU. These students are labeled some of the “best and brightest” of the college, which is quite an honor. The program provides full tuition for about 10 students in each freshman class. The scholarship also includes a study abroad stipend, networking opportunities, and more.

Aside from the Miller Scholars, there are also 10 students from each class selected to be Miller Honors students, who have the same opportunities without the scholarship. On a day-to-day basis, there is no distinction made between us. We are all classmates and we are all part of the Miller Honors Program. We really are becoming a close-knit group of students.

As a Miller Scholar, we have each been matched with a Miller Mentor, who is a MCOB alumnus and who wants to be involved with the college. My mentor is the CEO of his own company, which makes him a great contact for me since my major is Entrepreneurship. He has already been an excellent mentor, who genuinely cares for me and my future.

In October he invited me to attend the MCOB Alumni Awards dinner. This is an annual event that is attended by a large number of alumni, which makes it a great networking opportunity. As a freshman, I was honored to attend. At the dinner, I joined a table of my mentor’s associates, his son (who graduated from the MCOB in Entrepreneurship) and his son’s fiancée, as well as several other current students. I even had the opportunity to meet the VP of World Travel at the Walt Disney Company, who is also a Ball State grad.

As I continue through the College of Business, I can foresee the Miller Honors program providing me with even more excellent opportunities that will make a difference in my future.

If you have an interest in the Miller Honors program, definitely check out their website! The deadline for the 2011-2012 Miller Scholars is January 31, 2011. Also, applications for the 2011-2012 Miller Honors Programs are due March 1, 2011.

Happy Holidays, from my family to yours!

Now that I'm home for Winter Break, my family and I are happy to be back together. My sister, Jessica, even had a snow day today! Actually, it was more of an "ice day" since there was half an inch of ice on everything. So we basically had an ice skating rink on our driveway, and the idea developed to create our own version of "Skating with the Stars." This video is the result. Enjoy! Happy Holidays!

Let it snow...

Yesterday was the first measurable snowfall on campus this year (it actually snowed the first weekend of November, but didn’t stick very long). It snowed all day, from flurries to big flakes. We got about half an inch or somewhere around there. Last night, the sidewalks were icy enough to slide our feet along – ramps being the most fun, of course.

Today, the sun is shining and slowly melting away the snow. Ball State seems to do a good job of keeping salt on the sidewalks when classes are in session. There is quite a bit out there today.

It’s definitely getting cold in Muncie. Since I’m not a huge fan of winter weather, I made sure to bring LOTS of things to keep me warm. I’ll share my list with you.

Winter Checklist:
-parka (or just a winter coat)
-snow boots (the kind that actually keep your feet warm - not Uggs)
-gloves (invest in Isotoners)
-scarves (nice, warm ones)
-ear muffs (I haven't gotten any yet, but I feel like they would be really nice...)
-hat (I want one with fur)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the dorms...especially in Becca and Nicole's room!

Giving Thanks

This holiday break, I am at home with my family. Tonight, I spent some time talking with my dad. For my Honors 199 class, we were asked to interview someone we know who is at least 15 years older than us. So I had a conversation with my dad about his childhood. We talked about everything from television to music, and fashion to technology. I love hearing stories from when my dad was a boy. He told me about his cowboys and Indians fort (which I’ve actually played with myself) and his 3-inch afro from his trip to Europe. Entertaining, believe me.

It’s been a wonderful Thanksgiving. And it all began with Fruesday…well, maybe I should explain. The Tuesday before Thanksgiving Break has been dubbed “Fruesday” by Ball State University. It is a day on which we have Friday classes on Tuesday, hence Fruesday. The whole idea is to make up for all the Monday holidays we have off, thus missing out on class time those days. I’m not sure how effective it is, but hey, at least it makes us unique!

It’s hard to believe there are only two more weeks of classes and a week of finals before the semester is over. It seems like not so long ago I was just moving in. But I’m thankful to have made it this far!

I’ve had a wonderful Thanksgiving at home with my family. These days, my list of things to be thankful for is growing ever longer – and I’m grateful even for that!

Happy Thanksgiving!


(Psst! Click on the picture to learn about another unique part of Ball State!)

Dance Auditions

Last year, when I applied to Ball State, I hadn’t really decided about minoring in dance. By the time I did decide, it was too late to audition. The Department of Theatre and Dance audition days are in November and February. So, I just had to wait until November of this year to audition. This past Saturday was the first round of auditions for Fall 2011 (or Spring for current students). There were students auditioning for dance majors and minors, musical theatre, and acting.

The (early) morning began with a performance by the cast of Company, a musical production currently being put on at University Theatre, and a performance by the cast of The Nutcracker ballet being performed in December. The students were great and seeing them got us excited to get started.

The dance and musical theatre students stayed in the studio for the dance portion. We began with a jazz combination, then tap (which was optional), and finally ballet barre work. As the musical theatre students left, the dance students continued with ballet at the barre and floor work. All that was left was a modern combination and we were finished! It was a whirlwind morning, but so exciting.

I loved the feeling of dancing those styles in a class setting again. It’s been awhile! For dance minors, the audition is more about class placement than anything. They look at where you are and determine in which level you belong. I’m not sure if I will be taking any dance classes next semester, mainly because course request is now over, so most classes will be full, and I already have a full load. There is always an Add/Drop period when you can change your schedule up until the first week of classes though. So who knows?

As always, feel free to leave comments! I love hearing thoughts and suggestions for my blog. Also, if you have questions about campus life, please ask! If I don’t have an answer, I can direct you to someone who does.

Freshman Parking

Having a car on campus as a freshman is quite an experience…

Basically, the way it works is all freshman cars must be parked at the football stadium lot, which is a good distance from the main campus. Then the night before every home football game, ALL the cars there must be moved to an alternate location.

Every time there’s a game, the buses to the stadium are jam-packed with students going to move their cars. There was a game this past Saturday, actually. And on Friday, it snowed. Right as we were going to move our cars. So we waited through several full buses in the snow and cold. I love winter…ha.

The good part about moving our cars is we can park anywhere on campus (after 5 p.m. Friday) for the weekend. This comes in handy when you want to go somewhere on the weekends and your car just happens to be in the parking garage near your dorm. It works out nicely.

But then you have to move it back by Sunday night, or you get a ticket. I think it’s like by 3:30 a.m. on Monday morning actually. I have yet to have a run-in with Parking Services, but I’m sure it will happen and I’m sure you will hear about it.

My advice: bring your car if you want to be able to go places, but be prepared for the hassle of moving it for football games.

It's A Classic

Last weekend, I competed at my first ballroom competition! When I came to Ball State, I joined the Ballroom Dance League to learn some new styles of dance. The very first lesson was in Rumba, and we’ve been learning Cha Cha the past few weeks.

I loved it so much I decided to compete at the Purdue Classic last weekend. My partner, Chase, and I competed in Newcomer American Rumba, which is the entry-level amateur division. There were over 90 couples in our division. Talk about competition! I don’t know about Chase, but I had some nerves. Even after all the dancing I’ve done in my life, this was a whole new world. All that mattered, though, was showing what we knew and having fun while doing it.

Chase and I made it to the second round! After we had so much fun the first time, I was glad to get to dance again. It was just as fun the second time, but that was as far as we got.

The competition itself was so much fun, and I especially enjoyed watching the Gold and Silver levels compete (those are the highest divisions). Maybe someday! I definitely want to compete again and try more styles this time.

Here’s a video of our first round for you. I’m in the purple top. Thanks to Laci for videotaping it!