BisonFest 2015 was a success! The seniors came in first, juniors were second, freshmen were third, and sophomores came in fourth. The seniors are so lucky to take home the grand prize of $3,000!

I competed in two games. The first game I competed in was Face the Cookie. Beth Gionfriddo walked around and placed Oreos on our foreheads. The point of the game was to use our face muscles to get the Oreo into our mouths. It was much harder than it sounded. In my attempt, I lost three Oreos and had to start over three times. I ended in third place, but at least I did not come in fourth like the sophomores. I was not too upset because I did get to eat three Oreos.

The second game I participated in was Hanky Panky. The objective of this game was to pull tissues out of the tissue box as fast as possible and until there weren’t any more tissues left. It was going great for me until I thought I had won the game but my hopes were quickly crushed when I realized there were still tissues in the box. Sadly, I again came in third place, but it was so much fun regardless. I really enjoyed the friendly competition and the different, creative games!

After BisonFest came to a close on Sunday, there was a Bicentennial concert with Craig Campbell and Joe Nichols. If you are a country fan, then this was a great concert to attend. Unfortunately, I am not the biggest country fan, but I wanted to attend to have the experience and hang out with my friends. Fortunately, my lack of love for country music did not stop me from trying to sing along! Overall I had a great time!

Recently I ran for secretary of the class of 2018, unopposed (must be because people were too scared to run against me, ha) and won! I am so excited to be secretary because I want to be able to contribute to the class of 2018 and make a lasting mark here at Nichols College. The other officers and I are ready to see this year come to an end and to start next year with a bang!

I disliked not knowing what was going on with my class and felt as though running for class secretary was probably the best idea so that I could be involved in all decisions as well as keep my class updated. Knowing that I can help make a difference for the class of 2018 is exhilarating.

In high school, I never ran for class officer or got involved with student government, so this is a big step for me. I have watched both of my brothers excel in being an officer for SGA and wanted to do the same. I learned from listening to my brothers that I should always take notes and be open to ideas from my peers. Listening is one of my greatest qualities, and I know I will be a fabulous secretary because of it.

Our last event as freshmen will be held on May 1. We are having a class social in the Fels Main Lounge for freshmen only! We will have a slideshow of photos sent in from anyone and everyone in our class to reminisce about freshman year. We will also have games and food. Come dressed in your best red, white and blue as that is the theme. The social will begin at 8:00 p.m. and will end at 10:00 p.m.

Calling all freshmen: make sure you come and celebrate the end of your first year as a Bison with your fellow classmates! The party is also a kick off for the dreaded finals week and a way for everyone to relax. We want the class of 2018 to be a close-knit group so we can continue to have more fun and exciting events together.

I want to thank everyone who voted for me. I am so excited to be a part of the class of 2018 board and cannot wait to work with my fellow officers. We are already starting to plan future events because there is no time to wait! The class of 2018 will leave Nichols College legendary if my peers continue to vote for me.

The Third Annual Elevator Speech Competition was held on April 7, 2015. Twenty-three contestants participated, an increase from 17 last year. Contestants ranged from first-year students to seniors. There were four judges: Patrick Holland ’88 a member of the CHK Group of Wells Fargo Advisors; Patrick Mullane, Vice President & General Manager of Technetics, Inc., who has also served as an Air Force officer and managed an intelligence-gathering satellite constellation for the CIA; Mackenzie Walsh ’12, staffing manager at Robert Half for the OfficeTeam division; and President Engelkemeyer, the seventh and current president of Nichols College. Professor Luanne Westerling coordinated and supervised the event with the help of Senior Class President, Andrew Haas who served as the student moderator/emcee.

In this case, an elevator speech is a one-minute pitch about you and your best qualities and skills that set you apart from the crowd. The name originates from the concept that a speech should be delivered in the time it takes for an elevator ride, which is generally 30 seconds to a minute. Nichols Elevator Speech Competition consists of a panel of judges that comment and rate contestants’ performances after the speech is delivered.  Each contestant is rated on a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Also, if one goes over the time limit of one minute, points are deducted, so contestants must practice!

This year all three winners were freshmen! It is so exciting to see the immense participation by the freshman class. Tori Wolter, the winner, gave a riveting speech about herself and her younger sister who has Bipolar Depression. Her speech was so inspiring that I actually cried after her speech; she really did a tremendous job capturing the audience’s attention. She ended her first ever Elevator Speech Competition with a perfect score of 40 and the grand prize of $300. Second place was Martin Fletcher with $200 and third place, Devyn Goncalves with $100. Both Martin and Devyn did an exceptional job. Congratulations to all three winners!

For my effective speaking class, I had to attend the event, listen, rate, and comment on each of the students’ speeches. All of the contestants had remarkable speeches, and everyone conducted themselves confidently on stage. I thought everyone who spoke did an outstanding job and simply the fact that they could stand up in front of a filled Daniels Auditorium really showcased their character. The turnout for the event was so great that I and many others had to sit on the floor. I think next year I will sign up and compete in the Fourth Annual Elevator Speech Competition! I thoroughly enjoyed this event!