Alternative Spring Break is an experience like no other. A group of students travel to New Orleans, Louisiana over spring break to help rebuild houses that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Selection is rigorous; students have to fill out an application and go through an interview to take part. Once they have been chosen, they can start all the fundraising activities.

The trip is funded by donations. Throughout the year, students get together and brainstorm ways to fundraise. This year the students held events such as a pasta dinner, where ticket sales went to their fund.

When the group gets to New Orleans, they work with Gulf Coast Volunteers for the Long Haul, Inc. and St. Bernard’s Project. The trip is full of opportunities for these Nichols students to learn about the different culture, themselves, and gain a new appreciation for community service and helping those in need.

A couple of my friends went on Alternative Spring Break this year. They talked very highly about the experience. I followed their entire trip by constantly looking at their Instagram and Snapchat accounts. Sean, my brother, went last year and he said it was hard work, but he enjoyed the trip. The part that was very hard to manage was waking up at 7 a.m. and not going to bed until at least midnight, sometimes 1 a.m. Sean said, “But once you realize the difference you are making in someone’s life, there is nothing to complain about.”  He also reflected on all of the friendships he made and still maintains from the trip. Another thing to look forward to is the food; everyone I talked to raved about how great it was. If you weren’t thinking about Alternative Spring Break before, you should really consider it for next year because I know I am!

Nichols College Men’s Ice Hockey had not only a successful season on the ice but in academics as well. The men’s ice hockey team saw 14 student-athletes named to the 2014-15 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Academic All-Conference Team. For a student-athlete to be named to the ALL-Conference team, he or she has to earn a 3.0 GPA or higher for the semester.

The men’s ice hockey team had an amazing season this year. Going to the games became one of my favorite things to do from November to March. The excitement from the crowds was a good enough reason to attend. In addition, the fact that the team was back-to-back ECAC champions increased the level of excitement for the championship game and is something to be remembered. It was incredible to watch the entire team celebrate on the ice, and see some of the guys that I have been friends with for four years so happy.

The women’s ice hockey team also had a successful season with the majority of the team being placed on the Academic All-Conference Team. Eleven players on the Nichols College Women’s Ice Hockey team received the distinction, which was an increase from last year’s eight players. The hockey program here at Nichols has been excelling during these past two years, and as a student it has been a pleasure to watch these two teams succeed.

To read the full articles on the students being named to the 2014-15 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Northeast Academic All-Conference Team, visit:

https://nicholsathletics.com/news/2015/3/16/WICE_0316152224.aspx

https://nicholsathletics.com/news/2015/3/16/MICEHOCKEY_0316150543.aspx

Over the last month, I’ve learned a lot. For starters, the month of March is Women’s History Month. Why was I unaware of this before? Throughout my years of public school, I am surprised that Women’s History Month was never mentioned. There were no special projects, movies or presentations in March about historical women leaders, those who fought for equality or led the way in discovery. Yet, I remember learning about the Industrial Revolution, the Civil War, and the Boston Tea Party: all important events in history yet no inclusion of the female gender.

This year, Nichols College celebrated Women’s History Month with two major events: March Forward and the Empowering Women in Business Conference.  March Forward took place on March 1^st and was a celebration of our female alumni and what they have accomplished while on campus as students and in the professional world. The day began with a continental breakfast and networking, followed by a catered lunch and an alumnae panel.

The Empowering Women in Business Conference was phenomenal, with over 200 people in attendance. The conference began with a vendor exhibition and included a number of female business owners, both alumni and otherwise. The event attracted great interest, especially since the keynote speaker was television personality Amy Roloff. Amy’s family is the center of the television show, “Little People, Big World,” which has been airing on TLC since 2006. She spoke about her entrepreneurial efforts, including creating her own Mango-Pumpkin Salsa and buying a family farm. Her best advice to young female professionals is to “be the entrepreneur of you, take ownership of you.”  Amy’s speech was followed by a series of workshops, including Starting Your Own Business and Planning Your Financial Future. A light dinner was served, and vendor stations were revisited as the evening wound down. Some vendors included: Ellie & Me, Express Yourself Gifts, Arbonne, It Works! Body Wraps, and Wear Lex. The Institute for Women’s Leadership did a fantastic job coordinating these events that celebrated women’s history for both the campus and local community.

Women’s History Week began in March of 1981 and expanded into Women’s History Month officially by 1995. The push to create it was enormous, with backing from former President Jimmy Carter, the National Women’s History Project, and hundreds of thousands of individual supporters.

Each year, a new theme is chosen to represent that month’s efforts. This past month’s theme was “Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives.” This theme presents the opportunity to integrate women’s stories- individually and collectively- into the essential fabric of our nation’s history.

In a way, this is also the approach that the Institute for Women’s Leadership took. By inviting alumnae and asking them to speak of their experiences, wins and losses, and gained knowledge, they imparted their valuable stories and information for all to hear and learn from. One thing is for sure: as a woman, I will face different challenges in the workplace. I may face discrimination based on my gender, but I will not let that stop me. To succeed, I must be the entrepreneur of myself and face adversity head on.

In the future, I hope that we will educate young girls about Women’s History Month. It is sad that women’s history is only remembered and celebrated one month a year. The strides that women have accomplished date back thousands of years and the stories are few and far between. It is an important topic in history, and its importance needs to be shared more with young girls and boys to teach them that women have made strides toward making the world a better place just as men have.

Visit https://www.nwhp.org​ for more information about Women’s History Month.