OFFLINE Ariel Johnson 2011

Homecoming Night!!!

Hello Everyone,

I suppose I should start off by introducing myself. My name is Ariel Johnson and I am a junior here at John Carroll. I am actively involved through campus as a tour guide, resident assistant, member of several of the school choirs and Greek Life. All of these activities have not only enhanced my time here at Carroll but are the reasons why I stay to committed to this campus. I am originally from Chicago, so not very far away. It is about six hours (5 and a half if you do 7mph over the limit the whole way). Carroll has been a great option for me as someone who wanted to leave home but not be all the way across the country. I enjoy that I am still 20 minutes from a big city with lots of great opportunities to experience culture in the area. This brings me to the reason for today's blog. Last night was the big homecoming dance, hosted at Cleveland Brown's Stadium. It was awesome (unless you are from PA)! The ballroom inside was absolutely beautiful and so was the stadium. It was a great chance to get off campus and experience downtown Cleveland. I must say that I am proud of the Student Union Programming Board. They put on a fantastic event. SUPB hosts many of the events throughout the year. They are a student run organization that is sponsored through the Office of Student Activities to put on alternative programming events for the campus. Some are hits like last night, others do not always go as well. However, they always work very hard and it showed in last night's dance. The music was fantastic, the students were crazy and everyone had a wonderful time. I truly enjoyed myself and I am sad that it is over. I think the key for me is that I went with a good group of friends. As I mentioned previously, I am a member of Greek life, so I went with a group of my sisters. I then spent the remainder of the night with a good group of guys just singing and dancing the night away. It was a nice reprieve from the week before which was my midterm week. I had been overly stressed due to the increasing amount of presentations and tests, so it was nice to be able to let loose for one night and really have a good time. Well, I will definitely be keeping you updated on the events at Carroll but academically and socially. Look for my next post soon!

Peace,

AJ 

First Post

Hello,

My name is Ariel Johnson, I am currently in my second year at Carroll and I truly love it. I am originally from Chicago, so everyone always asks me why I did not choose to go to Loyola or Northwestern. I must say that I did apply to these schools as well as maybe nine others, but something about John Carroll just felt different. the first time I came to visit Carroll, I thought it was absolutely beautiful. It looked just like the brochure. People were laying out on the quad, some were playing Frisbee and the place just seemed full of life. It seemed as if everyone knew each other. Well, that visit solidified my college choice. I knew I wanted to come to John Carroll.

Now that i am here, I can honestly say that I have made the right decision and trust me, there have been times when I have second guessed my choice. I am someone who loves to be at home. My best friends are there and I am very close with my family, so to leave something I loved so much seemed like a crazy idea. I was extremely homesick when I came to Carroll. It was the first time I had ever shared a room with anyone and my roommate was definitely different. She comes from a small town and she was into snowboarding and skater shoes. She listened to hard rock and had this wild, curly blond hair that she never brushed. I was positive we would not get along. She is not only one my best friends on campus, but she has helped me to grow so much as a person. She and her family were key to helping over my homesickness. I also started getting involved in different activities. I  just wanted to try everything. I joined a sorority, started working in the theater department, eventually stage managing and acting in plays, I sang in all four of John Carroll's Choirs. I was really starting to get involved. What I have found is that these activities have made the difference in my experience here at Carroll.

This year, I have continued to stay involved however, I have had to limit the amount of activities that I do. I realized that I had no time to just be me and reflect on the college experience. Sometimes, it is so easy to get caught up and  loose track of yourself. Everyday is not a great day, but the days that are great are the one's that make the difference. Well, until next time.

Ariel