Famous Regent Grads

Lets talk inspiration from history. Regent University has some pretty impressive graduates that have been brought to my attention and I thought I would talk a little about them. Here are a few:

1.) Bob McDonnell. Bob McDonnell is running for Governor in Virginia's 2009 election. He was formerly the Attorney General of Virginia and graduated from Regent University School of Law in 1989.

2.) Jay Sekulow. Jay Sekulow has been named "One of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals" by Time Magazine in 2005. He has worked extensively in Washington as a lawyer and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA as the Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a Trustee for Regent University and also a professor in the Regent's School of Law. He recieved his Ph.D. from Regent in American Legal History.

3.) Tony Hale. Tony Hale is most famous for his portrayal of the child-like and eccentric Buster Bluth on the sitcom Arrested Development. Though the show only ran three seasons, Hale has gone on to be a guest on various television shows like Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia and ER. He recieved a master's degree from Regent's School of Communications and the Arts.

4.) Cheryl McKay. Cheryl McKay is a screen writer most famous for the 2006 film The Ultimate Gift starring James Garner and Abigail Breslin. Her screenplay Never the Bride has been adapted into novel format and was released by Random House publishers in June 2009. Cheryl earned her Masters of Arts in Film Aesthetics & Prodcution in 1995.

5.) George Thomas. For any 700 club fans, you may know George Thomas as an international correspondent and senior reporter for the Christian Broadcasting Network. He recieved his Masters in Journalism from Regent's School of Communication & the Arts in 1995.

I am suprised at how many famous people have walked the same brick pathways that I take to class everyday. Have an excellent week everyone!

Pho Sure

If you are reading this, I am assuming that you have been surfing the web for a few minutes now and probably need a break. Now would be an excellent time for my Pho Soup Recipe.

One night about three weeks ago, I developed a recipe for this delicious soup. I think the same day I set off the smoke alarm in my apartment because I tried to make pastry crème and burned a nice black ring in the bottom of my only sauce pan. Instead of feasting on burnt cake icing, I decided to move onto more savory things -things like Pho.

Pho is a Vietmanese noodle soup that tastes something like….palm trees, if palm trees had a flavor. It is a slightly spicy soup made with rice noodles and herbs. If you enjoy exotic foods, you have got to try this, it is delicious. I had some great pictures but accidentally deleted them from my computer, oops. Here it is:

Pho Soup

4 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

1/2lb. of chicken breast or tenders

1 pkg. rice noodles

1 bunch cilantro

1 pkg. fresh basil

1 jalapeno pepper

1 head Chinese cabbage

salt and pepper

1. Fill a sauce pan half full with water and place it on a burner turned to HIGH. Bring water to a boil and add the chicken to the water. Boil until the chicken is cooked and white in the middle. Drain the chicken and leave it on some paper towels to cool. As soon as it is cool, pull it apart until it looks “shredded”. It will be in many different pieces.

2. On a cutting board, slice half the head of Chinese cabbage into pieces ¼” in width. Set aside to be added to the soup. Take half of the cilantro bunch and chop into small pieces setting aside to be added to the soup. Pull the basil leaves from the and set aside to be added to the soup. Chop the jalapeno pepper and set aside.

3. Fill another saucepan with the chicken broth and the 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Add the package of rice noodles and cooked chicken. Simmer until noodles are soft, most likely 5 minutes. Then add the Chinese cabbage and jalapeno pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Take the saucepan off the stovetop and add the cilantro and basil. Use salt and pepper to taste.

The soup should store well for 5-7 days in the fridge. If you don’t like hot foods, don’t add the jalapeno. It is great either way.

"I Don't Know What I Want To Do"

I am hearing it all over campus from various different people in various different studies.

“I don’t know what I want to do.”

College has a way of pressurizing people. I think somewhere along the line we all thought that we were supposed to know what we want to do. Like knowing what you want to do for the next 50 years when you are eighteen years old is a normal thing.

I don’t think it is normal. I don’t think it is normal one bit. When I first started college as an 19 year old, I applied to Regent Undergrad as a psychology major. After being accepted and rejecting the acceptance, I reopened the application two years later as an English major.

Will I be reading books, analyzing philosophy and writing essays two years from now? Maybe. Is it more likely that I will be doing something completely different than I ever thought? Absolutely. Sometimes the open-ended, answer-less questions in our lives like What do I want to do with my life? Are the ones that leave the most room for God to work.

If you don’t know what you want to do with your life, wait. Give it time. These things come to us. After all, its not like your parents are still wallowing in front of the television with a bowl of popcorn, a nose ring and 4-5 friends saying I don’t know what I want to do with my life.

These things have a way of working themselves out.

Things They Don't Say in Orientation

I am already beginning to hear whispers around my classrooms. Its about the time when school gets tough and the sound of tears from the room over are not rare. The first year students are missing home…alot. The work load is starting to pile up as the realities of college life set in for all students. Here are five things that helped me get through freshman year and my years as a transfer student that they don't tell you in orientation:

1. Give it Time. Many freshman students leave after the first two weeks. Then some leave at Christmas. College life is a huge adjustment that can take up to a year to be comfortable with. When home-sickness is strong, reach out to others. The best places I have found to meet people are the laundry room, the fitness center, class, clubs and through just being a charming and out-going individual not afraid to shake a hand or smile. Friendships will come. Whatever you do, get your mind off of the fact that this huge life-change has thrown your life into a frenzy. Part of college is learning to be outward and intentional about social life. Its ok to take a time to adjust. In the long-term, you won’t regret it.

2. Decorate Your Room. If where you are living does not feel like home, it is likely that you won’t stay there. Try putting up some posters, or my personal favorite – curtains. The little things like funky cups, homey blankets, sweet smelling scents make a world of difference to how comfortable you feel. Its worth the splurge at Target or Walmart to make sure that you feel at home and are living in an environment that is comfortable enough to allow focus to be on studies.

3. Reward Yourself. College studies are grueling. They possibly equate to the most reading you will ever do in your life. According to the book Light on the Path, an undergraduate student typically reads as many as 150 pages every week or more! When the week is over and you have finally finished all the reading, discussion posts and papers, don’t forget to reward yourself. It can mean buying a candy bar the size of your arm or planning the world’s largest all-floor sleepover in the hallway. Just don’t forget that you matter and taking care of you is as important as reading is to college success.

4. Buy Good Food. Ultimately we are what we eat. If you fill your stomach with sugar and processed food, it will make the brain foggy and confused. If you fill it with foods that are part of a balanced diet, it will provide for more energy and mental function. If you are having trouble studying, try cutting out sugar, it will change how you feel. Good food is worth the splurge at the grocery store. Sugar will always be a staple in the college student’s diet but don’t forget about fruits and veggies, meats and dairy. It will make a world of difference.

5. Visit the Profs. Professors can seem so intelligent and intimidating even though they are paid to help students. When a professor holds office hours, don’t hesitate to visit. If you need help with an area in the class, go seek advice. Go and talk to them about why they chose to be a professor and what super-cool reason led them to Regent. This is supposedly the nation’s pre-eminent Christian university. The professors here did not come because no one else was hiring. College professors have great stories too. You never know, it could turn out to be a smart networking move for your future.

I hope these all help. They helped me. Best of luck this week J

Hello World!

I am stunned by how beautiful Virginia Beach is! Just a few weeks ago I made the 1800 mile voyage from Denver, Colorado over cities and plains to move to little, sea-level Virginia Beach to pursue a undergraduate degree in English at Regent University. People seem to catch onto the fact that I am a "Denverite" quickly. This is probably because of how much I stop to take a picture every time I see the beach or a Shoney’s.

I came to Regent University because of two things - God and writing. I started off college in public university where I quickly learned that if I wanted to write formally, and be communicating information with impact, it was important that I put myself in a position of opportunity. What is a position of opportunity? It is where there is the most possibility for good things to happen to you. Regent is a position of opportunity.

My second reason for coming to Regent was to find a someone to marry then become fruitful and multiply. That was a joke. I have to make sure we all have a good sense of humor here. There is a underground Christian motto about Christian colleges, the age old proverb, “Ring before senior spring or your money back.” I do not consider that to be something Regent Students start planning at freshman orientation. The mantras here are more like, “If I make it to Senior spring, I will have survived and will meet Pat Robertson at graduation!” Who doesn't want to meet the affectionate "P.Rob" as they call him here? I do.

Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Julie and I hope to be blogging generally about my impressions of Regent, my personal college experience and the suprises about Regent they don't tell on the website. All of this will be seasoned with a little bit of sarcasm of course. So its nice to meet you. Please feel free to leave me comments.