St. John's in 5 pictures or less...

A student walks past the Montgoris Dining Hall on his way to class.

St. John's personal Little Theatre which caters to personal school productions and airing of blockbuster movies.

The current movie or production is displayed so that students know what they're in for upon entering the theatre.

A group of students patiently await their turn in Sullivan Center's Laptop Shop to have their computer inquiries answered.

The times of the movies at the Little Theatre are posted so one doesn't have to wait around all day to figure out what time the viewings begin.

The Freshman Table

Sunday is a sacred day for two reasons: the Sabbath and spaghetti. I was brought up with home-cooked meals every day, but Sunday was the day that dad slaved away in the kitchen for the weekly spaghetti (or whichever macaroni we had on hand) and meatballs.



Being at school strips me of a lot of the satisfaction of Sunday dinner. Instead of daily regimented meals, I'm at liberty to go to the dining hall whenever I'd like to eat whatever may be available. There are days in which I am pleasantly surprised at what is offered, yet there are many days where I settle for a salad, sandwich, or even just fruit.


Aside from the decrease in delectability in the food, the one thing I had not realized until I left home was the whole idea of the family dinner. When we sat down at our family table, we were closed off from the world. There was no TV nor answering of the telephones and when we were finished eating we waited for dad to finish and then asked to be excused.


Here at school, we enter a busy dining hall with TVs blaring the latest hip-hop or alternative music videos and choose one of any available table to sit the group we entered with. This is not exactly the scene in which I'm used to sitting down, but I try to make it work.


The one thing I have asked of my dinner partner, which is ritually the same friend and roommate, is that dinner time be respected as it was in my house in the sense that once you sit down at the table, the concentration is on conversation with each other. Though I am myself guilty of cellphone dependence, it was ingrained into my mind that the dinner table was no place for it.


My friend, on the other hand, was initially less than formal about it. Texts were sent and answered and Facebook was checked and updated. This continued until I finally reached a level of comfort in which I could express my overwhelming aversion to this practice.


My "family dinners" at school will never be as they were at the original family dinner table. The food is still less than what qualifies as my dad's delicious cuisine and the ruckus of the dining hall is on a much larger scale of noise than my family's naturally rambunctious voices. But with the commotion of the dining comes the chance for me and my friend to recap the day, discuss plans for tomorrow, or discuss whatever it is we want to get off our chest in the fashion I'm accustomed to. My friend makes sure her last text is sent before she even takes her seat, and the phones are done until we are.


In the college setting, which notoriously lacks privacy and compatibility, something as simple as a hidden cellphone during a meal makes St. John's that much more of a comfortable place. Delayed gratification comes in the form of pasta whenever I return home.

The Interview

St John's is known most widely for its diversity and every day here that becomes more apparent. After an interview with classmate Sohyun Park, I saw a little deeper into the diversity.

Tara: Why was it that you traveled to Korea?
Sohyun: First of all, I was born there. I have my mom's side that still lives there and I recently traveled there last summer for a graduation present and the night life is really interesting there.

T: So you speak Korean fluently?
S: Somewhat, not all the time. To my mom, not to my dad.


T: Is there a lot of English speaking people in Korea or is it just that you can get around, conversationally?
S: I can get around perfectly fine with the amount of Korean I speak but there are other places, like certain cities that are international so there are some people who speak just English.

T: Any other languages that you speak?
S: A really little Spanish.


Here is the full interview:

Silver and Gold; Depends on my mood

As the Beatles say "I get by with a little help from my friends."

Coming to Queens and leaving my friends behind was something that was very difficult. I knew they would always be there for me, it was just a strange thought that we wouldn't be doing everything and sharing every memory together.We would all have to spread out and find a new group of friends.

The point of leaving the woods for the concrete jungle was to open doors, expand horizons, and meet new people. That is just what I've been doing and have to admit I've been doing it well. I've found people who I enjoy being around and on top of that, I can rely on them. I did this on my own, by making friends that bring me to meet other friends and networking in class.

Some people seem to have more trouble gathering a group of friends, and the easiest way to solve this is the spring Greek life rush.

Undoubtedly, there is somewhat of a bond between "sisters" of a sorority and "brothers" of a fraternity. Quite frankly, it all seems very fabricated.  You get "bid on" as if you're an item at an auction, then you must pledge and basically make the members or leaders like you by doing whatever they want, or allowing them to do whatever they want to you.

For many people, this is an enjoyable time. You earn the privilege to wear Greek letters and go to specially hosted parties and events. But after being hazed, what is the attraction to this? Though it may help you make friends, it could also bring unwanted and inescapable acquaintances. Just because you share the same sorority does not mean you and whomever else is in it will certainly be friends. After being ridiculed and tested by these girls, how is it that you can look at them and call them your friends?

 So what is true friendship? Having sorority sisters who you pledge to be friends with, or friends who have no obligation to you but willingly spend time and do favors? I would personally favor friends who I choose myself and care for me rather than those who test me to see if I am up to standards.

That's what I have found in both my friends at home and the new one I have found here. We have no obligation to each other except true love and care, and that's what holds friendships together, not foreign letters. Both the old gold friends and the new silver ones are friends I know I are strong and worth holding onto.

Home Town Heroes

New York City has countless mascots. The Yankees are the pride of baseball, with the Mets being another figure (didn't mean to insult anyone). There are TWO football teams. Aside from that, the plethora of bridges are all named after someone important: George Washington, Giovanni da Verrazano, RFK, etc. There are so many people credited with building part of this city.


As I mentioned my previous post, my town is named after one man who most people have never heard about. Jim Thorpe is just some Joe Schmo with no credibility. As easy as it'd be to say that, it is wrong.


Two years ago I took a trip to Washington DC for a Media and Journalism Conference. One speaker, creator of C-Span network, asked students to come to the stage and say where they are from. I told him I am from Jim Thorpe. He promptly questioned if I knew who that was and I assured him I did. He and the entire crowd were shocked to hear me explain:


Jim Thorpe was an Olympic athlete deemed by King Gustav V of Sweden to be "the greatest athlete in the world" after having won the decathlon and pentathlon in the Stockholm Olympics of 1912. His athleticism didn't end there, as he went on the play professional football and had a past in Minor League Baseball. These careers, however, stripped him of his gold medals seeing as Olympians are not permitted to play in any professional sports for payment. His gold medals were returned back to his family 30 years after his death.


So how did he end up named after a town in Pennsylvania, one in which he never stepped foot? His real home was Oklahoma. Long story short, his family wanted him memorialized, and the small coal-mining town of Mauch Chunk Pennsylvania was willing to do that.


Thus, I am a graduate of Jim Thorpe High School and former Jim Thorpe Olympian. Now, I am part of St. John's Red Storm here in New York where Jim Thorpe is rarely spoken of. If we're going to talk about sports stars, we might as well talk about Babe Ruth, whose birthday is today, and who needs no introduction. Are there any notable similarities between the two sports stars? If nothing else, they both made an appearance on the Wheaties box.