As a current alumnus of Milton Hershey School, I feel compelled to blog about the current $4 billion dollar lawsuit against my alma mater and home away from home.

I recently received an email from the President’s office at MHS indicating that a lawsuit was filed by a former student, but the letter was not addressing the student it was directing its focus on a man by the name of Fred Fouad, founder of Protect the Hersheys’ Children, INC also called PHC.

PHC mission is

…ending childcare incompetence at the MHS Board and Administrative levels, assuring use of all Hershey Trust land and cash resources strictly for MHS children, removing MHS Board conflicts of interest, and creation of an MHS Board that is dedicated to the Hersheys’ child-saving mission.

The mission is taken from the PHC website under its mission section and when I read the last portion dealing with removing MHS Board conflicts of interest and creation of an MHS Board my mind just wants to hit the computer screen. I am well aware that conflict of interests should be removed, but the total removal of the board seems far fetched when the point of MHS is to save children from poverty. How can an organization operate without a board that knows its task that the children come first? Futhermore, how can someone abolish the creation of a board when that board is made up of graduates from MHS?

President Colistra continues in his letter to Alumi with

Fred Fouad, a disgruntled alumnus who has spent the past decade seeking to undermine the School’s strong record of serving children in need. In published comments, Fouad has sought to distance himself from this legal action, suggesting he did not know what was in the complaint. That’s despite the fact that he drafted this action and threatened the School with it two years ago.

Now, it is obvious that the President wants to get across that Fouad is angry against the school, but I am interested in why. Well, there is no indication in the letter what MHS  may have done to Fouad personally, but it does say he was a former student and during that time kids left the school. I remember while attending MHS that kids left the school periodically. Mostly, kids that enrolled within the first couple of months or the first year left because the pressure of homesickness drew them away. This homesickness came from the parents and from the students.

One student specifically, came during my sophomore year and only stayed a few months. He was popular, loved the classes, and had a great time in his student home. My last memory of spending time with him was celebrating a birthday and having a small cake fight outside of the student home. A couple days after that I did not see him so I had asked our mutual friends where he’d gone. Turns out that he left the school because his mother missed him immensely. So, it wasn’t because the systematic institution in place at MHS that slashed the dreams of this child, but the sure distance that homesickness creates between people who love each other.

After reading the letter from President Colistra, I began to research online of any articles indicating the lawsuit. Of course, four billion dollars would not go unnoticed by the press. According to PennLive.com, the lawsuit filed against MHS is from a former honor -roll student Cosme Cesar Escudero-Aviles and his mother Sylvia Aviles-Escudero. They are seeking actually $3 million and wants $4 billion for a foundation benefiting current and future MHS students, my intuition says is is for PHC since the article does indicate that the family has been “linked” to PHC.

In this article, the family is basing their claims on that

…officials made jokes about his ethnicity and did not assist him when he was harassed by other students. They further claim Cesar was removed from the school without due process and that his treatment was indicative of systemic problems at the residency school for at-risk youths.

Certainly, I was not there to witness these allegations, but I never encountered school faculty or administration on any level really targeting a student because of their ethnicity. I do know that when students are harassed like myself immense conditions were upheld. I remember being taunted at within the first two weeks of arriving to MHS. Students made claims against my homosexuality. They would ask me if I was gay and just did the same harassing routine that I experienced in public school. The point of my going to MHS was to get away from that bullying. Well, I was proactive and went to my houseparents and told them I was being picked on and bullied. They immediately took care of the situation. They called HomeLife and the main boy who was instigating the harassment was confronted. He later came up to me an apologized. Funny how karma works, a year later the left the school. So, I know that if harassment was apart of Cesar’s life at MHS, he should have told his houseparents his concerns. They all are trained in these areas so they know exactly what to do. I really felt safe after my harassment was eliminated.

I am not exactly sure if Cesar had due process in being kicked out of MHS since I was not there, but I am aware that the school administration takes action to review cases of prior history into account. They look at your behavior and academic success and place that against whatever violation you may have committed. This process is shown in the MHS documentary: Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School which you can watch the whole thing by going to my post: The sweet tales and tears of Milton Hershey School. A group of officials do sit down and discuss the pros and cons of the student and whether or not they are threatening to the MHS community.

Knowing the exact facts of the story is crucial and neither does the letter from the president or the article written on PennLive gives too much information of what exactly took place in regards to Cesar. But, what is shown in the article is that four billion dollars is half of the endowment that fuels Milton Hershey School. This greatly affects many students who do succeed at MHS because the school does give their students upon graduation, college scholarships. I know, personally, that if I could not receive my MHS continuing edcaution scholarship I would not be in Pittsburgh attending college. I would not be able to honor my family. Without MHS period, I would not be able to have the gumption to a pursue the dream of becoming America’s Future Talk Show Host.

For all those students who could not make it through MHS because of behavior or just pure homesickness know this; you can still talk to those who did graduate from MHS. You are never forgotten. You are still a person who experienced MHS. All alumni and participants of MHS know internally that the school has been founded upon pure love and that love still is in motion so if you have been cast back into the waters of poverty, choose to love yourself and people around you because soon the universe will hear your cries. Just like it heard the chocolate philanthropist nearly 100 years ago when he failed he started again. You can still flourish at great heights, it is just that you need to take the first step to change. And not be selfish in asking for billions of dollars like Cesar and his mother because that brings about pure negativity and won’t help others who need MHS to battle poverty.

There are many students at MHS that deserve to find themselves and their dreams, and be able to not worry financially about furthering their education. If this lawsuit against MHS succeeds and the school loses a good portion of money that keeps the house warm and cozy then many lives and spirits will be torn and the home created by Milton and Catherine Hershey will no longer be a playground for students to find the essence of the American dream.

For more information:

Milton Hershey School- is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources, and social need. The School is funded by a trust established by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine. Milton Hershey School offers a positive, structured home life year-round and an excellent pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education. Our vision focuses on building character and providing children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life.  www.mhs-pa.org

Protect the Hershey’s Children- is a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the well-being of Milton Hershey School (MHS) students; i.e., the children and sole lawful heirs of Milton & Catherine Hershey. www.protecthersheychildren.org 

Other posts:

The sweet tales and tears of Milton Hershey School 

Not only does a 10 calorie drink being advertised as a man-only beverage unleash sexism so did a class field trip to KDKA-TV.

As my honors mass media class entered the doors for our KDKA tour today, no one would have thought that our tour guide would be sexist. And sexist to who? Me. Yes, today during the tv station tour I was called out for sitting in a chair. 

After standing on the main floor of the studio, we moved to the control deck where one person controls the cameras and the TelePrompter resides. As we make our way in this small long space, I end up in front of a chair and instead of dealing with that awkward feeling of “Oh there is a chair behind me and I am standing right in front of it, I don’t want to fall over.” So I sat down and within seconds the tour guide tells me that “Young men should not sit when young ladies are standing.”

I let her repeat herself a couple of times because I wanted to see what she is insinuating with her tone of voice. Well, I got the picture that she wanted me to move out of my seat for a girl who was around me. So I asked the girls around if they wanted to sit down. They all declined. Then I turned back to the guide and said they all said no. Well, I then asked if she herself would like to sit down in the chair. She smiled and said no. Then she muttered that we will suck it up and as she was about to turn to continue her presentation I explain to her that I am gay.

I said that because I wanted to get the point across that I am gay and by that I feel more like a woman as oppose to a straight male. I naturally feel more for women. She responded I know. And then I tell her that she was being sexist. She denied it and we repeated ourselves twice, then I quickly knew oh lets move on because obviously she wasn’t going to budge. So I say okay and with my look on my face told her that she needs to continue her presentation. 

_______

That was the story of the day for me. The epitome of negativity that I experienced thus far. I was appalled by the simple fact that she knew I was gay and still categorized me under gender specific qualities to tell me when to sit and when not to sit. Blatantly being sexist. It might be a misfire to manners, but like my mother said chivalry is dead. It has been dead for many years. And because I am Gay that should prescribe me with some notion that I have a feminine essence stored within my personality to relate to women and fit in more smoothly. Greater than that, no one cares about who got to the seat first. Males and Females, Females and Males are the same. 

I am deeply impacted by this situation and will not be giving KDKA my time or efforts for anything. What took place is uncalled for and even if the station is in the top 20 for the market, I rather not become sexist in any industry I choose to work for. 

My so called University (if you do extensive research, you will figure it out, but that is NOT the point), has the audacity to lie to me about my financial aid. Ok, so apparently, I was quote on quote “missing” a document. A verification worksheet document. I find out today that this document, this flimsy sheet of paper, is to verify my government standing based on my status as a student and how much money I actually make.

A week ago, my mom told me that I was missing a part of my financial aid packet and it was this Verification Worksheet. Well, I go to the office and the counselor ( I actually forget her name) informed me that “Oh, Bernard. I am sorry but looks like we lost this sheet when you filled it out before.”

Well, the Bernard who expects everything to be in order at all times courageously speaks up and asks for his file. The file comes and no verification form was present in there for this school year. Ok, maybe there was another office mess up. Of course. Every year there has to be something wrong with financial aid. Does anyone else have these problems? Leave a comment!

After I get a copy of this document, which mind you is on a piece of cardstock, I just had various flashbacks to the summer. My mom is into scrapbooking so feeling the weight of this paper immediately transported me back to when I was home in the scrapbooking room. My summer had some rumblings of family affairs, that honestly are out of my control and I am giving it all back to Mother Earth to deal with, because I choose not to.

So with the frustration of having to fill this sheet out to verify my life and to tell my mom that I needed her signature and then realizing afterwards we are not rich just hit me all at once. Yes sometimes, I wander outside of myself and believe that my family is secretly hoarding millions of dollars. Nope, not at all! My mother doesn’t have a fax machine and doesn’t work, so I am glad this school believes in a high-class lifestyle. I simply forget that it is a private school, and rich kids go here. Silly of me to have amnesia when it comes to class warfare. Well, I called my mom to tell her what happened and to get a signature nonetheless. We poor folks rely on the U.S. Postal Service, which in itself is a joke because they will shred your headphones if you mail them. So don’t mail your headphones!

Literally, my boyfriend (yes I am gay) received his headphones in the mail cut apart. Logically thinking would tell me that squishing would have flattened the buds, not slice wires into two pieces. Nope, the wires have been sliced! And I sure as hell did not do it. If I was angry or upset with him ( my Self-Observation skills are impeccable see Chakra Awakening to understand) he and everyone else will clearly feel the wrath of this fiery Aries more in-depth and it does not require destroying headphones to make my point clear. Yes, so I am not sure who exactly chopped up my boyfriend’s headphones, all I know and sense is that corporations, government, and ignorant (in its truest form) people are not reliable and we need alternative humanistic metaphysical practices to transform these times.

Coming back, from a small tangent, well in the course of a week. I learned much more about this paper and this school. I learned that the school will lie to its students in order to get a paper completed. I also learned today that this paper was to be  filled out not only because it was lost or misplaced, but because I was “randomly” chosen to verify my standing in money. I don’t know how accurate random means in this regard, because I am aware that governments, corporations, and mean people will do anything sneaky and clandestine without proper communication. 

All I know is that lies are being told instead of the truth, and this situation just proves to me that if you fall into the category of being “uneducated” then ignorant people, government, and corporations will assume you are stupid and just a number. So my advice is you need good self-observation skills and strong communication skills because anyone ignorant will abuse you and surround you with negativity so that it consumes your life and they will make sure you are in living in a fearful and oppressed state. 

If you ever had similar experiences, please do share, because you are not alone! 

I finally had the chance to watch the entire Milton Hershey School (MHS) documentary that Academy Award (R) winning documentary director and cinematographer, Cynthia Wade has so truthfully woven together. Depicting the lives of several MHS students from enrollment to graduation, this film captures not only the impact that the Hershey, Pennsylvania private-boarding school offers to low-income families, but it reveals the soul and light that becomes the students. They find themselves.  To commemorate 100 years of the Milton Hershey School, this documentary hit me hard as I connected with my own memories of those final days before graduation and to sympathize with student home rules, homesickness, and the pride it takes to join clubs and organizations much like the students in the film. This documentary is a true depiction of what a student and their family can go through, but nonetheless MHS is a once in a lifetime opportunity and absolutely rewarding for all the resources available to its students upon arriving to the school and departing after graduation.

I am happy to say that the full-length documentary Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School is now available at YouTube.com or you can watch the film below. 

For more information about Milton Hershey School, please visit the school website to get more information or APPLY ONLINE to enroll your child into the most life saving and sweetest school there is in the United States.

On the evening of April 29, 2011, at the Wyndham Grand Hotel, the former Hilton, located in Pittsburgh, PA, excelling Point Park University students and prestigious university faculty members as well as notable administrators smiled and posed for photos on the red carpet as they checked-in for the 2011 Outstanding Student Awards, an evening to celebrate student achievement.

And there sat at table number 20 a boy with his soft auburn hair and tie dyed hands from the earlier end of the year festivities of dying shirts and bags, Bernard along with friends munched on some fine salad and were astounded by the pure elegance of the hotel ballroom, but certainly Bernard and his table mates did not know what to expect of his award nomination for the Sophomore Experience in leadership.

The evening began with some funny and inspiring YouTube video clips that involved Point Park students from the powerful dance flash mobs of the G-20 summit to some of the Pittsburgh Playhouse performances like Thoroughly Modern Millie and Carousel. But the excitement of the evening certainly took Bernard by surprise as he watched the video montage capture his first ever Pittsburgh Light Up Night debut!

I did not know they even did this. I am slightly embarrassed, but truly happy that it was displayed to more than 100 people in the room. This means I got exposure!

And he certainly did.

Point Park University President, Paul Hennigan and Senior Vice-President for Academic and Student Affairs, Karen McIntyre welcomed the evening with some delightful campus-wide achievements as well as some reflective moments that various students have about Point Park.  As the night progressed with award presenters and happy recipients, there the nerves just bubbled inside of Bernard and his award category for The Sophomore Experience Leadership Award was called upon.

As the community director and The Sophomore Experience coordinator, Katie Munsch described the achievements of the award recipient having  helped the visually impaired at the Job and Intern fair, the amount of fireworks that went off in Bernard’s head was unimaginable and all sound left his mind as he turned deaf in recognition. With tears in his eyes and excitement in his heart, Bernard walked eagerly to the stage and shook the president’s hand and accepted his award.

I just remember feeling really excited and completely deaf to what was going around me. This is my first award ever to be formerly received and I am on a cloud right now.I just remember going back to my seat and asking if I smiled and if there was clapping, I feel like I just had an outer body experience.

Even though Bernard did not literally leave us for some astral plane expedition, he did manage to dance as he exited the stage with his award in hand and a mile long grin on his face. The energy just seems to not escape from this future television talk show host.

The evening did continue with more honorable awards like Outstanding Advisor, School-based awards, and even the highest achievable award, the President’s Award which the recipient gets an engraved bison-statue. Which graduating senior, Veronika Panagiotou accepted for an overwhelming impact on the quality of life at Point Park through her dedication toward service, leadership, and contributions to the community.

As the night ended with an ice cream sundae buffet in the ballroom lobby, Bernard did manage to take more pictures with the president of the school for his award and congratulated numerous award recipients and nominees.

It was truly blissful to see the excitement and joy in their eyes. I felt the energy in the room and it was certainly positive. I know what award I am going after in the coming years, that is another reason for coming to these events. You get to see what is offered to you and then you can work hard toward achieving it.

There were no acceptance speeches provided by any of the award recipients, most likely due to time constraints, but Bernard did manage to express his utmost gratitude for his accomplishment on his personal blog on Tumblr and you can read his thanks and understand better of why this evening was so inspiring to him. 

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Two weeks ago, I headed to California to officially use my Prilosec OTC® award to attend the first ever Reality Rocks Expo that highlights and captures the world of reality television at its core. Flying out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Thursday, April 7th was more than a birthday wish– it was an adventure like no other and I learned a great deal about who I am and what I can do for others.

I met a woman on the plane and we hit the talk button for three hours. I simply soaked up her life like a sponge and truly appreciated every moment. I picked up on her personality and wisdom through her lived facial expressions and bubbly word choices. I knew that  made a connnection.

She had told me her memoir and it conveyed a message of hope. Hope in that people are social creatures. As humans we attach to one another regardless of our struggles, because we can not do stuff alone when times are simply rough. I remember while attending private school, that my mother told me that basically “people need other people” and I then appreciated her wisdom, but meeting this complete stranger was uplifting and gave me the hope that even this age of technology does not keep all people from talking to one another. But it allows for people to become aware of other stories and lives, we did officially declare ourselves Facebook friends as we hugged one another and departed ways in Dallas with smiles on our faces like we just gave each other a million dollars.

The plane ride was the most rewarding human experience and for it to happen on my 20th birthday says a lot. I am a big person on life’s pleasures. But simply knowing of coincidences or miracles, meeting people can spark a life in us that we were not already aware of.

At the Reality Rocks Expo which opened on April 9th and resumed on April 10th, I met quite a bit of people in all areas of the entertainment bubble. From casting agents to celebrity news writers, each person that I shook hands with or exchanged business cards, it reflected a sense of pride and courage to be in a room filled with common interests and goals.

As I entered the ballroom plotted with photo-booths and sign up tables, I began to feel a rush and then came a man that was carrying a lot more than a brown leather side bag stuffed to the  seams. Instead of sprinting over to Access Hollywood, I stopped and a connection was formed. Giacomo Knox, 38 year old freelance producer seemed to be on the tip of his toes because he has a dream and no one seems to notice it. Knox created a web docu-series reality show based on his  reunion with his father whom had not seen for 33 years. When he talked about A Week With My Father, I saw the light in his eyes and felt the familiar rush radiate from his body as I too experience with becoming a television talk show host. I was amazed to talk to someone who already made his dream into a reality by creating his idea into a show and it inspires me to do the same, however, it is obvious he is hungry and there at the expo for a better meal instead of being served a microwaveable dinner.

Our chat lasted about 15 minutes and we exchanged cards and we departed. I walked around the room until my first workshop panel discussion with the “Queen of Hosting” and founder of BecomeAHost.com, Marki Costello. My enthusiasm meandered through the pockets of people and I stopped by at multiple tables like Authentic Entertainment, BecomeAHost.com, and American Auctioneers. Yet another lasting connection was formed with Cyndi Targosz, a celebrity life coach and author. Targosz is creating a new reality show dealing with the real concerns that are the shadow for many celebrities. I spoke with her agent about her idea and later during the day I came back to actually meet the socialite. 

I attended three workshops at the expo and my first was the fiercest reality check and of course Marki Costello’s quick and powerful forefront-personality bombarded the room with such weight that I wanted to make myself known the moment I entered the arena. I wanted to impress the panelists of who I am and what I stand for.

Lessons I took from this workshop:

• Brand Yourself– What makes you tick
• Mass Appeal– What multiple areas can you tackle and make money from
• Do your research– Know what they have done and if you match their style

She called me out as “Red.”

Credit: Julia Franzen

Last month, I am met one student who captured the eyes and ears of many young and old onlookers as they stopped by a beautifully engulfed table of delicious baked goods from cookies to brownies all of which were being sold to support an orphanage in India.

Credit: Julia Franzen

All the proceeds made at the bake sale just outside of the Point Cafe were being directly donated to Asha House, an orphanage in India that like many are on the verge of closing.

Julia Franzen, a Point Park global cultural studies student went to Asha House this past fall semester in hopes of making a difference. And by what I can tell from her amazing personality, numerous photos of children, and her recent endeavor of raising money to send back to the orphanage, she has made a difference and shared her story with her family, friends, and now I am passing her story onto you.

I ask you to feel inspired and create your own unique project and charitable mission! If you do, send me some information! Because this is your space also to tell your story and reveal your passions to the world!

If you would like to see Julia’s video go here.

I had asked all of you to connect with me on various social networking platforms and most of you did. So I am so appreciative that you did in order to enter this giveaway! It was a pretty nice giveaway considering I used my own money to purchase the prizes. So be thankful…LOL. Well, to get to the point of the matter, I am really pleased to present to you all the winners of The Bernard Charles Show’s 100th Post Celebration Giveaway and the winners are Meghan Manahan for 3rd place, Emily Petsko for 2nd place, and for 1st place is Allison Martini. Congratulations to the winners and to those who took the time to enter as well.

Believe me there will be more awesome opportunities to follow, so don’t delete me just yet if you didn’t win! This is just the start of greater possibilities!

You have to know that I like the attention that the idea of racism holds. The actual negative possession of such bigotry is not up my alley, but I am deeply curious about why and how the issue operates. It effects many people differently. My hometown, we do not talk about racism. If it creeps into a conversation then, we all agree that racism is bad. And the conversation is quiet and seems to cool the air. As far as my father’s side of the family, an outsider would definitely think they are racist, because they are open about calling anyone not white, by their stereotypical name. It is quite sad, because I don’t view a person by their skin, but by them being themselves, their birth-name in fact!

Absolutely! I look at people inside and out by their names and I then associate name with person and vice versa.  But this idea of racism is really compelling and coming from a boarding school with an equal population of both white and black, with just a smaller amount of Hispanics and Latinos, I am quite comfortable talking about the subject.

I feel as though I adapted a view that many do not even discover especially on my paternal side of the family. They sure enough are aware of the ‘ole time favorites like Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and even Mario Lopez. However, the regular day people they do not see. The people who are just like them, working just as much, but society has locked in their vision to see in a way of prejudice, instead of the element of being human. Do you feel the same way?

This is why racism intrigues me so much. Certainly, I am curious for the new year. I would like to be aware of these boundaries that society as a whole created over time that lock in our expression and individualism as a person with other people just because of skin color. From there one  can branch out in other categories like; socio-economic structure, employment whereabouts, and even where one shops for clothing and food. It all relates to one another.

So, this 2011 new year resolution is racist because it is about racism itself.

To learn more about how racism affects people in their daily lives.

My first step into understanding this clandestine battle is reading Class Matters written by correspondents of  The New York Times. Here I will be able to understand the current class situations that face the United States and hopefully get a deeper insight as to how racism certainly has an affect in the matter. Here is a special section of The New York Times tribute to CLASS MATTERS.

How you can get involved

I certainly cannot face this 2011 journey alone and I am looking for your help! If you have any reading materials to suggest please comment below or contact me. Also, I am looking for experts to write for this show-blog about the subject. In addition to getting involved, I am interested in your thoughts and please ask questions! You can check out my FORMSPRING page to ask your audience questions. If you have any other creative ideas then do send them this way and you will certainly be praised and credited for such awesome thinking!

January- I spent the first seconds of the new year with my best friend and fashion expert Antoinette Reason at mutual friend Kassandra Johnson’s house for a New Year’s celebration! It was fun minus that Antie and I got lost on the way there and could not make that dang turn down the alley way. Not to mention, the weather was icy and snowing and Antie never drove a van before, so we did make it work. I pumped gas for the first time too!

February- Nothing much happened in this month, besides that I shared V-Day with friends, no one in particular (not saying a lover was not wanted, I am all for not being single, but I did spend it with those who cares and loves me ). Also the Freshman Show: February 25, 2010 case at Point Park was in this month. My dear and close friend Brianna Boyle choreographed “Master of Puppets.” It was absolutely extraordinaire, since I guided her a bit in decisions and the story line for the dancers. Okay, I cannot take all of the credit. She is really talented and I commend her for her accomplishments thus far.

March- Here, I was able to attend Justice through Journalism, a gala benefit for The Innocence Institute of Point Park University featuring author of The Innocent Man and The Firm, John Grisham. It was exciting to hear Grisham speak about exonerated men and how his books stir controversy. Hence the security being so tight and the mob that was outside of the building protesting against Grisham and his beliefs.  Also at the event, there were these marvelous paintings “Voices of Innocence” displaying real exonerated men that local Pittsburgh artist, Daniel Bolick created to depict the very emotions that these freed men go through by his creative use of color and line.

April- Probably my favorite month, besides October. Why? Because of course it is my birthday! Got some gifts and cards from my friends. Oh so nice, which by the way folks, I still have them! So I could use them against you when you all become rich and famous. Well on the day of my birthday, there was a dance called “Spring Fever” at Whim Nightclub. Haha, I do not remember much besides that I have a ticket stub to prove it. Actually, I have more than one, which kind of scares me,not to remember that night. Well, on the downside of my birthday, I got to go and choose my room for the 2010-2011 school year. UGH! What a con that was. Something deep down inside me told me that this year’s room arrangement was going to be another rotten apple. Oh well. I do not talk to my roommate and we make minimal attempt to communicate. Just how things are rolling, not my toilet paper! Starting as soon as I get back to school, the TP is hiding in my closet. PERIOD. I swear he eats it for every meal. Moving forward, this month has been really eventful. I actually went to my first Pittsburgh Pirates game and loved it. Awesome photographer, Lindsay Brandt invited me along with her awesome floor and roomies and then we left early because it was too damn cold! It was amazing regardless. This is also the end of my freshman year! Departing was hard, but so much took place, I could never forget how amazing the year unfolded itself.

May- Home for a week and headed to Boston, MA! This is probably the most riveting life changing experience I have ever made possible. I started my first internship at The Theater Offensive, and met a wonderful extended family. Current President of Milton Hershey School’s Alumni Association (MHSAA), Joanne Gagnon ’85 took me into her home with such love that I certainly would never forget an amazing woman! Knowing what she has done for me, I cannot help but to appreciate Milton Hershey School even more. The alumni of your school should reach out and help you achieve your deepest potential, and I am proud to say that Joanne did that for me. She did not know who I was or what I was like, but she had an open mind and an open heart that I could not have wished for a better host-family. Her husband John was an inspirational father figure  and it was really eye opening to stay with them as a family whose life is similar, but so different. I am certainly going to have to go back and visit!  Also in May, I visited Harvard University, and the academia certainly pours over the buildings and into the spirit of all those people visiting. Especially the parents who were giving their sons and daughters a tour of the University. I did buy a shirt and a mug from Harvard’s bookstore. Why not. Now thinking back, I did visit Salem while I was there, and went to see Into the Woods at Reading’s high school.  I did so much that this post is getting pretty lengthy. LOL.

June- Two words! BOSTON PRIDE 2010. The Theater Offensive had me leading it’s 2010 contingent in the Boston PRIDE parade and it was amazing to lead the team of interns and to organize the whole lot myself. I did distribute the tasks, but as the leader it was my responsibility to not go over budget and to make sure everyone is safe. One word, now. STRESS. It was very stressful for everyone and I was going insane on the day of the parade because some parade participants did not follow procedures and just had me going bonkers to try and figure out where we were suppose to be lined up. What joy. Well, it was very fun and it did rain, but it was fun anyway. I enjoyed dancing in the rain with the crowd and making a fool of myself. Gosh, at the time of walking in the parade and keeping the float with the group I did imagine what it would be like to have my own nationally syndicated television talk show and how I would be in front of millions of people. It was GREAT.

July- I really like these “two word” phrase things. Here we go: LADY GAGA. Yes! I saw Lady Gaga in concert when she came to the TD Garden. It was amazing! .Period.

Wow that was short, lets continue.

August- A terrible time! I was coming back home and leaving Boston. This was a very emotional time for me well because I let so many people into my heart and I was now leaving them behind. My stay family, the wonderful TTO interns, and Boston itself. Ugh I do not want to think of it anymore, well  Sophomore year commences. Welcome back to PPU! Moved into my new room and met up with MaryBeth and Sarah. We had pizza at our favorite restaurant, Pizza Fiesta!

September- Point Park turns 50 years old! Point Park University celebrated its 50th anniversary with a moon bounce, food, and a rock climbing wall! I volunteered for the event and then went to a lovely dinner for alumni, students, university staff and faculty. It did feel like I was back at Milton Hershey School with the energy of alumni coming back for the celebration, but sadly I was not really back at MHS.

October- I can only think of one super duper event that is worth mentioning! ZOMBIE-FEST. (Sidenote: two words is really fun).  Yeah Madison Toy and I went to Pittsburgh’s Zombie-Fest and then came back to our dorms and got Zombiefied and went back. It was really spooky and a great way to celebrate the Halloween spirit.

November- Thanksgiving was the most surprising effort that exemplifies how cool my friends are! We agreed to go over to the one and only Michael DePiro’s house for thanksgiving. By the way he is a magician and because he is running his own business, I feel obligated to link you to his services. Actorshelper.com and The Miracles of Michael DePiro.  We went to his house and then to my house to surprise my mommy!

December- Semester ends! Nothing happened besides final exams and people leaving for Winter break. Well, Light Up Night for Pittsburgh in November, but I refuse to take Christmas and put it under November. So here is MaryBeth’s and me covering Pittsburgh’s 50th Light Up Night.

Now that 2010 ends, I will make 2011 even bigger and better!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!