Scene on Campus: A Day Without Letters

 

A Taste of StMU

 

Erika Rendon, senior double major in Corporate Finance/Financial Services and Risk Management, shares a delicious chocolate cake recipe that she calls “Black Magic Cake.”

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c	all purpose flour
2 c	sugar
3/4 c	cocoa powder
2 tsp	baking soda
1 tsp	baking powder
1 tsp	salt
2	eggs
1 c	strong black coffee, cooled
1 c	buttermilk
1/2 c	vegetable oil
1 tsp	real vanilla extract
Chocolate Frosting:
1/2 c	margarine, softened
2 oz	melted unsweetened chocolate, cooled
3 c	powdered sugar
3 Tbsp	milk
2 tsp	real vanilla extract

 

Directions:

1. Combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl or stand mixer.

2. Add eggs, coffee, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla.

3. Beat at medium speed for two minutes. Batter will be thin.

4. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9×13 pan or two 9 inch cake pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for a 9×13, or 30-35 minutes for layer pans.

6. Combine frosting ingredients and mix with a hand or stand mixer. Spread frosting on cooled cakes.

A Day in the Life with Alyssa Treviño

St. Mary’s University senior Biology major Alyssa Treviño, 22, must handle every college student’s struggles—in addition to dealing with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Treviño talks about her everyday habits, some great advice, and her sunny outlook on life.

Soundslides Tutorial

Having a Blast in the St. Mary’s Cafeteria

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1. Alyssa Trevino, senior Biology major, contemplates on a homework problem amid a noisy cafeteria.

2. Trevino laughs at a sorority sister’s joke in the cafeteria.

3. Alyssa Rey, freshman Biology major, catches up on homework in the cafeteria before it’s time for class while Jessica Ardila, sophomore English major, enjoys lunch.

4. Denisse Zamora, sophomore International Relations major, and Trevino fight over the last bits of lunch left!

5. Trevino waits in line to pay for a snack in the Diamondback Cafe.

Dancing the Days Away with Jessica Ardila

Sophomore English major Jessica Ardila talks about her experience as a dancer and her time on the St. Mary’s University Code Blue Dance Team.

Climbing to the Top with Nicolas Campana

Student Nicolas Campana answers a few questions about himself. Campana explains a few quirky facts about his family and his hobbies that make him unique.

Class Photo

First class photo in Media Productions 2!

Ashley Behabetz

Nicolas Campana

Colin Castillo

Chrystalla Georghiou

Karl Hayes

Emily Scruggs

Daniel Serna

Danielle Torres

Stephanie Zaragoza

The Beginning of My Final Semester: A Reflection

As the final semester of my undergraduate education begins to unfold, I cannot help but feel worried about the workload I’ve thrust upon myself.

While I know each of my courses will teach me essential skills I will need post-graduation, balancing all of them atop extracurricular activities and a job is looking pretty overwhelming. I know that Media Productions II will be especially demanding; in the same respect though, I also know it will be one of the courses from which I learn the most. This will be the second course I take with this professor—those his strict deadlines and overload of tasks sometimes drive me nearly crazy, he has a knack for teaching me more about my abilities and potential than I could ever discover on my own.

Audio recording and editing is not something I am experienced or comfortable with, so I know it will be interesting learning how to use the new toys and software that accompany the class. Upon deciding whether or not to enroll in the course (a course which I do not technically need in order to graduate), I asked myself one question. “Will it benefit me?” The answer, which is apparent through my presence in this computer lab, was yes.

Realizing that this is my final semester at St. Mary’s University is bittersweet. On the one hand, I am thrilled to move into the new chapter of my life—new adventures, experiences, challenges, and lessons. However, what I am leaving at St. Mary’s is certainly greater than what I anticipated when I first moved in as a wide-eyed freshman.

I have made friends and relationships that have been more profound than I could have imagined. I have made countless memories around the campus. I have faced major struggles and overcome them throughout these four years. In many ways, I feel as though it has been here, at St. Mary’s University that I have truly grown up in the last few years. My independence has skyrocketed since graduating high school, as have my skills and my knowledge. Of course, all things must come to an end, even when we don’t feel completely ready for it. I know I am certainly not ready for this final semester.

But with that being said, I’m obligated to take a deep breath, buy a new planner and prepare for the tumultuous semester that I know awaits me. I’m getting ready for a bumpy ride!