By: Elisabeth Goodin
Second week at GSP was full of even more eye-opening experiences. Everyone started to get comfortable, make friends, and get interested in their classes. The homesickness started to go away as the GSP community quickly became scholars second homes. We could already tell that the next few weeks were going to fly by.
Monday kicked off the second week with another community meeting. Jen, along with her assistant directors, helped lead the discussion on the various activities planned for each day and what to expect in the community as a whole. The movies for the continuation of the Classic Film Series were announced as well: Lady Bird on Tuesday and Casablanca on Wednesday. The RAs brightened the scholars’ day with our weekly “RA Update” and “Top 10 Tweets.” After the meeting, scholars filed in for their respective focus areas to continue expanding their horizons. Later in the day, multiple Seminar groups had a deep and meaningful activity to really show scholars what their priorities in life are. A few scholars were deeply touched and became emotional, which developed a closer connection and deeper understanding of the diversity in our community. The day concluded with Intellectual Buffets that scholars were allowed to choose in advance. Intellectual Buffet was a huge success and a great opportunity for RAs, office staff, and instructors to teach and instruct a one-hour class about any topic they found interesting. Scholars thoroughly enjoyed a laid back atmosphere with some of their favorite staff members and favorite topics.
Tuesday entailed an easier day; a morning was spent with General Studies, followed by some free time that afternoon. Additionally, another incredibly fun night of trivia was hosted. With hilarious topics involving dog barking and animal descriptions, the infamous Paleo was shaking with laughter. The night concluded with a continuation of the Classic Film Series, Lady Bird, which was a hit in Cralle.
Wednesday gave a chance for scholars to really get to work on Focus Area projects. Quite a few classes took this opportunity for some enriching field trips, including the engineering group going to Toyota. Casablanca was played for the campus as part of the Classic Film Series.
Thursday was an exciting day, not only for Bellarmine GSP, but for the entire country! America’s favorite holiday had the entire campus dressed in their best red, white, and blue fits. Due to the “impending storms”, the cookout was changed to a cook-in, but still proved to be a marvelous time. With people missing home and family traditions, it was a great day to have a Seminar class and be able to talk openly. The first edition of “This GSP Life” that night told stories of GSP office staff. The stories were funny, moving, inspiring, and encouraging. Many scholars immediately started to write their own stories for the third and final edition planned for the fourth week to share with the community.
Friday held another incredible day in our community. Various classes, clubs, and a memorable showcase helped each scholar make more memories and grow as people. The
showcase held all types of acts from singing, juggling, monologues, and a riveting ASMR session.
Saturday began a relaxing weekend. An early C&C session Run by the RAs that gave scholars the chance to ask questions and get any and all information about their futures from those currently going through this part of life. At 3, cralle was filled for the last time this week to show the Classic Film, Jaws. Our second week on campus finished of with Evening with the Arts. This program gave scholars who are often pushed towards a STEM mindset to explore and enjoy artistic activities. Options that scholars could sign up for included embossing, sewing a button, towel folding, recyclables art, painting, and so many other opportunities.
Sunday was the GSP annual family day. This allowed scholars to see family members and friends they had not seen since Opening Ceremony. Everyone had a different day, but that night at hall meeting the general consensus was that scholars enjoyed having the day with their family, friends, and fur babies.
As we eagerly anticipate our lives at GSP, it’s incredible to look back and see everything we have already accomplished. Week three is leading into multiple field trips, community events, and a carnival!
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