by Sydney Berk '13 - I say goodbye to my position as Editor of the Spotlight with deepest gratitude for those that I work with as well as this program in general. Graduating is a funny thing...

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Wow ... where did this year go? It blows my mind that I am already finished with my first year of college. It literally feels like just yesterday when I walked into an empty dorm room and had to decide where the TV was going to go ... priorities people. I think back too on how much I feel like I've grown throughout this year. After taking a gap year I was coming into a completely different world with no one I knew, I was truly on my own. Little did I know...

by Sydney Smith of Salisbury, West Scholars Cohort '11 - Eighteen Catawba College sophomores and juniors who are West Teaching Scholars ventured to Charleston, S.C., to gain firsthand experience of the historic town. The April 5-9 excursion was led by Dr. Rhonda Truitt, associate professor of teacher education and chair of education department at Catawba, and Teresa Weddington, administrative assistant for Catawba's Academy for Teaching.

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Has there ever been a moment where it seems like a lot of different things are hitting you at once and just when you feel like you've finally got everything under control, all of a sudden something drops and you find yourself under water?

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Wow, it seems like forever since I've written a blog post. I sincerely apologize; I know how much y'all have missed reading my weekly posts, but do not fret I am back! (cue thunderous applause, whistles, etc.) "Oh my gosh, you guys stop it, you're too kind!"

by Leanna Hicks '16 - POP QUIZ! Okay people, this is a really important pop quiz question. Okay, ready? What is your favorite band/musician/group etc.? You have 5 seconds, GO! ... You all pass, huzzah here's your degree, you're ready for the world! If only it was that easy, but anyway back to the point. You may be wondering why I asked this specific question, knowing that I wouldn't hear your answer since I'm not psychic or anything, so why? WELL I'll tell you...

by Leanna Hicks '16 - *The phone rings* Leanna answers the phone anxiously. "Hello?" The Boss calls with a new mission for her." Leanna, it's The Boss ... I have a new mission for you. If you decide to accept, this mission requires you to go into a completely different world that you've never seen before ... do you accept?" There's a pause at the other end, but Leanna takes a deep breath and answers this very important question. "I accept."

by Leanna Hicks '16 -You know that moment when you're trying to think of that perfect topic to write about and then in a second you strike gold? That happened to me this morning folks, so here we go! Being here at Catawba, I have quickly built relationships that I know will last me a lifetime, but the one relationship in my life that has been constant and I cherish more than anything is the relationship I have with my sister. (Insert pause so you can grab a tissue)

by Leanna Hicks '16 - *Now back to your original programming* And we're back Catawba! Yes I understand we've been back for about two weeks, but just go with it. While I thoroughly enjoyed my break, I was ready to return to school.

by Sydney Berk '13 - Currently in my final semester of college, 4 years of studying, listening, reading and slaving over papers will culminate in a project that is near and dear to my heart. I will be directing my first full length show, References to Salvador Dali Make Me Hot by Jose Rivera. For the past 6 months, I have had the complex task of researching and prepping for this project.

Catawba College professor of politics and political expert Dr. J. Michael Bitzer was featured on the SalisburyPost.com website. The article featured the following excerpt from a blog that Bitzer wrote for "The Party Line" political blog at www.wfae.org: When the North Carolina General Assembly gaveled the two chambers into session, the leaders of the House and Senate took to their respective podiums to deliver their outlook on the upcoming biennium session...

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Well I'm sure the title of this blog post gives it away, but I'll say it anyway ... man, am I happy to be home for the holidays! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Catawba and have come to find that I miss school... I know right, you miss school? ...but after working so hard this semester and especially those exams, I feel that I and the rest of you lovely folks have been counting down the minutes and seconds until the beautiful, month-long holiday break!

During this holiday season, we pause to reflect on all the wonderful memories of holidays and Christmases gone by. We invite you to catch a glimpse of some of the favorite holiday memories from the Catawba College community. We hope these special moments bring you additional warmth and joy this holiday season. View Catawba's 2012 holiday e-card below...

by Frances Livesay and Guy Rich, Class of 1961 - Recently Guy & I looked at the calendar and realized that if we were ever going to see Alaska, it was time to go. Off we went to AAA Travel Agency for maps and tour books and a "pep talk" from a AAA rep. He was excited about the trip and did a good sell job.

by Leanna Hicks '16 - I have never been more tired than I was the week before Thanksgiving break! I was praying, pleading for the break to get here as fast as it possibly could. Along with being EXTREMELY busy working my fingers to the bone to make sure people got their tickets to the amazing show of Legally Blonde by our even more amazing theatre department, I also had the opportunity to have a prospective student stay in my dorm and give her a little taste of Catawba.

by Leanna Hicks '16 - "Previously on 'As Catawba Turns,' Leanna had just finished her run of the show Charlotte's Web and didn't know what she was going to do with her nights after all her homework was done, what will she do now?!" ...oh come on, y'all know me well enough by now to know I have to start the blog off with something dramatic. So what am I involved in now you ask? Well calm down, I'll tell you.

by Melanie Goergmaier '05 (Business Administration Alumnus) - Goergmaier recounts why she came to Catawba College and what has resulted from her experiences there. Watch this Catawba Story...

by Doyle A. Luckenbaugh '62 (Religion and Philosophy / History Alumnus) - Luckenbaugh recounts how Catawba faculty and staff came together to help him find the light at the end of the tunnel in the most desperate of circumstances.

Well hi there fellow Catawba peeps, it has been a long time since my last post and I know that you all have been sitting next to your computers every hour, minute and second waiting for a new post, so take a deep breath and enjoy this one. This past week, the run of Charlotte's Web came to a close. It seems like it was only yesterday when I was allowed to have my script in front of me ... ah, good times. Then all of a sudden it was "cue lights, cue sound and places!" I mean seriously people, whe

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Well folks, it's finally here ... what we've all been waiting for ... FALL BREAK!! Whether you're going home or staying with a friend nearby, the fact remains that we have a few days off school! Don't get me wrong, I am LOVING school but everybody needs a break after working...

by Leanna Hicks '16 - "So how old are you, 18 or 19?" ... "20"... "Oh ... you're old!" Yes, I am and I still can't believe it! After I decided to come to Catawba, I was excited but also a little concerned because even without taking a gap year I still would have been older but now I'm almost a full two years older. I was worried that I wouldn't make friends as easy as I usually do because of the age difference, but I was wrong!

by Katlyn Shaw '15 - OMIGOD YOU GUYS! On Monday I started rehearsals for our fall musical, Legally Blonde. I am so unbelievably excited to be apart of this show. Of course this means that I am beyond busy now, but that is something I am completely okay with. Spending my evenings learning music and choreography and blocking is exactly my idea of a perfect night. In the show, which I am sure you will all come see, I am a Delta Nu girl, part of the "Greek Chorus," and a Perfume Saleswoman...

by Leanna Hicks '16 - Theatre this and theatre that, that's all you've read in my blogs so far but this one is not going to be about that. "What?! But Leanna, that's all you talk about! What else is there in life but theatre??" Family Weekend! The time has come for the folks to come check up on us and I am so ecstatic!

by Leanna Hicks '16 - "Hey Leanna, want to have a movie night and just hang out?" "Oh no sorry I can't, I have rehearsal." Oh how I have missed saying those words! The fact that saying this means that I basically have no life outside of the show, but I absolutely love it! This week was the first week of rehearsals for Charlotte's Web which means scarfing down your dinner because you know by the time rehearsal's done, all you have to look forward to in your room is...

by Katlyn Shaw '15 Hello there. My name is Katlyn, I am a sophomore at Catawba College, and I am your stereotypical musical theatre major. Just one look at my computer or the way I carry myself, and you will quickly see just how passionate I am about it. I listen unapologetically to mainly showtunes. I tap dance in the hallway. I sing on the way to class. I monologue in line at the cafeteria. There is this feeling of bliss that just consumes me when I step onstage.

Are you looking at Catawba's Theatre program and wondering what a day in the life of a theatre student might be? If so, then the "Day in the Life of Theatre Students" blog might just be the one for you. Catawba Theatre Arts students will be giving an account of their daily life, which includes classes, meetings, working in the shops, lunch, rehearsals, dinner, more rehearsals, and eventually ... getting some sleep!

2008 Catawba alumna Aileen [Thomson] Rhodes, will be moving to Thailand with her husband in August to work on legal reform for a Burmese organization. Aileen will be sharing her experiences on her blog, Adventures of a Nerdy Nomad. The newlywed couple will first travel to Helsinki, St. Petersberg, Moscow, Beijing and various cities in China for their honeymoon before settling in Thailand.

Athena Bless of Asheboro, NC, a member of the Women's Soccer team is in Paraguay this summer on a sports mission trip with "Athletes in Action." Athena is sharing her experiences and photos through her blog below...

2007 Catawba alumna Lauren Ebersole of Hagerstown, Md., recently wrapped up her 27-month stint as a Peace Corps volunteer in Indonesia. Read about her final goodbyes and about the adventures she shared while being posted there...

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - The last few months have been flying. The beginning of March was my close of service conference. Mostly three days being spoiled in a very nice hotel with good food and good friends. And also futsal and tennis. I basically did not teach the entire month of March due to practice national exams for grade 12, mid-semester exams for grades 10 and 11, and final school exams for grade 12. I'm back to teaching now and happy to be so, although next week will be another break for

by Brittany Wescott '15 - During the first few days of January, my First-Year Seminar and I went to Washington D.C. The trip was awesome. It was the first time a few of us had ever been on a plane, especially myself. I do not know about the others but it was definitely an experience for me. The feeling when the plane leaves the ground is amazing it is similar to the feeling you get in your stomach after dropping off the peak of a roller coaster.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - We are well into the New Year and I have not made resolutions because lets face it, it only sets you up for disappointment. I am trying to make my last few months worthwhile and successful. I spent New Year's in Kuta, Bali which is, in reality, a terrible place. But for a group of 20 somethings who have limited access to normal 20something activities, it serves its purpose, i.e. I was able to eat four burritos in three days.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - It's that time of year again, and no I don't mean the cookie baking, present shopping, tree-cutting time of year. It's finals time here in Indonesia. I'd like to devote this email to explaining the test process, which is only slightly less complicated than nuclear physics.

The recent big news was my trip to India to visit my dad, who was there for a month volunteering. I went with a fellow volunteer named Samantha. The first thing that struck me about India was its similarity to Indonesia. It is crowded and dangerous to cross the street, it is dirty and there is so much pollution the inside of your nose turns black. Yet at the same time it is oddly charming and enjoyable.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - It has been almost two months since my last email yet I am having trouble thinking of anything witty or unusual to write about, so prepare yourself for the mundane. Year two of teaching is leaps and bounds easier than year one. First I am not coming up with completely new lesson plans every single time, but am working to tweak them. I understand the Indonesian education system better...

by Allijah Motika '14 - So today has been really up and down. This morning was wonderful. My throat is still in a lot of pain, I wish that I'd stop being sick and my voice would just come back. But even with that I really enjoyed the session this morning on melody and harmony with Judy and Bobby.

Stephanie Cook is a senior majoring in Communication Arts at Catawba College. In the summer of 2011, she lived in Atlanta in the Midtown area and interned in the Sports Communications Office at Georgia State University, located in the heart of downtown Atlanta. In what is Catawba's first student video blog, she shows what a day in the life of an intern living in a big city is all about! Watch footage of her complex journey to work, meet some of her co-workers, and...

by Allijah Motika '14 - So today has been really up and down. This morning was wonderful. My throat is still in a lot of pain, I wish that I'd stop being sick and my voice would just come back. But even with that I really enjoyed the session this morning on melody and harmony with Judy and Bobby.

by Allijah Motika '14 - Here we go again! So ... today and yesterday have been insane. There isn't any other way to describe it. Yesterday none of the faculty arrived until the last session of the night from 7:30 to 9:00 and it was so frustrating waiting and waiting for them to get here. We were told that they'd arrive at 1:30, 3:45, and 4:30 before the real time of 7:30 actually happened. So in other words yesterday was a huge tease.

Welcome to the "Don't Worry, Be Happy" blog ... those four words have definitely been something that I've had to remind myself so far. First of all let me just say that getting here was the most insane travel experience of my life. Due to Hurricane Irene my original flight was canceled and I had to find another way to get to Rhinebeck, NY where the workshop is being held. My friends Kat Tierney and Meghan McLaughlin (both Catawba graduates) also ran into the same problem...

Catawba College sophomore Allijah Motika of Asheville will participate in a vocal workshop August 28 through September 2 with ten-time Grammy Award winner Bobby McFerrin. The workshop will take place at the Omega Center in Rhinebeck, N.Y. During the workshop, Allijah will report on his experiences via blog entries that will be available on the Catawba College website. Along with participants from around the world, he will be joined at the workshop by two Catawba Alumnae....

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - The past three weeks have been a whirlwind: 3 countries, 8 flights, 6 boats (including cruise, pontoon, glass bottom, semi-submersible, and row), 4 coach buses, 1 scenic train, 1 gondola skyrail, and numerous taxis, hired cars, and angkots.

Forty-two Catawba College students, members of the Catawba Singers, returned May 25 from a 10-day trip to Europe that included stops in four different countries. For some of the students, the trip marked their first plane ride or their first trip outside the United States. It was an eye-opening, life-enriching experience for them, and although their time abroad was brief, it will be memorable and likely viewed through time’s unwavering glass as a pivotal moment in each of their lives.

Patience really is a virtue and one I do not have in abundant quantities. However, I do think I am getting better. For example, last Saturday I had planned to give a test but was then told school was cancelled at 10am, right before my class. One of the teachers' fathers had passed away so we were all going to pay our respects.

The Catawba Singers will be embarking on a Summer European Concert Tour May 15-May 25, 2011 to include stops in France, Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. Tonia Black-Gold, Catawba's communications officer, will be blogging about the students' experiences while on the tour...

Students traveled to Jamaica over Spring Break to get first-hand field experiences as part of their course, "Biogeography and Literature of Islands." View photos and read about their experiences..

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - Recently I have received a flood of requests for a new update, so here is the answer to both of those requests. Fun activities for you to try: For one week, oh heck for two days, try eating rice for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Then let me know how many more days you want to do that. When you take a shower count how many small lizards seem to be staring at you.

by Jessica Everett, '09 West Teaching Scholar - C-3 Campers began their journey with us in July 2010 with a weeklong, residential science camp experience on the Catawba campus. There could not have been a better way to conclude the 2010-2011 chapter of this second group of conservation campers than to take the young group of middle school girls to the Mary L. Farm in Mt. Ulla. This organic dairy farm gave the campers the ultimate field-trip experience.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - Much has happened since the last email so I'm not exactly sure where to start, what to tell, what to leave out. You don't want to read a 4-page email so I'll hit what I consider to be the highlights.

In her last two entries while on tour with the Catawba Singers, junior and Theatre Arts major Kara Procell blogs about her experiences in Bristol, Tennesse and Hickory, North Carolina. Read her last two entries...

Junior and Theatre Arts major Kara Procell shares several more experiences in her blog, "On Tour with the Catawba Singers," who are on their Spring 2011 tour during Spring Break. Read her latest blog posts...

by Kara Procell '12. And ... they're off! We, your very own Catawba Singers, left today on their spring 2011 tour. After a slightly delayed start due to Professor Oakley's lost wallet (don't worry, we found it later) we stopped first half an hour down the road at Lexington High School, alma mater of our very own Arsherres Jenkins.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - What follows is a random series of events that have happened since the last email. SCHOOL: The first month of the new year is almost over and like the last 10 has flown by. I'm zooming toward the one-year anniversary of stepping foot in Indonesia. Since the holiday I have been spending my time teaching and getting acquainted with my new students. I am teaching 5 new classes this semester.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - 2010 has been one of the more interesting years of my short life, filled with more emotions than I usually care to feel or acknowledge. So here's the review of 2010: A year ago I was working at STAR Community, a residential home for developmentally disabled adults. While there I met and worked with an amazing group of people and learned that I might be capable of doing things I never imagined I was.

A group of Catawba College's first-year, first-generation students are visiting Washington, D.C., this week before spring semester begins thanks to a $100,000 CIC/Walmart College Success Awards grant. Seventeen first-year students, all first-generation college students and members of this fall's NextGen first-year seminar, departed for the nation's capital Tuesday, January 4.

A belated Happy Thanksgiving to one and all. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, filled with rice and chicken. If you close your eyes and imagine hard enough white rice still tastes like white rice. I was able to make the chicken taste like turkey, not that impressive of a mental feat. I did have a fleeting moment of Thanksgiving-ness. I went to a house warming party and I was sitting on the floor in a circle with a group of women from the village with a spread of food on the floor. For a spli

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I am back to school and unfortunately not much has changed. After training maybe I thought I would come back and implement sweeping changes; not realistic I know, but a girl can dream. My first week back after training included proctoring mid-semester tests, which is difficult because the students cheat like crazy. On the surface it seems as if the teachers don't want the students to cheat, but there is no disciplinary plan for how to deal with it.

by Bridgett Henderson, '08 West Scholar. On the afternoon of Wednesday, November 17, Katie Cornetto presented a program in the Tom Smith Auditorium on Professional Development and Legal Behaviors. This was a great event for all education students and faculty as well.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. So far I have been nowhere near any of the natural disasters that seem to strike Indonesia every few days. The latest earthquake and ensuing tsunami were on a different island and the volcano that is erupting is in Central Java. I apologize for the large lapse in emails and consequently probably a pretty low point in your life.

by Lauren Ebersole '07 - I am by no means an expert on Islam or its followers, but having lived in the country with the largest Muslim population in the world for the past six months, I am going to assume I have a little more experience than much of the American population. So now, please allow me to get on my soapbox in regards to recent events in the U.S. I am a big believer in our Constitutional rights, but the question is to what ends do we use those rights.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. A day in the life of me during Ramadhan: I begrudgingly set my alarm the night before for 3:30 am so that I may drag myself out of bed for sahur, which means supper. At 3:30 am my alarm sounds and a few minutes later a voice comes over the loudspeaker of the mosque three doors down: "Sahur, sahur", the voice says. "Bapak-bapak, ibu-ibu, anak-anak, sahur sahur", it continues.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Happy Fasting, although I'm pretty sure none of you are fasting. Ramadhan has started and I am giving fasting a try. Many of you are probably thinking how is Lauren going that many hours a day without food. It is not without difficulty. Thoughts of ice cream often pop into my head. Actually not drinking anything is more difficult than not eating. Note: I did not feel so great on Day 2 of fasting, but Day 3 went much better.

by Stephanie Cook '12. Bonjour from France! Our group has moved from Madrid to Paris and we are enjoying our time in this magnificent city! But, before we came to Paris, my friends and I had an action-packed weekend exploring Segovia, El Escritorial, and more parts of Madrid. I have a lot of cool information to share! Friday was the last day of classes. Luckily, my class had finished up the day before as well as Dr. Wilson's class so we were able to do whatever we wanted that day!

by Stephanie Cook '12. Hey everyone! Sorry it has been several days since I have written! Unfortunately I caught a bug that has been passed around the college and has kept me feeling horrible over the past few days. I am feeling a bit better and now have some energy to write.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I have completed the first week of school and well, it's a little different than what I am used to. I thought school started on Monday the 12th and my scheduling/planning/list making self was freaking out that I had not made any plans with other teachers. So I requested a meeting with my counterpart for the Friday before school started, which we had, but planned little.

by Stephanie Cook '12. Hello everyone! Just got back from Barcelona a few hours ago. I thought Madrid was a really cool place, but after my excursion to the coast, I learned Barcelona is an even more fun and exciting place to visit! The city is absolutely gorgeous and filled with lots of history and BEAUTIFUL architecture. As we arrived in the city, it was obvious to see that there were Catalonian flags hanging from porches and windows...

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Happy Belated 4th of July. For me, it was just about the same 4th of July as in America ... a four-hour Muslim religious program where I believe I was the subject of more than one conversation between the 150 or so women in attendance. An important lesson I have learned: suede ballet flats from Italy and hand-made leather sandals from Greece do not stand up to the climate and conditions of Indonesia. Shoe-lovers everywhere are devastated.

by Stephanie Cook '12. So the main reason I am here in Madrid is to take classes to help earn my Spanish minor. Each class is very lengthy; they are three hours long and they meet every day throughout the week. We only have weekends off and we even have to meet on one Saturday! It all works out though because the classes are only 3 and a half weeks long, which is a good deal!

by Stephanie Cook '12. After a long 36 hours of traveling, we made it to our final destination! The jet lag was tough on my body, but I was too excited to focus on my exhaustion. Stepping out of the airport and breathing the cool European air was refreshing. Especially since we had a bit of a stagnant period at the airport after we landed and left the plane. One of the guys from Catawba could not find his luggage at the baggage claim!

by Stephanie Cook '12. Greetings from the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City! I am sitting in the gate with my fellow Catawba classmates waiting to board our plane at 11:20 PM. It is only 8:30 PM right now so we have a few hours to kill. Even though we have had to wait for a while, we were fortunate to have seen Beyonce and Jay-Z walk by us! Read more...

John Rapp, Class of 1976, will be blogging about his summer trip covering 33 states/3 provinces of Canada in 44 days visiting over 66 National Parks from June 19-August 1. He'll be sharing his itinerary, photos, and travel experiences every day in his blog...

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I ate kaki sapi ... cow's foot. The first two pieces went down ok, but man that third piece was chewy and I don't mean chewy like bubblegum. My host family laughed at me and offered something a bit more palatable to my American taste buds. My host family seems to be laughing at me quite often, which is ok because I am used to that from my actual family.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I am sorry for the huge lapse in emails to those who wait on baited breath and I'm also sorry to those of you who may not actually care to read them but feel obligated because I'm sending them from Indonesia. Here are some highlights from the past weeks in Malang, although I am no longer in Malang ... I'll get to that later.

Fifteen Catawba College students travelled to Italy with Dr. Mark Sabo during the Spring 2010 semester as part of the "Eating in the Arts and Sciences" honors course. They have shared their travel journals and recipes prepared during their studies in the form of blogs. Read blogs and view photos from Italy...

By Cyndi Allison, Barbecue Master Blog. My 2010 college newspaper class took us from print to online with The Pioneer, so I am super proud of this hard working group. We like to end the year with a cook out. I do that now, because students were a bit challenged with grilling for groups. Hum. Let's see. One forgot to bring gas. Another had damp charcoal, and I had to run in and microwave the hot dogs before we starved. So, it works out for me to go ahead and do the grilling.

Two students active in the Ralph W. Ketner School of Business Experiential Learning/Internship Program will be sharing their internship experiences through blogs. Senior and business administration majors Eric Schmehl and Timmy Readling are interning with ING Financial and Centry 21, respectively and are blogging about their experiences.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. I would like to start this e-mail with a little story about differences in perception. This past Monday, my cluster taught at a different school, one in Batu rather than Malang. We were told the first class would start at 7 a.m. Unfortunately, we were not told there was a ceremony at 7 and that class would not actually start until 7:45, but that is not the important part of the story...

by Jon Rhodes '08. Where does one begin when recounting a story? Do I first start with our food exploits? I could talk about how we feasted on locusts, grasshopper and a local fruit called durian, a fruit that is illegal to eat on trains in Malaysia due to its smell and has been likened to skunk spray with a hint of sweetness. I could start with the elephant rides through the jungle. About how some places take great care of the magnificent creatures and then about how some places don't.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Much has happened in the past week. Two Saturdays ago, I went to an Arema soccer game with a group of fellow volunteers. Arema is the team from Malang and also the best team in the Indonesian Super League. The stadium is outside the city in an absolutely beautiful spot with a mountain rising up behind the stadium. Not a great game of soccer, but a wonderful atmosphere with constant singing and dancing from the crowd.

by Lauren Ebersole '07. Based on responses to my last entry I feel a little pressure to keep up the quality. Prepare to be disappointed. I never should have led with squatty potties; I just can't top squatty potties. But here are some observations from the last week: Working at KFC [Kentucky Fried Chicken] appears to be as terrible a job in Indonesia as it is in the US.

Catawba Alumna Lauren Ebersole '07 is headed for her next great adventure and this one will last more than two years (27 months to be exact). She is on her way to East Java, Indonesia on a Peace Corps assignment to teach English to high school students.

2008 Catawba alumnus Jonathan Rhodes is making a 10-day trip to Thailand this month with a high school friend, and 2007 alumnus Joe Brooks. For Rhodes, this is a repeat trip to a country he has grown to love. He'll be sharing his adventures through blog posts here and through his personal blog. Rhodes' introductory post about the trip that will begin March 11 follows...

Catawba Stories is now accepting YouTube submissions! Just send us the link to your story's video on YouTube and you're done. It's easy! "Catawba Stories" is about sharing the wonderful stories and memories of Catawba through a digital format. These stories are diverse personal accounts that hold great importance for the person telling them and can be anything from recollections to facts historical in nature.

by Quinn McRae '12. WE'RE COMING HOME! Whew! Everyone is D-O-N-E with tour in every way. So, my roommate Mike and I managed to make it through an entire tour without any insane host families. Our last was a very generous older couple who treated us to McDonald's for breakfast. Read more...

by Quinn McRae '12. For being on a Therma-Rest® on the floor, I slept great. Mollie Landers, Catawba grad and seminary student lent her house to seven of us. There was enough room for us to be comfortable and I really didn't mind the floor because it meant I could put my feet closer to the fireplace. Also, this house was literally 20 steps away from the church where we performed. Convenient. And bless her heart, she got up in the morning and bought freshly-made bagels for us.

by Zach McRae '12. The previous night I and seven other guys were put up in a hotel. Our very generous host really just acted as a chauffeur to and from, and we were all very grateful for the freedom it provided. I can personally say that I was grateful for the continental breakfast. It was an obnoxiously early breakfast, but it was still breakfast.

by Zach McRae '12. So today is the day. No, not that day, it's the day that we get to eat at Miller's Smorgasbord in Lancaster County, Pa.! Oh you haven't heard of it either? That's okay, just know it was the most highly anticipated food stop on tour.

by Zach McRae '12. I think any day that starts with a breakfast hash is likely to be a good one. I even discussed with my host for that previous night the possibility of adding onions to his recipe for a little something special. I could tell from there it was going to be a good day for America, or at least me. It turned out it was Kris Watson's birthday, which I learned as we all met at the church later that morning before our departure.

More blogs have been posted from Catawba students sharing their London Theatre experiences. The students were enrolled in the winter term course "London Sites, Sounds, and Situations" taught by Linda Kesler, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts. Check out the latest posts below...

by Quinn McRae '12. I got up at 6:45 a.m. and somehow had energy. My host family – The Headmans — made a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs, fake bacon, toast and muffins. I learned that I love blackberry preserves. We made it to church safely by eight o'clock and since the Goobers had to wait for the riser committee, we just caught up on the night before...

by Zach McRae '12. First I need to give a little more back ground information. So I will. The Catawba Singers are made up of 70+ singers of varying majors and interests. Our director is the fabulous and handsome Professor Paul Oakley, he joins us on this trip along with...

by Quinn McRae '12. Hello readers! My name is Quinn McRae of Hendersonville, N.C. I am a sophomore musical theatre major at Catawba and a Catawba Singer. This is my second tour with the Singers, but my first of this kind — with daily bus rides to another state and another church.

More blogs have been posted from Catawba students sharing their London Theatre experiences. The students were enrolled in the winter term course "London Sites, Sounds, and Situations" taught by Linda Kesler, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts. Check out the latest posts below...

by Zach McRae '12. I thought I should start with an introduction — my name is Zach McRae of Hendersonville, N.C. I am a sophomore theatre major here at Catawba and I've been a part of the Catawba Singers since my first semester here. But now that I've got you, I do suppose I'll give you some extra info about me for free. Besides the performing arts I have a sincere love for the culinary arts...

Catawba College students traveling to London over holiday break are sharing their London Theatre experiences in blogs posted on the Catawba website. The students were enrolled in the winter term course "London Sites, Sounds, and Situations" taught by Linda Kesler, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts.

Catawba College students traveling to London over holiday break will share their London Theatre experiences in blogs on this page. The students are all enrolled in the winter term course "London Sites, Sounds, and Situations" taught by Linda Kesler, Assistant Professor of Theatre Arts.

by Cyle Petersen '10. After safely arriving back in Salisbury after a 9-hour train ride, which gave me lots of time to think about all I had done in the past 2 months, I thought it would be interesting to recap my summer to everyone else. My summer seemed normal while it was happening because it was roughly the same each week, but after leaving I have realized that I would never have had the opportunity to do all the things...

by Cyle Petersen '10. I thought with my internship at the Embassy running down, with only two weeks left, the work might slowly stop coming in and I would be sitting restless with nothing to do. Quite the opposite and I'm pretty sure no one in my department even knows that next Thursday is my last day because they have given me enough work to last for another whole month!

by Cyle Petersen '10. The end is coming near here in Washington, but the workload definitely isn't letting up yet. As my boss promised me, July would be very busy as Congress attempts to push through as much legislation as possible before the August recess. I have enjoyed it though because I have gotten to go to more and more hearings that are pretty interesting.

by Cyle Petersen '10. Monday morning seemed a bit odd because I hadn't gotten up early to go to work since the previous Tuesday, which preceded my 5-day weekend that included Canada Day and the 4th of July! Nonetheless, it was back to the grind for another week.

by Cyle Petersen '10. This week definitely would have to take home the prize for most fun so far. With two different national holiday celebrations in the same week, the celebrations were to be expected. Although there were many parties and celebrations, I did have to get through Wednesday night before the fun could begin.

by Cyle Petersen '10. After the first two weeks here in Washington, I didn't think it was possible to get any busier ... boy was I wrong. Week three left me with only minutes each day to sit and relax. This week I had a two hour lecture, two Congressional hearings to cover, a two hour morning seminar, a small group meeting at a local law firm, an all-day law school forum, a mid-term and a 30 minute group presentation to stuff into my schedule on top of my full-time internship and class schedule.

by Cyle Petersen '10. After a much needed weekend off, Monday morning had come around again. It's always nice to have a few days off but I actually look forward to going to my internship every morning. The people are all so nice and laid back so it makes it fun to work there. I didn't have any work leftover from the previous week and my bosses were all pretty busy taking care of their overloaded e-mail accounts so I didn't do a whole lot of important Canadian Embassy stuff...

by Cyle Petersen '10 - I've now been in the nation's capital for exactly one week. It seems like I have experienced a year's worth of sightseeing, local culture, and the like already with very minimal rest time to even reflect on it. So here goes...

Their topics were wide-ranging: travel in Costa Rica, kettle bell training, law and dis-order, what to do while in New York City, even a blog about World Missions Outreach. Students in the Online Publication class offered by Catawba College's Communication Arts program spent the semester learning how to plan and create blogs.

"My passion is writing," says Cyndi Allison Wittum, Communication Arts instructor. "In the back of my mind, I dreamed of hosting my own web page at some point, but I was content to write for online magazines." The turning point came last year when an online magazine that housed a large collection of Cyndi's grilling articles sold out to a large Internet company.

by Aly Halter '10. Junior Aly Halter of Hertford is a member of Catawba's Honors program. Halter is majoring in communication arts with a minor in Spanish. Halter is also a Junior Marshal for the 2008-2009 academic year. Halter is sharing her experiences abroad in Costa Rica in the blog.

by Stephanie Hill '11. On Thursday, February 26, 2009, The Academy for Teaching and the Martha West Teaching Scholars of Catawba College attended the Rowan Salisbury Schools/Rowan Partners in Education's 2nd Annual Winter Education Summit at Cornerstone Conference Center in Salisbury, NC.

by Amanda Sowards '10. Catawba's new Provost, Dr. W. Richard "Rick" Stephens, Jr. has embraced Catawba with open arms and is ready to embark on a new journey as part of the Catawba community. Dr. Stephens has two children. His daughter Ashlee, is married to Paul, a firefighter in Chicago. She is a cancer research coordinator at Northwestern University, where she oversees experimental clinical trials.

by Philip Russ '10. What does Education, Technology, Orange People, Pencil Darts, ABC News, and National Teacher of the Year Finalist mean? Well of course there is only a single name that comes to mind, Mrs. Cindi Rigsbee, AT&T's 2008-2009 North Carolina Teacher Of the Year. She met with West Scholars in the Tom Smith Auditorium this morning, discussing her path in education and technology in her seminar titled "Making Connections as a Teacher."

by Philip Russ '10. What does it mean to be a true "Man" and a true "Woman"? Who would ever guess that the answer behind this question could be answered by a former NFL Pro Bowl defensive lineman from the Baltimore Colts. Who is this Man?

by Philip Russ '10. Prospective students entered the Peeler Crystal Lounge looking for information about Catawba College. Among the students who visited for Open House were more than 20 students who were Regional Finalists in the prestigious North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program.

by Amanda Sowards '10. Winterfest Ball is one of the highlights of the spring semester at Catawba. Hear from several of the dance's attendees and view photos of the "Best-Dressed." Read more...

by Monisha Smith '04. My inauguration experience actually began November 5th. Working in a U.S. Senate office, our office has been greeted by thousands of phone calls from people seeking swearing-in tickets. I was lucky enough to be in Denver with then Senator Obama when he became the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party and couldn't wait to see him become President Obama on January 20th...

Student Blogs by the West Teaching Scholars in their Spring 2009 excursion to Savannah, Georgia. Thirty-one teaching scholars, along with faculty and staff from Catawba College's Ritchie Academy for Teaching, traveled to Savannah, Georgia January 17-20 and were amazed by the history and ecology of this Southern city and its coastal islands.

by Alex Will '08. I always found it tacky when writers began their commentaries by exclaiming that "they didn't know where to start." I thought it to be a cheap way to introduce a piece, a cop-out for an inability to find a creative introduction. Maybe I felt that way because I had never been in a situation where I felt overcome by emotion. A moment so singularly powerful that words can't even begin to describe what you were feeling. I think I experienced that moment on January 20, 2009.

by Alex Will '08. I try not to make it a habit to start my blogs with a disclaimer, but I feel as though this entry deserves one. If you were hoping to read an entry waxing on poetically regarding the inauguration, well you came a day too early. That entry will come after I have had enough time to process what has taken place, and what I have experienced. Today's entry involves Alex getting up way too early, walking way too much and hurting in way too many places.

Catawba College Assistant Professor of Sociology Dr. Carla Eastis was in Washington, D.C. on Monday, January 19th and witnessed the gathering of people in the capitol for Barack Obama's inauguration as the United States' 44th President. A colleague of hers at Brandeis University who is a member of the Obama transition team invited her to attend an event with his group on the evening of January 19th.

by Dr. Carla Eastis, Assistant Professor of Sociology. I have a leisurely morning with my friend and don't get to the Metro station till 11 a.m. The train is full — some people are standing — but not crowded. I get off at the Smithsonian station and ride the escalator to the surface. I hardly recognize this as the same place I was just 3 weeks ago on vacation!

by Dr. Carla Eastis, Assistant Professor of Sociology. About 10 folks get on the Amtrak train with me in Salisbury at 8:30 on a Sunday morning. Several of us are going to D.C., and the conductor puts us in one of the rear-most cars. That car is almost full already, and there has only been one stop!

by Alex Will '08. Have you ever been to the Plymouth Rock? Growing up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, I had more field trips there than I care to remember. But one thing I will never forget is that no matter what time of the year it was, one could stand next to the Plymouth Rock and hear multiple languages being spoken. People came from all over the world to see the place where the roots of these United States had been planted.

by Terri Hill '09. Wow! That is one of the first things that comes to mind when I reflect on this trip. Our Internet [at the host church] has been down for a while, since day one to be exact so now that it is up, let me give you a day-by-day play-by-play. Arriving in Pascagoula was exciting to say the least. We were so tired of riding and napping, arriving anywhere was a good thing. After unloading from the bus and praying, we settled in for something to eat and a few games. From day one, people

Pascagoula, Mississippi is the destination for 12 Catawba College students who will participate in a mission building trip during part of their Christmas break, December 13-19. Catawba Chemistry Professor Dr. Mark Sabo organized the trip which is co-sponsored by the College and his church, First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury.

by Amanda Sowards '10. November 4, 2008 will always be a highlight of my life. As I grow older and start a family, I hope to be able to share my first time voting experience with my children and grandchildren when the day comes that they anxiously wait for and their voice can equally be heard as a citizen of the United States of America.

by Amanda Sowards '10. Catawba College's homecoming game was a success with Catawba pulling a triumphant victory over Tusculum. The stands were packed with students, alumni, faculty, parents, and family to re-unite the Catawba community from all generations.

by Lainey Nichols '09. Ireland is a blur. Last night, we arrived in Cork — the cleanest airport in both hemispheres. Thank goodness for hygiene and soapy smells, because a few of us were behind a real, live hurling team from Ireland just prior to boarding the plane ... and all that entails. It is not my intent to be hypercritical or judgemental, but these hurlers seemed so stereotypically meat-headed that they should have had their own Saturday Night Live skit...

by Lainey Nichols '09. A good night's sleep was had by all, and thank the dear Lord for that —we played a national team this morning. We warmed up on a remote field (on top of a hill) where the shadow of one cloud rolling by directly followed the next and patterned the grass like a green Holstein cow with rotating spots.

by Lainey Nichols '09. This morning was fairly uneventful. A group of us, consisting of Big Cat (Catawba alumna Catherine Ballentine) Lays (sophomore, Layla Ghorbani), Becks (Becky Factau), and Paige Harrington (senior forward) walked in the rain to a nearby library like a line of baby ducks. This weather is beyond soupy. I was a drowsy kid today

by Lainey Nichols '09. Bath is incredible. I walked into my first building with a rotunda, oculus, and coffered ceiling today — until this point, I had only learned about them in my Art History books. This building was the reception building for the Roman baths and is all that is classic and beautiful.

by Lainey Nichols '09. I cannot begin to express the excitement — our team has to play today! The morning was left to us, but this evening was to be our first game against a Cambridge club. The pitch was ridiculous. Everything is just so green here. Lys (teammate) and I did cartwheels across the center circle when Coach left us to explore the surface as a team prior to the game.

by Lainey Nichols '09. Haggared and punchy, we entered into a lunch-time London where bankers move like ants and few smile. We were completely conspicuous, perhaps slightly obnoxious (we are just a loud group — no stopping us), but not rude.

by Lainey Nichols '09. I would like to preface this first entry with an apology — I'm afraid between leaving the country for the first time and interacting with my goofy family of teammates, my focus has not been the completion of this task! I feel as if I am suffering from William Miller from Almost Famous syndrome — a boy is asked to write an article on a rock band and ends up being completely immersed in the rock scene...

Lainey Nichols, who hails from Frederick, Md., is a senior English major and art minor at Catawba. She plays center mid on Catawba's women's soccer team. She hopes to pursue a career in public relations after graduation. Lainey is the daughter of Chuck and Kathy Nichols. Lainey's mom, Kathy is a 1981 Catawba alumna who played field hockey and was a cheerleader while she was a student at Catawba.

by Shahin Soltan '09. My last full week of work and stay in Belgium was not very hectic. I was left more alone to work on the continuously incoming bank statements. The only major project I worked on was to help prepare data for use in a press release about the first half of 2008. I had to create excel files with formulas which could be used in the release...

by Shahin Soltan '09. This was a very exciting week for me. I had great things going on at work and I was visiting Paris for the first time in my life. At the Delhaize Corporate offices, I continued on with the bank statements that I have handled since one of my former supervisors left the company. I was given a few other projects, including mapping new cost centers for the "bank of the group," Delcor, and once again, reconciliation of the two different accounting systems.

by Shahin Soltan '09. This week was the most challenging week for me at work. The person I was working for, Michel, had left the company and I was basically given all of his responsibilities. I had to rely on the weeks of training that he had given me and see how much I had really learned. Although there were lots of things to do, I enjoyed it because as my responsibilities grew, so did my performance level.

by Shahin Soltan '09. This week at work was a little bit different than the other weeks. I had been working on a power presentation for all the Food Lion interns in Salisbury, N.C. I was supposed to present what I've learned so far and how those results compared to what I had expected to get out of this internship. Also, I talked about how Food Lion had prepared me for coming over here and whether that was adequate preparation or not.

by Shahin Soltan '09. My fourth week was a bit more exciting than the previous one. Monday probably was my favorite day at work so far. We cracked a lot of jokes and laughed together at work, but we also got plenty of stuff done. I was given a task to analyze this year's budget for the different entities of the Delhaize Group. It wasn't an easy job considering the organization is large.

Two Catawba College Alumni from the class of 2008, Jon Rhodes of Virginia Beach, Va. and Aileen Thomson of Burlington, Vt., have accepted positions in South Korea working as English teachers (English as a second language) at private language school operated by Reading Town. The school is located in Jeonju (2 hours south of Seoul). The two begin work July 21 under a one-year contract at the institution.

by Brad Ross '09. After a fun-filled night in Beijing, the following day we had to pack up our overstuffed luggage and begin the long trip back to the U.S.A. But during the 20+ hours of flying and the four connecting flights, Catawba College's China Ten had plenty of experiences to reminisce about.

by Shahin Soltan '09. This week was a fairly calm week in Brussels. My friend Arvin left on Tuesday which wasn't very much fun, but what made things better was that my mom came to see me the same day. I felt bad for my mother because she took the bus all the way from Sweden. She left Sweden on Monday and didn't get here until Tuesday. It was more than a 24-hour bus ride.

by Jane Snider, Staff Member. The West Teaching Scholars with mentors and chaperones loaded a chartered bus to begin the trek across the state to the Outer Banks. The Outer Banks are a 200 mile stretch of barrier islands and comprise approximately half of the northern coast of North Carolina.

by Brad Ross '09. The city of Beijing was the last stop for Catawba College's China Ten and their tour of the country. In order to experience the numerous sights the city had to offer, we were given four whole days to get a feel for the growing metropolis.

by Shahin Soltan '09. My second week in Belgium was very interesting. On Tuesday, my friend from Sweden named Arvin came to visit. Sweden is only a two-hour flight from here so it wasn't too long of a flight for him. I was very glad that he came to visit because I don't get to see my friends from back home very much considering I am in the United States most of the time.

by Brad Ross '09. The China Ten woke fairly early to get a good start on a landmark day in our tour of China, visiting the terra-cotta warriors. But before we could see the emperor's clay army, Lucy [group's tour guide] had a factory tour lined up with the Kami Corporation.

by Shahin Soltan '09. After arriving a few hours late and missing our plane due to my traveling buddy's ticket issues, we got on the next available flight and arrived safely in Brussels, Belgium. Because of the fact that we were late, our driver had left us and we had to pay 40 euros (equivalent of about 65 U.S. dollars). At the time, we didn't think of how expensive a 15 minutes drive was in Belgium, all we could think about how nice it could be to have a bed to lay down on.

by Shahin Soltan '09. The first week of work for Delhaize here in Brussels turned out a lot more exciting than I thought it would be. I didn’t think the associates of Delhaize would be as compassionate and helpful duties as they were. Everybody working for Delhaize corporate is very friendly and polite. They like the fact that people from the United States come over to their country and work. Almost everybody speaks English here, which is very impressive considering most people here speak both D

by Brad Ross '09. We could not have began our trip to Xian any better then with the smooth flight from Shanghai. At the airport, we met up with our Xian tour guide Lucy who wasted no time to get us loaded on the buses and off to our first destination, the Xian history museum. On the way there, Lucy told us a little background about the oldest city in China and how Xian's main attraction, the terra-cotta warriors, have helped put her on the map.

by Brad Ross '09. After getting in so late from the nightclubs of The New World, the China Ten were disappointed when they received their 7 a.m. wake up calls. But tour guides Xian and Micco had a very eventful day planned for us, so they had to make sure we were up and on the bus in a punctual fashion.

by Brad Ross '09. Our 5 a,m, wake-up call came earlier then any of us wanted it to, but it was critical for us to not be late for our 7 a.m. flight to Shanghai. The Shenzhen airport was an experience everybody in our group would not mind forgetting. When we arrived at the airport, the place was flooded with Chinese locals running about trying to check bags and get to their gates...

by Brad Ross '09. After experiencing the city of Hong Kong, the China Ten bid their farewells and boarded a train to travel inland to the city of Shenzhen. Because Hong Kong and mainland China are two separate entities, we had to go through customs upon arriving at the border...

by Brad Ross '09. Our tour guide, Calvin, had a lot planned for us today so he made sure we were awake by 7:30 a.m. for our dumpling breakfast and on the buses by 9:00. First on our agenda was to visit Victoria Peak, which overlooks the entire city and provides tourists a breathtaking view...

by Brad Ross '09. With still being very much under the influence of jetlag and sleep deprivation, me and the rest of the "China Ten" made a business decision to ignore our desires for rapid eye movement and instead go exploring through the many streets of downtown Hong Kong...

Daniel S. Hines is a senior from Yorktown, Va., who was a student in Dr. Mark Sabo's Honors Class, "Food, Science, Society and Culture," this spring. Hines put together this article about his class' spring break trip to Italy using excerpts from the travel journals of his fellow students.

Catawbapalooza - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08. Catawba College students, including me, just finished enjoying Catawbapalooza, a week-long event that is sort of like a Homecoming weekend capped by a carnival on the very last day. Every year, there's a different theme — one year it was a luau theme, this year it was a Mardi gras theme.

Salisbury, NC (HOME!!!) - by Brianna Smith '08

Dalton, GA - by Brianna Smith '08

Smyrna, GA - by Brianna Smith '08

Day 6: Gainesville, FL - by Brianna Smith '08

Day 5: Miami (Part II) - by Brianna Smith '08

Day 4: Miami (Part I) - by Brianna Smith '08

Day 3: Disney/Orlando, FL - by Brianna Smith '08

Day 2: New Smyrna Beach - by Brianna Smith '08

Isle of Palms, SC - by Brianna smith '08

My Life Is Coming Together! - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

Trying Times - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

Shaving Down the Bucket List - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

Spring Break - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

The Whole Shebang - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

I'm Broke, So What to Wear - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

My Senior "Bucket List" - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

The End of the Road ... the Last Months of Being a Senior - by Casey Lane Hudgins '08

It's Almost Fall at Catawba - by Brittany Parker '09

What I Have Learned During My First Weeks of Class - by Brittany Parker '09

Thoughts on Majoring in Environmental Education at Catawba - by Brittany Parker '09

Attending the Power 100 Student Summit - by Aileen Thomson '08.