Whirlwind Tour of the Windy City

With the IU School of Journalism preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary this fall, the school has reached out to alumni across the country to participate in the celebrations!

Millennium Park, the site of my favorite tourist attraction-The Bean!

This weekend, 30 School of Journalism Ambassadors and Honors students made the four-and-a-half hour bus drive to Chicago, the second largest hub of SOJ alumni, for a reception and celebration. We networked with alumni, met prospective students and got to know one another better. This celebration was part of a growing trend I see on the Bloomington campus to connect students to alumni and prospective students.

The city!

At Thursday night's reception, alumni enjoyed hearing about all the fantastic programs current students are a part of, including travel courses, organizations, publications and new multimedia courses. We swapped business cards after sharing stories that compared IU past and present before students went out to explore the Windy City.

Friday was packed as students were divided into groups based on our areas of interest and taken on two different media visits. My interest in public relations sent me to Weber-Shandwick and Digitas, two PR firms in downtown Chicago with different takes on an evolving industry. Other students visited ABC, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Magazine.

Students tour the Weber-Shandwick PR firm offices.

We ended our whirlwind tour of the Windy City with a trip to the Cadillac Theater to see Broadway's "Les Miserables." The gorgeous sets, beautiful costumes and talented cast complemented the stunning music and I absolutely loved my first introduction to the classic story. It was a long 36-hour trip, but the networking and opportunity to experience the Windy City was worth the 5 a.m. arrival!

My One True Love.

I believe that hands down my favorite thing (and my friends agree!) about my Willkie apartment is my kitchen -- and all the food that I make in it.

Chicken Parmesan with whole-wheat spaghetti.

Omelets and blueberry muffins for breakfast; sandwich melts and macaroni and cheese for lunch; chicken Parmesan and BBQ chicken for dinner; and desserts--lots and lots of desserts.

Homemade chocolate chip cheesecake with chocolate shavings on top.

There are some great websites like 101cookbooks, delish and cooks that are packed with tons of delicious recipes. With the exception of my cravings for scrumptious desserts, I've been trying to find healthy meals and all these different websites have provided me with the opportunity to find multiple variations of the same thing and pick what seems most healthy. Most residence halls have kitchens on certain floors and all on-campus apartments have kitchens where you can cook delicious (and healthy) meals too!

BBQ chicken, homemade mashed potatoes and steamed veggies.

Get Outta Town!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I know you'll want to get out of town. This semester I am interning in Indianapolis two days a week, and I have absolutely fallen in love with the Indiana Statehouse.

The main level of the Indiana Statehouse.

The buidling houses both the Indiana House and Senate, the offices of all major elected officials, including the Governor's office, and the Indiana Supreme Court.

Gorgeous attention to detail in the columns of the Indiana Statehouse.

The beautiful stained glass dome in the center of the Statehouse is probably my favorite part of the building, but the whole building has gorgeous attention to detail. Anyone may go and walk around the main level with a tour or on their own time, and I highly suggest stopping at the Indiana Statehouse if you are in Indy during regular business hours for a sight that will make you proud to be, or wish you were, a Hoosier.

My favorite stained glass ceiling.