At work last week, my co-worker/one of my new best friends Ashley randomly asked me if I wanted to go to the drag show, which occurred this past Saturday. First thought: I hadn’t gone to one of the CSU Drag Shows since Freshman year, and it could be potentially fun to go. Second thought: I could always use some good material for my blog. With those two thoughts, I agreed to accompany my friend to the event.

Dolla, Dolla Bills!

Over the years the CSU Drag Show, organized by the GLBT Resource Center, has significantly grown in popularity and has developed in its display. This was quite evident when Ashley and I arrived at the LSC before the show started. The line extended outside of the LSC Theatre, past the Curfman Gallery, and out of the doors, going toward to the Plaza.

The set-up in the theatre was absolutely amazing; beautiful lights, nicely costumed individuals, and a packed house. We were so excited when the show finally began. The MCs for the event were hilarious

and their teamwork made for a smooth and organized event flow.

The performances were equally impressive. The energy and force that exuded from the entertainers was practically palpable. As the audience, it was our responsibility to give dollar bills (or greater) to the performers. This was to motivate and encourage the incredible performers, as well as to help contribute to the cause in which the event was working to support (in this case AIDs research and treatment).

See for Yourself

I will say that some of the performances were not completely appropriate for me to film. However, the performance right before the intermission seemed perfect to share with, so you can check it out in this video clip.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

So I know that I told you that I would have a student profile video for you to watch today, but I would like to think that I have something just as awesome, if not better, to share with you.

After my workout last night, I decided to attend this concert that Campus Activities was putting on in the Lory Student Center Theater. The group that performed was A Tribe Called RED, a Canadian and Native American musical group that create an original blend between dubstep, hip-hop, and cultural Native American beats and rhythms.

I had done marketing for this event through my job in Colab, and after having the initial marketing meeting with the programmers who organized this event, I knew that it was something that I wanted to attend.

Everything I ever wanted

From the video

that I have to share with you all, I hope it is clear why I loved A Tribe Called RED’s performance last night. The way they mix their music is amazing; I enjoyed the variety in their songs, as well as how well they made all of the different elements work together.

They also had this awesome screen with cool video clips projected on it. The group managed to make some clips line up perfectly with the words or beats from the music. A Tribe Called RED’s presentation was perfection and their creativity was heaven.

The attendants at the concert were definitely feelin’ it. As I was looking around at people, I saw so many of them gettin’ down to the beat and dancing around in the crowd. It was a good time for sure.

Outta Here

Well folks, this is my last blog before Spring Break, so we will have to manage without each other for a whole week. I will be looking forward to sitting around my house, doing absolutely nothing until break is over.

Can’t wait. Take care and I’ll catch you all on the flip!

Last Sunday evening the Lory Student Center hosted a one-of-a-kind celebration of culture, dance, singing, and of course, food; I hit the Indian Student Association’s annual “India Nite.”

When I arrived at India Nite, the ballroom was dark and a group was      performing a dance number on the stage. I grabbed some (free!) food and settled in at one of the only empty chairs in the room to take it all in. The food was miraculous—two delicious samosas (Vegetarian, of course! I love that Indian food is mostly vegetarian.) with a spicy and savory filling. I was in heaven.

The performances were a little bit cheesy, but I absolutely loved them. After the dancers exited the stage, a musical group performed several numbers—it seemed almost like Indian karaoke, except they had great voices and they had choreographed some dances into their music.

Culture is Important

In this little bubble of Colorado, sometimes it can be hard to experience other cultures. But a huge portion of the Fort Collins community—mostly families, to my surprise—came out to dip their toes in the Indian culture, which was a blast to experience Sunday night.

I think it’s really important to get involved in the community and attend some of the events at CSU—some of them are cheesy, but a lot of them are really cool and can open your eyes to a new perspective. I love that CSU has such a close relationship with the Fort Collins community; it has a very homey and down-to-earth feel, and it’s nice that the community supports CSU. And CSU gives back to the community; next week, I’ll tell you all about CANS Around the Oval and CANvassing!

Question of the Day:

What do you think of the MyCSU Tumblr?

It’s been up and running for about a month now, and I would love to hear what you think of it! Your feedback is very valuable, and I would love your suggestions, questions, or general comments. Let me know @MyCSU_Kelly or Ask MyCSU on Tumblr.

Yesterday, a very powerful speaker honored the CSU campus with her presence. Ilyasah Shabazz, daughter of the historical figure Malcolm X, spoke in the Lory Student Center North Ballroom and it was an amazing experience.

As a mentor coach and Campus Corps intern, it is my and my fellow intern Katelyn’s responsibility to lead a social justice and public achievement activity each week for the youth of Campus Corps. Seeing as how Ilyasah Shabazz was set to speak last night, I figured what better activity for the youth than absorbing the words of an impactful speech.

“We Are the Leaders We Seek”

Katelyn and I, along with four mentors and their mentees, braved the chilly winter air and made our way to the LSC. Once we got to the North Ballroom, I must say how surprised I was at the attendance. ALL of the seats were filled and people had already begun to sit on the floor. Wow.

As you’ll see in the video, Ilyasah Shabazz has a way with words. Even though we were only able to catch the first bit of her speech, her message still managed to resonate with us. Her idea was very appropriate for her small Campus Corps audience. She emphasized the importance of education and how important it is for communities to work together to raise and support our youth. She also stated that people should not be discriminated against based on gender, ethnicity, or creed; a very valid statement that I hope will one day be fully embraced.

I was truly engaged in all that this incredible woman was saying and her truth was so empowering. It encouraged me to really take advantage of the position I have in Campus Corps and do all that I can to leave a significant and lasting positive influence on these youth. I was also pleased to hear that the youth enjoyed Ilyasah Shabazz as well. They thought she was really cool and they learned some new things. I couldn’t be more satisfied.

Be the leader that you seek, because no one else is going to do it but you. I hope you all have a great weekend.

As May 14 creeps closer, my time at CSU is quickly coming to an end. What better way to celebrate graduation than to reminisce about all the good times I had? I’ll start at the beginning with my freshman year - I am also using this as an opportunity to test how good my memory is!

The dorms

I moved into room G211 in Corbett Hall on one of the hottest days of the summer. There is nothing better than moving furniture up stairs into a building without air conditioning, but luckily the dorm experience only got better from that point. 

I got sick of the dorm food by the end of the year, and there were times where I thought my roommate was going to drive me clinically insane, but I think everyone experiences those dorm moments. Overall, it was an experience that I’ll never forget, and I now find myself missing dorm food four years later.

My friends

I think I had one of the best floors possible. I had relaxed RAs and some made some long-time friends on my floor. Off the top of my head, I can name at least a dozen people from my floor that I still see regularly, and you can rest assured that we still exchange old dorm stories from time to time.

My best memories from that year aren’t from big spectacular events, but rather the small day-to-day interaction with my newfound friends. Walking to Consuelo’s for breakfast burritos, playing volleyball in the courtyard, biking to Old Town and trekking to Durrell Express for a late-night meal were among my favorite things to do.

Other favorite memories include:

• Dorm move-in day and playing the “name game” with everyone on my floor (I can still name 38 out of 40-some people!)
• My first autumn on campus and staring all the picturesque trees in The Oval
• My first time studying all night for a 7 a.m. final. – Then taking a nap and pulling another all-nighter. Don’t worry; I quickly re-evaluated my study habits after that
• My first time tailgating before a football game at Hughes Stadium
• My first winter break and moving back into the parents’ house. The home-cooked food makes up for the loss of freedom.
• Free comedy shows in the LSC
• Counting the tally marks at the end of the year that represented the number of time my suitemates locked me out of the bathroom.
• Playing Frisbee by the lagoon
• Switching my major from business to journalism, which is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

The wrap-up

The next two weeks will include more of my favorite memories from CSU, so stay tuned.