So many events, so little time!

Hi there!

Now that we're not strangers anymore, you have no choice but to be thrown into my busy daily life at WKU! Lately there have been so many choices of events to attend around campus that my calendar has begun to beg me to put down the pen for just one week. Well, Mr. Calendar, I don’t know about you, but I love free things and I am not about to stop attending all of the great free events on campus, so quit complaining, do your job and make a little more room!

WKU hosts so many events that I don’t know even where to begin. Students can attend everything from a one-man play about President Lincoln to lectures by world-renowned authors such as Frank McCourt; fun and casual lectures from TV and film personalities like marine biologist Jeff Corwin, and actress Mary Badham, who played “Scout” in the 1962 version of To Kill a Mockingbird. There are also more serious informational sessions delivered by International political figures like the United Nations Ambassador to Ecuador Maria Fernanda Espinosa. That’s not even mentioning the countless art gallery exhibitions, musical performances, sporting events and more!

Last week, I chose to attend the Taikoproject which was part of the annual Cultural Enhancement Series, a group of events co-sponsored by the Potter College of Arts & Letters. Let me tell you, it was absolutely phenomenal! (As in, my friends are absolutely sick of hearing about how great it was, but I know deep inside they are really jealous they did not get to go since the venue was packed!)

Basically, the Taikoproject is a group of uber-talented Japanese-Americans from California who wanted to carry-on the Japanese art of Taiko drumming here in the USA so they got a group started and hit the road. It was not just a bunch a boring drumming. It was more like a saga, a run through the jungle, a leap off of a waterfall, a climb to the edge of a cliff, then jum....NOT THAT FAR, AMBER! The audience was laughing, singing and thoroughly enjoying themselves at this two-hour performance. There was not a single person in the room that wasn’t inspired to dream a little bigger after seeing and hearing the stories of these talented young folks. That is just one of the many benefits of the Cultural Enhancement Series - it encourages people act on their environment and motivates the audience to not settle for the usual because perhaps trying something different and thinking outside of the box might lead to greater success.

Here at WKU, there is a huge push to educate the student as an entire being, not just academically. The faculty encourages students to understand what it is like in the real world with so many diverse people and situations to encounter each day. They want to challenge our views so that we may develop ourselves enough to be confident and sure-footed about whom we are as contributors to this global economy. They want us to see for ourselves what success looks like through the eyes of professionals in their fields so that one day we may emulate this success through our own manifestations. The events and guest speakers that WKU sponsors are indeed something special that will enhance your education as a well-rounded and shall I say "cultured" person in this society where it matters.

Oh yeah, and how about those great plays our men's basketball team pulled off in the NCAA tournament? We were SO close!!! I can already taste a Hilltopper victory coming up next year!

Well I better go grab some lunch before heading over to class. Until next time!