Winter Semester 2015 thecollegiatelive.com The Collegiate asks ‘How Do You Live Your Best Life?’ Features Learning to Love 28 Don’t Take Life for Granted 38 Having the Talk 18 through Loss The story of patient Jeorge Shelden Discussing end-of-life decisions Getting to know 34 Sweetheart, I love you Social Media is Forever 22 Hospice of Michigan The story of patient Robert Booth 41 Dealing with your digital afterlife A Day in the Life 25 of a Hospice Nurse View videos and full coverage at TheCollegiateLive.com/Hospice 02 Less is More 12 Learn a Foreign Language 50 Dealing with Divorce 04 Books & Me 14 Staying Happy 51 Manly Knitting 06 The Fulfillment of Risk 44 The Many Facets of Love 52 Losing the ‘Freshman 15’ 08 Motherhood 45 Healing Hearts with Horses 55 Health & Workout Apps 10 Peace Corps 48 Music is an Art of Expression 56 Just Enjoy the Little Things MY CARE MY WAY IS - experts i can trust - same-day appointments - affordable payment options - supportive & non-judgmental GRAND RAPIDS & WYOMING: Ride The Rapid! 844.316.4055 We are located on Routes 4 & 16. or ppwnm.org Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, Your school. Your source. Your story. Some of you may know that, here at The Collegiate, we publish a magazine every semester. As usual, we are confident that this is our best work as a Vol. 3, No. 2 Winter Semester 2015 class. Sean P. Mulhall Jonathan D. Lopez Last semester, I said that issue of the magazine had the best participation yet Editor-in-Chief Photo Editor and I think we surpassed that again this semester. Jacquelyn Zeman Chris Powers Chief Web Editor Layout Editor For the sixth edition of magazine, we thought we would try something new. Kayla Tucker Michael Julien In the past, we just told the staff to write about whatever they wanted and A&E/Features Editor Multimedia Editor it worked out for the most part. The magazine would usually reflect the diversity of the students in the class and on campus in general. Stories about Zachary Watkins Hannah Cluley relationships, stress, sports, traveling, going green, DIY projects and many Sports Editor Advertising Manager other topics usually filled the pages. Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood Collegiate Adviser One thing we never tried was to have every student follow the same theme. This semester we did just that and the theme was, “How do you live your best On the cover life?” GRCC answers, “What are you grateful for?” We didn’t really expect to find a concrete answer, but used the question more Photo by Jonathan D. Lopez as a guide when thinking of what to write about. This question was also part of the inspiration for a special project this semes- ter, another first for us. The Collegiate partnered with Hospice of Michigan on a service learning project, as a part of the Armen Awards competition. Out of this partnership, a special edition magazine was produced along with a video that reduces me to tears every time I watch it. The stories were used in this issue as well and they, along with the video, and whole package can be found at thecollegiate- live.com/hospice. This project has been the most important and most rewarding work I have The Collegiate Magazine ever been a part of and I am proud of every person who contributed to this is a student publication issue. of Grand Rapids Community College We hope you enjoy it. 143 Bostwick Ave. Grand Rapids, MI 49503 As always, we welcome any feedback on this and all other publications of Room 339, Main The Collegiate. Just send an email to [email protected]. [email protected] Phone: (616) 234-4157 www.TheCollegiateLive.com GRCC.Collegiate GRCCCollegiate Sean P. Mullhall @GRCC_Collegiate @thecollegiate Editor-in-Chief Less is More by Daniel A. Calix 2 | TheCollegiateLive.com ’ve been living out of my back from dreams of traveling. to be in life I would have given with it and instead of spending backpack since September It was my stuff. After a night you the typical spiel: a big time, our days inside they’ve begun 2014, with everything I own. of serious thought, I’d had nine to five job, the girl-next- to reach out with me. IFour shirts, three pairs of enough. door girlfriend, an amazing I’m leaving for Mackinac pants, two sweaters, four pairs I started with clothes. I took loft. I would have everything Island in a couple of weeks, of Merino wool underwear, six everything in my closet and I wanted. Ask me now and I’ll and they all plan on going up pairs of Merino socks, and one drawers and dumped it into tell you something completely with me for a little while, which pair of shoes. All the clothes I a bag to be dropped of at the different: I just want to be hap- surprised me. Before, they own. It isn’t much, but it’s all Salvation Army. Everything I py. Don’t get me wrong, I would would make a fuss if I wanted the style I need. normally wore was already ly- like to have some of those to go across town and now A couple years ago I felt like ing on the floor of my bedroom, things still, but I don’t strive for they’re willing to go across the I was on top of the world, I had so I had no trouble. I got rid of them. They don’t define who state with me. everything I thought I wanted - all of it until I could fit every- I am. The experiences I have Today I’m ready to go on all the stuff I would need to feel thing I needed into a 40-liter with the people around me do. a moments notice. No more content. I was wrong, but not backpack, and the gifts that I was always so busy searching for the right outfit, in the sense that I didn’t have held sentimental value from my working to afford the things I or scrambling to find things be- enough, I had too much. friends and family went into wanted that I didn’t have time fore needing to be somewhere. There were days I’d question a 2-by-3-by-2-foot tote, stored for my friends. Now I always Everything I could ever need why I had some of the things in away until I’m ready to settle have time for them, so much is always with me, and if I ever my room. Why do I have these down. time they think I don’t have a get invited to go on another tennis rackets? Well maybe My views on life and death job still. They don’t completely adventure, you probably won’t I’d want to play again. I hadn’t have changed. Five years ago if understand why I got rid of know about it until you open played since middle school, but you asked me where I wanted everything, but they’re okay your mailbox. maybe I’d pick it back up. That’s how it went for years. I collected books, clothes, movies, toys that reminded me of my childhood, an insane amount of old school work, just in case a certain topic came up in future classes. In 2013 I was asked to trek the Appalachian Trail - a marked trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahdin in Maine. I jumped on the invite, of course I wanted to go, I’ve wanted to travel my whole life. But, what would I do with all my things? Being gone for a few days is one thing but the Appalachian Trail is months long. In the end I turned the opportunity down, my reasoning justified by the need to be responsible. It took time but I slowly learned that being responsible wasn’t what was holding me PHOTOS BY JONATHAN D. LOPEZ TheCollegiateLive.com | 3 BOOKS me &by Warren Sink ooks are sort of like friends, but really they aren’t. Paper from a tree, stamped with ink, isn’t com- Bparable to a relationship with a living, breathing human being. Hell, even a living, breathing cat or dog doesn’t compare. No, books are something less. Yet, they contribute something that people may not feel with others. They don’t reciprocate tangible contact, but what they give the reader is a gift not unlike the touch of a hand or the sound of a voice. Their contact reminds you of you. Their words make you wonder. But most of all, they remind you, you are not alone. I don’t know about you, but the first books I read weren’t by Hemingway. My first stories were “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” and “Harold and the Purple Crayon” and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom” among others. They were fun, endearing, and so captivating that when my dad flipped the last page, it was as if my eyes had to readjust from the beautifully depicted world of Harold and his crayon to a more mundane reality. It was a time when I laughed and cried without abandon, because I knew no better and I lived an authentic existence, fit for a child. However, my next progress was a bit forced. I disliked school. I loathed the day-to-day redundancy, going from one class to another feeling my pock- 4 | TheCollegiateLive.com ets to make sure I still had my pencil or pen.