Somehow it’s already that time again…another amazing year at UNC has come and gone and I’m feeling quite sentimental about it! Three years done at the best university in the world (an unbiased opinion, of course). This was undoubtedly the best year yet — here are the highlights!
AUGUST
I moved into my house for the year, A.K.A. my first time living off-campus in college! It was so great living with two of my friends and being able to cook, study, do laundry, sleep and hang out all under one roof! Also, I began interning at Shannon Media (Chapel Hill Mag, Durham Mag and Chatham Mag) where I took on editorial responsibilities. Newman festivities kicked off, as well as sorority recruitment and classes!
SEPTEMBER
Sorority recruitment continued, and we welcomed a wonderful new pledge class on a “New Years” themed bid day! I also began leading a small faith group at Newman with my friend Emily (which quickly became a highlight of each week). CTAP hit the ground running with a new semester full of dance, and I continued running the social media for the group. My friends and I went to a Hornets vs. Celtics game hosted at the Dean Dome, and my parents came up for Family Weekend, where we celebrated with a cookout! Kappa also hosted its annual Q for the Cause philanthropy event (benefitting Earlier.org) with BYX Fraternity, which was a big success!
OCTOBER
Kappa had its annual sisterhood retreat, which was at Camp Weaver in Greensboro this year — we got to do several bonding and team building activities, including a ropes course (that I surprisingly got through). I went to the first-ever Sports and Entertainment Summit (hosted by the Sports Business Club) and learned so much from UNC alums about the sports industry! I came home for a much needed fall break in Waxhaw, and then finished out the month with Halloween on Franklin Street — my friends and I dressed up as the aliens from Toy Story, with my friend Grayson as Buzz Lightyear.
NOVEMBER
I went to the Fall Clef Hangers concert (always a good time) and got to see renowned tap group Dorrance Dance perform on campus in their show “Myelination”. The best part of the month was definitely Newman’s Carolina Awakening retreat, which was a life-changing weekend that left me with a strengthened sense of faith and several new friends in my church community at school! I also celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in Winston Salem, something I always look forward to (not just because of the mashed potatoes and chocolate cake, though).
DECEMBER
Exams! (Gross) I wrapped up the semester with finals and projects and even got to see some snow in Chapel Hill before I went home for the year! I was so excited for my winter break at home, spending time with catching up with family and friends and watching silly Christmas movies on Netflix and Hallmark.
JANUARY
Spring semester begins! I turned 21 on the first day of class (woohoo) and celebrated with friends that day and the following weekend, where my friend Grayson and I had a joint party (he turned 21 two weeks after me.) It made me SO happy to have all of my friends in one place and that people came to celebrate with us! I also celebrated a few friends’ birthdays throughout the month (yay January birthdays!) and started choreography for my first-ever routine for Carolina Tap Ensemble to “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man! Definitely was a daunting experience to try this for the first time, but it was so much fun from the start. I also continued my internship from the fall with Shannon Media, which was a privilege to get to work with them for another semester!
FEBRUARY
I went to the Arise College Summit with Newman for the weekend, which was a great way to get away from school for a few days and focus on faith! Basketball season was in full swing (the best time of the year) and I got to go to a few games, as well as rush Franklin Street when we BEAT DUKE at Cameron Indoor!! Never gets old, let me tell ya. I also spent two days at CLEAN agency in Raleigh for a bootcamp, where we learned all about agency life and what it entails! I also got an exciting opportunity to begin working with Carolina Athletics as a Marketing and Promotions Intern, which meant volunteering at baseball, lacrosse and softball games to help run game day promotions and fan engagements (right up my alley). Kappa also hosted its annual Heartbreakers social event, where we got to dress up in ’80s rock outfits!
MARCH
My friends and I danced the night away at the first-ever Newman Mardi Gras Formal, which was a blast! Any excuse to dress up with pals and break out some dance moves is a win in my book. I got to take an amazing trip to Kentucky for my alternative spring break with Newman (which you can read about here). Somehow, I won a lottery ticket to the home Duke Dook game at the Dean Dome, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience watching UNC beat the Blue Devils in person!! (Sorry Zion) By the time we got to Franklin Street to celebrate, nobody was there, but I was fine with that in exchange for watching the game surrounded by thousands of my classmates and listening to senior speeches from Luke Maye, Cameron Johnson and Kenny Williams.
APRIL
This month I was busier than ever! I went to Kappa’s formal at the Carolina Inn with one of my best friends, Colin, and the rest of my Kappa pals, which was one of the highlights of my year, for sure! Again, I always love dancing with my friends (especially when it involves a DJ and the silliest of dance moves). I celebrated Easter at home for the weekend and then in Winston Salem, and it was so nice to see family after a super busy few weeks of school. CTAP had its annual showcase, and my friends and family came out to support! I was so excited to perform my own choreography for the first time — definitely an accomplishment after months of hard work (shout out to the hardworking girls in my routine) and plenty of nerves. The last day of classes fell at the end of the month, which was properly celebrated with friends as well.
MAY
Exams again! (Still gross.) I put in a lot of time studying and preparing to finish off the semester well, and also had to accept that my friends who are seniors would be graduating! It wasn’t easy to say goodbye to them, but I’m so proud of them for everything they’ve accomplished and I can’t wait to see what they’ll do next! I wrapped up my junior year hanging out with my friends before we all went our separate ways for the summer.
As for me, I’m super excited for my summer plans! I am working as a public relations intern at Koroberi, Inc., a Raleigh marketing agency, as well as a promotions and fan engagement intern with the Carolina Hurricanes! I am so thankful and excited to learn and grow this summer!
With the end of my junior year, the realization hit me that in August, I will begin my final year at Carolina — a sentence that is incredibly weird to write. My time at UNC has truly been the most rewarding and memorable three years of my life so far, but it has gone so fast! I am incredibly grateful for another amazing year at the southern slice of Heaven (trademarked) and I think some thank yous are definitely in order:
THANK YOU to:
- My parents and family for supporting me through everything this year (as always) and always being a phone call or text away! I am so grateful to be loved by you and love sharing my life with you guys!
- My friends for being my cheerleaders, advice givers, shoulders to cry on and people to laugh with. There is no one I would rather do college with than you guys!
- Newman for becoming my home away from home this year — my faith has been transformed this year because I have invested in the fellowship of this campus community, and for that I am so grateful! I have forever friendships to show for it.
- God for always leading me down the right path. I may not know His plans ahead of time, but I can always trust that He will get me where I am supposed to be!
- The Media and Journalism school for making my classes so interesting and fun. It is so exciting to begin each new semester looking forward to what I’ll learn in my MEJO courses, and this year was no different.
- UNC, for being the priceless gem that you are. And UNC Basketball, for making me feel so connected to this school (and almost making me cry several times).
I’m already looking forward to my senior year, but first, it’s summer time! It’s always a GDTBATH 🙂
Cara
Cara Siliakus 