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About Me:

My name is Steph, and I am a senior Marketing major with a Communication Studies minor. Since this is my last year at Butler, my main goal is to enjoy every moment that I have left, while doing as much as humanly possible. I am a marketing analyst at the Butler Business Accelerator, a Speakers Lab tutor, and a Butler blogger (obviously). I also am an Alpha Phi, the President of the Butler University Student Foundation, a member of Alpha Kappa Psi (a professional business fraternity), and a member of the Butler American Marketing Association. In the small amount of free time that I do have, I love crafting, watching large amounts of television, and enjoying my favorite comfort foods, like sweet tea.

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Steph

It’s official – I’m done!

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Stephanie

Today was the last day of finals, for my last semester in college…a day that I never thought would actually be here.  Granted, I did finish my finals on Friday night, but since then I have been hanging around campus working on other things and still being rather productive.  This is what my final finals week looked like:

  • Monday – I finished classes, went to work, and gathered my thoughts and got my life back together after Meghan’s wedding.  It took awhile to figure out what the rest of my week would need to look like to get everything done.
  • Tuesday – It was our reading day, and I spent it studying for my only test final (in International Marketing) the next day.
  • Wednesday – I studied all morning, took my last test (EVER), and then went to work at my internship.  That night, I worked my tail off on my Personal Marketing Portfolio for my Marketing Management & Strategy class.
  • Thursday – I worked more on my Portfolio, taught myself how to use Illustrator (with the help of my friend Michael) for the design part of my Portfolio, and went to an IndyHub event for the BBA.  Working on my Portfolio was pretty intense…I even used two computers simultaneously, one for writing the content, the other for designing the layout.  Impressive, huh?

    When one computer just doesn't cut it....

  • Friday – I worked at the BBA, and wrote my final paper (EVER).  Of course, I couldn’t decide what to write it on, and I actually started over from scratch after I had written almost half.  It’s a wonder that I got it done on time – but I did….which is all that matters.

Now that finals are over, all that I have left to do is work at the BBA and graduate.  It’s a beautiful thing.  Not having class commitments, or any school commitments – absolutely amazing.  It might be nice if I wasn’t working too, but I really don’t know if I could handle that, or if I would know what to do with myself.  Most likely, I would go stir crazy a day into it.  So, I’m finishing out my college career the way I have spent every other year, by staying busy….and trying to enjoy every minute.  I have a few blogs left before I sign off for good – so be sure to check back to see what I have to say before I officially leave campus.

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Senior Year Wedding Bells…

Posted on May 6, 2012 by Stephanie

Last Sunday, my friend Meghan got married.  It was an absolutely beautiful day, and it was both the beginning and end of so many things.

It was part of the end of us all being together – all the time. I’ve been best friends with Meghan, Lauren, and Liz for the last 3 years… and even when we don’t live together… we are either next door or just down the street.  But now, Meghan lives in Michigan, and soon Lauren will live in Bloomington, and Liz will live in New York.  So this was the first step toward that…and I’m not quite sure if I’m ready to let them all go yet.  Just because I love them so much.

It was the beginning of Meghan and Sean’s life together. They’ve been together forever, and they’re perfect for each other.  It was just so sweet to be able to share their special day with them…because they’ve been together ever since I have been friends with Meghan.  They’re great, and I love them both.

It was the beginning of the time when all of our friends will start getting married.  While we were waiting to walk down the aisle, I looked out into the crowd and saw so many of our friends and people that we know.  This is when I realized that I’m not young anymore…and instead of going to weddings for family and people that we don’t really know, now we will be going to weddings for our friends.  It’s just a strange and sort of surreal feeling….but it’s kind of exciting at the same time.

Being a bridesmaid in a wedding the weekend before finals is the perfect way to procrastinate studying…or doing anything productive at all….while having an absolutely great time.  When we got back to campus after the wedding it was like we had been in entirely different world for a week… which we had.  We got to hang out with great people, be dressed up, and celebrate an awesome day with an amazing couple!  Here are a few more photos…

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Finals… Let’s do this.

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Stephanie

All semester, I have felt outrageously confident and relaxed.  I have post-grad plans, I have a relatively simple semester, and I’ve really enjoyed myself for the last few months.  Then this week came.  This is the week before finals…aka my last last week of classes ever…which is traditionally the worst week of the year and this semester is not any different.  I’m prepping for finals…kind of.  I’m working and finishing all of my on-campus jobs.  I’m finishing projects for classes.  I’m writing papers.  And this weekend, my best friend Meghan is getting married.  You know….no big deal.  I was feeling like I could really make all of this happen and live to see graduation, but then I made my to-do list for the next two weeks, and it looks like sleeping will not be high on my priority list for awhile.

  • Figure out family plans for graduation
  • Write paper for my marketing capstone
  • Finish presentation for international marketing
  • Finish marketing capstone project
  • Create design for marketing capstone project
  • Write paper for my leadership class
  • Study for my international marketing final
  • Finish things for Meghan’s wedding

I already pulled my first all-nighter of the end of the semester last night, and I think I can do it again, maybe a couple of times.  I only napped twice today, and I only had one cup of coffee, so I’m pretty much primed and ready to tackle and conquer finals.  Together with my John Mayer, 90s Pop, and Jason Mraz stations on Pandora, the Starbucks gift card my mom gave me last weekend, and the Alpha Phi study room, I will survive the next two weeks.  Better yet, I will beast the next two weeks.  I have a big presentation, a big project, a big paper, and a big test….so my finals are kind of perfect in terms of capping off my college career in a very well-rounded way.  So, last finals week ever…..LET’S GO!

My study station - complete with coffee in a bowl since we were out of cups.

 

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An Outrageously Busy/Wonderful Weekend

Posted on March 30, 2012 by Stephanie

A lot of my weekends are filled to the brim with different activities…but last weekend was basically the perfect weekend in terms of always having something to do.  Each event was spaced out so I could do everything that I wanted, which I really appreciated.  It was also pretty much filled with Butler-ness…which is always exciting.  So here is a quick rundown of everything that I did throughout my weekend:

Blue II’s Birthday

Each year, BUSF has a birthday party for Blue II, which is probably my favorite BUSF event of the year.  We give away free cupcakes in Starbucks, people get photos with the birthday boy himself, and we have contests and giveaways for everyone that comes.  It is basically a great time for everyone, students, faculty & staff, community members, and of course, Blue!  Even though it rained during the event this year, it was still a ton of fun and a good time was had by all.

Blue and I at his 8th Birthday Party...

Alpha Phi Formal

I normally love any occasion to dress up and dance the night away…and this formal wasn’t any different….except that I didn’t dress up!  Our seniors have a tradition to wear tshirts to their last formal, so instead of wearing a dress, I got to wear a tshirt and jeans.  It made for a great night, even though I wish that it wasn’t my last formal.  Oh, the life of a senior.

A bunch of Alpha Phis hanging out before formal...

Bulldog Jog

This is another event that is usually put on by BUSF, but this year we passed the event on to the HRC.  Since we have always been so involved, we still all volunteered…and I had the chance to help out with the dog walk…which was basically an awesome way to spend my morning.  I love dogs, and thinking about what kinds of dogs I want throughout my life…so it was perfect.  There were tons of dogs there that I loved, but my absolute favorites were these gorgeous/huge Huskies.  I need them.

Someday...I will have dogs like this.

Meghan’s Bridal Shower

Two of my friends are getting married in the next few months, and on Saturday afternoon we had one of their bridal showers.  I think we were all nervous for how it would all come together, but it was a great day with her friends and family, and it made me even more excited for her wedding!  Some of us crafted our gifts for her, which of course was right up my alley…especially since I haven’t been getting my crafting fix lately.  Thanks, Pinterest!

One of Meghan's gifts that we made...it's my favorite!

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From Freshman Year to Senior Year – Part II

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Stephanie

Last week I blogged about the things that have changed about me over the last few years, and I had too much to fit into one blog.  Imagine that.  So here is Part II.

Handling stress/being busy

It’s not that I didn’t know how to handle being busy all the time when I first came to school, but I just didn’t know what being busy really meant quite yet.  Each semester I have become more and more busy, and I have slept less and less.  But somehow, it got easier with each semester, probably because I learned how to actually apply myself and how to use my time wisely.  Each semester I had to work harder in my classes, and I had more things to do for clubs and stuff on campus.  Because of this, I was able to slowly get used to the entire process…which was really pretty nice.  The best part of all is that this semester, my final semester, I think that I am the least busy of my entire college career.  It’s a beautiful thing….but now I don’t know how to handle having free time.  It’s strange how things work like that…isn’t it? 

Friendships

Just like everything else, friendships change over the years.  I’m still friends with my best friends from freshman year, but during the last few years I have met different people and formed new friendships that I absolutely love.  Most of these have been through living with new people in Alpha Phi, people that I either didn’t know before or just didn’t know well.  Second semester sophomore year, I lived with Meghan, Liz, and Lauren…and over the course of the semester we became best friends.  In the next few months, Meghan and Liz are getting married, and we are all in each of their weddings (so precious..I know).  So, we are basically the stereotype sorority girls…since we met in Alpha Phi and now we are going to be in each of their weddings.  Last semester, I moved in with Katie, Lauren, and Brooke…and we just fit together.  We weren’t sure how it was going to work out, because we are all such different people, but now I couldn’t imagine living with anyone else and I think we only get along so well because we are outrageously different.  I’m so glad that I stepped out of my comfort zone to live with people I didn’t know well…because then I wouldn’t be close with any of these 5 beautiful ladies.  Love you all!

Meghan, Liz, Lauren, and I.

Brooke, Lauren, Katie, and I.

 

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When I grow up I want to be….

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Stephanie

When we were little, everyone knew what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Some kids changed their minds every day, and some stuck with one solid occupation, which is how I was as a small child.

Me – all ready for school….

Except for a short period when I wanted to be a truck driver, I always wanted to be a teacher…until my senior year of high school.  Then I decided to completely switch it up and go with Marketing instead…which I think was a solid choice.  I love my major, but there are so many different ways that I could use it…so over the last few years I have been slowly deciding where I would fit in the business world, and trying to determine what I would like to do for the rest of my life.  I think I might have my future plans nailed down now, and I’m pretty sure that I won’t have enough time to ever do everything that I would like.

This summer I am going to start my first real person job, with the Orr Fellowship.  In two years I will have the opportunity to stay with the company, leave that job to go to grad school, maybe move on to another company, or do whatever my heart desires.  That is where I have a problem….because there are entirely too many things that I want to do.  I’m that kid who has unrealistic dreams and ideas about what can actually happen, and it kind of scares me.  Luckily, pretty much everyone is saying that Generation Y will change jobs/careers several times in their lifetime, so I guess it’s not too bad that I just want to do anything and everything.  Here is what I am thinking for my potential future…in no particular order:

  • Work in politics – for a campaign, a legislator, or as a lobbyist
  • Work with economic development – preferably in rural areas
  • Work in retail – preferably on the corporate level
  • Marketing – since you know, that is my major
  • Sales – preferably with consumer goods, and maybe some B2B
  • Plan events…maybe weddings
  • Start my own business…not sure what kind just yet
  • Be an interior decorator…or flip houses….maybe just on the side, for fun.

And I think that is all….I think that covers everything that I would love to do with my life.  The positive side to this all is that there are so many areas that I would be interested in pursuing that it will hopefully be easier to find a job whenever the time comes.  And truthfully…I’m so excited for the future.  Thinking about the possibilities that I have before me is just plain exciting…because who knows what I’ll be doing or where I’ll be in 5 or 10 years….but I know that I will love it, wherever I am.

 

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2011 Year in Review: Wedding Edition

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Stephanie

One of the biggest events to happen in 2011 for my family happened back in July, when my older sister, Natalie, got married.  (You can read the blogs about the wedding here and here.)  It’s been awhile since the wedding, but since Natalie and John (her husband) are in town visiting for Christmas, we are ordering photos and going through them all together for the first time.  Our cousins Adrienne and Dan were the photographers, and they did such a great job that I thought I would share some of my favorites with all of you.  Here we go…

My family…

The wedding party during the ceremony… (notice the aisle runner – my sister and I crafted that the week before the wedding, and you can read all about that… here)

Natalie and John, walking back down the aisle after they got hitched….

The wedding party…

The cake and the reception venue… (they had a morning wedding and a brunch reception, so the skylight was a beautiful touch)

My sister, brother-in-law, and I…

The beautiful bride and all of the bridesmaids…

The wedding party…

At the time…planking was HUGE.  So…we planked.

Thanks for doing such a great job on the photos, Adrienne and Dan!  If you like what you see…check out the Rowe Portrait Studios website!

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2011 Year in Review: January – July

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Stephanie

Since tomorrow is the last day of 2011, and since it was a pretty big year in my life, I thought I would close out 2011 with a Year in Review.  I’ll be breaking the series down into January-June, my sister’s wedding, and July-December…so here we go!

Recruitment

During Recruitment 2011 (and throughout the entire Fall semester beforehand), I put away my sorority letters to be a recruitment counselor for freshmen girls.  This meant that I didn’t have any contact with my house during the week, and that I spent every day making sure that the ladies in my group knew what was going on, and helping them figure out what was the right decision for them.  Even though it was a tough week, it was so worth it to see a different side of recruitment, and most of all – to be reunited with my sorority sisters on Bid Day.  Last January Alpha Phi welcomed 41 beautiful ladies into our sisterhood as well…so it was an absolutely awesome week!

Snowpocalypse

In late January/early February of last year, Snowpocalypse hit Indiana.  We had about a foot of ice/snow, and didn’t have classes for two days…so it was heaven for all of us.  We lounged around our house, watched movies, did absolutely no homework, and loved every minute of it.  Of course, it was a truly scary world outside of the house…people were in serious wrecks and it was hazardous to even walk around campus (it would have been easier to ice skate), but we put all of those worries aside and just enjoyed ourselves.  Those two snow days were most definitely two of my favorite days of school…ever!

March Madness/Final Four/National Championship

Even though Butler didn’t end up winning the National Championship, they still had an absolutely AMAZING run.  I love that I will always be able to say that my school went to the Final Four two years in a row, especially while I was here.  And you know…if it happened again…I wouldn’t be mad.  :)   Go Dawgs!

500 Festival Princess Program

From February-May, I was fortunate enough to represent the 500 Festival as a Princess.  I had the opportunity to attend all of the 500 Festival events, do community service in the Indianapolis area and in my hometown, and to go to the Indianapolis 500 (all while wearing a beautiful tiara).  It was basically an unreal experience that I will never forget…and throughout the process I pretty much fell in love with IndyCar.  Check out all of my blogs about my time as a Princess…there are just too many good things to say!

Also…the deadline to apply for the program is rapidly approaching (January 6)…so if you are a girl attending college in Indiana and you are originally from Indiana…apply today!

Check back tomorrow for 2011 Year in Review: Wedding Edition!

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Why am I so outrageously lazy???

Posted on December 23, 2011 by Stephanie

I have been home and on break now for 5 days, and during those 5 days I have legitimately done nothing.  Well, I take that back.  I went Christmas shopping with my Mom one day, and I went to Indy for a day to help one of my best friends, Liz, with some of her wedding planning.  Other than that, I have visited friends and family, and I have sat on my couch.  Every night I have slept for at least 8 hours (some nights…I slept for 12 hours), and as soon as I woke up, I would move right to my couch where I spent each day vegging out.

I’m serious about this doing nothing thing…except when it comes to watching as many movies and TV shows as possible.  Today alone, I watched 4 movies and caught up on 2 TV shows.  I have also been doing my part as a member of my family to put a serious dent in our stash of Christmas candy from my Mom’s students at school.  You know, I have to help out as much as I can….since I can’t expect my parents to eat all of it by themselves of course.

Because of all of this chilling out and relaxing that I have been doing…I have somewhat lost track of time.  So now, I only have 2 days to do everything before Christmas.  Make gifts, make Christmas cookies, wrap gifts, and wash clothes…so that I have clean things to wear again of course.  Since I’m not very good at this entire being motivated enough to leave the couch thing…I’m just hoping that the fact that Christmas is coming sooner than I expected and I have a ton left to do will make me get up and move.

Our tree…looking pretty bare and presentless.

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