Senior year is wrapping up way too quickly! I feel excited and overwhelmed that graduation is only a week away! However, the workload is not slowing down. I have passed my senior comprehensive exams and completed a few very big projects, but I still have one big item left.

 My biggest project is very exciting but is taking up quite a bit of my time: my Advanced Public Relations class project. My class consists of eight people: David Alvarez, Katie Doehrmann, Tanner Edge, Max Etter, Karloine Flower, Nizhoni Rhoads, Courtney Zentz and myself, and we were tasked with creating a health campaign.

 This class is ran a bit differently than others. During class, we have meetings to discuss what we want while our professor, Gaberlia Morales, advises us as needed. Ultimately, we get to choose the direction of our campaign. After researching the biggest health related issues on college campuses, we chose to educate students on the misconceptions of alcohol use. This campaign is called #Don’tBeIt and is about not being the statistic. Don’t be the student who spends $900 a year on alcohol, don’t be the student who fails due to drinking, don’t be the student who over−drinks at the bar. We have three core promotional events and every Wednesday you can find us in Haist Commons from 11- 1 p.m. for “We Fill Wednesdays,” where our group is ready to fill up your cup with lemonade and share what our VIA will be about.

 We also have a scavenger hunt, which is very exciting! Katie created this in the similar style of GISH (Greatest International Scavenger Hunt). I suggest you look it up! It’s a big hit for “Supernatural” fans like me as it’s run by Misha Collins. The exciting thing about this is the fact that if students do at least seven of the 100 options, they have a chance to win a pair of fast passes for the Plain White Tees Concert!

 Lastly, we have the main VIA event on April 23 from 4:30-7:30 p.m. This event will be in an experiential learning style, which is learning while doing, as opposed to being lectured. We have designed it so students can come and complete the three core activities anytime during our event. We are very excited for this event as several parts of the Manchester community are coming to help us, plus there will also be food and a live band!

It has been stressful but fun to plan this event. I would like to thank my fellow classmates as well as the Art Department, Center for Service Opportunities, Chartwells, Communication Studies Department, Econ Club, Manchester Activities Council, Manchester's Football Team, Spartan Choices, Student Senate, VIA committee members, We R Board and more for helping donate time and/or items to make this event work. Organizing this has proven one thing: Manchester is indeed a family and will step up to help when needed.