Dress up in Valentine’s Day PJs and go to the Movie Theater with your girls!
Go get your nails done with the girls! Galentine’s Day themed of course.
Go to Downtown Greenville for a Girl’s Night Out! Dress in your favorite shades of pink and red and go to your favorite restaurant.
Have a Galentine’s Day Brunch with the girls! Make your favorite breakfast foods but with a twist of love! Heart-shaped waffles, chocolate-covered strawberries, donuts, heart-shaped bacon, and so much more!
Have a Pizza Party with your Gal Pals but this time shape the Pizzas into hearts! Bring all your favorite toppings and have a blast!
Mocktails & Art! Everyone bring a canvas and your favorite drink & get creative! Another option is to go to The Brushed Canvas in Clemson. They provide a relaxing atmosphere so you leave with fun memories and a piece of art you proudly display. The Brushed Canvas provides hands-on art instruction, paint supplies, canvases, aprons…everything you need to have a great time and create your masterpiece with your Girls!
Picnic on Bowman Field! Stop by Your Pie to pick up individual pizzas and have a lovely evening picnic at one of the best spots on campus.
Go Ax Throwing with the girls at Stump House Axe Throwing in Downtown Clemson!
Go to a workout or Yoga Studio with the Girls! Sign up for a class and get your sweat on! No better way to start or end the day! The Yoga Therapy Bar is one of the best studios in Clemson! Afterward, you and the girls could stop by Cocobowlz for a post-workout pick-me-up!
Grab your Girls and Head to the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex for a bonfire and sunset extravaganza!
In your twenties you might find yourself finishing college, starting your own business, getting engaged, moving to a new city, or maybe you’re going through heartbreak as I did. What you thought was the love of your life in college decided to end things only a few months before graduation. However, from experience, I’m here to tell you it will be okay. Even when that small voice in your head can’t help but feel jealous about the love that everyone talks about, the love that lasts, the love that never leaves when things get hard, every day a small part of you forgets what it was like to feel loved by that person. The person that you once loved is a stranger now and the love you shared is only but a distant memory. You might feel as if that person has died and that’s okay. In fact, it is normal. You are grieving. If anything you should be more worried if you didn’t grieve. Grieving is a natural process after any kind of loss. It helps one’s brain adjust to your new reality. Avoiding grief can keep you stuck in feelings of sadness, loneliness, guilt, shame, and anger — which can take a big toll on your self-esteem.
A breakup can be a difficult and painful experience, leaving you feeling lost and unsure of who you are. It can be easy to lose sight of yourself and your sense of self in the midst of the pain and confusion. However, it is important to remember that a breakup does not define you and that you can regain your sense of self through reflection, self-care, and the support of the people you love.
`Remember who you were before the Relationship
One way to remember who you are post-breakup is to reflect on who you were and what you did before you met your ex. You had your own interests, hobbies, and passions that made you happy and fulfilled. By taking the time to remember these things and re-engage in them, you can rediscover yourself and what you truly enjoy. This can help you reconnect with your sense of self and find meaning and purpose in your life again.
Spend Time Alone
Another way to remember who you are post-breakup is to spend time alone. Being alone with your thoughts and feelings can be daunting, but it is also an opportunity to learn more about yourself and what you truly want. By being present and enjoying each day and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, you can begin to understand yourself better and come to a deeper understanding of your values and needs.
Build a Support Network
In addition to reflection and spending time alone, it is important to build a support network. Surrounding yourself with friends and family who will support and encourage you can help you to feel less alone and more understood. They can provide a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and a sense of perspective that can be invaluable during this difficult time. I think this is one thing that helped me the most while going through my breakup. Hanging out with your girls enjoying the single life and having the freedom to become whoever you want is so vitally important.
Set Healthy Boundaries
Moreover, setting healthy boundaries for yourself and others can also help you to regain control of your life and remember who you are. This can involve setting limits on contact with your ex, protecting your time and energy, and being assertive in communicating your needs and wants. One of my favorite pieces of advice is “Don’t let a man tell you twice that he doesn’t want you”. Trust me when I say there will be someone out there that you won’t have to beg to love you.
Have Compassion for Yourself and Love Who You Are
Finally, practicing self-compassion is important in remembering who you are post-breakup. Being kind and understanding with yourself, rather than being too hard on yourself, can help you to navigate the difficult emotions and experiences that come with a breakup. All in all, remembering who you are post-breakup can be a challenging and time-consuming process. Even if you see people getting engaged on social media, having that Pinterest dream board wedding, or having a family, remember that everyone has a different timeline. You will have your time when you’re ready. Through reflecting on the past, spending time alone, building a support network, setting healthy boundaries, and practicing self-compassion, you can regain your sense of self and come out of the experience stronger and more self-aware. This time of reflection will allow your heart to love again. It’s important to be patient with yourself and not rush the process of healing. Learn to love you. Once you do that, everything will fall into place.
As school started winding down, Colleen Hoover was the first author I picked up. Since then I’ve been on a reading spree. I’m currently reading my 5th book by her and by the time this is published I’m sure I’ll be finished by now. Colleen Hoover is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of over 20 books. Her books cover a variety of genre’s including, young adult contemporary, romance, indie, even thriller. She’s the third most followed author on Goodreads, behind Stephen King and Bill Gates. Good reads is the “world’ largest site for reader and book recommendations” it allows readers to share books they love and find books that they’ll love. I love reading, especially in the summer. It’s one of my favorite forms of relaxation and entertainment. It forces me to slow down, be present, and enjoy the moment. While I love a good movie or tv show, sometimes I get tired of looking at a screen or just don’t want to at all.
Her most popular book right now “It Ends with Us” was written nearly 6 years ago, but has experienced a “surge” in popularity in 2021. All because of Tiktok! Tiktok has quickly become the new generation’s most used app which does wonders for propelling the success of young entrepreneurs, content creators, and even authors.
Below is my summer reading list and a great start to dive in to Hoover’s work. Check out more about this author online and through her storytelling–she’s amazing!
Summer Reading List:
It Ends With Us
Verity
Reminders of him
Ugly Love
-Maylin Lindsey, Fall 2022 Intern
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Hi Everyone, my name is Dani and as a student-athlete (women’s tennis) at Clemson, I’ve had the unique opportunity to work with Student Athlete Development to build my network and leadership connections beyond the tennis arena. I’m thrilled to share my recent involvement with POWER Leadership Academy.
This past June Clemson athletics, together with IPTAY, took a group of women student athletes and staff to a POWER Chicago trip. POWER is a group of women athletes and staff at Clemson who work on ensure the female student athlete’s college experience is enhanced through ensuring women collegiate athletes at Clemson are provided the same resources and opportunities as the male sports. We spent three days in Chicago and while difficulty parcel down into one post, I will walk you through our trip and the greatest takeaways that I think will benefit all students as we work to become young scholars and professionals.
DAY 1: Style
As soon as we hopped off the plane, we swung by Nordstrom to shop for business professional attire. We all had our own stylists who helped us find the right outfits for us. The biggest take away from there was that one should never be afraid to be yourself, even when you are dressing for professional events. Everyone has their own style and way of expression and that we can channel that expression for multiple settings. For example, I felt more comfortable and worked with my stylist to find brightly colored and fitted clothing while my friend appreciates more muted colors that are bit more breezy. No style is better than another, it just means we all bring something different to the table and can look professional in our own ways.
DAY2: Drop the Doubts
As our first activity, we met with two women who work at IMPROV company. We did various games and talks in order to get comfortable with each other and the work we would be doing. What I didn’t realize until the end of the session is that I was learning so much about myself, too, because some of our activities really enabled us to open up with one another. The biggest lesson learned there was to never be afraid to be yourself, to show your personality or your emotions/worries. Being a woman, I sometimes believe we think we need to close-up and be the calm one in the room and control our emotions at our best, however, if expressed in the right way, you will see how many people share the same thoughts as you.
We also had a networking session with a variety of successful women who were top in their fields like marketing, management, law, and so much more. To be honest, I was worried before talking to them; I did not think there was going to be a flawless conversation or that they would even be interested in talking to me. However, once they walked in and I started conversation with a couple of these wonderful women, my nerves went away, the conversations were quality, and they wanted to know about me. During our conversations they saw and pointed out so many great skills and characteristics that I knew I had but I didn’t think they were a big deal. I have learned to not be so critical towards myself and take pride in all the assets that I have and not to doubt myself. I walked in there with so many insecurities, which turned out to be my best qualities, so never doubt yourself!
DAY3:
We visited Gatorade headquarters and our tour guide showed around the offices, explaining that it was emptier than normal because COVID protocols only dictated that employees be in-office for meetings. However, we were able to ask those in attendance many question about the work environment, the skills relevant for the job and the pathways they took to arrive where they are today. What I realized that so many of these women didn’t even know that they wanted to be in marketing or in whatever they’re doing now. The whole point is that it does not matter where you are now or that you are undecided with what you want to do, it is all about trying and seeing what you like, what you’re best at and exploring until you find what you truly want to keep doing for a long time or as a career. They did not say that college degree did not matter, not at all, however they did say you can work almost everywhere with any college degree if you are someone who is hard working and wants to learn.
Although I am an undergraduate student, I think the greatest lesson learned is to never be scared to network and we all have valuable qualities and skills–we just have to believe in ourselves–and that can make all the difference.
-Dani Medvedeva, Summer 2022 Intern
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Picture this; it’s a random day in April. I’m sitting on a bench in front of Daniel Hall (because where else would I be) when I receive a call from my cousin with an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
“Would you come with me to Hangout Music Festival if my mom buys you a ticket?”
While in utter confusion because I’ve never heard of Hangout Music Festival, I tell her that I’ll call her back. My first move is to look it up. I see the names “Post Malone” and “Doja Cat” and I immediately call her back and say yes without hesitation. Believe it or not, I have never been to a concert other than Bruce Springstein with my mom (ugh) so this was really exciting for me! My aunt wanted me to come because my cousin is 17 years old, and she needed someone to watch over her.
My cousin’s cat, Snooki 🙂
Fast forward to May 19, 2022– it’s time to go! Hangout Fest is in Gulf Shores, Alabama. My cousin lives a few hours away from there, in Fort Payne. On the
Thursday of May 19, I flew to her house, where I was warmly welcomed by her adorable cats.
The next morning, we drove down to Gulf Shores. We stayed in an RV park, which was something I never thought I’d do, but it was actually really cute and convenient– a 5 minute walk from the festival! After spending 2 hours covering ourselves in makeup, bubble braids, and glitter, it was time to go. It had to be 90 degrees out, but we didn’t care. As soon as we walked in, I was shocked by the atmosphere; the entire festival was on the beach! There were food stands everywhere, 4 stages, a DJ tent, hammocks, and so many people. We started at the Surf Stage where Oliver Tree performed. I was really excited to hear him because of his song “Alien Boy.” The crowd was ecstatic when that song came on! After this, we went to the DJ tent for quite some time. Though it was blazing hot in there, it was probably the most fun little tent to be inside. We were dancing our butts off for hours while multiple DJ’s came through!
Post Malone singing “Stay”
We can skip the rest of these little performances and start talking about the headliners. Zedd was amazing, with a strong start and lots of flames. Following Zedd was my favorite artist, Post Malone. We didn’t leave the crowd during the hour break between Zedd and Post Malone, and we spent this hour shoving our way to the front. We got pretty close! Post Malone was amazing– his performance was so meaningful and you could tell that he cared so much for his fans. I even cried when my favorite song, Circles, came on.
The next day, we were supposed to see Doja Cat, however she unfortunately canceled due to issues with her tonsils. On the bright side, Lil Yachty had to be the most fun performance ever. He handed out water bottles for his performance, and made everyone open them and throw them in the air at the same time– it was awesome!
Overall, Hangout Fest was the experience of a lifetime and I will definitely be returning next year. Not only was it so much fun, but it also brought me so much closer to my cousin!
Three new interns are working under the guidance of Dr. Lori Pindar as media communication and engagement interns this spring. Their internship experience in the Department of Communication will include content creation for the departmental blog, YouTube Channel, and other social as well as alumni outreach and interviews, external communication management and upkeep of the departmental newsletter. Learn more about Sophia, Maylin, and Daniella below!
Top Left: Sophia, Bottom Left: Maylin, Bottom Right: Daniella
Sophia Wilkins ‘24 | Communication (BA)
Sophia is a rising junior Communication major with a double minor in Brand Comm and Italian! Though she has not been to Italy yet, you’ll catch her there one day speaking the worst Italian you’ve ever heard! This is now her third semester as an intern for the Department of Communication, so you can find her previous work in the blogs, weekly newsletters, and social media posts! Sophia is from New Jersey and will be spending her summer at the Jersey Shore (don’t worry, it’s not like the TV show). Obviously with a Jersey Shore summer comes a passion for tanning, along with fitness and art!
Maylin Lindsey ‘24 | Economics (BA)
Maylin is a rising junior from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and she is majoring in Economics with a minor in Spanish Studies. Although she is an Economics major she loves branching out and trying new things which is what led her tobecoming a Department of Communications Intern and this is her second semester interning with Dr. Pindar. Maylin loves staying active, coffee, and taking care of her wellness, physically and mentally. One of her other favorite hobbies is reading! So, you can catch her reading all of Colleen Hoover’s books this summer while tanning on the beach in Mexico!
Daniella Medvedeva ‘23 | Management (BS)
Daniella is a Junior from Kaliningrad, Russia, however she spent most of her life living in Mallorca, Spain. She is majoring in International Management with a Brand Communications minor. Daniella forms part of the Clemson women’s tennis team. She is very energetic, positive, goofy, and hardworking. This isn’t only her first internship with Dr.Pindar in the Communications Department, but also her first internship ever. Tennis has taken Daniella all over the world, giving her the opportunity to meet a lot of friends, see different cultures, and explore more than 30 countries. This has also helped her be fluent in 4 languages (English,Spanish,Russian, and Catalan) and understand a couple more. This summer Daniella will be spending in Clemson working out, so you can catch her at the Duckworth Tennis Facility.
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Health and Wellness can be an intimidating topic. With its definition ranging from rigorous 7-day programs including 5:00am workouts and counting macronutrients to the contrary, taking simply 5-minutes a day to sit in meditation. While both definitions can be true, starting either can be challenging. In this article we’ll touch on simple things that can make starting your journey to your optimal wellness goal a little bit easier.
Figure out what you really want
Getting clear on what your intention of starting your health and wellness journey really is makes it a lot easier to keep going when it seems overwhelming. Ask yourself some of these questions:
“What do I want to get out of this?”
Do you want to improve your physical strength? Do you want to become more mindful? Do you want to show yourself that you can exercise discipline without the help of anyone else? Do you want to become better at cooking? Do you want to just know that you’re completing one task daily that contributes to your overall wellness? Figuring out what your “why” is and asking some of these questions can provide a lot of clarity and help you figure out where you want to begin on your journey.
Set manageable and realistic goals
It’s very easy to say that you want to be the type of person that wakes up early, goes to the gym everyday consistently, eats healthy, and drinks a gallon of water a day. However, those are 5 different changes you’d be making to your daily life. Realistically, incorporating all of these changes will result in 5 different habit changes, and all at once those could be very hard to keep up or will result in failure. If you fail at one of these goals early on it could be very easy to decide to give up early on, therefore setting smaller realistic goals in the beginning is the best way to create these new habits.
Give yourself some grace
Give yourself some grace, changing old habits is not an easy thing to do. I think the emphasis on this whole article should be on the fact that it is a journey. Most journey’s aren’t linear. There will be ups and downs, easy days and hard times, and those where you’re extremely motivated and some days where you’re not at all. Throughout all of them it’s extremely important to give yourself some room to make errors while keeping your goals in the forefront of your mind!
Maylin and her brother staying active together.
—Maylin Lindsey, Communication Intern
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February is the month of relationships. Whether intentional or not we all start thinking about relationships well before the 14th arrives. This can mean celebrating with a romantic partner or celebrating with Galentines. Romantic relationships are not the only relationships to be celebrated this month though. I think in order to strengthen all of our relationships and really understand each other we must understand where we each come from. Black History Month is something that everyone can celebrate, not only just those of us who are black but others as well because we are all a family, especially here at Clemson. Together we can honor the history that has come before us and learn how we can make our present and future better.
Nationwide, institutions and individuals are celebrating this month in various ways. Below are some of the ways that our Clemson Community is celebrating Black History Month.
February 22: For the Culture: Open Mic Night | Special Guest: Ebony Stewart
February 23: Black Caucus Meeting
February 24: Guest Speaker: Dr. Millicent Brown
This past weekend, the Gantt Center partnered with Clemson Athletics to host Soul Food Sunday. This event brought students, faculty, and student-athletes together over a delicious meal. There was music, dancing, and games truly giving it a family cookout feel. Everyone gathered and found community through this event. It was special getting to see so many students together who had never seen one another before – all enjoying the afternoon together.
Soul Food Sunday
In honor of Black History Month, Student-Athlete development created UNITY bracelets for our Clemson athletes. The first of this month I was happy to be able to help hand out these wristbands as our athletes walked in the doors of the Nieri Student-Athlete Enrichment Center. As they got their wrist bands we asked the athletes “What do you want your legacy to be at Clemson?”. They each took their time and wrote down a word, phrase, or paragraph explaining what legacy they want to leave behind once they graduate. The answers varied and were each incredibly powerful.
“Be the best teammate I can possibly be” “I want my legacy to be that I gave 100% in the classroom and on the field” “Make the world a more inclusive place” “Inspire other African-Americans to be great in this world” “Be that dude” “Someone who cared for others”
Legacy Poster Wall Example
These are just some of the many legacies that they wrote down. I challenge you right now to pause and think about what you want your legacy to be. Write it down even. It really is powerful to think that each of us will have a legacy and we get to choose what that will be.
As a leader within Tigers Unite – a Clemson student-athlete led organization, I was very honored to be able to help put this event together. MCA, our Multicultural Alliance, was able to connect athletics with the rest of the Clemson community. My hope for the event was that students and faculty from all different parts of our family could come together to just see new faces and make new connections. There was lots of happiness in the air at this event and I am sure that the Black History Month celebrations in the future will continue to be even more unifying. Some questions to ponder this month as we continue to celebrate Black History are “Why do I believe this is important to celebrate? And “What can I do to celebrate?”
—Eleonor Gunnarson-Wright, Communication Intern
Follow these events and organizations on social through the accounts listed below:
Student-Athlete Development Instagram: @Clemsonsadev
Check out our latest video on Youtube (@ClemsonCOMM) to see our Club of the Month for September 2021!
This month, the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA), Sara Ciplickas, gives us an outstanding explanation of what this club is all about. Ciplickas is a junior at Clemson University and aims to have a career in public relations after graduation. Learn more about PRSSA and the highlights Sara provides about the organization.
Sara Ciplickas, President of PRSSA-Clemson
The Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA)is a professional organization dedicated to training ethical public relations professionals of the future. PRSSA works with local businesses and nonprofits to create social media content, press releases, and other PR deliverables. Being an active member in the organization is a great way to build a portfolio, meet PR professionals, and make connections!
After looking into PRSSA’s calendar for Fall 2021, it is obvious that they have big things planned which you don’t want to miss!
For more information on PRSSA, follow them on Instagram and take a look at their website, listed below:
Intern Insights allows current departmental interns to share their perspective on topics relevant to their experience as an undergraduate student. Italicized terms will appear in glossary at the end of the post.
Bid Day 2021, Sophia Wilkins pictured with members of Chi Omega.
As one of the interns in the Communication Department, I would love to tell you all about my bid day experience! By now, you all would have seen my feature in the meet the interns section, but if not, my name is Sophia Wilkins and I am a sophomore at Clemson. Due to COVID regulations last year, this was actually my first time experiencing a bid day in person; and let me tell you- I was very impressed! (And jealous, of course.) This is now my second year being a member of the Psi Kappa Chapter of the Chi Omega Fraternity.
Last year, when everything was virtual, we did Panhellenic recruitment via zoom before we moved into Clemson. Our bid day was on zoom, and it was very difficult to meet our sisters. Throughout the entire semester, most of our events were virtual (chapter, initiation, new member meetings) and it was difficult to meet new people. Despite the difficulty connecting, I remained involved because the group of young women that I did meet were the most genuine people I have met. We stuck together throughout all of the tough times caused by COVID-19. Now that everything is in person, I am thrilled that I stayed! Since classes began, I have met so many new people and have had so much fun with them! This semester completely changed my perspective on sorority life and I realized how much time we really do spend with each other. I am so excited to continue everything in person, to meet more sisters, and most importantly, to find a little! Our Big-Little reveal is on October 23, and I am counting down the days!
We also will be having our philanthropy events in person this year! Chi Omega’s philanthropy is the Make-A-Wish Foundation. We have a major event called Wings for Wishes where we host a wing eating competition and raise money for the foundation. It occurs in the spring semester and I encourage everyone to look into it if you feel like eating yummy wings and also contributing to a great cause.
Now, back to Bid Day!
On August 29th, we had our bid day, where we welcomed 110 new sisters to Chi Omega! So, here’s how bid day went:
All of the sororities lined up on the intramural fields, all dressed in different themes and holding up signs to show which sorority we were. Chi Omega’s theme was “Love You Like XO” and we were all dressed in pink and red with heart accessories!
Every sophomore received a name, and this name was their bid-day buddy for the day. A bid-day buddy is one of the new members who you need to welcome into the sorority and take around with you for the day! We have sophomores doing this so that they can start looking for girls to be their sorority Littles!
All of the new sisters open up their bids, and then run to the sorority that they have just joined. When they run to the sorority, they need to look for the girl that is holding up their name. It is a very genuine and heart-warming moment when they find you; we run up to each other screaming and hugging, tears of joy and excitement going everywhere. It was truly my favorite moment so far being in Chi Omega.
After that, each sorority moves to their own separate location where they can meet each other, take pictures and just have fun for a little while!
Overall, sorority life builds a very close-knit community which I unfortunately did not experience until this year, but am so happy that I have now! Sororities are very different from what everyone would expect, and I hope that this post helped you all have a better understanding of what it’s like. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be eating wings with my sisters!
Glossary:
Recruitment: A process in which university undergraduate women join a sorority
Bid Day: The last day of recruitment, when potential new members receive bids to join chapters and become new members
CPA: College Panhellenic Association
Panhellenic: Used loosely to refer to the College Panhellenic Association.
Big-Little Reveal: A reveal, usually involving gifts being given by a senior member of the sorority who takes a newer member of the organization under their wing.
