2015 ~ Network of Enlightened Women

Thursday, December 3, 2015

6 Ways Holiday Music Can Get You Through Finals Week

By Krista Chavez, President

As finals week looms, we are all stressing, drinking an unhealthy amount of caffeine, and not sleeping enough. Our brains are on information-overload, and our bodies are suffering from the chocolate we are consuming to drown our woes.

There is, however, one light at the end of the tunnel that we all can keep in the back of our minds: Winter Break. The promise of a home-cooked meal, friends, and family is there, and we can make it by listening to holiday music.

Why this music? Well, I devised 6 major reasons why holiday music can get us through finals:

1. Remind yourself there is the promise of a better future

While finals week sucks, holiday music reminds us that there is something better at the end. “A Holly, Jolly Christmas” promises “the best time of the year,” or “Feliz Navidad” inspires us to be kind and caring while dancing around and wishing people a Merry Christmas from the bottom of our hearts.

2. Sulk to a relaxing nap-time tune

Need something to calm you for that 30 minute nap between papers? Tune into a soft, soothing sound like “Silent Night” or “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” These tones will give you a temporary peace while resting before your next mental breakdown.

3. Take a Fun Dance Break

Get up and move your feet with a second of exercise and stress relief with Michael Buble’s upbeat “Let it Snow! Let it Snow!” or Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” During this song, I like to get up, sing, and dance around the room for 4 minutes to help with restlessness.

4. Utilize it as a "classic" way to study

There are tons of traditional holiday songs that do not have lyrics that can help with studying like Tchaikovsky’s “Waltz of the Flowers” from “The Nutcracker” and John Rutter’s “Sleigh Ride.” My personal favorite would be Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker album, for it got me through my Economics final paper with an A.

5. Getting in a few giggles between tears

Crying from the paper that you don’t think you can mentally handle doing anymore? Put on any version of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” and just listen to the lyrics. The desperation of the male lead trying to convince the woman to stay is bound to give you a few laughs. Another fantastic giggle song would be, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.”

6. Use it as a Reminder of Your Blessings

Even though it may not feel like it at the moment while your hands are cramping from writing all your notes out, we are truly blessed to be receiving an education. There are too many children around the world (and in America, for that matter) who do not have the same opportunities as us. Listening to songs like, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” and “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays,” will reiterate how fortunate we are to be in this position.

Remember: Finals only last for one week, and then you can go home and have cookies.

Brunch with NeW

By Unknown 4:00 PM // No comments

On Saturday, September 12th, NeW at AU started the year with a brunch for current and NeW members. It was an fun event for all members to start off the year and get to know each other and NeW at AU. This was also a way for our executive board to get know the NeW members. We are excited to get to know all the new members and we are excited about all that we have plan for this year.

Here are some fun pics from Brunch with NeW.

The lovely ladies and gentleman at the NeW Brunch

Communications Director, Rebecca, and current member, Elysia

Krista, Annamarie, and Rebecca

NeW Executive Board

NeW members

NeW members enjoying a delicious brunch

Surviving College as a Conservative Woman

By Unknown 6:55 AM // No comments

Written by: Cassandra Peña

What to Expect from the Liberals at AU

First off, be prepared for the looks you will get,

When you mention you're pro-life:

When you're sporting your favorite Reagan Bush '84:

When you share your conservative views in class:

Secondly, just wait until you admit you are Not Ready for Hillary you will hear all the reasons ‘She’s going to the greatest President in U. S. history and how awful every
other candidate is.’

Finally, you should know that AU students really love their posters. Some popular ones that will line the halls of the dorms are:

But the best way to get through your time at AU as a conservative woman is by joining NeW at AU.

Going National: A Weekend with NeW

By Unknown 1:32 PM // No comments

Written by: Krista Chavez, President

For the ladies of NeW, expression of our own idealisms is everything. This not only goes for us women at AU but for all members across the nation. Although I am the NeW at AU Chapter President, I am also privileged to call myself a NeW National Intern. I have the opportunity to work alongside incredible women like NeW founder and president Karin Agness and her team. This is my account of the experience I had at the 2015 Network of enlightened Women (NeW) National Conference at The Heritage Foundation.

On Wednesday, June 24th, AU member Elysia Martin and I met a few other NeW college women for dinner at Qdoba Mexican Grill. Although it may seem quaint and simple, it was one of the best events of the weekend. Here, we were able to connect with women personally about their universities, personal lives, and political views. We had an interesting time discussing these topics because we were all from such different backgrounds and beliefs but connected by the movement towards conservatism. This was the tone of the conference: to connect women from around the world to different ideas and perspectives.

During the conference itself, women (and men, for that matter) joined together of all ages to listen to four different discussion panels about women in the workplace, professional development, what young women today desire, and public policy. We also heard speeches from several women: Karin Agness, Kirsten Powers, Fox News Contributor and author of The Silencing: How the Left is Killing Free Speech (she is a Democrat who has previously worked on Clinton campaigns), Kristen Soltis Anderson, co-founder of Echelon Insights and author of the new book The Selfie Vote: Where Millennials are Leading America (And How Republicans Can Keep Up), and Katie Pavlich, NeW Alumna, Fox News Contributor, and best-selling author of Assault and Flattery: The Truth About the Left and Their War on Women. Listening and networking with these women who have extraordinary credentials and are experts in their respective fields is not only inspiring, but empowering. Also, Carly Fiorina gave a special video message to the ladies of NeW, for Carly has been a long-time friend of NeW and a crusader for the empowerment, not victimization, of women.

During the Friday events at the conference, I also had the opportunity to greet our featured speaker, Kirsten Powers, to the conference before she delivered her message. It was exciting to have a woman of different political beliefs speaking. She is an outspoken advocate for freedom of speech even for people who do not align with her on issues. In her book The Silencing, Kirsten discusses how she interprets liberalism and how true liberals are supposed to represent all different types of free speech, including cultural conservatism. When speaking with Kirsten, her and I discussed different situations of liberalism at American University. She was fascinated by how NeW is beginning to gain traction at the university. Speaking with her reminded me that the support of speech is necessary for a democracy to survive.

For my own personal experience, the most memorable event of the conference was the Invitation-Only Monocle Dinner on Thursday night with NeW supporters and donors. Along with me attended AU Founder Rebecca Gonzales and member Elysia Martin. I had the opportunity to sit next to Kristen Soltis Anderson who had delivered a speech at the actual conference a few hours before the dinner. She had this poise and kindness about her, and I enthusiastically got to know her. We spoke about similar topics that I had discussed with the other chapter leaders such as our family background, current personal lives, career goals, and political beliefs. The lesson I learned is simple: these people are just real human beings that are trying to make a difference in the world just like we are. We are all exploring our places in the world whether it be in Washington or in small-town Indiana. Kristen inspired me to make the best out of my time in Washington because she began her career in DC similar to me and so many other young, intelligent women I know. Women like Kristen Soltis Anderson and Kirsten Powers stand as models for women's empowerment and inspiration.

The NeW National Conference is a time for our AU Executive Board to explore ourselves as young professionals. The NeW National Organization provides women with the resources to learn about themselves and different women around the world. As an individual, I am so blessed to participate in this organization, and I cannot wait to take our Executive Board's experiences back to NeW at AU.

To become a member of NeW at AU, please email your contact information to newatau@gmail.com.

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Here are some chapter pictures from the conference: