My Day as an Ambassador for 'Women of Distinction'

The PBA event “Women of Distinction” not only has a lovely title, but a lovely purpose. I had the opportunity to attend this event Wednesday through the Presidential Ambassador Program at PBA. Ambassadors are nominated by a PBA staff or faculty member, and represent the study body at important University functions.  Not many students here are aware of this impressive annual awards luncheon at The Breakers in Palm Beach. It was a gorgeous warm, sunny day, and I had permission to "play hooky" from school to witness the event.

Debbie Levinsky and I take a minute before the awards luncheon to capture a photo of The Breakers scenery.

As an ambassador, my duties for the morning included greeting guests and assisting at the place card table.  Other than that, the day was pretty low key for the students working the event.  However, the amount of work, time and dedication of the University staff was clear by how smoothly the program progressed. After a greeting from PBA Interim President Fleming, the humble recipients of the Women of Distinction Scholarship, two PBA seniors, led the invocation.  Moreover, my taste buds were flowering after a delicious lunch of breaded chicken with a savory vegetable sauce, sweet tomato vinaigrette salad and a chocolate sailfish fin atop a strawberry and blueberry pound cake.

The two “Women of Distinction” awarded were Joyce Sang and Sally Soter.  These women have provided such a great service to the community.  When Mrs. Sang’s 24-year-old son died as a result of his bipolar disorder, she created the “The Ryan Licht Sang Bipolar Foundation” to help suffering families. According to PBA.edu the foundation “established an educational initiative…that teaches high school students, parents and teachers to recognize bipolar disorder and depression [and] in August, the foundation brought this program to schools in Palm Beach County.” In addition, the other honoree, Mrs. Soter, has worked tirelessly to promote the arts, where she “established an endowment of photography, which supports special exhibitions, scholarship opportunities and educational programs at The Norton,” according to PBA.edu. Her second goal has been providing better heart health coverage to women, where she created the “first fully endowed chair exclusively for the purpose of women’s heart health in the United States,” stated on PBA.edu.

One part of Mrs. Sang’s speech I especially admired was she suggested all women in the room are women of distinction. This is inspiring as a college student. It is one of my aspirations to work in a way that serves the community, no matter what career path I take.  I could see how beyond all of the glamour of the event, there brightly shone the theme of women working to serve the community.

There have been many women in my life who have been examples of women of distinction.  When I moved to Florida in middle school I found a church where I was blessed to have such a wonderful youth minister who directed the middle school and high school youth group.  From my adolescent age to my adult years, my youth minister served me unwaveringly. Whether I needed a shoulder to cry on or a head to guide my spiritual journey, she was there making a difference in my life. I would name her, along with many other role models in life, as Mrs. Sang stated, “Women of Distinction,” in their own shinning way.

V-Day at PBA

Roses are red, violets are blue, and Valentine ’s Day at PBA, has a different view. Although there were many distinctive Valentine’s Day activities this week at Palm Beach Atlantic University, such as a “Sweethearts Dinner” by the Fresh Food Company (caf) for guys willing to dish out some cash, to the “I Hate Valentine’s Day Party” at the Southside campus for those bitter single upperclassmen.  The biggest hit for Valentine’s Day, for lovers and friends alike, was the epic love story in theatres called “The Vow,” with heartthrobs Channing Tatum (Dear John) and Rachel McAdams(The Notebook).  It’s no accident that "The Vow's" release date coincided almost perfectly with Valentine's Day.  Overall, most PBA students, usually girls, chose to enjoy Valentine’s Day in their own special way.

However, as I said before, whether or not you had a secret admirer, like my roommate who received a giant teddy bear and sunflowers, Valentine’s Day holds a greater meaning to most girls at PBA.  I actually enjoyed the holiday, with the majority of my friends and family sending appreciative cards or treats to brighten the day.  Most sailfish women try to ignore the stereotypical relationship PBA pressures, such as the traditional “Ring by Spring” standard.  There are definitely plenty of “sailfish” in the sea for the girls here at PBA.  Valentine’s Day at PBA isn’t just another holiday to celebrate or to hate. Valentine’s Day did have the typical events, along with both the sweet candy and the bitter thoughts. However, it didn’t end up being as cheesy of a holiday that it’s ordinarily made out to be.

How did you spend V-Day?

PBA Provides Perspective to Prospective Students

One thing that really gets current PBA students running in all directions on campus is prospective students.
 
Prospective students interested in attending PBA can attend Open Houses to really get the best perspective of the school.  Although regular tours of PBA are informative, getting to see the campus, cafeteria and chapel areas, there are some aspects of PBA that just aren’t initially seen.  However, with Open Houses, prospective students attend classes featuring the majors they are interested in, and stay overnight with current students in their dorms on campus.

This week, the Open House was for a group of home schooled high school students.  Being a former online school high school student, the prospective students caught my attention.  In my morning communication class, there were several who attended and met with the professor.  One junior from Sarasota, Fla., Kara, sat next to me in class and was able to ask me questions about the communication major.  She was really sweet and I was happy to help guide her in her college decision for PBA.
 
I had several friends involved with the Open House this week by hosting students for the night.  They entertained the visitors by sharing their social atmosphere, whether it was walking around Cityplace or just playing pool in the dorm lobby.  The best part of prospective students coming to PBA is not just the Fresh Food Company serving better food for the day at the caf, but it’s the students being able to actually see some of the quirks at PBA that all current students have come to know and love.

These quirks that make up the personality of the school vary from what seems like a 3:1 girl to guy ratio, to long boarders skating to the beach instead of class, to spontaneous guitar worship on the Baxter green.  I think the Open Houses are all about giving prospective students a good idea about what goes on beyond the surface. What really makes PBA stand out from other private Christian universities, at least from a student perspective, is our ability to joke about the stereotypes and characteristics of it. 

For example, perspective students can see how PBA students satirize the perceived girl to guy ratio in this YouTube video, which was a part of PBA's Monday Night Live:

If you or someone you know is interested in being a prospective student, let me know!

Sailfish Baseball's Opening Game at Roger Dean

 

My PBA Cheer Squad friend Katie W. (left) and me (right) "cheesing."

   The opening game of the Palm Beach Atlantic University Sailfish Baseball team against Lynn University Thursday night proved more successful than last year's game. The Sailfish won 3-2, with the help of an energetic crowd this year. 

 
It must have been a combination of the PBA baseball team, Coach Gary Carter and Coach Kent Bottenfield's great dedication for this season. It could have also been the spirited fans rallying in the stadium that also helped truly hit the game out of the park.  I think the promotion for this year's opening game, with advertising the setting at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., increased student awareness.

However, before the game, doubt was ringing in student's ears not only about the wavering stormy weather, but about the lack of support for the team.  When conversation came up with students about the game earlier that day, people were initially shrugging it off for homework or dinner.  Although the excitement of going to Roger Dean interested most students, there was some lack of understanding about the importance of this baseball game and athletics at PBA in general.

Nonetheless, symptoms of apathy seemed to cease as word later spread around campus the game was still happening, despite the lack of school updates and lingering storms. It was evident when a good number of students showed up that the PBA baseball team is promised a solid season of support.

Some of the students in attendance included avid sports fans, girlfriends of players on the field and students finally looking to support the success of their school.  Additionally, the PBA Cheer Squad continued to fulfill their pep duties, sitting as support in the stands with other students.  Plus, representatives of PBA's Relay for Life group provided entertainment and raffles, including field games for kids and VIP tickets to West Palm Beach’s annual Sunfest concert.

The success of the game reverberated throughout campus and the community the next day. Students have been congratulating their beaming baseball classmates, and asking about the schedule for future games. Also, I could see the spirit of professors and staff who also attended, or were raving about the win.  For example, my Communication Ethics professor, and a former PBA player, Dr. Tom St. Antoine, called it, with a twinkle in his eye, a "glorious game."
 
Overall, the majority of PBA students believe this opening baseball game will set the stage for future PBA athletic events, not simply because the team was successful last night, but because the student body succeeded in showing support. 



Did you attend the game? Will you attend the next home game?