Camping at Devil's River

This work by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

This work by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

This work by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

The weekend of October 21 was another exciting adventure! I went on a different O-Rec trip, this time camping at Devils River. There were eleven of us that went on the trip, and by the end of the weekend, we all had become friends. We departed Friday at 5:00 but due to a few wrong turns we didn’t arrive at the campsite until 3 a.m! We set up our tents (although most of us slept outside) and counted shooting stars until we fell asleep.

Devil’s River is located East of San Antonio and close to the Mexican border. The state natural area is home to many toads, rabbits, salamanders, birds, fish, snakes, and raccoons.

Saturday morning we ate bacon and eggs for breakfast. A few people went on an expedition to filter some water and bring it back so we could use it for drinking and cooking. Then at about noon we headed off to the river with our day-packs.  In order to access the river we had to hike for 1.5 miles. We spent the whole day there, swimming, hiking, and exploring the area. We climbed to the top of this cliff, which was a lot of fun but my legs got all cut up from the cactuses and other spiky plants.

Sunday we went back to the river again and had a picnic before the long drive home. I had so much fun and am looking forward to future O-Rec adventures!

TigerFest!

 The decorations at the Omni Hotel 

This work by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Michelle & I working the tickets desk at the dance

This work by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

This past week was TigerFest, Trinity’s version of Homecoming. I’m a new member of the Student Programming Board’s Traditions Committee, and I was involved in organizing and carrying out the week’s events. There were lots of different activities, and many clubs competed to have the most people attend them. The winner would receive $500! 

Wednesday was the T-Shirt swap, where students brought an old T-shirt and swapped it  for a Trinity TigerFest shirt. The old shirts received were donated to a shelter. On Thursday, milk and cookies were given out at Coates University center.

Friday there were Men’s and Women’s soccer games, leading up to the event we all were waiting for, the TigerFest Gala! The theme this year was “A Black and White Affair.” The dance was held at the Omni Hotel on Colonnade Boulevard in San Antonio. I arrived at the hotel in the late afternoon to help make sure everything was ready for the dance. The decorations were beautiful! The table-cloths and tiled entry-way were black and white- matching the theme, and were offset by colorful centerpieces, bright stars, and elegant chandeliers. We were really pleased with the way everything turned out! Everyone had a great time and the night was a success!

Saturday was the big Football game. Trinity beat Sewanee 27-9, continuing their undefeated streak with 5 wins! At half-time there was a golf cart parade in which many different organizations decorated a golf cart and rode around the field. The week was so much fun and I can’t wait until TigerFest next year!

Innovation in Leadership: Student Leadership Conference

One Young World 2010 by One Young World is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Trinity’s Student Leadership Conference was held last Saturday.  At 10 a.m. Trinity students of all ages gathered in the Fiesta Room. The two main components of the conference were the session workshops and the speakers.

The main speaker was Jin In, founder of 4GGL. 4GGL is a non-profit organization that helps raise neglected girls out of poverty and shows them how valuable they are. As quoted from the organization’s website, 4GGL’s mission is “to ignite, cultivate, and promote girls’ leadership development locally, and to advance gender equity globally.” In worked under the secretary of health under George Bush and was also involved with the UN. She was extremely inspirational to me personally because I am interested in working for a non-profit organization when I am older. Her motivational talk showed me that I have the power to make a difference, at Trinity and in the world.

We watched the video posted above, which shows the One Young World leadership conference in 2010. This showed us that young people are the future, and that everyone around the world is able to work together for peace and change. It was extremely inspirational and demonstrated the power of young people.

Then we attended different workshop sessions of our choice. First, I learned about effectively communicating my vision in a workshop with Dr. Moffett. Then I attended a session about Trinity’s Global Service Corps, a program with the goal to enrich study abroad programs by adding a volunteer project.  We had an alumni networking lunch which we met some of Trinity’s most successful alumni. Finally, I went to a session that motivated to create local and global social change. After the sessions we all met back in the Fiesta room again to hear In’s closing speech. Overall, the conference was a really positive experience and I walked away ready to take action to improve the lives around me in any way I can!

O-Rec Trip to Barton Springs

Photo taken by Jamie Banks
Barton Springs by Jamie Banks is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

This past Sunday, I went on a trip to Barton Springs sponsored by Trinity’s Outdoor Recreation Club. Located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Barton Springs consists of four natural water springs that flow from the Edwards Aquifer. The area we visited was called the Main Barton’s Spring and has been turned into a swimming pool. It's the fourth largest spring in Texas!

I spent most of the day swimming in the water and tanning on the lawn. The floor of the pool was covered with algae making it very slippery and difficult to walk. We took turns racing each other and tried not to slip. There were many unique natural species throughout the area including fish, squirrels, and insects. The pool’s most famous critter is the endangered Barton Springs Salamander. This species only lives in Barton Springs and is famous for being a lungless salamander. Ten percent of the pool’s admissions fee goes to protecting this creature.

The pool has a very unique history. Hundreds of years ago the pool was a sacred site for the Tonkawa Native Americans who used it for purification rituals. When Spanish explorers discovered the area in the 1700s, they built temporary missions surrounding it until they later moved to San Antonio. In 1837, William “Uncle Billy” Barton settled the area. He named three of the springs after his daughters (Zenobia, Parthenia, and Eliza.) Barton realized it would make a great tourist attraction and his prediction came true!

On the way back we stopped at P. Terry’s Burger Stand and then Sno Beach for snow cones. Both were delicious! I had a great time and I can’t wait for the next O-Rec adventure!