Campus Life

Hello Future Hoyas!

In keeping with the theme of new, fun experiences...the other weekend, my friends and I went to see an improv show put on by the Georgetown Players Improv Group. We went to dinner at the Tombs (a favorite Georgetown tradition) and then spent the next hours in Bulldog Alley laughing like crazy! Georgetown has a fantastic artistic community- I never thought I would do drama in college, but I'm in a sitcom with G.U.T.V.- we are getting ready for our big premiere in two weeks!

Last month, I got to experience a Hoya basketball victory over Duke! Campus was speckled with "Beat Duke" posters, and people lined up for hours in the snow outside the Verizon Center. The energy that everyone in the crowd felt at that game was so much fun- even President Obama and Vice President Biden were there to witness the Hoya Domination!

So, to wrap it all up...Georgetown is a vibrant community of students who get up every day and love what they do and take real pride in our campus community. Seven thousand ambitious, dedicated undergrads, each with a unique story, who want to work hard and have fun-- that's what makes the Hilltop such a great place to be! HOYA SAXA!

Angela Morabito
SFS '13
Marietta, GA

A Summer with Learning With Enterprises

This past summer, I had the chance to volunteer with an awesome organization. Though not a program for only Georgetown students, Learning Enterprises gave me the summer of a lifetime. The program focuses on teaching English around the globe; every summer, over 150 volunteers are sent to more than 10 countries on 4 separate continents. The best part is, it is completely student run and works solely off of donations and sponorship.

For 7 weeks, I had the opportunity teach English in rural villages situated in Hungary and Slovakia. Throughout two separate teaching sessions, I lived with host families and got the chance to experience Hungarian and Slovak culture firsthand. I taught three class each day for children, university aged students, and adults. Their willingness and desire to learn English was incredible; it truly made the program a culture exchange. I shared my life and language with them, but I also learned and received so much in return.

This year, I return to Learning Enterprises as the Hungary/Slovakia program director where I am in charge of assembling a team of 17 volunteers and leading them to Eastern Europe this upcoming summer. I cannot wait to get back to the area and visit my families and friends. The organization is open to all college students who are interested in international volunteerism and a English teaching. (http:www.learningenterprises.org for more information).

Ridge Blanchard

COL '11

Lafayete, LA

The Hilltop Consultants

Another semester just began, which means another group of clients for Hilltop Consultants, a student group dedicated to providing business solutions to non-profits. This semester we'll send five project teams consisting of five to six undergraduates each to work with the VFW, the International Hebrew Free Loan Association, March of Dimes, Georgetown's Catholic Chaplaincy, and L18 (a conglomerate consisting of United Way, AARP, Boy Scouts of America and 20 others.

In all of these projects, our teams will work directly with the non-profits to create solutions to the challenges the non-profits face. These solutions are as different as the organizations we work with. For example, in my freshman year I designed a volunteer structure for Jumpstart's Read for the Record, and other members of my team designed fundraisers for the client. Just last semester, one of our teams advised L18 on how to rebrand their partnership of non-profits. L18 flew three of the team members to Dallas to present their findings to the 23 CEOs that head the non-profits that compose the group and even signed up for another semester.

I'm excited to see the results we'll produce this semester. But also, I can't wait to see what projects we develop for next semester and I hope that you'll be with us to develop the solutions for next semester's clients!

Rob Benkert is currently a Board Member and the VP of Finance for Hilltop Consultants. He's a sophomore and studies Economics in the College. He can be reached about Georgetown questions in general at rgb29@georgetown.edu or finance@hilltopconsultants.org.

Robert Benkert
MSB '12
Brentwood, TN