Lucia Maria

Meet Lucia...

This  is Lucia Maria Borghesi-Davis, better known as Lucy or Nana. She was born in the small village named Bagne De Lucca in Tuscany, Italy. She was born in 1935, just 4 years before WWII began in Europe. Not only did Nana live to witness WWII, but she experience it first hand.

Before she and her family fled Italy for the United States in 1950, her family helped American soldiers get Jewish citizens to safety. When she was younger, about 5 or 6-years-old she said she would help hide some soldiers' things in her stuffed animals so the Nazi's wouldn't know they were hiding out there. 

She talked about growing up in this atmosphere. The bad parts, but always some good ones. The American soldiers took a likely to young Lucy, and would spoil her with chocolates. She might have even blushed a little when she talked about it. See, little things like candy and chocolate were a luxury to get at this point in time, so these soldiers truly did spoil her by bringing them to her. 

She talks about a little pocket Bible she received  from one of the soldiers staying in her home. In the Bible was a message her wrote to her. "To Lucy, May you grow into a beautiful young woman, and I hope to see you real soon. May God Bless your people always, Bernard." To this day, she still cherishes it deeply.

Pocket Bible to Lucia from general Barnard

Lucy's granddaughter Jillian reading her Nana's pocket Bible

Since her family fled in 1950, she has only been back one time. She doesn't remember the exact year, but she had the opportunity to go with her loving late husband. It almost brought her to tears when she talked about going back with him. She talked about what she misses about it, but she is happy with the life she has her. She said she married a wonderful man, and had 3 beautiful daughters. Then she was blessed with 5 beautiful grandchild, and now the most adorable great-grandchild.

A picture of Lucia's village in Italy that she proudly hangs on her wall

Nana has lived a wonderful life, and she has many stories to tell. Although that time was a difficult time in her life, she bravely did her part. She got out and lived a happy life with people she cherishes. 

Web Biography Proposal

For my web biography, I would like to interview Lucia Maria Borghesi-Davis. Lucy is an 80-year-old spitfire from Bagne De Lucca, Italy. Born in 1935, she lived to not only see WWII, but experience it first hand. Before she and her family fled Italy for the United States in 1950, they helped American soldiers get Jewish citizens to safety. She would hide soldiers' things in her stuffed animals so the Nazi's wouldn't know they were hiding out there. As a 15-year-old girl, she did her part to help save the world. She received a little pocket Bible from one of the soldiers staying in her home with a message in it to her which she still has and cherishes today. This is why I would like to interview the brave and wonderful Lucia.

Disability Symposium

On November 24, 2015, Slippery Rock University held the 1st ever President's Commission for Disability Issues (PCDI) Disability Symposium. The event was held in the Smith Student Center Ballroom from 8:00am to about 2:15pm. The symposium was held by Dr. Dallas Jackson and Dr. Johnathan Anning and provided participants with professional development, educational opportunities, and contexts within which to increase their advocacy and awareness of issues pertaining to quality of life for individuals with disabling health conditions. The symposium consisted of many guest speakers and demonstrations, as well as the keynote speaker; Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham. The symposium was a fun, educational, and important event that students should attend next year.

Video ThinkLink Proposal

"The inaugural President’s Commission for Disability Issues (PCDI) Disability Symposium is a part of the 2015-2016 Slippery Rock University (SRU) Diversity and Inclusion Series. PCDI developed this event to facilitate professional development, as well as, advocacy and awareness for SRU faculty, graduate students, undergraduate students, and leaders in fields of study related to disability. Wheelchair athlete, Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, will be the keynote speaker during common hour."

I want to tell the story of the first Slippery Rock University Disability Symposium through the ThinkLink assignment. Speakers from the SRU CPAD and APA programs will be speaking as well as Aaron Fotheringham, a 24-year-old extreme wheelchair athlete who performs different tricks similar to skateboarding and BMX.

Pittsburgh Steelwheelers

On Saturday Nov. 7 and Sunday Nov. 8, the Pittsburgh Steelwheeler's hosted a quad rugby tournament at the Slippery Rock University ARC. Slippery Rock University recently named November Disability Awareness Month and hosted this Quad Rugby tournament in association with that. On Sunday morning I caught up with the Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio team to get their take on the tournament. The Adaptive Sports Program of Ohio (ASPO) is a 501(c)3 organization that helps promote the health and wellness of individuals with physical disabilities by providing competitive and recreational adaptive sport opportunities throughout the state of Ohio.

The Wreckers player attempts to score over the ASPO team. 

Wrecker player must adjust his wheel after a collision.

The Pittsburgh Steelwheelers are one of the few teams who had female players.

The ASPO team shakes hands after a 36-20 victory.

The ASPO team poses after their victory.

Yianni Thallas on the ASPO team talks about how he got involved in Quad Rugby.

Dilshani Madawala talks about how she got her job with ASPO and why she loves it.

This video shows the fast pace of Quad Rugby when they get straight back to the game after a goal.

Sunset Serenade

Sunset Serenade was an event held at the Storm Harbor Equestrian Center in Slippery Rock to raise money for their program. Guests were able to enjoy a variety of foods, an open bar, and live entertainment. Guests were encouraged to donate through raffle baskets and a live auction that was held at the end of the night. President of the university, Cheryl Norton spoke on behalf of the center, and Chuck Rock, an American veteran who used horse therapy to help his PTSD. It was a beautiful event and raised a great deal of money.

Social Media Over the Years

Since ARPANET was released in 1969 the online world has evolved immensely. We went from Packet Switching Networks to basically having the world at our fingertips. And with these wonderful advancements in technologies came social networking sites where we can make connections, reconnect, share, and even creep on people on a whole new level. Here is a look at the history of our beloved social media.

Off Campus Living Options for SRU Students

One of the most exciting times in a college students life is leasing their very first apartment. Don't get me wrong the dorms at Slippery Rock are more than nice, but there's nothing better than the freedom one feels when truly living on their own for the first time. Signing a lease is a big deal though and it's something that you should put some thought into first because after you sign, you're committed. So here is a map showing some of the possible off campus housing options for students so they can make a more educated decision.

Click here to visit their websites:
The Ivy
The Grove
Stonecrest
The Heights
Keister
South Rock
The Rock Apartments

President Norton's Wellness 5K Run/2K Walk

Slippery Rock University's President, Dr. Cheryl Norton hosted her annual Presidents Wellness 5K run/2K walk at the Aebersold Student Recreation Center(ARC) Saturday morning. The run/walk was to promote a healthy lifestyle for students as well as raise money for scholarships.

Dr. Cheryl Norton sends off her runners at the Presidents Wellness 5K Run/2K Walk at Slippery Rock University this past Saturday.

Greg Sferra, the Director of Campus Recreation at Slippery Rock University shares his insight on the Presidents Wellness Race.

The male winner ran his 5K in a whooping 16 minutes and 23 seconds.

This young running enthusiast happily crossed the finish line with his mother after walking a 2K.

Sarah Miller shares her secrets to winning after she crossed the finish line in only 20 minutes and 11 seconds.

Noah Schuler (left) and Anthony Matthis (right) talk about what they did in preparation for the race.

A Day in the Life of Kennedy Marie

Wake up, eat, play, sleep, repeat. Oh the glorious life of a 2 year old, no bills to pay, no responsibilities to worry about, just enjoying the simple pleasures in life. Kennedy Marie is a spunky 2-year-old who does just that. Her days are full of plenty of laughs and crazy baby adventures. She has a contagious smile and a killer personality that could light up any room. This is a day in the life of Kennedy Marie.

Kennedy sits and waits patiently but anxiously for her lunch to be prepared.

Kennedy smiles as she takes a big bite of pizza.

Kennedy poses for the camera as she takes a bite of her pizza.

After filling her tummy, Kennedy plays with her block train.

Much to her fathers dismay, Kennedy loves to play with Apple's new iPhone.

Kennedy hides out under the table with her good friends Oreo and Reese.

After taking a few laps around the house, Kennedy, Oreo, and Reese take a load off on the rug.

After a long day of play, Kennedy cuddles up on the coach to watch some TV.

Should gambling be made illegal everywhere in the US?

Whether you are playing cards, pulling the shots, or guessing which horse will finish first, you are in fact gambling; risking your hard earned money in hopes to leave with more than you came in with. It sounds great in theory; you walk in, play some cards, and walk out with some extra cash in your pockets, but the big word here is risking. Gambling is nothing but a game of luck; there is nothing you can do that would better your chances of winning.

According to Ogwyn, reporting for Tomorrows world, there is some form of legal gambling in 48 of the 50 states. While not all of those 48 states have legal gambling in the classic commercial forms, most states, 43 of them (and the District of Columbia) in fact, operate a state lottery and 42 states have legal pari-mutuel betting. Only 20 states (California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Dakota, U.S. Virgin Islands, Washington, and West Virginia) allow commercial (casino) gambling. For a full list of the states and what form of legal gambling they have, Click Here.

The National Indian Gaming Association (a non-profit organization established in 1985 made up of 184 American Indian Nations and other nonvoting associate members) is another form of legal gambling. Because of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, Native Americans can run casinos, bingo halls, and other gambling operations strictly on Indian Reservations. Due to the tribal sovereignty of those lands, the U.S. government has little say on what can happen there.

Although it seems that legalized gambling is growing in the U.S., some people feel as though it still remain illegal. The top reason people seem to have against the legalization of gambling is that it will increase the risk of problem gambling. Marilyn Lancelot explains how legal gambling encourages addicts to go waste all of their money in a casino. It's harder to go out and find an illegal poker game than it is to drive to a casino. But even with this argument, who are we to decide how people spend their money?

The legalization of gambling is a controversial topic that people will probably never see eye-to-eye on. There will always be some for it and some against it. To learn more on the U.S. Gambling Law please Click Here.

-Jordyn

What's Up

Hi, my name is Jordyn Naggy and I am a senior at Slippery Rock University. I've tested out quite a few majors in my time here, but I've finally found my calling in Journalism and Digital Media. It works out rather perfectly for me because my favorite hobbies consist of art, photography, and writing. I haven't quite figured out my exact career path yet but my goal is to find a career that involves any of the 3.

In order to find my perfect career path, I must first gain knowledge and experience in my field of study. That is where my blog comes in. I've always been a supporter of social media to say the least. I have an account in almost every media site there is. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Linkedin, Pintrest, (I even had a Myspace back in the day). You name it, I probably have an account (whether or not I use it is a different story). Aside from social media sites, I've written one blog in my life (pertaining to school), but I can't say that it was anything great. I consider myself a "good" writer, but what is that really? That is why I am here in New-Media Journalism; to gain the skills I need to establish myself as a professional writer.

As far as news goes, I have a few different sources that I always use to get my information. I tend to use non-traditional news outlets a lot (such as apps on my phone and social media sites) simply because they are fast and efficient. Considering I'm from Pittsburgh, I have to keep up-to-date on my Pens and Bucco news. I use MLB and NHL apps on my phone for that that updates me as soon as there is any news release. There is an app out there for everything now!

Aside from the convenience of non-traditional apps, I still like to use traditional media outlets as well. I watch Good Morning America and Kelly and Michael in the Morning every weekday. I also watch KDKA Pittsburgh on CBS almost everyday as well as read the Tribune Review every Sunday.

I think this is where I will wrap it up. Feel free to follow me on Facebook and Twitter and make sure to start following my blog!

-Jordyn