go blue brian

Cruising along...

Go Blue Bloggers — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 04:53:00 +0000

So, life is moving fast. Classes are well underway and I must admit, I am truly enjoying all of them. My favorite professor this semester has to be Sherman Jackson. He teaches Introduction to Islam and he really knows how to explain and keep lecture interesting. Learning about the beginnings of Islam, the Qur'an and how it spread through the world is fascinating especially since there are so many stereotypes about Arabic culture and Muslims.

My favorite aspect of the class is meeting new people. So far, I've met many Muslim students and as a result of those connections and also being friends with several people at the Jewish center, Hillel, I have become part of an inner-faith service group, called Children of Abraham. It's an offshoot organization from one in Indiana that collects surplus and donated medical supplies from around the Midwest to send to impoverished areas of the world. We had our first shipment of supplies arrive in Ann Arbor yesterday and we need to sort them before we send them off to Camaroon.

For me, it's just great to hang out people I wouldn't otherwise get to know. One night we tried to have a meeting but ended up just talking about philosophy and religion until 2:30 in the morning! So, in short, it's been a great experience, and a new one too, even for someone who has been around Ann Arbor for almost four years now. I'm looking forward to tomorrow because Children of Abraham is going to a Mosque in Detroit for some service work and then we're going to an Arabic restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan. It's definitely true that the best way to learn is to experience.

In other news, my job is picking up speed. I've been trying to talk with activist organizations on campus, especially ones who might have a stake in a reformed health care system in Michigan. We had Winterfest yesterday, which is when all the student groups get together and advertise to the campus what they are doing. I met with a ton of people, pre-med students, labor activists, people of faith and greeks. There's a lot of potential for organizing on campus for this upcoming election.

It's been cold lately. I can't remember when it was above freezing! But we've had some beautiful days. The pictures that I am posting...one I took of East Quad covered in snow and the other is of my friends in a wigwam in the Arboretum my freshmen year.

Well, I got to get relaxing. My mind is burnt out. Life is good, though. Peace out.

Michigan Winter

Go Blue Bloggers — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 03:43:00 +0000

Go Blue! Michigan finally won a bowl game. Last week I got back from the marching band trip to the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. It was an incredible experience.

Before I go into detail about the trip, let me wrap up last semester. So by December 20 I finished all of my final exams and papers. It turned out to be pretty stressful, but I prevailed and everything got done. I was able to enjoy Winter break with my family and celebrate Christmas. We had a great time.
Post-College Opportunity
Also during break I had to take serious time to discern a job opportunity that was given to me by a past mentor from a community organizing internship I had last summer. The job is for a national non-profit organization called, Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and I will be working until the November election as a field organizer. My duties will be to help build a network of Catholic opinion makers, voters and people across the state to build a dialogue for how our values can best be expressed in politics. Also, I'll be organizing a forum on a major University in the state to get young adults involved among many other things. In short, after a lot of prayer and thought, I decided to take the job. It will be my first real job outside of the University and it certainly fits my interests in social change, politics and faith. This opportunity wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the experiences and network that the University of Michigan has provided. I'm grateful and excited to start in February, especially as the election heats up!

Capital One Bowl
So, the marching band didn't waste anytime getting us back to Ann Arbor after Christmas. By December 28th we were already practicing our pre-game and halftime show in the 80 degree Florida weather. It was glorious to be back in a warm climate. On our first full day, we participated in the Citrus bowl, which was advertised as no longer than a mile and a half. To the Michigan band people, that seems like nothing compared to the 7 mile long Rose Parade, but believe me when I say the Citrus parade was much worse! It was so hot and muggy and we played the Victors much more often. It's always a privilege to represent Michigan, though and we performed our best.
My favorite part of the trip was that we had a lot of free time. Thanks to our Athletic Department and University, we had enough per diem to spend some time in Epcot and then later we performed and spent New Year's Eve at Universal Studios. On our last day, my friends and I were tired of theme parks and so we explored real Orlando on the city buses and found ourselves in a little Vietnam area of town where we found excellent and authentic food and some neat shops.
My parents and grand-parents came down, too and we got spend a lot time together. Their Peabody Hotel was where the football players stayed and while I was waiting for my parents, we saw Chad Henne and my mom rode in an elevator with Mike Hart! The players' energy and spirit were intense all the way through the trip. You could just tell they really wanted to go out on a high note and do their best! Of course they did.

Michigan 41, Florida 35
Game day was awesome. We started out with a few concerts for alumni and the players. We then made our way into the stadium and performed our last pre-game of the year. Pre-game is where the band bursts out of the tunnel at Michigan stadium into 4 lines that eventually file into a large, block M. We play M-Fanfare and then the full Victors (which I hope all of you will memorize rather than just the trio!). I was so pumped! We were basically playing in University of Florida's home stadium because their fans outnumbered us. I just love showing other college fans our band and our intense pre-game. It was and exhilarating last run. Check part of it out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eephHKlrRA (not the best quality, but a general idea!)

The first offensive run down the field was awesome. Every play I kept praying the team would do their best and each time, they were on fire. It was a close game, but Michigan outplayed Florida and it was good to see a Big Ten team win against last year's national champions and the Heisman Trophy winner. The Capital One trophy presentation was touching because Lloyd Carr was asked what was the best part of being a coach besides being a Michigan Man, and he replied that that was all he needed! I was so proud of all the players, our coach, the band and Michigan in general.

As we finished taking pictures and our last rendition of the Victors, it struck me that I would be taking the maize and blue uniform off for the last time. After four long years, I was done. I wrote in my journal later that although it was sad, I felt fulfilled. I am so lucky and I would never replace my band experiences for anything. They took me to Pasadena twice, San Antonio and now Florida for a win. Besides performing on Game Day Saturdays, band gave me the chance to play for countless University ceremonies such as the funerals of Bo Schembechler and President Gerald Ford.

If you desire to be in Marching band, do it! You will never regret it and you'll never stop singing and playing the Victors down that Michigan Stadium field on a beautiful day in Ann Arbor.

Moving On
We arrived back in Detroit at midnight, picked our luggage up at 1:00 am and started classes the next morning. It didn't even phase me what classes I was taking. So far they are awesome and more challenging than I anticipated. I'm taking Introduction to Islam, Psychology of Consciousness, Evolution and Extinction, and Sociology Project Community. The last one is a service learning class where I'll be facilitating a creative writing work shop at Parr Highway prison. I like my professors and am already deep into the reading and course work.

It's surreal to imagine me graduating in three months. Already I'm getting information about commencement and paying off loans. I am thankful I already have a job in place, even if it's only temporary. I still hope to apply for the Peace Corps for Winter of 2009. But until then, I still have one more semester to enjoy here. It seems impossible that there could be more memories to make, but just like anything at Michigan, life exceeds expectations. Thanks for reading and I'll catch you in a couple weeks.

Brian

ps. We have had such crazy weather. Twice we got over 7 inches of snow, but then right after it warmed up to 60 degrees! Michigan is crazy.

Michigan December

Go Blue Bloggers — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:02:00 +0000

Welcome to my blog!

Hello friends, my name is Brian C. Peck and I'm a senior here at the University of Michigan. As I embark on my last semester here in Ann Arbor, I offer up this blog as a public testament to the wonderful and challenging experiences I have had as a Wolverine. Looking to the future, you will follow me as I take my last courses and prepare for life beyond the University. Furthermore, I hope to share the insight I have gained as a student who has been through the admissions process and who has worked in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. So, without further hesitation, I shall begin an overview on my current college life as I wrap up this semester's papers and get pumped for a trip to the Capital One bowl with the Marching Band!

Academic Life

As my biography states, I study sociology and urban and community studies. My interests lie in metropolitan politics and social justice, and because of the flexibility we have as undergraduates, I've taken related courses in political science, history and the Program in the Environment. Overall, I've enjoyed my academic career and grown as a person through my studies. I'll elaborate on my favorite classes and professors in subsequent blogs. Right now, however, I am taking History of American Suburbia, Metropolitan Politics, Psychology and Spiritual Development, and of course Marching Band. The course load is pretty light, but I should probably get working to finish my 3000 word research paper that is due on December 10. It is my final grade for a PolSci class and concerns an out of class project I've started in my hometown of Warren, Michigan. Other than that, I have only one exam, another paper and then I'm free for 2007!

Extra-curricular Activities

I can't believe my four years in the marching band are drawing to a close. This organization was a major influence in my life, bringing me in to the University and Michigan spirit. There is nothing more exhilarating than marching out of the tunnel on to the field for pre-game in front of 111,000 people! This year I was able to give back and lead as a rank leader for Rank H. It was a big responsibility especially because we got a new band director, so it was up to us to help carry on Michigan tradition. Overall, it was a great season, despite the team's losses. Even the OSU game was memorable, for there were many tears of joy as we marched to Michigan stadium for the last time. Now we are getting ready for the Capital One Bowl in Orlando. We already auditioned and are waiting for an itinerary on Monday. No matter how the game turns out, it will be great to spend time with all of the friends I've gained through the organization.

Spiritual Life

Yes, there is time for spirituality in college! In fact, I couldn't have survived these past four years without taking time to reflect and meditate on life. Additionally, I'm part of an incredible faith community here, St. Mary's Student Parish ( stmarystudentparish.org). It's a vibrant Catholic community and it's where I spend the majority of my free time, whether with friends, on retreat, at mass, or singing in the choir. Last year I directed and produced Godspell the musical with a friend and this year I'll be leading an Alternative Spring Break group to Nashville. I'll elaborate later on experiences with St. Mary's because they'll give you an idea of how dynamic and stimulating it is to be a member of the overall campus community.

In Closing

There is so much to share with you, but for now I leave you with the best part of my day. Classes were pretty long this morning and I had to wake up early to finish a reflection. We had to write our own chapter to the book, The Prophet, and it was harder than I anticipated. After sharing in class, I was finally done for the day, and had a chunk of free time with band now over. So I decided to wander aimlessly. In no time I found myself at the Arboretum (Arb for short and my favorite place on campus). Instantly I felt like I escaped to Northern Michigan; the sky was blue, snow covered the ground and I was alone in a forest by the Huron river. Even though it was freezing, I just laid in the snow and looked up at the tall white pines. Peace at last...Life is good...

While I'm still refreshed, I'll catch you later. Get your applications in if you haven't already!

Peace and Go Blue,

Brian