SNC Journey – Cassie’s Adventures https://cassienooyen.com/blog Wed, 04 May 2022 19:27:30 +0000 en hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9.3 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/new_favicon-75x75.png SNC Journey – Cassie’s Adventures https://cassienooyen.com/blog 32 32 153108051 Why SNC Was The Perfect Choice For Me https://cassienooyen.com/blog/why-snc-was-the-perfect-choice-for-me/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/why-snc-was-the-perfect-choice-for-me/#respond Tue, 03 May 2022 21:08:35 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1846 This week is my last week of classes at SNC forever and the past few weeks have had me reflecting on my choice to come to SNC that I made almost five years ago.

I have heard of so many students hating their college experience and I was terrified that would be me, but thankfully I have almost all positive experiences and have reaffirmed my decision to come here many different times.

Here are a few reasons that SNC has been the perfect choice for me over the past four years.

Location

I had heard time and time again to move away for college and get out of your hometown. While I do think that there is importance to that, I feel the close distance to home was perfect for me. Throughout the four years, I was still able to attend all the major events that happened at home and at school and also had the benefit of only having to be gone a few hours at a time. This meant I didn’t have to pack a bag or bring anything home, I could just go back to school and sleep in my bed there. If I was homesick or wanted to see a friend from home, I could accomplish this fairly easily.

I will say I am more than thankful that my parents respected my boundaries and I really did not see them very often, maybe once or twice a month. I know some people can’t say the same and staying closer to home would not be safe or good for their mental health.

St. Norbert feels like its own little community and even though it is right next to Green Bay, it felt very different from my younger experiences. I was still exposed to many different beliefs and people raised much differently than me.

My Major

One of the main things I knew when I came to SNC was I did not want a huge major and lecture hall classes. Luckily for me, my major is one of the smaller ones. I feel like I’ve learned so much more and enjoyed my classes because they were the size they are and the department became more like a family than a group of classmates. I am sure most of that has Dr. McVey and Dr. Pankratz to thank for how much time and energy they put into making the students more like their children.

The Catholic Faith

Another huge reason I decided to come to SNC was the fact that it was Catholic. Now although there have been some ups and downs in how this was represented at the college, the opportunities of faith I now had were astronomically more than before. I was now able to go to Mass upwards of 8 times a week if I didn’t have class, I could go to Adoration which I didn’t even know about before college, and participate in a Catholic Women’s group. My favorite Mass of the week happens on Wednesday nights at 8pm and it is comprised of all students. Getting to worship and attend Mass with friends is such a unique experience and there is nothing like hearing 25 young adults singing the Mass parts or praise and worship together.

I’ve also met so many amazing people who are involved with the parish and some who are not who aren’t afraid to talk about their faith and dive deep into the tough questions together. I’ve had talks about my faith with almost everyone I’ve encountered at the college from professors, bosses, coworkers, and other staff members. Only at a school like SNC can you grab dinner with any of your professors on a random day and learn their life story and their faith life at the college.

Coming from a variety of public schools my whole life, I was so thankful to see the abundance of Catholic life happening on campus. With that being said, it is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it. So if I would not have been as solidly in my faith as I was coming to college, I am not sure how involved I would have been.

Jobs on Campus

This isn’t a reason I chose St. Norbert, but I think it is one of the reasons I quickly felt at home and continued to fall in love. The past four years working for Academic Technology have been some of the highlights of my time here. The staff and my coworkers always help me to laugh and bring a smile to my face. Through the position, I have been able to present at several conferences, grow in leadership, and most importantly gain a few more friends. I am forever thankful that I applied for a position freshman year because of the incredible opportunities it brought me.


My time at SNC may be ending, but I am so excited I get to now be a proud alum and stand on the sidelines cheering the next classes of Green Knights on. No matter where I go, SNC will have a special place in my heart and be the source of so many beautiful memories. Thank you SNC for the best four years of my life so far and a countless amount of memories and new friends.

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Starting to Say Goodbye https://cassienooyen.com/blog/starting-to-say-goodbye/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/starting-to-say-goodbye/#comments Tue, 29 Mar 2022 20:27:16 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1820 I am officially halfway through my last semester of college and only have less than six weeks of classes and seven weeks until graduation. The past few weeks have been filled with many adventures and there are only more to come!

Here is a quick rundown of a few of the events that have happened since the start of the semester.

Dottie’s Birthday Party

At the beginning of February, I got to go and see my goddaughter Dottie for her first birthday party. Dad and I made her a step stool to help out in the kitchen. I loved being able to see her again and meeting her younger sister Monica for the first time!

Confirmation Mass

I was able to go home a few times over the semester, mainly for some church events. One of my favorite events of the year is Prince of Peace’s confirmation Mass and I was honored to be able to play again this year.

Senior Wine Tasting

One of the most fun events of senior year so far has been Senior Wine Tasting. It was a great night to get dressed up and celebrate the past four years with friends and college staff and faculty.

Last Spring Break

A couple of weeks ago was my last spring break. I didn’t have any plans and mainly spent the week relaxing and catching up on homework, especially my senior capstone project. However, I also was able to take some time to see my family, Dottie and the Sember family and my church family.

Nothing but Gratitude

Each day it is starting to get more and more real that graduation is right around the corner and to be honest, that is terrifying. However, over the past few weeks instead of feeling sad or scared, I have felt nothing but gratitude for the past four years and the incredible experiences I have been able to have.

The People

The main thing that will stick with me for years after graduation is the incredible people that I have met. From my roommates to coworkers and bosses to club members, I consider them all friends and they will be the hardest goodbyes come May.

My Faith

Coming to college I was more than scared that I would not be able to develop my faith to the level that I wanted, but I am thankful that I have had the opposite experience. Last week, I was able to attend a Catholic event between college and high school students at Notre Dame and although I didn’t go to NDA for high school, it brought back a lot of reminders of the pain I had in high school surrounding my faith. I am so glad just four years later so much is different and I am able to authentically enjoy my faith with those around me.

My Job Offer

I am excited to announce I was offered a full-time position at WEC Energy Group (the parent company of WPS) on their IT Customer Service Digital Team. I have loved my internship at WEC and I’m ecstatic to start my position come June!


If you would have told me I would be in the position I am currently with incredible friends, deeper faith, graduating with the highest honors, and my dream job offer, at the start of college, I don’t know if I would believe you. I really wish I could go back and tell younger Cassie how amazing her life is now and I really hope she would be proud of the person I am today.

There will be many reflections to come, but I do not think words will ever begin to express the journey that the past four years have been.

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Somehow I Only Have One Left https://cassienooyen.com/blog/somehow-i-only-have-one-left/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/somehow-i-only-have-one-left/#respond Sat, 15 Jan 2022 19:31:50 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1794 In just over a week, I will embark on the start of my last semester of senior year of college. It’s been such a wild ride and it’s insane to think it’s almost over. Over the past semester, I’ve realized how much I will miss so many parts of college, a few things in particular.

Last Semester

Looking back at last semester, it was hectic, to say the least, but there were moments that I will remember forever. There were still some moments I wish I could take back to focus on what really matters.

My biggest advice for younger college students is to learn how to say “no” to those who ask you to do something when you are overwhelmed. Obviously don’t always say no, but truly make sure you can say yes before you can commit to something. Because of my struggle to say no to certain people, I became the president of three different clubs this past semester, and that was incredibly difficult. To top that off, I was also in four lab-based classes, meaning I was in class for upwards of 21 hours of class a week (the typical would be around 12-15) and working around 15 hours a week.

It was way too late for me to realize I had jumped too far into the deep end. My semester seemed to be just one long to-do list.

Let’s just say I’m proud I survived and I did end up getting a 4.0 for the semester. Looking back, I’m not sure it was worth it. I care way too much about my grades and the stress they give me cost me a lot of fun nights. Almost every movie night I was doing homework, every weekend consisted of long nights in the lab, and I would study so long I would forget (or choose not to) eat for way too many hours.

I hope the nights I decided to put away the homework and enjoy an adventure with the roommates, or be present for those around me are the ones I am going to remember instead of what my score was on one exam for one random class.

I am incredibly proud of myself for how hard I work and the results achieved, but I also have to look at what I am sacrificing for these achievements and my motivation behind working so hard for them. Making sure I have my priorities aligned is a huge part of what I want to work on this semester and going forward after graduation.

On a happier note

What helped me to get through the chaos of this past semester was 100% percent who was around me. My roommates, my emotional support sophomore, friends, professors, coworkers, etc., were all there making sure I was okay and doing my best. They each deserve to be saints for putting up with me and making me the best person I can be. From the bottom of my heart, they are who and what I will miss most when I leave SNC in Spring.

Looking Forward

I want to enjoy as much of the next semester as possible, especially the little moments I know I will miss.

Over my college career, so many people on campus have supported and helped me get to where I am today and they are also the people I won’t forget.

My Computer Science Family

This semester has taught me how much I am going to miss the CS department at SNC, especially my emotional support sophomore, Ali. I came into college as a CS major, and I think it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Each professor was always there for support and my classmates made me even slightly enjoy the long nights in the lab. I will miss Christmas time in the lab the most and I will easily say CS is the best department at the college.

Working for Tech Bar

I’ve had the joy of working for the Academic Technology team since my freshman year and for Tech Bar since my sophomore year. I love the whole team and am thankful I’ve been able to work with them for my whole college career. They always know how to make me laugh or lighten my mood during long days. I know it’s very uncommon, so I’m thankful to say when I graduate I’m going to miss my job.

My Roommates

Last but definitely not least are my incredible roommates. I am one of the luckiest people ever that I never had any roommate issues and I’ve only ever roomed with my three current roommates. Coming from someone who has struggled their whole lives with friendships, I know with them, I have found my forever friends. Each of them is the sister I never had and has made me the best version of myself. Living with them is the main reason I want May never to come…


These next few months are going to be filled with many bittersweet moments and I am going to try to do everything possible to soak them all in.

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A Bittersweet Week https://cassienooyen.com/blog/a-bittersweet-week/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/a-bittersweet-week/#respond Fri, 19 Nov 2021 22:15:49 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1749 This past week was full of transitions and senior year setting in a bit deeper. But first, let’s recap the past 12 weeks…

Let’s Rewind

The first twelve weeks of the semester have flown by. They have been filled with many hours of homework, but mainly fun times with friends especially my roommates. Some events have included a variety of Chiara events, SNC day, pumpkin picking, bowling, playing tennis, the last home football game, Halloween, escape rooms, and more!

Now to Present Day

Over the past semester, I have had the honor to be the president of three clubs Chiara (the Catholic Womens Group), Computer Science Club, and Women in STEM. Most days being the president of three clubs was a bit overwhelming, but at the end of the semester, I am officially done. This week, I unofficially finished out my three presidencies as there are newly elected boards for each three. Each club has a special place in my heart, and I’m so thankful that I was given the opportunity to lead them.

The one that has impacted me the most has easily been the Catholic Womens Group, Chiara. I was unexpectedly placed as president last January, and I could never have imagined the impact the club would have on my life and also my relationship with God. I can’t express how thankful I am for the incredible woman that have become some of my best friends. I am excited for one last semester with them but saying goodbye will be hard for sure.

I can’t wait for the next few weeks to finish out my last fall semester of college. It still hasn’t sunk in that I am graduating soon, but each passing day, that reality tends to seep a bit closer to the front of my mind.

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Welcome to Gries 210! https://cassienooyen.com/blog/welcome-to-gries-210/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/welcome-to-gries-210/#respond Wed, 08 Sep 2021 02:14:34 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1661 It has been about a week and a half since moving in for my senior year, so here is a brief overview of my room. Freshman year, I made a pact with Katie that we would live in Gries together again senior year, and I’m ecstatic that dream came true.

Meet the Roommates

From left to right, there is Lauren, the person I met on day one of college and I won’t let her leave me now, Nicole, who is the only reason I passed my math minor and the one always there to witness my brain fried, and Katie, my freshman roommate turned best friend.

A quick overview of my room

Here are a few images of my room in Gries! It happens to be a mix of my past three years all put into one.

The entrance into my room
My bed featuring my rosary hooks and photo wall
My desk set up and wall art
My closet area

There’s a quick view of my room this year! I love being able to relax with my roommates after long days of classes and work and can’t wait for the rest of the semester and this year.

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A Bit of a Life Update https://cassienooyen.com/blog/a-bit-of-a-life-update/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/a-bit-of-a-life-update/#respond Fri, 03 Sep 2021 22:43:12 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1652 I realized that the last time I wrote on here, it was January. A bit has happened since then including ending junior year and this week starting my senior year of college. So here is a very quick recap of some things that have happened in the past six months.

Spring Semester 2021

College in the middle of Covid has been a very different experience but I am so thankful I have been able to have a decently normal end to junior year.

Mass for the Feast of St. Joseph

This Mass was easily one of the highlights of my Junior year. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience and a beautiful memory that I will cherish. This Mass was held on campus at the National Shrine of St. Joseph on the Feast of St. Joseph during the year of St. Joseph which was nationally broadcast on EWTN.

Chiara

2021 started off in a shocking way and thrust me into being the president of the Catholic Women’s group Chiara. Although unexpected, this has been one of the biggest blessings of my college career. The three other people that pulled me through the rest of the semester and always supported me were the other officers: Abby, Ali, and Faith. These women and many more inspire me daily and always remind me to make sure the club is about the Lord and never me.

Art Coursework

I was in two different art courses this past spring: Digital Studio and Design for the Web.

Below is my final project for Digital Studio which recalled the history of video games from 1971 to the present by recreating their start screen on what appears to be the command prompt.

Design for the Web focused on adapting and updating my personal website. While there is still work to be done, I’m excited to see how far it has come.

You can visit my website here.

Dottie Jo’s Baptism

This day had to be the highlight of my junior year (and possibly all of college). I had the absolute blessing of witnessing Dottie Jo’s baptism and officially becoming a Godmother. I can’t wait to watch her grow up and develop her own personal relationship with the Lord.

Summer 2021

I had a fairly busy summer working two jobs and also preparing for senior year. But, I also had some time for fun and a bit of rest before the craziness of the semester.

Working for WPS

Over the summer I had the amazing opportunity to have an internship on one of the IT Application teams for WPS. It was a very different experience having a hybrid position but enjoyed the bit of normalcy it provided.

Poss-Wroble Archive Fellowship

My other job for the summer focused on creating a website for the SNC Math Department catologing the history of undergraduate research projects. This was another excuse to make a website and was a really fun way to learn about some of the history of research in the math department.

You can view the website here.

Visiting Dottie

By far my favorite part of my summer was getting to visit Dottie (and Tara, Rachel, and Ben of course). It was amazing to see how much she has grown over the short amount of time and I can’t wait to get to see her again.

My Prince of Peace Family

Always a highlight of my time at home is coming back to my choir family and friends at Prince of Peace. They have shaped so much of my faith life and it’s always such a joy to be back home. No matter what happens after graduation, I always know I will have a home at Prince of Peace.

Fall Semester 2021

This past week started the fall semester for 2021 and I’m so excited to be back with some of my best friends. This semester I am in Event Programming in Windows (Android Programming), Programming Lanuages, Advertising Design, and Enviornment and Society. It will be a busy semester for sure, but I’m excited as well!

Move-In

I (finally) got to move onto campus on Friday, August 27th, and had a few days to relax and enjoy time with my roommates and other campus activities including the back-to-school picnic and fireworks on Sunday evening. A full room tour will be coming soon!

Last First Day of Classes

Monday was officially my last first day of classes of my undergrad and possibly forever. This year will be bittersweet for sure, but I’m doing my best to enjoy each moment and all of the ‘lasts’ that are coming with it.

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Halfway and Already a Wild Ride https://cassienooyen.com/blog/halfway-and-already-a-wild-ride/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/halfway-and-already-a-wild-ride/#respond Sun, 17 May 2020 17:52:58 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1466 This past week wrapped up my Sophomore year at SNC and what a wild ride it has been over these last two years! The academic year featured two very different semesters in their triumphs and challenges and over the last two years, I have grown so much, especially in my faith.

First Semester

Fall Semester was easily the hardest semester academically that I have been through. I was taking two very hard (and extremely different) math courses and a course in what was the most confusing language ever for me to understand for Computer Science. On top of those I was also in theology which required a lot more reading than I was ready for; I’m also very bad at understanding theological books, so it was another layer of challenge. There were many long nights and so many hours studying in GMS and doing math homework in the basement.

However, some of my favorite memories happened when we were all sleep-deprived, covered in homework, and just so slap happy. Here are my top 10 memories from that fall semester:

  1. Kairos Retreat at the Abbey
  2. Chiara Praise and Worship Adoration Night
  3. Pushing each other with roller chairs down the GMS basement after too many hours of doing Calc homework
  4. Reboot with Chris Stefanick
  5. Katie’s birthday at Red Lobster
  6. Going to the Abbey for Kylie’s birthday for Mass and pizza afterward
  7. Olive Garden with Maria and Blues Clues
  8. Sun peering through the church windows while singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet
  9. Magic School Bus Marathons (almost) every Monday with popcorn
  10. All the Knight Masses and Dales

and so many more moments of crazy pure laughter, joy, and even a few tears with friends.

January Break

I had a lot of fun experiences during the six-week break between the semesters including going back to work at Schreiber!

Other memories include visiting Kelsey and Leah in West Bend and going to Holy Hill, making gingerbread cookies with Eleanor, and making so many rosaries. During this break, I was able to binge-listen(?) to the entire Blessed is She podcast called “The Gathering Place” which has revolutionized my relationship with Jesus and my faith life.

It was a great mini “break” between semesters and a way to refocus my mind before hitting the books again.

Second Semester

As we all know, these past few months have brought us into a whole new set of challenges. I’m going to break the semester up to two different parts because it was two very different experiences. I don’t know if I have any major memories from this semester (sadly most of them were canceled), but here’s a bit of a recap.

The first half of the semester (pre mid-March) was going amazing. I was loving my classes, especially computer science, and was starting to develop some great new friendships. Compared to the first semester, I had so much free time and was really able to grow my faith relationship. It was the first semester that I was able to daily mass and on average spent over twelve hours a week in church. Getting to spend so much time on my relationship with Jesus was truly the highlight of my semester and I loved every minute of it (especially Adoration).

Then suddenly everything changed. In the course of two days my world was flipped upside down. We were being sent home, everything was closing, and so many fun events I was looking forward to were cancelled. Honestly, it was originally such a rough transition. I went from not coming home for spring break because I was supposed to be in South Carolina, to living solely at home and not really leaving the house for the past two months with not much end in sight.

I am very thankful for all that I have and especially that I have a loving family and home to safely come back to; however, this doesn’t mean it was all sunshine and flowers. If you have known me over the past two years, you probably know how much I love St. Norbert with all my heart. During breaks, I am usually counting down the days until I get to go back and see my friends again. So being taken from this environment, especially all the seniors I so deeply love, it took a while to accept and get used to.

Also, online learning is just so different. I took a few online classes during summer in high school and I didn’t love it, but it gave me the opportunity to take other courses I did love during the school year. I am so blessed to love my professors and my classmates and having class without physically being with them was harder than I was anticipating. All my professors did an incredible job with all the work they put in making the transition to online delivery so smooth.

The course that really surprised me this semester was Computer Graphics. Personally, it went better when I was at home versus on campus. I was able to put a bit more effort and work into each project with the extra time I had. The last project was completely up to us and I loved the illustration project so I decided to represent each member of the Holy Family in their own drawings. I spent hours at a time creating them and I just got lost in the design and loved it. You can see the final projects in the header image for the post and I’m super happy with how they each turned out!

Overall, it isn’t the semester I was expecting, but I was able to make the best of (almost) everyday. Not everyday was easy, but I did it! We made it! I can’t wait to (hopefully) be back on campus in the fall with my favorite people.


The biggest change over the past two years has been the development of my faith and especially over the past semester. Looking back two years ago to when I graduated high school, I feel like a completely different person and so much of that is due to falling in love with Jesus more and more each day.

I have loved going to church for a long time, but before college, I think it was more of for a social aspect. Community is a big part of the Catholic Church, but there is so much more. I’m so thankful for a college and so many Catholic communities and resources that have opened my eyes to the so much more that there is.

So many people lose their faith in college because they are no longer forced to go; however, just like the rest of my life, I’ve never been ordinary. I’m so thankful for incredible church families both at home in Prince of Peace and at school in St. Norbert College Parish. Above all, thank you to my incredible friends who push me to a life of holiness each day and help me to fall in love with Jesus more and more.

Each step in the journey isn’t easy; however, it’s possible with Jesus right next to me. Looking back on my life, there are so many moments I thought it was impossible to go on, but looking back, Jesus was right next to me for all of it and protecting me for how much worse it could have been. Without His love, it would have been impossible.

If you would have told me what my life looks like now back when I graduated high school two years ago, honestly even at the beginning of the semester, I probably would have laughed while secretly hoping you were right. A Psalm verse has really stuck out to me recently “Your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105). We don’t get a five year plan from God, and as seemingly nice as that would be, I feel like I would try to follow it so closely I wouldn’t live or I would try to mess it up. But we do get the next step. He lights up the path to give us the next step. Sometimes we need to step out into uncertainty.

I’ve been reflecting on all the incredible experiences that I have had during my time at St. Norbert and how many things went into those experiences that led us to that point. The biggest examples I have of this are my best friends and roommates along with different jobs and presentations I have gotten a chance to work for and attend. How many little and big moments that went into our paths crossing and us deciding to live together or down the hall or in the same major. God truly has put so many incredible people in my life from St. Norbert and I’m so thankful.


Here is a quote that I think perfectly sums up my college career so far:

I’m not where I want to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be

Joyce Meyer

I will forever be grateful for these past two years and how much I have grown and developed thanks to so many caring and loving people in my life. I can’t wait to be back at my second home in fall with some of my favorite people!

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Every Day is Galentine’s Day https://cassienooyen.com/blog/every-day-is-galentines-day/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/every-day-is-galentines-day/#respond Mon, 17 Feb 2020 05:33:17 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1391 Recently, more than ever I have been feeling such support and love from so many people that I am surrounded by. They each have impacted me more than words could ever express. I can never thank every person that has ever helped me on my journey; here are just a few of the friends that make me feel so loved on a daily basis.

Lauren

I don’t even know where to begin. First off, you are able to deal with me for 24 hours a day so hats off to you. I love you so incredibly much and literally can’t imagine life without you at this point. It is so odd to think we have only known each other for 18 months because it feels like you’ve been in my life forever. You are honestly the reason I am still a Computer Science major and as much as I complain, I’m so thankful for that. I love you more than words will ever express and honestly from the bottom of my heart thank you for your friendship.

Katie H.

I am so thankful I responded to your Facebook roommate request on a whim. You will forever be the best first roommate I could have ever asked for. Each day and every text from you makes me so happy and you bring me so much joy. Thank you for being such a big part of my journey to becoming the person I’ve always dreamed of me. Each day you continue to see more in me than I ever could and always bring out the best parts of me. You are living you’re the best life and I’m so incredibly proud of you each and every day. As you’ve told me many times before, ” you are in fact stuck with my friendship eternally.”

Kelsey

It is so incredibly WILD to me that we didn’t have our first real deep conversation until close to March. Ever since then we were inseparable. From faith to childhood to school to everything in between, we talked about it all from that first conversation in the Pennings room. It makes me so incredibly happy to see you living your dreams, even if it means that you are across the country and I only get to see you twice a year. I will forever love our daily highs and lows and I can’t thank you enough for helping me dive headfirst into my faith. Thank you for your endless support and I will never stop loving you (and texting you to bother you to get your incredible advice for my life).

Katie C.

We have only known each other for a few months and I honestly can’t believe that. Thank you for always being my faith and ranting buddy. I love doing praise and worship with you and thank you for introducing me to the Divine Mercy Chaplet. I love being able to make weird faces at you during tuning in band and you never fail to make me smile. If we’ve become this close in such a short amount of time, I can’t wait to see what will come next.

Holly

Honestly, the thing I love the most about you is that you don’t cut me any slack. You always tell it to me straight, and it’s exactly what I always need. Thank you for always keeping me accountable and for forcing me to be happier with the two nice things. I love our meal conversations, especially the weekly Dales run. “I love you. I ain’t ever gonna stop loving you”

Leah

First off, thank you for getting me through Calc 3. Even though I think we can both honestly say we don’t know how we survived last semester, at least we had each other. I will never forget the countless late nights in the basement of GMS, especially rolling whiteboards and chairs down the ramps because “physics”. Here’s to a semester without math!

Eleanor

Every time I am with you, I am always reminded to live life like a child, and I love it so much. I hope you’re enjoying the rest of high school and I love seeing you grow and succeed. FBLA and Baltimore were so incredibly fun with you and I miss it so much. I hope you’re doing well and always remember, there is no replacing me.

Erin

I will never forget our countless sixth lunch band room conversations. It is so odd to me that we really only knew each other for less than a year before you graduated, but we are still so close. Thank you for being there during such a fragile time during my faith and always supporting me through it. I love our dinner dates and the hours we spend talking together. It makes me so happy to see you living your best life and I’m so

Tristin

Thank you for our endless jabber chats and deep conversations in the middle of the partner commons. I miss our days of sitting on the fifth-floor patio frying. Thank you for everything and I’m so glad Schreiber brought us (back) together!

Second Floor of Bergstrom (“Second Floor Sisters”)

From our dinners of 16 to late nights in the lounge, thank you for all of the memories. Each one of you has taught me so much about life and myself and you truly continue to push me into the person I’ve always wanted to become. I miss each of you every day and love our catch up dinners!

Chiara/Catholic Group

I am so thankful that I have such an incredible group supporting me in my faith, especially such a strong group of loving and powerful Women. Thank you for always inspiring me to dive so much deeper in my faith. Each one of you teach me so much and I am forever grateful. Thank you especially to Lydia and Margo for being such incredible Freshman (especially Lydia with your love for Blessed is She).

Liz and Tara

Oh, where to even start…you two are both the devils and angels on my shoulder and I love every part of it. I’m so thankful that you two are my older sisters/second mom. You have been there for so many aspects of my life, from the best days ever to some of the worst and you have always stood right by me. My favorite day was when you yelled at me for cutting an inch off my hair…thank you for always opening your arms to me and loving me anyway.

Rachel (Red)

From not knowing my real name for a few months, to being the best big sister and role model ever. I am so grateful for our friendship and constant support. Thank you for being an incredible example of our faith and always answering my endless questions, especially early on. I am so happy for you and I can’t wait to see what’s to come for both of us!

Spirit Choir

No words will ever be able to thank you. My faith is where it is today because of your foundation. Thank you always for pushing me out of my comfort zone and helping me to go grow so much in the eight years I have been in the choir. Each of you inspires me in such a unique way and I miss you endlessly and can’t wait to see you soon!

FSL Team

I truly have one of the best jobs thanks to all of you. I love the projects we each get to work on and each of our personalities fits perfectly into the FSL plan. Looking back at what we have each accomplished has been incredible and I can’t wait to see what comes next! Thank you all for being such incredible friends and for all of our conversations about life and your support,


I constantly feel surrounded by such love and support and I’m so thankful. Thank you to those who have been in my life for years or even a few months. I am blessed to have such strong support, especially in my faith thanks to many different communities from St. Norbert to nationally. Each day I am growing even more and it is incredible to see the changes in my life over the past few years thanks to each of you! I love each one of you more than words will ever be able to express, and thank you from the bottom of my heart.

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Reflecting on 2019 and the Decade https://cassienooyen.com/blog/reflecting-on-2019-and-the-decade/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/reflecting-on-2019-and-the-decade/#comments Wed, 01 Jan 2020 05:07:33 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1336 Each year of my life seems to be a bit of a roller coaster, and 2019 has been no different. Overall, I would say that 2019 was better than 2018, and each day my goal is to make each day a little bit better than the last.

2019 was filled with countless little moments that have made me smile, from something as little as a sunset or laughing with friends to presenting at educational conferences across the country, many amazing things have happened this year. Overall, each day I am growing and learning and each day I continue to surprise myself with how much I can accomplish when I put my trust in God.

I decided to take a look back on this past year and some of the moments that made it great.

Favorite Moments

Each week I took a few minutes to write down my favorite experiences that week and looking back, here are 19 of my favorite moments/memories

  1. Finishing my second and third semesters of college on the dean’s list
  2. Presenting at the Reclaim Hosting Domain’s Conference in Durham, North Carolina in June
  3. Traveling and attending Digital Pedagogy Lab at the University of Mary Washington for a week in Virginia in August
  4. Moving into St. Joseph Hall for my Sophomore year and getting to live with my best friend Lauren
  5. Attending the Kairos retreat at the St. Norbert Abbey
  6. Chiara Retreat at Rankin Lodge with midnight mass, adoration, and more
  7. Working as a student resource at Schreiber Foods over summer and winter break
  8. Coming back to sing with the Spirit Choir at Prince of Peace and getting to see all my friends again
  9. Hosting an end of the year bonfire at my house for the second floor of Bergstrom
  10. Countless hours of Adoration and praying in front of the Tabernacle and deep talks
  11. Abby’s Confirmation and getting to be her sponsor
  12. Singing “Oceans” as a solo while playing ukulele at my last mass before moving back into school after summer
  13. Kelsey driving up to have dinner with me on my birthday and driving down to go to her birthday party the next day
  14. Interviewing my boss Krissy at the Exchange for the Navigate program
  15. Ziplining with Rachel and Maggie at the NEW Zoo
  16. Going to Reboot with Chris Stefanick
  17. Straightening my hair on a random day in February during a Four Weddings Marathon
  18. 11 pm Shamrock Shake run to get 13 shakes before a snowstorm hit
  19. Falling off my loft the night before finals (okay, maybe not my favorite…)

There are countless more memories and little moments that have happened during this year, and I am thankful for them all because they have made me who I am today. One little thing I started this year was reading the Blessed is She devotion every morning and daily readings, and it really helps me to start my day the right way. I am constantly growing and learning especially from all of those around me.

19 Favorite Songs

Music is a huge part of my life and gets me through many of the stressful moments of my life. For me, is also an incredible way for me to connect to my faith. Here is a very small handful of the incredible songs I have listened to the most this year. I have also really been into a few podcasts including the TryPod from the Try Guys, All Things Internet from Rachel and Gwen Ballinger, and the Gathering Place from Blessed is She.

  1. In Over My Head (Crash Over Me) by Bethel Music
  2. Defender by UPPER ROOM
  3. Truth Be Told by Matthew West
  4. Highlands (Song of Ascent) by Hillsong UNITED
  5. His Name is Wonderful by Chris Tomlin
  6. You Say by Lauren Daigle
  7. Build My Life by Pat Barrett
  8. Control (Somehow You Want Me) by Tenth Avenue North
  9. Church (Take Me Back) by Cocheren
  10. Let It Rain (Is There Anybody) by Crowder
  11. Love Like This by Lauren Daigle
  12. King of My Heart by Bethel Music
  13. So Will I (100 Billion X) by Hillsong UNITED
  14. Is He Worthy? by Chris Tomlin
  15. Fear No More by Building 429
  16. Believer by Rhett Walker
  17. Survivor by Zach Williams
  18. Resurrecting by Elevation Worship
  19. Upper Room by Hillsong Worship

Favorite Sayings

19 quotes is a lot, so here are 9 of my favorites. Some of these might take a bit of explanation, but here are some of my favorite quotes/bible verses over the past year.

  1. God is Greater than the Highs and Lows: Okay, listen. I know this is super cliche and overused, but it has a special meaning in my life especially this past year. Last May, I started to send my highs and lows of each day to Kelsey, one of my best friends and each night while reflecting on my day, this phrase reminds me that no matter what may have happened that day, God is always greater
  2. Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, A son is given to us; And the government Is upon His shoulder; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. This verse is mainly incredibly important to me because of how it ends. Prince of Peace will be forever such an incredibly important place in my life because of the people and all of the incredible experiences. A large majority of my faith can be traced back to Prince of Peace and I will forever be eternally grateful.
  3. Proverbs 31:25: She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future
  4. Psalm 46:5: God is within her she will not fail
  5. My heart is restless until it rests in you -St. Augustine
  6. Romans 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I love that this can be summed up into “I have loved you at your darkness”
  7. Jeremiah 1:5: Before you were formed I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart
  8. Psalm 112:7: She confidently trusts the Lord to take care of her
  9. Esther 4:14: Perhaps this is the moment for which you have been created

I try to have a bible verse or religious quote as my wallpaper on my phone because it helps to relax me every time I look at my phone (which may be a bit too much…). Here are a few of my favorites

Reflecting on the Decade

It is crazy to even try to imagine how much my life has changed over the past decade. This decade has been over half of my life and I was only 9 when it started and in the middle of 4th grade. Since then, I have attended four different schools and have had countless memories in between. If you would have explained a lot of my current life to nine-year-old me, I might have laughed in your face. From my love of Jesus to majoring in Math, many things have changed. Thank you to everyone who has been in my life for all 19 years to even 19 days.

I have also changed a little bit since 2010! Here is my picture recap of the decade

The Change A Decade Can Make

Thank you to every single person around me, especially for countless phone calls, FaceTimes, rant sessions, laughs, and everything in between. There are way more than 19 of you to thank, so thank you to every person in my life. I can’t wait to see what 2020 has in store for me because if I have learned anything, it is that no matter what I expect, God will take me in a whole different (but better) direction than I could have ever imagined.

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Keeping Myself Grounded in God https://cassienooyen.com/blog/keeping-myself-grounded-in-god/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/keeping-myself-grounded-in-god/#respond Fri, 25 Oct 2019 19:04:29 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1300 This past week celebrated two months since moving in for Sophomore year! It has been a wild roller coaster ride for sure, filled with some exhilarating and some exhausting moments, but I think it’s starting to even out a bit.

One of my biggest goals for the past few weeks has been to remain positive and focus on the good. If you know me, you know this can be a real struggle, especially surrounded by the stress that college can be.

The easiest way for me to do this is to give everything to God. Now, this is easy to say but one of the hardest things for me to do. Theoretically it should be easy to trust the God who created you and your life, but honestly, it’s terrifying. I love to have everything planned for weeks, months, and even years in advance and lately blindly trusting has been closer to that plan.

The best way for me to do this is by listening to those around me. I know God has placed each person in my life because each and every day they help bring my relationship back to him and I see his love constantly through them. It could be something as simple as a smile or watching Magic School Bus or laughing over dinner at Dales or sending emails during Theology or life talks while avoiding Calc homework or an hour and a half long phone conversations instead of going to bed. All of these little moments help me remember God’s perfect and unconditional love for me.

One of the biggest transitions this year has not been living with and next to some of my best friends. Last year was truly special and a unique situation and I miss some parts of it. I will say I am not sure how anything got done last year with the countless hours in the lounge and movie nights because now all of my free moments are spent doing homework. However, when I do get to see everyone it is a time I truly cherish and I know if we see each other 5 hours a day or 5 hours a semester we will still remain close. I love them will all of my heart and do truly miss each one of them endlessly.

Another thing I have tried to make a conscious effort about is believing what those around me tell me. I used to think everyone around me was just being nice to my face but secretly couldn’t stand me. It seems crazy, right? Well, my brain told me otherwise. I am now trying to always remember that they aren’t lying to me. They do truly love me and care for me and my success.

This past week during dinner some of my friends gave me what Father Mike would call “my wake up call from God.” It really just consisted of them having a full conversation of telling me what I needed to hear but believe me, I didn’t want to. The conversation focused on one central topic: I complain a lot. Now, this isn’t new at all (see above) but it is something I am trying to work on.

I have found out the root of the problem usually lies in the little moments. The moments that I could easily let annoy me and upset me and ruin my day but that have no real effect on my overall life are where I am trying to find God the most. Instead of complaining I’m trying to breathe and smile and find something good in my life at that moment. Lately, that has been focusing on the beauty outside that is the fall season or spending time in church. These little moments are the times that I find God the most. Simple prayers when I feel stressed instead of complaints are the easiest ways I am trying to ground myself back into my faith.

Here are some photos showing the beauty of fall across campus!

Now, it may seem like my whole life is stressful right now and it sometimes feels that way, but I am still able to get out and have some fun. The main activity I love being involved with is Chiara. It is the Catholic women’s group on campus and I love being able to be the Treasurer and help plan the events. The women in that group constantly help me turn back to God and are continuously teaching me more about my faith while simultaneously becoming some of my closest friends.

I have also had the ability to join pep band and play for the homecoming game last weekend! This was a great relaxing few hours away from homework and brought back loads of memories.

My favorite weekly tradition, however, continues to be Knight Mass and Dales. Each Wednesday at 9pm we celebrate mass in one of the residence halls on the 4th floor in the chapel. It is just a great hour of fellowship with students and centers my focus back on God for the second half of the week. Afterward, we all head to Dales for wing night and just lots of laughs and friendship.

Life can easily become overwhelming and stressful in a blink of an eye, but taking it one minute at a time sometimes is the best option. Always seeing God in the little moments has helped me to relax and trust a little bit more.

As much of a whirlwind that life can seem like, it has become important for me to look back at how far I have come on my life journey. I understand why the phrase is “hindsight is 20/20” but I can honestly say I don’t regret many of the decisions I have made because they continue to be what has shaped me into who I am today and who I am happy I am becoming.

Please do not take this post the wrong way to say “I am a perfect Catholic” and “She has it all together” because I will be the first to tell you that is so far from the truth. I continue to find peace and understanding in my faith and some of the most faithful people in my life are the most broken and I fit right into that fact. In my life I have found that the most stressful moments are the most important to bring myself back into my faith and remind myself what is really important overall.

If you would have told me five years ago how faithful I would be today, I probably would have laughed at you. However, the incredible support around me has helped me grow towards God. Coming to college, many students fall away from their faith, but I am the exact opposite. Because of all of the faith opportunities and people around me, especially the girls in Chiara, I am continuously pushed deeper into my faith, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I honestly never thought I would be in this position in my life, and I still continue to pinch myself sometimes.

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