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 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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Remember Whose You Are https://cassienooyen.com/blog/remember-whose-you-are/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/remember-whose-you-are/#respond Sun, 24 Jan 2021 22:50:04 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1601 The past couple of weeks and well the past year have been challenging to say the least, and it is so easy to get caught up in the drama of the world. So often, I feel lost in that noise, especially on social media, and it becomes incredibly important to take a few minutes and focus on the one voice that matters.

One quote I have come back to lately has been incredibly important to me:

Listen to the voice calling you beloved

Henri J.M. Nouwen 

This quote led to the creation of my newest art piece over break.

Beloved is a strong contender for my favorite word in the Bible. I love the reminder it brings every time I read it: I am deeply and dearly loved by God. Also, no matter how I feel about anyone else, they are also deeply beloved.

I also have begun to see the word beloved instead as “be-loved”. When days are hard, I need to take time to relax and be held by my Heavenly Father and the Holy Family.

My deepest identity has and always will be as a beloved daughter of God. This art piece is a great simple reminder to look at each morning when I wake up and each night when I go to bed.

With all of the noise in the world, take some time to focus on the voice calling you His beloved daughter or son.

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2020: the Highs and the Lows https://cassienooyen.com/blog/2020-the-highs-and-the-lows/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/2020-the-highs-and-the-lows/#respond Thu, 31 Dec 2020 17:14:01 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1586 Unless you have been living under a rock this whole year, it is no surprise to anyone that this year was not like anything we expected. However, I am incredibly thankful for this year and some of the challenges it did bring. With that being said, I am also incredibly thankful that my life was not horribly changed or affected by our current circumstances.

As many of you may know I love to share my “highs and lows” of each day to a few friends and I have been keeping track of them each week as a sort of recap. For me, I love being able to look back on the good and bad of each day.

With that being said, here is a look back at my 2020 with the 20 highs and the lows.

Highs

  1. Going to West Bend to visit Kelsey and Leah
  2. Teaching religion class with Tara and Liz
  3. Watching the Blessed is She Restore Retreat
  4. Rachel’s Bridal Shower
  5. Mass for the Solemnity of St. Joseph (the last one before quarantine)
  6. Virtual Triduum retreat that Kylie led
  7. Making Holy Family illustrations for my Computer Graphics course
  8. Getting to work for the SNC IT department for summer on a variety of fun projects
  9. Dinner at Erin’s and her asking me to be her maid of honor for her wedding in the summer of 2022
  10. Eleanor’s Confirmation during Mass and getting to be her sponsor
  11. Dr. Pankratz and Dr. McVey’s (two of my computer science professors) wedding with Lauren and other Computer Science majors
  12. Finding out Red and Ben are expecting their first little girl in January
  13. Fox River walks with Leah and Lauren looking at houses we want
  14. Tuesday and (most) Thursday mornings with 6:30 am Mass and sunrise rosaries with Leah and laughing through many of them
  15. Katie’s 21st birthday celebration at a cabin in Friendship, WI
  16. Chiara Christmas and Dance Party
  17. Finishing the whole semester on campus and coming home at Thanksgiving
  18. Finishing my Marian Consecration on the feast of the Immaculate Conception
  19. Christmas Shopping with Katie and eating at Olive Garden
  20. Singing for Christmas Eve Mass

Lows

  1. Great Grandpa Gordy’s funeral
  2. Long work hours last winter while working three jobs at once
  3. Finishing work at Schreiber and having to say goodbye to some great coworkers
  4. Trying to balance a healthy faith life and homework and other roles as a student
  5. Eleanor needing surgery and having to postpone her Confirmation
  6. Getting really sick at the end of February and needing to skip a class to sleep
  7. Uncle Gary passing away
  8. My TRIPS Service Trip in South Carolina being canceled
  9. Having to say goodbye to all my friends
  10. Not being able to hug anyone
  11. All of COVID and being scared to go anywhere
  12. Finishing spring semester online
  13. Not being able to go to Mass for over two months
  14. The Lauren Daigle concert I was planning to go to with Kelsey for our 20th birthdays was postponed
  15. Schreiber canceling their summer program, meaning I couldn’t come back
  16. Giving away my childhood piano (it was both good and bad)
  17. Really bad sunburn from a beach trip that I still have bad tanlines from
  18. Working from home really challenged my motivation
  19. Withdrawing from my first college course
  20. Losing my favorite rosary

This year really forced me to slow down and focus on what is really important and appreciate the little moments. For me, that meant a much deeper relationship with Jesus and the Holy Family. In May, on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, I consecrated myself to St. Joseph, and then in December, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I consecrated myself to Mother Mary. For many days, my favorite part was my morning rosary. I decided to do a 54-day novena for Lent and once we went into quarantine I decided not to stop and it has been over 300 days since starting.

Many of my recent Advent nights have ended just like the image at the top of the photo, with my Bible, a candle, my rosary, and virtual Adoration. I have loved this time at the end of each day to slow down and relax and end my day with what is really important in life.

One of my goals this year was to read the Bible each day after never having read a book start to finish. I started last Advent by reading a chapter of Luke a day starting on December 1st and ending on Christmas Eve. Since then I have finished 22 books and am currently reading Sirach. Next year, I want to finish up the New Testament and dig a bit into Isaiah.

Overall, 2020 made me appreciate the little moments. The moments of joy when I could see the light in the darkness and smile through it all. One of my favorite moments during (almost) every Mass was when Em and I would wink at each other during the sign of peace; it always made me smile and remember how lucky I was to be at school surrounded by my friends. During quarantine, I loved it when I would go for morning rosary walks around the block and get to enjoy the beautiful weather this summer. Another activity I’ve loved while at home is playing cards with the family most Friday nights.

I know this is probably a unpopular opinion, but I’m thankful for 2020; it forced me to slow down and appreciate what I have and who is around me.

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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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The Four Rs https://cassienooyen.com/blog/the-four-rs/ https://cassienooyen.com/blog/the-four-rs/#respond Mon, 27 Apr 2020 01:40:52 +0000 https://cassienooyen.com/blog/?p=1443 Photo by Blessed is She

I know I’ve been posting a lot more frequently lately but Jesus and the Holy Spirit are so good and I just feel so compelled to share.

I am rewatching a Virtual Bible Study (VBS) with Blessed is She and they discussed an easy way to share the Gospel, the 4 Rs. Below is an incredible (and simple) way explained by Beth Davis to share and understand the Good News of the Gospel.

  1. Relationship – We were created to be in an unbroken relationship with God the Father.
  2. Rupture – We ruptured that relationship through sin. Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden and we rupture our personal relationship with the Lord through sin every day.
  3. Restore – Jesus came to the Earth to restore that relationship with the Father by dying on a cross for you, for me, for us.
  4. Respond (or Recieve) – We have to respond by receiving that sacrifice. We receive His life for our life and we give Him our lives in response to that sacrifice.

Here is the full video (with some cool hand motions)! The conversation begins around 29:30

It may not seem like it but I’m always so terrified to share my faith because for so long I felt ashamed and was made fun of it for it. Praise the Lord that He has put so many supportive and amazing people in my life now. And just looking back at my life, I just fully see God’s hand in it because nothing in my life is the same since encountering the personal love of God. I’ve changed so much since going to college and so much of it for the better because of Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

I can be afraid to share but God is just too good and I can’t hold it in any longer. The world is filled with so much uncertainty and hopelessness right now, fill yourself with some joy and hope! If you are curious or want to start or rekindle your relationship with Jesus Christ please reach out to me! I’d love to video call you (during quarantine) or buy you a coffee (post quarantine). Friends, He can and will change your life the same way he changed mine.

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