Welcome to "Let's Talk Choctaws!" 

Allow us to introduce ourselves, 

I'm MEEBY, I'm a senior from Vicksburg, MS. I'm majoring in English writing, and I've been working for the Sports Information Department since my sophomore year. It's become a huge part of my life. I've had so much fun helping out at different athletic events!

I'm KIENNA and I'm a sophomore here at MC. I am majoring in journalism and came to MC from my home in Alberta, Canada. I am part of the work-study program for the Athletic Department on campus and have learned so much through being at Choctaw games about how the USA does their sports, especially football. I look forward to this next semester and the changes it will bring.

Now as we wait for it to be safe to resume sports, we're going to be bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at what some of your favorite student athletes are up to during the week. We hope through this blog you can get to know them outside of their sport. They are so much more than the number on their back or colors they represent. Each of their stories is unique and special and we are excited to share them with you.

This week, however, we thought we'd share with you what a week in our lives looks like.
 

KIENNA'S blurb here:

"I am beyond excited to be back in MC. I was able to get back into Canada after the school shut down in March before they closed the border due to Covid-19. I spent 5 months at home and then made the 37-hour drive back to Mississippi. I am very fortunate and grateful to be able to be back on campus as I know many international students were not able to return and are still in their home countries due to Covid-19 closing borders across the globe.

This semester has already been busy for me, both with social and school activities. I am President of Students for Life on campus, a reporter for the Collegian, and now a blog writer. My week has been filled with church, classes, studying, planning for future zoom meetings for students for life, writing articles, and the occasional phone calls to friends and family back home.  I am excited to get back into the campus ministry of RUF this year and be able to come together as a Christian community to share the gospel. Starting this semester with a mix of hybrid classes and activities outside of school has allowed me to create a schedule that changes everyday. Getting to meet with people has been slightly challenging but I have enjoyed the one-on-one conversations and the tighter groups on campus drawing people together safely so that we can meet new people and connect with old friends."
 

MEEBY'S blurb here:

"It's been quite the adventure to begin my senior year in the midst of a pandemic. I'm very excited about all of my classes, though, and most of the time I forget I'm even wearing a mask. The class I'm most looking forward to this year would probably be Advanced Research and Composition. I have wanted to take this class for so long, and now it's finally here. Wish me luck choosing a topic!

Another unexpected thing this year is watching playoff hockey in August. I'm a huge fan of the Boston Bruins, and it's been very fun to watch them even as they play in an empty arena. At time of writing this, they are down 3-1 in the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, (which would not have happened if they would have put in Bjork, and yes you can quote me on that.) I really hope they can pull through, but we'll just have to wait and see. As an aside, it has been really nice to see so many leagues bring attention to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement. There are some things that are just so much bigger than sports. 

Another great part of being back at school is getting reconnected with my church family at First United Methodist Church Clinton, which I have been attending since my freshman year. Since we are still being cautious about protecting our most vulnerable members, we are still having online services on Sunday. However, our College and Career group has been having socially distanced meetings, and it's been wonderful to get back together with that group. Last Wednesday, we had chicken spaghetti and talked about what it was like for us during quarantine. Soon we will be starting a Bible study called "Adulting," which talks about different challenges that young adults face and what the Bible says about how to face those challenges.

I've also been trying to stay active while keeping my distance from others, so I've been biking at the Rez. Here are a couple pictures I've taken!

 

Thank you for reading, and be sure to check back next week for our first guest: Cole Benoit!