TGIF: 5 Amazing Sights in the Past Year at Grantham University
I've watched this video several times and still can't wrap my mind around how this guy pulled off such an amazing magic trick.
Our previous TGIF Videos of the Week have featured a variety of motivating, inspiring and comical topics. We've yet to feature a magician - until now, of course.
In the video you're about to see, a man somehow makes a kitten appear in front of a cafe. The craziest part is that the little kitty appears in the man's hand, out of thin air. Just in time for the weekend, enjoy our latest crazy video of the week:
Maybe the cat came out of the window of the restaurant. Even if it did, that was one heck of a magic trick. The way he made everything come together in a totally believable way was nothing short of amazing.
This trick made me reflect on my past year and four months of working at Grantham University. While I haven't seen any magic tricks (I suppose I'm holding out hope on that one), I've certainly come across some amazing situations. Much of the reason for my amazement stems from our students, who never cease to put life into better perspective for me.
With that in mind, here are five amazing sights I vividly recall from my time at GU in the past 16 months:
1. Grantham's Commencement Ceremony
Grantham's 2012 Commencement Ceremony was one of the more memorable sights I can recall in my time as social media manager at GU. A joyous gathering of proud graduates, friends and family members took place on Aug. 10, 2012, at the Kansas City Convention Center. That day represented the culmination of many years of hard work and sacrifice by our students and their families, and it showed on the faces of several GU graduates. The turnout was spectacular, as shown below:
2. "Show Us Your Ink" tattoo contest
Holding our Facebook tattoo contest - "Show Us Your Ink" - in November 2012 produced a variety of intriguing and memorable sights. We had some amazing nominations, including tattoos that featured former Poison lead singer Bret Michaels and pride for specific U.S. military branches. In the end, Jovaneth's tattoo, which featured the Marine Corps' motto of 'Semper Fidelis,' along with the arrow, globe and anchor, won the contest.
3. Student support, encouragement on social media
If you haven't checked out our social media channels, we would love for you to join the conversation in our online communities! In managing the operation of these channels, it's been fun for me to see the encouragement, support and interaction GU students share with one another. Take this question on Facebook, for instance, which asked students their inspiration for pursuing an online degree. The responses were great and will resonate with me for a long time.
4. Toys for Tots
At the end of 2012, Grantham employees raised over $4,000 in donations for the Toys For Tots Foundation, a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve program that distributes toys as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children around the holidays. The money was used to purchase 491 toys for children. GU gathered the toys in one place at the Kansas City office and this picture has stuck with me ever since:
5. Talon
Talon, Grantham's mascot, has become somewhat of a Facebook superstar in the GU community these past few months. We've taken a few photos of the friendly Fighting Eagle, and our students have shared the love with him in the form of "Likes." Here's one of the memorable pictures of Talon pretending to answer phone calls in the GU offices:
I'm excited for more amazing images to stick with me in 2013 as I continue to interact with the GU community online and through social media. Thanks, students, for making this a memorable ride!
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About the author: Eric Sorrentino joined Grantham University as Social Media Manager in October 2011. Prior to that, he blogged about Big 12 Conference athletics for KUsports.com and was a sports copy editor for the Lawrence Journal-World. Eric received his bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.