Books to Read this Winter Break

By Anvi Ranjan

In a fast paced school environment, it can be difficult to find the time to read for leisure. However, winter break is coming up, and with that a whole month of free time and opportunities to explore new hobbies. There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book and a mug of hot cocoa, so here’s a selection of 4 books by women with women-centric themes to keep you busy this Winter. 

1. Becoming by Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama’s Becoming is a memoir of her life, focusing on becoming the first lady and her life beforehand. She discussed her struggles, like being one of the few black women in Princeton and goes on to discuss her life and her changing career aspirations, meeting and supporting Barack Obama while also supporting her own goals, and being a mother. It’s a well written and inspiring book that is worth reading for her insight and values.

2. We should all be feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a work discussing the value and necessity of feminism through anecdotes about her life and stresses the importance of redefining feminism free of the stereotypes surrounding it, unlearning gender norms, and making feminism an open conversation. Her comparison of her experiences in both Nigeria and America paired with her thought-provoking analysis make this an informative and interesting read.

3. The Help by Katherine Stockett

The Help by Katherine Stocket is a novel set in 1960’s Mississippi, and uncovers the story of how black maids in the south were mistreated by the families they worked for and the journalist that wants to share their stories through a book, despite the dangers of writing about them. It uncovers themes of race and gender, and the struggles the women face by being forced to conform to these roles. This novel has been adapted into a successful film as well.

4. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a classic romance novel by renowned novelist Jane Austen. It tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet, who is the daughter of an English gentleman and one of five sisters and her tumultuous relationship with her wealthy suitor, Mr. Darcy. Commonly regarded as one of the great literary classics, it had been adapted time and time again into various media and is celebrated for its humor and relatability through the years.

Thanksgiving Family Recipes

Below are a few Thanksgiving recipes ranging from desserts to casseroles to Grandma’s stuffing! Take a look at what WIB members and their families are making on Thanksgiving.

1. Apple Crumb Pie

Meg Maguire

Ingredients:

4 cups apples (tart)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 pie crust

Topping:

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/3 cup butter

Cooking Instructions:

1) Core, peel and slice apples

2) Mix apples with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg

3) Put in unbaked pie shell

4) Cover with topping mixture

5) Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes

6) Enjoy!

2. Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies 

Callie MacPherson

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup crunchy or smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 bag of hershey kisses of choice (milk chocolate is best)

Cooking Instructions:

1) Mix all the ingredients from butter to egg in a large bowl

2) Sift flour and powdered ingredients into the bowl and mix all of the ingredients together 

3) Roll into balls and coat balls in sugar

4) Bake for 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees

5) Slightly press the hershey kisses into the center of the cookie and push down lightly

6) Let cool and enjoy!

3. Classic Green Bean Casserole 

Josephine Sumner

Ingredients: 

1 can (10 1⁄2 ounces):

Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup 

1⁄2 cup milk 

1 teaspoon soy sauce 

1 dash black pepper 

4 cups cooked cut green beans 

1 1⁄3 cups French Fried Onions 

Cooking Instructions:

1. Stir soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, green beans and ⅔ cups onions in a 1 ½ quart casserole dish.

2. Bake at 350०F. for 25 minutes until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the mixture and sprinkle the remaining onions on top of the casserole 

3. Bake for 5 minutes or until onions are golden brown 

4. Serve and enjoy:) 

4. Grandma’s Turkey Stuffing

Julia Whelan

Ingredients:

6 turkey thighs

3 onions

Large bunch of celery

1 box Bell’s seasoning

3-4 boxes turkey broth/stock

4 boxes Ritz Crackers

3-4 eggs

Cooking Instructions:

1. Sprinkle turkey thighs with Bell’s seasoning, then cover with chopped onion and 4 ribs of chopped celery.

2. Pour 3 boxes of turkey broth in the bottom of the pan.  Cover with foil; roast for 1 & 1/2 hours.  

3. Remove foil; roast for 20 additional minutes, uncovered.  Remove from oven. Let cool, then skin and bone the meat. Cut meat into small pieces.  Set aside, along with leftover broth from the pan. 

4. Dice two additional onions and 4-5 ribs of celery.  Sauté both in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. 

5. Crush 4 boxes of Ritz crackers.  

6. Add turkey meat, sautéed celery & onions and the broth from turkey thighs to large mixing bowl. 

7. Add 3-4 Beaten eggs and more turkey broth if needed, and stir until blended well. Then add Bell’s seasoning to taste.  Don't over season.  

8. Put in large baking pan & cover with foil & bake in oven at 375 degrees for 3-4 hours. 

Remove foil & stir.  Put back in oven uncovered, roast for 20 additional minutes.  

9. When the Thanksgiving turkey is ready, add drippings from the turkey to the stuffing.  

10. Mix well.  

5. Peanut Butter Pie

Rachel Hall

Ingredients:

Graham cracker crust

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 package (4 oz) cream cheese

8 oz container of cool whip

Reece’s & Heath Bar

Cooking Instructions:

Blend ingredients with mixer

Crush reece’s & heath bar 

Stir some into mixture, put the rest aside

Pour mixture into crust

Sprinkle rest of the candy on top

Freeze & eat!!

6. Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Mari Krivelow

Ingredients: 

1 lb. Ground beef

1 onion, grated or chopped fine

½ cup bread crumbs or matzo meal

¼ tsp. Salt

1 egg

1 can (10.5 oz.) tomato soup

1 small (8 oz.) can jellied cranberry sauce oil

Cooking Instructions: 

Mix together beef, egg, onion and salt.  Add bread crumbs and mix thoroughly. Heat small amount of oil in pot.  Make balls from beef mixture and drop in oil. Be careful not to let oil splash up and burn you.  Brown on all sides. When all the meatballs are browned, add the soup right from can and the cranberry sauce.  Break the sauce and stir occasionally until all is dissolved. Once bubbly, cook for 45 minutes. 

7. Sweet Potato Casserole

Olivia Bishop

Filling

2 ½  pounds of sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons of butter

½  cup of brown sugar

½  cup of 2% reduced fat milk

1 egg

½  teaspoon of salt

½  teaspoon of vanilla extract 

Topping

1 ¼  cups of crushed cornflakes cereal 

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

1 tablespoon of melted butter

1 ¼  cups of mini marshmallows

8. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Danni Orlando

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of oil 

1 1/2 cups of sugar

1 egg

1 can pumpkin 

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups of flower

1 teaspoon baking soda and baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon nutmeg and cinnamon 

Small bag of chocolate chips or chunks 

Cooking Instructions:

Add ingredients to a large bowl and mix

Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes

Professor Erin Tierney: Event Planning

Professor Tierney teaches for our Hospitality & Tourism Management Program here at Isenberg, specifically classes geared toward event planning. During this meeting, Professor Tierney spoke about her career path in event planning and how she got to her position today.

Tierney’s career path led her to travel all around the world. She began in Ireland as a graduate student but eventually ended up working in California, Hong Kong, Australia, and Denmark taking on many different roles.

• Direct Management Group

• Film Producer

• Hong Kong Tourism Board

• Australian Tourist Commission

• Visit Denmark

• Tumlare

• Worldwide Events

What is Event Planning? Tierney describes Event Planning as planning an event from conception to clean up, coordinating all aspects of event, and making sure everyone has fun. The skills needed for event planning include 

• Excellent time management skills

• Passion and enthusiasm

• Interpersonal skills

• Flexibility

• Energy

• Eye for detail

Tierney also provided us with recommendations with how to work towards a career in event planning. Event planning takes a lot of creativity, but also adaptability when things don’t always go as planned. Some of her suggestions include:

• Get involved

• Network

• Join a club or association

• Try different jobs/internships

• Try different hobbies

• Challenge yourself

• Continue to learn

• Listen

If you have any questions about event planning or want to learn more from Professor Tierney, feel free to reach out to her at etierney@isenberg.umass.edu!

5 Tips to Empower Female Entrepreneurs

By Cailee Burke 

Below are five empowering tips designated for women who seek to become female entrepreneurs, since female entrepreneurship is quickly growing, and many women seek guidance. 

Tip 1: Do not be afraid to fail. In order to grow, you must move outside of your comfort zone. Do not let failure impact your self worth or confidence, everyone fails, it is apart of life. Failure will set you on the right path to succeed, since you will learn from your mistakes. 

Tip 2: Ask for feedback. Feedback is a necessary component of validating a business. In depth research can help you understand what customers want and do not want from a product. Remember to read reviews, find articles, and interview customers. Doing so will help you determine your competition’s strengths and weaknesses, which you will inevitably use to your advantage. 

Tip 3: Define your goals and go for it. This is pretty simple. Identify what you wish to accomplish and include the necessary steps to get there. Goals should be things that you’re passionate about, and reflect basic morals that you stand for. Your goals should reflect what you want to get out of your life and how you want to impact the world around you. Remember to reflect on previous goals and past successes. 

Tip 4: Get support. As time goes on, you must seek out support from other individuals, since entrepreneurship can get a little lonely. This support will make the process less overwhelming and you will also learn new things from others that you previously never knew before. Try to build a support system. This support system can include friends, family, other entrepreneurs or individuals who work for various businesses. Make sure these relationships are authentic as well. 

Tip 5: Avoid the “haters.” Every business gains a great deal of attention from potential consumers, however, some people will only have negative feedback. Although this feedback can be disheartening, it is important to recognize that not everyone is going to like your business, and that is okay. Try to tune out the “haters” and instead focus on making your brand the best that it can be for you. Some of the negative feedback that individuals will give you will be helpful, but some of it will not. 

Recognize what aspects of your business you should change, and what aspects you should keep, regardless of what others say. 

“She believed she could, so she did” - R.S. Grey.

How to Study Effectively

By: Riley Carter

College academics are like a rollercoaster. One week you may find that you have nothing to do and no tests to study for, and the next week you have 5 tests, a paper and a project all due within 2 consecutive days of each other. Here are some studying tips to help you become your most productive self: 

Be Organized

Tests and papers can seem like they come out of nowhere. Keep up with your homework every week, make sure to check Moodle or your planner for what’s coming soon to prepare yourself. 

Keep Your Room Clean

Different from mind organization, how organized your room is can dictate how well you study. Studies show that working in your room is most effective in a clean environment, free of distractions. 

Go to Office Hours

Whether the hours are for your Professor or your TA, go. Even if you don’t think you need to go, go. They will help with any questions you may have about the test material, the test format, or on what the most effective way to study is for that class specifically. 

Listen to a Specific Playlist 

Studies show that listening to a certain playlist when you sit down to study trains your brain to associate that music with working. It can help put your brain in the working mindset to achieve effective studying. 

Study in Spurts 

Don’t cram in three nonstop hours of studying till you take a break. Studies show that the best way to study is to use twenty-minute intervals for work then take a 5-10-minute break. Doing this allows your brain’s attention span to utilize it’s time wisely to study effectively. 

Feed. Your. Brain.

Many students, when cramming, forget to take care of themselves because they are so busy studying. Make sure that you consistently eat meals and drink water to provide the nutrients your body needs as well as your brain needs for optimal focus. 

Sleep, Sleep, Sleep! 

Another habit many college students have is skimping on their sleep. Make sure to set boundaries as to when you go to bed and wake up. Try to stick to at least 8 hours a night. It may be hard to put your books down, but sleep is more important! Sleep helps your brain to process what you learnt that day so the next day, you’re more likely to remember it! 

Set Small Goals. 

If you have 6 different things due in one week, it is very likely that you will be stressed. Look at the small picture, instead of the big one. Pick your hardest task and tackle that first. Then check it off your to-do list. Complete the second hardest task next, and so on and so forth. 

Focus on Your Notes

Your notes can make or break a good grade in a class. Dedicate time to organizing your notes in a manner that helps you to understand the material while making it easy for you to review them later. Every day, look over your notes just to reiterate to your brain what you learned that day. 

Keep Going

Sometimes, you’re going to make mistakes and fail. But that’s okay. You have to pick yourself up and keep working. Grit and determination are qualities that employers look for in candidates for internships. Start creating habits that help cultivate those skills and watch as the positive results roll in.