My Best Friend

We have all had a BFF at one time or another. And I like to say that I have a lot of people in my life I consider my best friends. One of my newest best friends is Converse's school of music piano curator, Benny Mixon. Benny Mixon has become a cheerleader, best friend, confidant, and grandpa for so many at the school of music. Benny has been there to hold me as I cry after a fight with my best friend or an awful clarinet lesson. But he has also been at every performance to congratulate me on a job well done. He is there to pick me and my friends up at night to go to Dairy Queen when we need a study break and he is there to remind us that the boy that broke our heart was a "good for nothing boy" when we need a man.

Benny Mixon

I think what makes Benny so special is that he sees the potential in each and every one of us. He sees the beauty that is sometimes hidden beneath a cloud of uncertainty and lack of confidence. But most of all he has a wealth of knowledge and advice that he is more than willing to share. It doesn't hurt that he also has a stash of peppermint patties and sodas in his den.

Biltmore Trip

Sophomore Ring Ceremony

Freshman year both my parents were battling cancer and as an only child it was very stressful to be so far away from my family. Seeing the stress I was carrying around Benny opened up to me about his own struggle with the disease. Benny has been battling cancer for the past many years and likes to joke that the chemo has made him one of the girls because he often becomes very weepy. But I think that instead of making him one of the girls it makes him what a girl needs. We don't need men to be one of the girls and swap cry stories with us, but we would like men to sympathize and feel with us the sadness or anger that we are struggling with. We need more than a pat on the back and an "I'm sorry." We want someone to say "I know exactly how you feel and it sucks." Benny feels so strongly every emotion within himself and those that he sees the girls at Converse feeling. This emotional connection helps make him who he is and what makes him so special to so many people.
I pray for the day that he is cancer free, but thank God for blessing him with a special gift to connect with so many of us lost and scared girls. Love always to my best friend <3

Germany 2012

Candid group photo

Wine Tasting

Girls day in Obernai

View from an old monastery

Traditional German farmhouse

Chapel of Tears at a monastery

Mrs. Beate celebrating her birthday with a traditional German cake

Willkommen nach Deutschland

By far one of the most exciting things that happened this past school year was that I traveled to Germany for eleven days to perform in a Bach music festival. And can I just say how beautiful Germany and all of its people are. My friend Kathleen and I stayed with a host family in Achern, Germany. The Wossner's are some of the most loving people I have ever met. Mr. Wossner took the entire trip off from his work as a pediatrician so that he could travel with us on our day trips. Mrs. Wossner was a terrific host and a librarian in their town. And Sarah Kate, their daughter, became our guide to the teen life in Germany. How many people can say they went to a teen club and listened to boys rap in German?

Mrs. Beate, Sarah Kate, Kathleen, and I after our final performance

Mr. Markus, Kathleen, myself and Mrs. Beate on a hike

I cannot thank the SOA faculty enough for giving me this opportunity. I have made life long friends and had performance opportunities not many others have had the chance to do. This trip definitely bit me with the travel bug. I hope to return to Germany and visit Sarah while she is at school. I will also be going to Argentina for two weeks in January 2014.

Some advice:If you ever have the chance to travel, do it! And stay with a host family, they will become a family away from home.

Memories of Debate

Meeting the Diplomat of Oman

In Front of the White House

In the Middle of Debate

SERMAL

A Break at Conference

Me and My Senior Partner Amber

Love/Hate Relationship

   Talking about Taylor Casey made me realize I could probably write two or three or twenty posts about model league. I promise I won't though, especially because it would be a lot of ranting.
   Let me begin by saying it is most definitely a love/hate relationship. So if you hear me rant about it and ask "why do it?" The answer is because even with all the stress and anger that often comes with it I love debating and I love the girls. But what Model League is, is a debate team where we simulate the Arab League and NATO. Every team represents a different country and each delegate or pair researches specific topics that their committee will then discuss and write resolutions on. So in case you couldn't guess that means conferences are made up of primarily men and politics majors. I am always the minority in some way.
   And let me tell you something about being a woman at these conferences: MEN HATE LOSING TO WOMEN!!!! Even with the sometimes apparent prejudices most people are willing to work with you if you are interested and know what's up.
  So that was the bad but here is the good. The girls on our team and many of the people at the conferences have become very dear friends of mine. My senior partner, Amber, and my junior partner, Taylor, have become sisters. I also have become so much more confident in my abilities of persuasion and public speaking. And who doesn't want to meet diplomats from Oman, Luxembourg, France, etc?

If you asked me if you should join a debate team my answer would automatically be yes, but be prepared to feel hurt and angry. You will also feel like a more affluent person in your knowledge on world views.

Freshman Pinning

You might hear me say this a lot, but all of Converse's traditions are beautifully significant. After Big Sis/Lil Sis week where you become a Pink Panther or a Red Devil depending on whether you enter on an even or odd year, the school year continues with tons of events including 1889 Spirit Week, Peppermint Ball, Montgomery by Moonlight, Lessons and Carols, Founders Day, and finally Freshman Pinning.







Gwen and I at Freshman Pinning 2012

Freshman Pinning is the first time you receive the signet of Converse College. This ceremony is a time for you and your family to reflect on how far you have come. One of the most exciting parts of the ceremony is that every freshman picks anybody at Converse who they believe have impacted them the most in this year to pin them. For me I chose one of my dear friends, Gwen. Gwen and I met because of the large amount of time we both spent in the music school but also because we were both heavily involved with the theater department. Gwen, both our roommates, and myself became inseparable freshman year. She was and is one of my dearest friends. And in return for her impacting me, my roommate and I also pinned Gwen and Rebecca(Gwen's roommate). These two seniors had some how managed to miss freshman pinning four years ago and it just didn't feel right to let them leave Converse without participating in this tradition.
One of the most exciting things about freshman pinning is that it came full circle for me this year. This past year as an upperclassmen on the Model League debate team I was partnered with a freshman, Taylor Casey. Taylor and I were very much alike. My freshman year on the debate team I was very timid and on the backburner of high performers because of my quietness despite my excellent research. And this was true for Taylor Casey and so we worked together the whole school year which is rather unusual. Generally a freshman will switch partners to get different debate styles, but Dr. Dunn (our team advisor) with some push from me felt it was best to keep us together. As the year progressed I saw Taylor blossom into a young woman growing in confidence and was so excited when she asked me to pin her. 

 

Taylor Casey and I at Freshman Pinning 2013

Sister's Keeper

One thing Converse College loves more than empowering women is traditions. I mean, honestly, if there is a season or a reason we have a tradition for it. One of my favorite traditions is Big Sis/Lil Sis. Because we are an all women's college we don't have traditional sororities like many universities. However, students noticed that the most beneficial aspect of participating in a university is the bond of sisterhood. So we created a stronger bond of sisterhood by having Big Sis/Lil Sis. Every freshman gets a big sister in the junior class that for a whole week in September surprises them with gifts and clues. The week ends with a huge reveal and an everlasting friendship. And in two months I will follow the legacy of adopting three freshmen as my little sisters. 


Big Sis, me, and Twin

Besides having a Big Sis who knows the ropes of being a music education major I found two amazing roommates, one of which continues to be my roommate. The ladies I have met at Converse undertake the meaning of being their "sister's keeper." Regardless of relationship with someone in need it is important for women to help each other especially as we continue to face prejudice throughout the world.



 

Roommates Freshman Year

  

Sister's Keeper





Catch Up

It is hard to believe I am going to be a JUNIOR!!! That means two amazing years have already past at Converse College. Which means I have over 24 months that I need to catch up on. As one of my idols, Julie Andrews, would say "Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start."

Hope and me

I would be lying if I didn't say Converse found me. Senior year of high school I was pretty set in becoming a Hurricane at the University of Miami and applied to a few other colleges because I knew I was supposed to. Converse College showed up to lunch one day at my high school and my best friend since the fourth grade, Hope, convinced me to talk to the Admissions officer. Colby Sanders, the Admissions officer, had some how already found Hope but soon convinced me, with the promise of dinner at Mellow Mushroom, to come visit Converse. A few months later, it became clear that University of Miami was out of reach when it came to scholarships and so my decision was between USC (University of South Carolina) and Converse. I literally did not choose until the final day for FAFSA, but days before it became clear that Converse College was always on the tip of my tongue.

Months later I started my first semester at college four and half hours away from my parents. As an only child and someone who hadn't been away from home for more than a month (when I went to Cove Camp with a friend) this was such a scary thought. I had stepped up into the primary caretaker in my household during the summer as both my parents underwent treatment for cancer and the thought of them fending for themselves was...terrifying!
 
I quickly found, however, that with some prayers, phone calls home, and a little help from my friends both me and my parents were taken care of.
 

Introducing Me

So it feels a bit weird to be describing myself, since who knows I might be the only one that ever reads this. But here it goes...
   

My name is Chloe Spitzer and I am a 19 year old [almost 20] purusing my many passions while at Converse College. If you haven't heard of Converse, it might be because it is an all women's college. And attending Converse is probably one of the best decisions I have ever made. I've been able to try so many different things and meet some of the women who undoubtedly will change the world.

 I mean how many people majoring in music education--a degree of 140 hours--can say they are doing an add-on degree of special education, been on a debate, performed in a Bach music festival in Germany, and is going to Argentina in January? My guess is not many.

And this blog is to document some of those adventures. Enjoy