Warrior Fresh Content

Written By: Abigail O’Keefe

As hospitality brands move beyond screen and surface-level identities, designers are embracing physical space, atmosphere, and escapism to create experiences that can’t be replicated. See how Graphic Designer Jaime Sullivan uses this to stay in the game and keep her clients on top.

In a world shaped by Artificial Intelligence and the demand for immediate results, many companies turn to automated generators instead of designers. Logos have become just logos, and brands just brands. Jaime Sullivan, Graphic Designer and owner of Greater Than, pushes back against this mindset. Rather than creating surface-level identities, she builds immersive brand experiences that transform how people feel in a space. 

Imagine you’re on vacation on Cape Cod. You spend your days exploring, dining out, and soaking in the atmosphere. But when you return to your hotel,  something feels off. The room is bland, the lobby is uninspired, and suddenly the magic of vacation fades. Jaime aims to eliminate that disconnect. Through what she calls “ Transcendental Design,” she transforms hotels and restaurants by giving them complete transformations that feel like destinations themselves. 

Jaime earned her degree in Graphic Design at Middlesex College and has been designing professionally for about 25 years. In her early designing years, she worked in marketing and sales design for a mortgage company before moving to a packaging company specializing in white-label and private-label products. There, she gained hands-on experience working with multiple brands and learned how to design beyond the flat surface, considering how visuals wrap, fold, and exist in a dimensional space.

At the packaging company, Jaime worked with brands such as T.J. Maxx, Tahari Home, Tommy Bahama, and BJ’s Wholesale, creating their private-label product lines. This experience pushed her further into retail and environmental design. After rebranding Sal’s Pizza, she was asked by Lapoil Company to design the interior for their Shops. Despite not being an interior designer, she took on the challenge, proving that graphic design thinking could successfully turn into a physical space. 

Though she has had her own Graphic Design business for years, Jaime’s work for the past eight years has evolved into what she defines as Transcedental Design, “a space-oriented, escapism-driven, through graphic design, and how that influences the whole project, it’s big picture thinking. It gets people out of just thinking about the logo, because that’s where branding is leading.” Working closely with hotel and restaurant owners, Jaime has taken the idea of taking the brand off the screen and into a built environment. 

When asked if color was an important factor leading into the brand, she responded that “Color is probably the most efficient driver of how a brand feels,” noting that different palettes communicate different price points and experiences. A playful, energetic color scheme can signal accessibility, while rich tones paired with tactile materials, like gold foil, mixed metals, wood, and embossing, can elevate a brand’s perceived luxury. 

Jaime’s first major hospitality project was Freebird Motor Lodge in Cape Cod, where she transformed a rundown motel into a retro, 1970s-music-inspired destination. With a bold color palette and intentional storytelling, Freebird became a place guests want to come back to for more.

Jaime’s most recent work, Uncommoner Hotel in Yarmouth, Massachusetts (formerly the Tidewater Inn), opened this spring as Freebird’s sister property. Inspired by 1930s Versailles rather than traditional Cape Cod imagery, Uncommoner offers a dramatic departure from seashell and pastel blues. “It’s how the guest experience is shaped by what’s around them and what they are doing,” Jaime says, “it’s not so much about seeing a brand and thinking, ‘oh, that’s cool,’ and then you forget about it; that brand actually shapes an experience for them.” 

One standout example of this type of design is in Gypsie Soul, the restaurant at Uncommoner, which has its own esoteric vibe rooted in tarot cards, tea leaves, and astrology. Rather than designing a flat wall graphic, Jiame created an immersive installation using mounted tea cups on top of coasters and filled with gold flakes, turning a brand element into a tactile storytelling moment. “Now it’s tying back to the brand story, but it’s through an immersive interactive wall installation. And that’s how it weaves through. It’s the extra details that help the storytelling of the brand.” Jaimes states. 

At Uncommoner, there are four room blocks. Jaime and the team had to brainstorm how they were going to create a story from this beautiful space. “We tried to figure out how we could tie the four room blocks together through the brand story, and it ended up being that we created four characters, four uncommoners that tap into the personalities of the guest.” The characters at Uncommoner consist of themes: The Voyager, The Madame, The Explorer, and The Moroccan. Each room has its own personality reflecting the characters and includes small details for the guest to connect and experience. “For the consumer, it makes it interesting because it will make them want to go back and experience the other rooms. They can come back for four whole years, and it becomes a different experience through the different rooms.” What is used as a creative narrative for the guest is also being used as an effective marketing strategy for the hotel. Win, win. 

As Jaime leads into other projects, she notes that not all her projects can have that total escapism. Lore, a multi-family complex in Salem, Massachusetts, “pays homage to the history and maritime background and the witch trials, but not too overpowering; it’s more abstracted, but people get it. There’s a speakeasy that’s a little spooky that’s in their own home, but it isn’t in their actual home. We had fun with the amenities.” Shared spaces, like a speakeasy-style amenity area, offer atmosphere while individual units remain neutral, allowing residents to make the space their own.

With a lot of experience, Jaime sees the future of design. “Built spaces aren’t going anywhere; those are forever,” she says, “how can you take your profession now (graphics design) and capitalize on it? Not just a digital landscape but a physical one.” 

As an aspiring graphic designer myself, I find her insights both grounding and inspiring.  In an era dominated by AI tools and instant logos, Jiame’s work proves that unforgettable branding isn’t about speed; it’s about depth. “When you can try to really position it so that your brand is more than just this little piece, and it’s actually all these little things combined with that little piece. Your sell is that much more, because they (Canva or other AI logos) can’t do that.”

In this day and age, as a designer, it’s hard to market yourself and compete with AI. But by using design techniques that help enhance your design beyond the screen and bring it to life, designers can offer something automation can not. Jaime is now building on that belief by launching a separate branch of her studio dedicated specifically to boutique hospitality and transcendental design, aptly named Elsewhere. The venture reflects her commitment to creating spaces that transport people beyond the ordinary, proving that when design becomes an experience, it can never be replaced by a template or an algorithm.

---

Social Media Post 1 – Carousel of Detailed Images

Caption:

It’s all about the details✨

Designing Elsewhere: How Jaime Sullivan Is Redefining Hospitality Branding Through Experience — featured in Design Digest’s December Issue

Social Media Post 2 – Magazine Cover Feature Promotion

Social Media Post 3 – Before and After with Trending Audio

Caption:

Boost your brand with Transcendental Design!

Check out the new article Designing Elsewhere: How Jaime Sullivan Is Redefining Hospitality Branding Through Experience in Designer Digest.

Video Credit: Abigail O’Keefe

By Jack Dollase

MCTV is Merrimack College’s student-run television studio, which operates on a YouTube Channel, where students work together to create videos and post them on the channel. MCTV is more than “just” a studio – it is also one of the most important clubs at Merrimack. Their mission is as follows: “MCTV strives to keep the Merrimack Community informed of what is going on around campus, from school events to sports news, through the use of digital media and news shows.” (Warrior Network) 

In its early years, MCTV was primarily focused on creating small-scale videos, such as sports highlights, campus interviews (question on the quad), or skits (police logs). Andrew Daume, MCTV’s current President, gave his perspective on the club’s past works: “There were a lot of phone videos, cell phone videos, that we edited, and some of it was Premiere, a lot of it was iMovie, just the very basic stuff.” 

Additionally, MCTV struggled to maintain consistent membership, as there was little interest from the student body in what they were doing. Andrew describes how, in his sophomore year, MCTV was having trouble staying as a club, as the many seniors running it had graduated. This propelled him to become the club’s vice president and eventually, the president. 

From humble beginnings with a small number of students and outdated equipment, MCTV is now thriving on campus. The key to this change has a name: Chuck Scott. Chuck joined Merrimack College as the director of the media center in the Spring of 2024 and became the new faculty advisor for MCTV. 

Chuck’s first impressions of MCTV were that it was a lot of students who wanted to do bigger things, but knew they did not know how to do so, on a technical level. 

With an extensive background in production, Chuck saw an opportunity for the club to grow through the use of live streaming. He mentions, when discussing this with a student, asking “‘Well, are you guys live streaming?’ And they said, ‘Oh, we don’t know how to.’ And I was kind of floored by that answer, I guess. And I was like, ‘it just takes OBS.’ And then, you know, the next comment is, ‘what’s OBS?’”

During the following summer, Chuck took key steps to enable Merrimack to do live streaming, including acquiring new technology such as higher-end cameras and microphones, as well as installing OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) in the TV studio. He also conducted practice runs with students in MCTV, teaching them how to use OBS for live streaming and explaining how all the technology works. 

Chuck emphasizes that he uses a student-centric approach to teaching and mentoring: “Let’s set the playground up and allow the students to play with the tools that they’ll be using. And then through that osmosis, they’ll start to learn more and grasp more and take more responsibility and ownership.”

In practice runs, the students mastered the basics, including exposure, framing, audio, and lighting, which are key components of any modern form of media. He emphasized that while the media may change frequently, those basics never do. Once one has a strong understanding of the fundamentals, one can start to experiment with these tools to create one’s own style of media. 

In Fall 2024, at the club’s first meeting of the semester, Chuck raised the stakes for MCTV by introducing the monthly live show: a format that involves creating four segments from events around campus and compiling them all into a live show presented by on-air talent, streamed to the club’s YouTube channel.

When the live show idea was introduced, the club’s members were concerned, as many of them had never attempted something of this scale before. While they now had the equipment, such as cameras, tripods, and microphones, many of them didn’t even know the steps to take to film background footage (b-roll) with a higher-end camera.

With the first show looming, the students were worried about whether they could actually pull it off. Chuck wasn’t worried and told students not to stress about the outcome; have fun along the way, and just make it to the shoot. He also emphasized “We don’t have to have things perfected here for this to be deemed successful. And so that’s a big part of it is, you know, those expectations are in a spot that we still can have fun because if there are mistakes, again, no one’s dying.”

With Chuck’s advice and direction, the club scrambled to find and create segments and pulled off their first live show on October 3, 2024. This was a mere month after he introduced the idea. While the show didn’t go smoothly, with missing audio and occasional technical difficulties, it instilled a lot of confidence in the club members, proving that it could be done

The club has continued to produce live shows every month since, gradually improving each time. The live show format became a stepping stone for many other creative outlets for students, bringing enhanced opportunities to connect with the community. 

The monthly shows capture moments, both big and small, on campus, based on what club members bring forth. “It’s all what students want to do and pretty much everything that’s solely MCTV is for students, by students” says Andrew. 

Additionally, as people began to become more familiar with the technology used, students began experimenting with their own ideas for videos. One example of this is Warrior Films, which was recently created this past year. Headed by MCTV member Sonia Behdaoui, this is a team dedicated to making short films, involving all the processes of making a film, such as writing, shooting, editing, and more. 

Another new venture taken by the club is their live pre-game shows, where a group of students run their own show before an on-campus sports game, including packages, analytics, and occasional interviews with players and coaches. This format debuted February of this year, when Chuck’s interns – with me serving as the producer – had the amazing opportunity to host the first pre-game show for a Men’s Basketball game in Lawler Arena.

The show featured two on-air talents with several packages, including an interview with star player Adam “Budd” Clark, conducted by yours truly. Although we experienced some hiccups, the show was a massive success, garnering praise from Athletics, and MCTV has utilized this model for numerous pre-game shows throughout the fall semester. 

Andrew describes the hiring of Chuck and the introduction of the live show format as bringing in an influx of students to the club. This, in turn, allows students to put on consistent shows every month and continue to expand their skills.

At the end of the day, MCTV is creating entertainment for students while also helping to prepare club members for the world beyond Merrimack. Chuck adds to this idea: “We are building the resume for our students in a way that has real impact long term for the career, short term in terms of the skills gained. And overall, the student experience improves greatly on campus through that.”

The future is bright for the club heading into 2026. MCTV continues to cover on-campus events, offering creative outlets for students and seeking new opportunities to grow as a club. The ultimate goal is to help ensure students feel seen and heard, and that they matter. Andrew’s parting words are “Join MCTV, because the more people we have, the more we can do!”

Check out MCTV on their YouTube Channel, as well as their Instagram page, to see all their amazing content!

Social Media

Instagram post to tease the story (Photo credit: John Dollase, 2025)

Alt Text: A table and two tall chairs are set up with a TV in between them with red and green lights in the background. There is text saying “Live From North Andover, It’s MCTV” above and a link to the story below.

Video for Instagram that shows behind-the-scenes of an MCTV Live Show. (Video credit: John Dollase, 2025)

Video for Facebook or YouTube showing MCTV’s control room during a live show, with various members inhabiting different roles. (Video credit: John Dollase, 2025)

[Captions: Sonia: “One minute.” Matt: “One minute.”]

Written by Emma K. McDonald

A look inside the world of children’s theatre and arts education from the perspective of a couple of young performers and a theatre kid turned theatre teacher, exploring why the performing arts matters to them.

Right now, somewhere in the world, there is probably a group of theatre kids learning the choreography for an opening number. Leading them is a very dedicated and patient individual; someone who fosters creativity and community, who supports these young performers on their journey to finding their artistic voice. If anyone knows a thing or two about directing children’s theatre, it would be Melissa Myers. Melissa has been working with children in theatre since she was a teenager and has been teaching music at a Catholic school in Rhode Island for a year and a half; she also directs and choreographs the annual school musical. “It’s very rewarding work,” she said, “I mean, you see kids that come in and won’t speak a full sentence to you that end up getting up on stage and, you know, coming out of their shell.” Melissa herself has been performing since she was 9-years-old. She speaks highly of her former theatre and music teachers, smiling as she recalls the countless times they supported her. She went on to study musical theatre at Dean College, graduating with a BFA in 2024. 

The road from audition to opening night is obviously daunting as Melissa takes a deep breath before explaining the entire process. From January until May, she and her students rehearse three times a week, two hours at a time. That is, until tech week (the week before the show where you slowly add set pieces, costumes and lights day by day) where rehearsal can sometimes take hours, but it all is worth it come opening night. “The energy on opening night is always a mix of excitement and panic,” she explained. “But I always try to reframe it for them and say, ‘Well, no, you’re nervous because you’re excited. Like, you’re getting so frazzled because you care so much about this thing that we’re gonna do tonight.’” Last year, Melissa directed and choreographed their production of Frozen Jr.. Throughout the rehearsal process, she emphasized to her students the central theme of the show: sisterhood. “And that kind of sparked something in them because they realized my character is in control of her fate in this story, and I also am in control of my fate in my own life,” she recalled. It’s those small moments that make theatre special and a valuable asset for young minds, the ability to embody a character that teaches you something about yourself you didn’t know before.

Beyond the classroom, there are a number of community theatres that open their doors to young actors. One of those places is Acting Out Theatre Company in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Just blocks from the Lawrence commuter rail stop, Acting Out has been producing shows for all ages since the early 2000s. Walking up the (rather steep) stairs, you are greeted with a warm and welcoming message that adorn the steps. “Community. Positivity. Just be you.” The lobby is a memorial of shows past, each piece has been on the stage, most likely more than once. Backstage is a treasure trove of deconstructed sets, rooms full to the ceiling with costumes from every era and universe, and a back-lit prop room that almost feels mythical. There may be one or two rehearsals running at a time, or perhaps a dance class or improv class; either way, music will probably be coming from somewhere. Above all, the building feels well loved, comfortable even, like a home away from home.

Acting Out offers a number of chances for young actors to engage with theatre through performing in a show or taking a class. Meet two of Acting Out’s notable young performers: Lilah and Ben! Lilah is 12-years-old. She can memorize lines the day before opening night, has already been in 28 shows, and is Idina Menzel’s biggest fan. Ben is 9 and a half years old and prefers to help behind the curtain, but he’s gearing up for a School of Rock audition soon. “Well, I like to think that the roles that people play in theater just kind of teaches them a lesson,” Lilah explained. “Like, if a character in a show has some kind of problem with telling the truth or something. In the end, the character can actually tell the truth and doesn’t hesitate with it. That could also result in making the actor think, maybe I should start doing that.” Theatre has the ability to teach us things by exposing us to stories that make us question what we already knew and enriching our knowledge of the world around us.

Lilah talks about her own “opening night” experiences in a thoughtful but energetic fashion, “Like, if it’s opening night and they’re like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s so great!’ And you’re thinking in your head, ‘I did great on opening night.’ That’s a relief,” she said. “Even if it’s like closing night, that’s just as big of an honor. It always feels great.” It’s clear how much performing (and sharing that performance) means to Lilah; she smiles proudly while reflecting on those memories. She also recalls another significant moment. “Well, when I first did theater, I didn’t really know that the story actually had a meaning,” she said. “And that’s weird because that’s the whole point of theater.” Lilah doesn’t hesitate to express her love for theatre. She’s even planning her Bat Mitzvah party to be theatre themed (which will be at Acting Out, of course)!

When asked what show they would love to do most of all, Ben quickly responded, “Beetlejuice Jr.” Lilah had four options– Wicked and Redwoods (because they both originally starred Idina Menzel), Little Shop of Horrors (because of the cool giant plant!), and Mean Girls (because the music and dancing is awesome). However, funding for the arts is slowly dwindling as schools and community theatres alike struggle to keep arts education alive. “I would say that the concern among performing arts educators right now is the direction that we are moving in as a country with lack of regard to the arts. And I want to remind people that that doesn’t just impact people on Broadway. It’s affecting children now, too,” Melissa explained. Earlier this year, the Trump administration called for $12 billion worth of cuts to the Department of Education, including a program that helped support arts education initiatives in K-12 schools called the Assistance for Arts Education Program (National Association for Music Education, 2025). It is unclear whether or not these cuts have gone into effect. For community theatres, the prospect is even bleaker with the President proposing an elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts in FY2026 (Paulson, 2025), though the organization appears to still be operating and accepting grant applications. However, just north of us in New Hampshire, the Senate Finance Committee voted to defund the state’s arts council, leaving them a budget of $150,000 (enough to cover a single employee’s salary) and the opportunity to raise funds themselves with tax credits for donors (Towfighi, 2025). For people like Lilah, Ben, and Melissa, theatre is more than simply performing for fun, it’s a connection to a community that creates something meaningful together. “I spend more time at Acting Out than I do [at home],” Lilah said. “It’s just the truth.” 

Social Media Posts:

Observing the differences in lifestyle, values, and eating between Greece, Italy and other Blue Zones in contrast to the United States

“We have the blueprint to reproduce longevity in our lives. And I became obsessed with that notion.” – Dan Buettner, Creator of Live to 100 Secrets of the Blue Zones, Netflix.

It was July 18, 2024, and our flight had just landed an hour ago in Eleftherios, Vanizelos, Athens. After dropping everything at our colorful xenodocheio (hotel), we left the orange and green coated lobby, and immediately walked down the busy streets of Athens to a nearby cafe. My first purchase outside of the United States with my fresh sheet of euros was a freddo espresso (greek iced coffee) and a fresh spanakopita (spinach pie). The first sip and bite was as engraving as that unforgettable mountain view. The coffee was rich, smooth, and dark, but not bitter and tasteless. The spanakopita was flaky, green, and so perfect it was nearly indescribable. I had no clue food could taste this good, even though I ate these exact same foods in the States. 

I’ve grown up Greek, loud and proud. Whenever I choose to eat out at a restaurant, even now as a young adult, my Yiayia (grandmother), 80 years old with jet black hair as vivid as her fashion choices, still shows a visible frown, knowing her home cooked Greek classic dishes are beyond anything at Chili’s or Texas Roadhouse, and she’s right. 

Back in Greece-  the excellence of the food wasn’t just at that cafe. At a restaurant in downtown Athens, the tomatoes, cucumber, and watermelon were so different to their American counterparts that they tasted entirely different. They were all sweet, powered with flavor, far from filling, and shocking enough to leave me leaned back in my chair speechless. Yiayia’s cooking is still fantastic, but I felt like I was in a new world. The only thing as apparent as the shocking quality of food in Greece was the lifestyle I adopted on that vacation. 

Aside from trips in taxis and a rental car around our ancestral island later in the trip, my family and I walked everywhere. With an average temperature of 98 degrees, an absence of humidity, a UV of 9 or 10 daily, and the healthiest skin and tan I’ve ever had, I noticed my day to day mirror those of the older locals. Each day was spent both relaxing and with movement, walking up and down hills, along with a mid day rest before staying up until 1 or 2 in the morning. This additionally consisted of eating to my liking without craving for junk food, and losing weight with plenty of time in the sun. 

Two weeks later, I was back in the States, refreshed, yet scowling at my first sip of my usual Dunkin’ order, cream and caramel swirl, which I should add is no fault of the worker who made it. I struggled to comprehend how even with my busy lifestyle back home, bartending and moving around for hours on end, then playing basketball with friends at night, how quickly I began to put the weight back on I had just noticeably lost in Europe. The heat of early August in fast paced Massachusetts was a water droplet to the ocean of Greece’s laid back, peaceful, and unfathomable way of life. 

One morning on social media earlier this year, I was reminded of Dan Buettner’s 2015 book, “The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People” (Buettner), where Author and National Geographic Explorer presents seven blue zones, which he coins as places in the world where people lived a longer and higher quality of life with old age. The official blue zones website lists the original five locations as Okinawa, Japan; Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; and Ikaria, Greece. Buettner would go on to lead a Netflix special in 2023, “Live To 100, Secrets of the Blue Zones” where he travels to each of the original 5 blue zones and more, uncovering the lifestyle, food, and values of each region. 

_{Interactive 5 Blue Zones Map by Jimmy Kritzas}

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1UoMxWhV771uA915IizegcPD-i6nBbJE&usp=sharing

_{Interactive, dark palette map of the earth provided by Google My Maps, with 5 pinned locations in each of the blue zones, with additional information provided when clicked upon: information on zones provided by Netflix special “Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones”.}

In the episodes of the Netflix special where Buettner visits Italy and Greece, a few striking similarities occurred reminding me of my time in the latter country. Herbal teas, the use of unpasteurized honey, olive oil as a main source of fat, an emphasis on love, antioxidant wine, and dance/laughter were the pillars of Ikaria. Incline/decline through walking, good carbohydrates, control of stress, and care for elders and family were the core of Sardinia. In Greece, I noticed an abundance of family, love, and celebration through natural food and drink, all which accompanied that wonderful balance of natural exercise and stress relief through rest. Even in other blue zones presented like the episode on Loma Linda, a majority plant based diet seemed eerily similar in structure to the foods I grew up eating.

It’s no surprise that the Mediterranean Diet and areas like Italy and Greece are synonymous with good health, but I wanted to dig a little deeper. With added curiosity about the Mediterranean Diet and its benefits to a longer life, I consulted Registered Dietician Samantha McCarthy of Cedardale Health and Fitness to discuss the Mediterranean Diet and balance between diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices, and what we get wrong here in the United States, especially with meat-led Mediterranean foods like Gyro, Shawarma, and Lasagna mass promoted to the public. When asked about this, starting with the core foods of the Mediterranean diet, Sam responded: 

“Plant-based foods, so not just fruits and vegetables. We tend to think of those 1st, but just the huge amount of legumes and not seeds, things like lentils… and all different types of beans. And then, of course, the fats, the healthy fats, the olive oils. Those are two of the big cores of the Mediterranean diet…I mean, Americans, we love our meats and we love our dairy products. However, both of those are very high up if we look at like kind of a Mediterranean diet pyramid. It’s kind of like the opposite of what a typical American eats. When we look at those pyramids, we could like literally swap it and flip it over the Mediterranean diet pyramid, and it would be the American diet.” 

Additionally, I asked Sam for her opinion on what can help a client move past the initial appeal of a diet and the stagnation that follows, along with where that initial appeal comes into play with the Mediterranean diet as well:

“I call that like the honeymoon phase when they 1st start with me or on a plan or something of that sort, where there’s just an enormous amount of motivation and excitement about making change. And then at some point, that starts to drop significantly… It’s really more what gets in the way, what are those barriers, what are those challenges? Why are they getting in the way? And how can we work around those? I find that a lot of people want to try to get rid of those and that’s not often possible. because a big one is stress. You can’t get rid of stress. part of life, right? But how can we work around stress?…We assume diets are restrictive…The Mediterranean diet is not like that. It’s extremely filling because it’s so high in those good healthy fats and in fiber because of all those plant-based foods. So, I think that’s an extremely enticing part of the Mediterranean diet, is that you just don’t feel hungry all the time, which we shouldn’t. Remember, it goes back. Food is our gas. We have to fuel our body, not restrict it and cut back on all that fuel.“

Sam’s response ironically mirrors the lifestyle of the Sardinian’s, with the ability to maneuver through stress in their work, followed by avid social time, and the faith and hope for the future with intent to change. Sam additionally notes that any good practice of diet can lower inflammation and risk of chronic disease. Towards the end of my interview, Sam also answered that she believes diet is more powerful than exercise, but also left a lasting image as to why. 

“…the way that I describe it is if you look at a typical 24 hour day, even if you are exercising almost every day, that’s still maybe only an hour a day…So what are you doing the other 23 hours when you’re not at the gym?…your gut health improves with the Mediterranean diet, that also affects your mind too. Um, whether it’s depression, anxiety, other mood disorders, or more severe mental health issues, you know, in also preventing, you know, dementia later on in life.”

In the United States, our culture is powered by the idea that “busy is good”, but with packed schedules also comes eating by convenience and quick fixes. I often think about how unsettled I was in Greece. Not only by the culture shock, but by how much I felt that I had something due that needed to be done, being relaxed for such a prolonged period of time. The beliefs of modern Americans are optimistic in terms of their lifestyle, showing bursts of energy in their want to eat healthy. To our credit as Americans, I believe that the roots to that goal lie in productivity, similar to those who get up daily and move their body in each of these blue zones. However, in order to achieve a healthier diet, I believe that Americans need to see beyond the quick fixes, and ultimately strive towards attention and intent toward a healthier lifestyle altogether, one that mimics, in some capacity, what I saw in Greece, and what Buettner uncovered visiting several blue zones. Factors should be a plant and natural based/Mediterranean diet, ample walking and movement of the body as a regular routine, belief in the possibility of the future, and the love for community and one another. Altogether though, effective results should include all of them. 

I can’t wait to go back to Greece again, and I think that the food, lifestyle, and human experience is one every American should experience, or even the likes of another blue zone if they are able, especially if they want to prolong a healthy, happy life.

All week I had been picturing myself making an apple pie with my grandma over Thanksgiving break. I pictured us in the kitchen, peeling apples at the table catching up and spending time together. It felt like the perfect opportunity not just for this assignment, but to learn a recipe I have wanted to and really like. But when I arrived at my family’s thanksgiving there it was already sitting on the counter: a store-bought apple pie, in a cardboard box with the sticker still on it. I had never actually told my grandma that baking an apple pie together was the plan. So, without meaning to, I had replaced our moment with a grocery store pie.

We shrugged, laughed a little, and moved on. “Well,” she said, “we can still make something.” We ended up making yams, they were coated in butter and maple syrup before placing them into the oven. It wasn’t the original baking session I imagined, but it held a different sort of meaning and significance.

As we were preparing, my grandma said, “Just keep them about the same size. They don’t need to be perfect.” That line stuck with me. It reminded me of Kristin Kimball’s writing in The Dirty Life, where she describes how food preparation often contains “a larger loving-kindness.” The yams weren’t special or complicated, but the act of making them together, after an unspoken plan fell apart, felt like that same kind of kindness,    

I realized that this dish wasn’t one loaded with family history. We didn’t have a recipe, but I think the maple syrup separated the dish from others making it very unique. It was honestly just what we had time for. And still, the simplicity of it made me think of Kimmerer’s idea in Braiding Sweetgrass: that gratitude doesn’t depend on perfection, it depends on attention. 

The mishap also taught me something about myself: I rely too much on the picture in my head. I wanted everything to just happen and I forgot it required communication, not assumptions. But food, life, thanksgiving, relationships all have something in common, not everything can be scripted. You show up, things shift, and you adjust. Sometimes you get the homemade pie, and sometimes you get the one from the store.

When we served them at dinner, people dug in without hesitation. I ended up telling everyone the story of the forgotten plan, and my grandma just shook her head and laughed. The sharing became its own little moment, Like in Farm City, where Novella Carpenter writes about how food often brings out the stories behind the scenes more than the food itself, our yams turned into a conversation starter about miscommunication, holidays, and family.

If I were to improve this reflection I’d take better and more intentional photos. I’d also ask her more about her own cooking memories, letting the storytelling go deeper. Even without the apple pie, the moment taught me to appreciate the imperfect and to find meaning in unexpectedness. 

Written by: Rachael Sherrick

It is normal to have a plan in place. What was my plan, you may ask? I was going to make apple crisp, my dad’s recipe, with my dad for Thanksgiving. Sounds easy, but nothing goes to plan.

I thought of Novella Carpenter in Farm City, and how she felt when her queen bee died: “frantic and feeling sick to my stomach” (Carpenter 108). Though it may seem far-fetched pulling bees and apple crisp together, I felt like how Carpenter felt when she discovered her bee hive wouldn’t survive. Knowing my well-crafted plan was out the window, I was frantically coming up with a new idea. I decided to make cupcakes, but challenged myself to make handmade frosting.

A week later, I started on my challenge. The cupcakes were simple: put the box mix, water, oil, and eggs together, then put them in the oven for 20 minutes. Easy. The frosting, on the other hand, wasn’t so simple.

The recipe I followed, found on Joyfullmad.com, said it would only take 10 minutes. I doubled the recipe because it was for 12 cupcakes, while I had 24 cooling on my counter. 2 cups of heavy cream, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and lastly 1.5 cups of powdered sugar. Mix for 10 minutes in a chilled bowl.

Well, it seemed easy, but there was one problem: the author, Madison Wetherill, used an electric mixer. I was a broke college student without the electric mixer, but I did have a whisk and determination. I mixed the ingredients for what felt like forever, but after 30 minutes of mixing, I had fluffy whipped cream frosting and a sore arm.

As I piped icing onto the cupcakes, I started to think about the different stories I had read during class. Robin Wall Kimmerer in Braiding Sweetgrass often talks about gifts, and that is exactly what I was making, a gift.

“A gift comes to you through no action of your own, free, having moved toward you without your beckoning. It is not a reward; you cannot earn it, or call it to you, or even deserve it” (Kimmerer 34).

My gift of cupcakes was shared with my friends and roommates. They didn’t earn it or ask for it; I just wanted to give it to them, just as Kimmerer says a gift should be. The earth gives us gifts, and all the food we have is a gift. It is better to share the gift with others than be selfish and keep it for yourself.

Once each cupcake was carefully fitted with its frosting hat, I gave them out to my friends.

Each one stuffed their faces with a cupcake. “I guess you can call yourself a baker now,” said my roommate Bridget with a glob of frosting on her nose. Now I have a new recipe under my belt, and for finals will try my hand at making strawberry cupcakes with strawberry icing.

Josalyn Melendez

Josalyn and her family embark on a two week trip to Greece, totally unaware of the pleasantries that lie ahead.

Josalyn’s window seat view of Greece from the airplane, only minutes from embarking on a life changing vacation. 

Alt Text: Plane view of coastal cities in Greece with a blue sea, sandy coastline, and lush greenery. Several boats are in the water, and roads curve along the landscape.

Photo Courtesy: Josalyn Melendez 

The top of Santorini. Oia, the most popular tourist destination. 

Alt. Text: Scenic view of Santorini, Greece, featuring white buildings with blue domes perched on a cliffside with the deep blue sea in the background.

Photo Courtesy: Josalyn Melendez 

Social Media Post:

Alt Text: Compilation of photos and videos of family vacation to Greece. Rapid pacing to match music tempo. Text overlay 

Top: Greece  Middle: Link to story titled “our way too similar Mamma Mia Greece Trip: Lows and highlights” blue and White striped Greek Flag and architecture emojis Bottom:  2023

Additional Storytelling Element: Digital Scrapbook

From a laundry list of debts to seeking vengeance, the comeback of a real estate menace.

POV: you are coming down the scariest part of the board, praying to land in jail. (photo credit: Jenna Vinci)

Alt text: Photo of monopoly board from the go to jail space looking and the properties on the board with green houses on them.

Do not pass go, do not collect $200. (photo credit: Jenna Vinci)

Alt text: Monopoly man walking on a text box that that says “do not pass go, do not collect $200” with two dice and the background is cards from the game.

Playlist of popular 2018 songs.

One dog’s reaction to the beach.

This is a short comic of Buster drinking sea water on his first trip to the beach and his reaction.

Alt Text: A short comic of Buster at the beach drinking sea water. The background is black and white with only the water and Buster in color.

Instagram Post

Buster after a fun day at the beach. This was one of his favorite places, and we took him there whenever we could. Find out what Buster did on his first day at the beach on Warrior Fresh, “Buster’s First Day at the Beach.” Listen now!