Katie Schmidt
Universal Orlando Resort Blogs
EDITOR'S NOTE: The imagery shown throughout this blog post does not represent current operational and safety guidelines at Universal Orlando Resort. Please refer to our safety guidelines here. When the Sorting Hat, in reference to the Ravenclaw house, proclaimed, "Where those of wit and learning will always find their kind," I felt that.
This is the modern-day love story of two-horror-fans-connecting-on-Facebook-and-falling-in-love-in-haunted-houses that you didn't know you needed and I'm here to tell you that you do. When Bernard and Alicia Brown first connected, it was from 379 miles apart, as Alicia lived in Orlando and Bernard was living in Charleston, South Carolina.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The imagery shown throughout this blog post does not represent current operational and safety guidelines at Universal Orlando Resort. Please refer to our safety guidelines here. In my lifetime I have been a part of two club-like-groups - a book club that fizzled after four months and my high school's thespian troupe (proudly represent Troupe 4634!).
During my most recent Virtual Girls' Night Happy Hour (can someone please go back in time and tell past-me this will become a common phrase in 2020?), we all sighed collectively reminiscing about our favorite parks memories and dreaming of what we'll plan for our triumphant return. At the top of the list?
Jessica Harned, supervisor of advanced resort technology in the parks technology department at Universal Orlando Resort, sent a text to her boss on March 28th that said, "What do you think of us 3D printing face-shields to donate to our local medical facilities?"
Two years before the orange doors of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes officially opened in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida, Maria Kazaros and her team were already hard at work to bring novelty jokes and pranks inspired by those of Fred and George Weasley to life.
You know how somewhere along the way there became a day or a week or a month for celebrating pretty much anything? National Bobblehead Day, National Play Catch Week, there's even a National Accordion Awareness Month. I'm not exactly sure what we're, as a society, expected to do during it, but I guess we'll see this June.
I recently attended my first Mardi Gras at Universal Orlando Resort and it. was. awesome. Between the stunning performers in all their glittery glory, the delicious food that had me wondering how much jambalaya is too much jambalaya, and the thrill of catching as many beads as humanly possible - the entire experience was one heck of a party!
When I first emailed Bob Page, one of the broadcast engineers working at Universal Orlando Resort's Radio Broadcast Center, about the possibility of talking to him about Running Universal's Epic Character 5K and 10K races , he responded with: Of course.... I'd be happy to do whatever...
UCF Alumni Features
Like several of the people in your Twitter timeline, Dominique Allen Lawson '14 spent a part of his Thanksgiving holiday watching Hulu's "Happiest Season". The only difference is that when Lawson watched the movie, he saw himself in the film playing the cheeky, ambitious, side-eye-giving character of Levi.
In 2012, Dave LaGrande '01 answered his ringing phone and was asked if he could play one (1) show with the alternative rock band, Sister Hazel. It's seven (7) years, six (6) albums and countless (countless) shows later and this week LaGrande will be playing at the House of Blues with the band.
Last month, UCF art grad Forrest Lawson '18 bested more than 400 artists for top honors and a $50,000 award at a regional competition for his piece 6/12/2016, a sculpture he created to memorialize the Pulse tragedy, honor its victims and... #alumni #alumnispotlight #collegeofartsandhumanities
Joel Setzer '12 was an aspiring drummer with little to no interest in ever attending college. Jameson Deighan '12 grew up in a family of artists and had opted early on to pursue sports instead.
It was always one of two things for Lainie Pekich '13, Paul Jaszczenski '03 and Kaia. They were either at a dog-friendly human establishment, where Lainie and Paul could eat and drink and enjoy each other's company, while Kaia was bored under the table. Or.
Gladys Jose '12 knows the exact length it is from Will Smith's name to her own on the cover of the new children's book, Fresh Princess. She also knows that her name being on the cover of anything involving Will Smith is a pretty phenomenal thing. "Whenever I'm asked how this Fresh Princess thing...
When alumna Sarah Schreck '18 talks about theatre, she can somehow, within seconds, bounce from talking about its power to create social change to emphatically saying "I will watch 'Xanadu' every month until the day I die." She's seen the ways theatre can be simply enjoyed, she's seen the ways...
Shannon Small '03, '09 was the girl who did her homework upstairs in the Visual Arts Building because it was quiet and the vending machine had Surge soda. David Small '02 was (one of) the guy(s) who spent a good bit of time in the computer lab, just playing games.
It's a theatre love-story old as time. The set-designer boy and the stage-manager girl, sneaking glances at each other backstage, finagling opportunities to work the same shifts in the shop, and spending early dating-days listening to musicals together. But for Nikki Blue '10 and Ryan Emens '10...
Megan Shub '09 worked hard to climb the ladder of success for a major airline, got right up near the top, looked around, and leapt right off that ladder to the bottom of the production-industry barrel. From account manager to 27-year-old intern. From... #alumnispotlight #collegeofartsandhumanities
Cyclists in their neon-green gear congregate outside - just a spot to sit and rest after a long ride. Budding entrepreneurs are huddled together over their laptops, teaching each other best tricks to building a website. And you just missed Michael's granddaughter, but she'll come back by same time next week.
Summit Magazine Articles
Publications I've Managed
Summit Church Series Synopses
Summit Church Blog Posts
Last year I spoke at For Her and it was the most surreal night of my 2017 and I met the Backstreet Boys in 2017, so there was some fierce competition. Female friendships have always been a challenge for me. I worry a lot that I'm too much and yet simultaneously not nearly enough.
In late 2013, Becky had just moved to Orlando and realized really quickly that finding new friends in early adulthood can be tricky. A freshly-graduated Jordan knew she needed an environment to keep up with her faith.
"You do not have because you do not ask God." -James 4:2 I am a very big fan of self-sufficiency. If I can do something for myself, I will do it with gusto, and if I can't do something for myself, that something will likely just go undone.
Now, I don't want to be an alarmist, so let me explain myself. Four years ago, I became a student ministries volunteer. I was matched with a group of sixth grade girls who were sweet, sometimes rambunctious, always a handful, and just starting to explore what their faith could look like.
A few weeks before a niceSERVE event, a collection of words goes into the bulletin that says "Mark your calendars! niceSERVE is [insert date here]."
It's not at all a secret that growing up is rough. If you've already managed to survive your teenage years, you know that it's a chunk of your life that was challenging, awkward, and at times just flat out brutal.
Didn't we just get all the single folks at Summit together and do the thing with the hearing topics tailored to us and the mingling in the Lobby and all that? Don't get me wrong- they were great.
As we gear up for Partnership Class here at Summit, I had the opportunity to sit down with the three men who faithfully lead the congregations at the Herndon, Lake Mary, and Waterford campuses-Garry Abbott, O.J. Aldrich, and Sam Arocho.
On any given Tuesday night you can find me running barefoot through the Herndon Lobby being chased by a posse of middle school girls chanting "8th grade girls...WE RUN THIS PLACE" I'll be a little out of breath, sure, but make no mistake about it- there's no...
When I sat down with the creative team behind The Prodigal Musical , it was obvious to me that these four are brimming with absolute excitement. It's feasible that 17 percent of that excitement was because Marco Randazzo, who co-wrote the musical, brought a ton of candy to share.
I don't want to knock Disney here-mainly because I know there are huge Disney fanatics in this city, and perhaps the biggest fan of them all is on our Teaching Team-but I think Southwind Camp is the most magical place in the world.
"Perfectionism means that you try desperately not to leave so much mess to clean up. But clutter and mess show us that life is being lived. Clutter is wonderfully fertile ground -you can still discover new treasures under all those piles, clean things up, edit things out, fix things, get a grip.
Public Speaking at Summit Church
Stream Week 4: Friendships - Katie Schmidt by Summit Connect from desktop or your mobile device
Sunday, April 22, 2018 // Jeff Kern // Week 3 of 4
Sunday, March 25, 2018 // Jim Keller // Week 4 of 4
Stream God At First Sight: Week 2 - The Magi, a playlist by Summit Church Herndon from desktop or your mobile device
Book Reviews
"Tell-All," by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday, $25) Every time you pick up a new Chuck Palahniuk book, there are a few things you can predict. It's going to be gritty, sensual and sardonic, but mostly it's going to be unpredictable. Palahniuk's latest accomplishment - "Tell-All" - lives up to the high standards he set with "Fight Club" more than 10 years ago.
Clear the calendar, call into work, and hire a sitter - you've got a book to read and it deserves your full attention. Lisa Lutz may be as big as stars get in the galaxy of comedic crime novels, while David Hayward runs a small writing and editing business.
Nerve: Poise Under Pressure, Serenity Under Stress, and the Brave New Science of Fear and Cool [Taylor Clark] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Nerves make us bomb job interviews, first dates, and SATs. With a presentation looming at work, fear robs us of sleep for days.
Nonprofit Work
Most college students carry the standard few necessities in their backpack-paper, notebook and a writing utensil. When Jonathan started school at Florida Technical College (FTC), he carried his own version of an essential in his backpack-the tent he was living in. Jonathan is a self-described "product of the foster care system."
Any reason to volunteer is a good reason. But our Information Technology (IT) volunteer Jerry has a very good reason. At Health Care Center for the Homeless we have a great team of tireless volunteers. They cover a wide range of duties that help our clinic run just a little bit smoother week in and week out.
Maybe you've seen our new logo around the past couple of months, maybe you haven't. Regardless, we'd like to take this time to officially re-introduce ourselves to you! Our organization, Health Care Center for the Homeless, now operates out of a handful of health centers throughout the Central Florida area.
