Alexa Gagne's Lifestyle News

Dionne Designs finds beauty in nature during quarantine

Rochester, NH – Megan Dionne works as a full-time firefighter for the Dover Fire Department, but COVID-19 has left her with a lot of free time on her days off. Little did she know, letting her creative juices flow would lead to a blossoming business via her new Facebook page, Dionne Designs.

Dionne’s creation entitled “Squat your heart out” (*photo courtesy of Megan Dionne)*

In just 8 days, Dionne’s Facebook group gained 461 members, and she sold 50+ creations. “I literally glued a rock to a piece of paper [and] drew two lines for legs and an eye with permanent marker,” she explained of her first creation, “I started thinking it might be cool to make a little picture for my family, so I did. I showed my workout group online and they were blown away and asked if I could make them one, and then it just snowballed from there.”

The workout group Dionne referred to contains some of her biggest supporters of her new endeavor, including Kim Gibson. “I met Megan about a year ago at Athletic Instinct, the gym I am a member [at]. I have always known her to be a happy person with a kind heart but I had no idea how creative she is,” Gibson said. Gibson ordered a gift for a teacher from Dionne.

Dionne with one of her framed creations (*photo courtesy of Megan Dionne).*

One of the shining qualities of Dionne Designs is that every piece of art Dionne creates is unique. “I just use whatever I found in nature on [a given] day,” Dionne said. She gets a multitude of specific requests, such as creations with rock climbing, yoga, cacti, and more, but she’s always up for the challenge.

Dionne is still accepting orders, and you can find Dionne Designs exclusively on Facebook.

The positives of the pandemic

Written by Alexa Gagne on Thursday, April 9, 2020

Noah Goodell of Rochester, NH enjoys a walk with his parents during social distancing. *(photo courtesy of Jennifer Goodell, 4/4/20)*

ROCHESTER, NH – Amidst an ever changing situation brought about by the coronavirus outbreak in the United States, the media is being flooded with negative information. Headlines often highlight the latest death counts or a lack of resources. Although there seems to be a dark cloud looming over many Americans right now, there are individuals who are finding the positives of the pandemic.

Julie Gagne of Rochester, NH is a full-time employee and part-time student, as well as mother of two teenagers. She has endured challenges while adjusting to the new guidelines for social distancing, but remains positive about what she’s getting out of the situation. “I’m getting more time with [my] family that I didn’t expect to have,” she said, “and [we’re] being more creative with our time.” Gagne noted that she expected everyone to be on screens all the time, but found that her family was “finding new ways to be healthy and active.”

In the same family, 16-year-old Spaulding High School sophomore Andrew Gagne found his fitness motivation. “I’ve been able to focus on my physical well-being,” he said, “[and] I’ve learned to fully devote myself to something if I truly want to see results.”

Another individual with a focus on fitness during social distancing is Ben Higgins, owner of Athletic Instinct in Rochester, NH. Higgins found “an opportunity to fine-tune [his] skills as a remote trainer” when all non-essential businesses were advised to shut down in New Hampshire. Although he was distraught at the thought of not being able guide his clients in person, he found ways to take advantage of his situation. As well as perfecting his remote training methods, Higgins has been able to spend more time with his wife and toddler. “I know I’ll never have the opportunity to have this time [with my daughter] again,” he said.

Personal trainer Ben Higgins’ adjusts to a new workspace while social distancing (*photo courtesy of Benjamin Higgins 4/4/20).*

Also appreciating the ample time with her toddler is Jennifer Goodell of Rochester, NH. Goodell is especially appreciative of being able to “slow down and appreciate what [she has] and who [she loves].”

Although Goodell has tried to make the best of her situation, she ran into challenges. But even when challenges have come up, there has always been a positive way to reframe it for her. When she encountered the hard choice of asking her son’s grandparents not to visit which social distancing guidelines were in place, she thought of how thankful she was for the technology available to her. “Their only ask was to Facetime everyday,” she said, “thank you, modern technology!”

Despite the hardships that the world is facing in a time of uncertainty, these four individuals have displayed that frame of mind is key in making good out of a bad situation. As Goodell said, “this is temporary and life will be busy again.”

How UNH students get involved

DURHAM, NH – There are many ways for students to get involved at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), such as joining a club, a sports team, or becoming a Resident Assistant (RA). Kate Cone and Jiwan Nepal are students who similarly chose the RA path, but they differ in how they choose to be most involved on campus. Nepal primarily focuses on his RA position, while Cone juggles her RA position and an administrative role in a sustainable food organization.

Opportunities present themselves for various personality types to get involved on campus, and Nepal and Cone are perfect examples of how students can fulfill their desire to stay involved without completely going out of their comfort zone. For example, Nepal described himself as being on the shy side, while Cone is more outgoing. The RA position alone is enough for Nepal to feel integrated in campus culture, while Cone puts her efforts heavily into an organization called Slow Food UNH in addition to her RA position, putting her in the path of many more students to connect with.

Student fashion over the years at the University of New Hampshire through the lens of Hall Director and alumna Holly Fosher

Pictured are two current students at the University of New Hampshire, sophomore Reignie St. Pierre (left) and sophomore Rachael Girroir (right).

Student fashion at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) hasn’t always been the same, but the things that dictate it may be. Holly Fosher, Hall Director of Handler Hall at UNH, has a unique perspective on the evolution of student fashion on campus at UNH. She was a student here from 2012-2018, so she has had the opportunity to be immersed in student life for years. And now, she can observe campus fashion from an administrative standpoint, while still being surrounded by current students.

One of the most important ideas that Fosher mentioned is what she refers to as “group think”. This term embodies the idea that campus fashion has leaders and followers; in other words, some students bring a trend to campus, and others follow suit.

A strong enabler of group think in current UNH students is the extreme social media presence. Instagram in particular is a quick and powerful way for students to see new trends. According to a Statista graph, Instagram’s active user amount has grown exponentially since its creation in 2010. As of today, over 1 billion users are active on the app, meaning that UNH is bound to be affected by it.

Fosher said that although the trends themselves may have been different when she was a student at UNH, the idea of “group think” was the same.

Students ready for Spring

Students talk about the recent weather on campus on February 26, 2020 outside of Hamilton Smith Hall at the University of New Hampshire.

DURHAM, NH – Maddy George and Isabelle Curtis are among students who felt “teased” by the recent warm weather at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). The unexpected 60 degree weather in February was a glimpse into springtime.

Differences in student fashion preferences at the University of New Hampshire

By Alexa Gagne, 3/2/20

Senior Anthropology major Hannah Corrow wears her clothing “until [it’s] falling apart”. Pictured are some of her go-to campus shoes, which were hand-me-downs from her younger sister. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

DURHAM, NH – At the University of New Hampshire (UNH), student fashion is unique to a student’s preference. Students like sophomore Reignie St. Pierre feel strongly about presentation, while students like senior Hannah Corrow opt for comfort more times than not.

Regardless of preference, students have a few important things to consider when dressing for class. Durham, New Hampshire’s weather is constantly changing, so students always need to be aware of what each day will bring in order to plan an outfit. Otherwise, comfort could be compromised.

In addition to the weather, UNH’s large campus can make for a long walk to class. The proper footwear is key to a comfortable day on campus.

The following photos provide insight into how four different UNH students choose their clothes on a typical day of classes with these factors in mind.

Corrow sits on a bench in an outfit she typically wears on campus. Corrow said she “dresses for comfort, mainly.” She also likes to incorporate her favorite colors into her outfits. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

Sophomore Applied Math major Thomas O’Shea “can’t wear what he wants to” for most of the year. These shoes are spotless for a reason; O’Shea only wears his “beat to [crap]” shoes when out and about on campus in the messy New England winter. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

O’Shea primarily considers how many people will see him when choosing what he wears. “If I only have one class, only 20 people are going to see me, so I’ll probably just wear sweatpants,” he said. This jacket is an example of his incorporation of his favorite color: green. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

Sophomore Undeclared student Reignie St. Pierre and sophomore Science major Rachael Girroir flaunt their campus shoe style in this photo. St. Pierre often wears heels around campus, while Girroir sticks to white sneakers. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

“Look good, feel good,” said St. Pierre (left) about her fashion choices. Girroir (right) nodded in agreement. They are pictured here outside of Holloway Commons at UNH. (February 27, 2020, Durham, NH)

Student fashion at UNH will always ebb and flow with new students filtering in, but what will never change is the diversity in fashion. Just these four accounts prove that everyone values different things when choosing how they dress; one person may prioritize how they appear to others, while another may prioritize personal comfort. The discrepancy in fashion preferences makes student fashion at UNH exciting and unique.

Museum of Art student accounts

DURHAM, NH – Two new exhibits are being featured at the Museum of Art in the Paul Creative Arts Center (PCAC). The exhibit on the upper level was completed by Dan Mills, and the lower level by Amy Stacy Curtis. University of New Hampshire (UNH) Journalism students visited the exhibits on Monday, February 17, 2020 accompanied by Journalism professor Angela Anderson-Connolly for a “field trip” to practice their audio editing skills. If pictures are worth a thousand words, you’re in for a long podcast.