Full disclosure I am still very much this way—I painstakingly weigh every purchase I make, preplan how the new item will fit in with the old, and how many seasons of life I can get from my purchase. Aside from my time in the classroom at John Carroll, I must credit college for this great, shopping savvy life lesson. It made me a serial monogamist with the items in my closest. And it’s also taught me to take my classic pieces and make them work with what’s coming off the runway.

Thank goodness for this, because as the assistant editor at a women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine in Columbus, I see what’s coming in fashion. And I constantly have to hold myself back from impromptu shopping sprees.

With willpower in mind, I wanted to share a few of my favorite trends this season that can be done on a budget.

1. Color: It’s everywhere—and it’s bright, bright, bright. Add it into your wardrobe somewhere. A tangerine-colored necklace. Bright blue nail polish (my fav on-the-cheap add). But if you can only buy one colorful item, grab a great pair of colored jeans. Then mix and match that bright denim with other searing colors. Just be sure to cap it at three colors per outfit to avoid looking like a kaleidoscope.

2. Prints & Florals: I’m not talking basic stripes and polka dots. These are over-the-top, standout patterns in bright florals (yes, more color), bold prints (feel free to wear from head-to-toe) and wild patterns. They look great in a skirt, jacket or dress.

3. Boho Chic: Dust off those peasant shirts from last season; they are still hot as ever. To make last year’s purchase current, pair with a wide-leg pant. This is a great, casual spring look.

Overall, what I love about the hot looks this spring season (aside from the nod to retro style) is that the bold looks and colors will easily carry over into the summer season. Meaning, if you shop right, you’ll get plenty of wear out of each purchase.

Now, off trend, if there is one piece of advice I wish someone had told me (and then forced me to follow sooner), it’s to invest in a great pair of jeans. If you can splurge, do it here. It’s one of the first post-college, adult purchases I made and haven’t regretted the hefty price tag since. Guys, that goes for you, too. I am a firm believer that a great pair of jeans is the foundation any outfit is built upon.

It was Oct. 5, 1997, and I was just over a month into my freshman year at John Carroll. The Cleveland Indians were hosting the Yankees in game four of the American League Championship Series. Trailing the series, 2-1, the Tribe was down a run in the eighth inning with the game’s greatest closer, Mariano Rivera, on the mound.

But that’s when Sandy Alomar, Jr., gave birth to his postseason legacy. The Tribe catcher homered to tie the game at 2-2. I can still hear Joe Buck’s call, “Into right field… well hit… track… wall… TIED!!” The Indians rode that momentum to the game-winning run in the ninth and the following night, used a three-run-third to defeat the Yankees, 4-3. The Indians would then advance to the World Series for the second time in three years after disposing of the Orioles four games to two.

It was a big deal for a Cleveland team to be playing for a championship. After all, there had not (and still hasn’t) been a title in Cleveland since the 1964 Browns defeated the Baltimore Colts in the NFL Championship.

But I digress.

As was the norm throughout the Indians run in 1997, I gathered in Murphy Hall with a group of friends to watch every playoff game. We thought this was going to be the year a championship and parade down Euclid Avenue was finally going to happen. Just two years earlier, the Tribe lost the World Series to the Atlanta Braves. But 1997 felt different.

The roster was loaded with perennial all-stars and role players who had accomplished careers. A few are Hall of Fame candidates, including Alomar, Jr., Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel and Manny Ramirez. And we can’t forget the numerous unlikely stars like rookie pitcher Jaret Wright, Chad Ogea and Tony Fernandez.

Alas, Cleveland had to “wait until next year” once again as the Tribe lost game seven at Florida in 11 gut-wrenching innings. I can still remember how devastated I felt watching Edgar Renteria’s line drive sail over the out-stretched glove of Charles Nagy to score the winning run.

Painful as it was, the run in 1997 allowed me to quickly meet friends at John Carroll. The atmosphere around the playoff games was amazing for the city, and for the students at Carroll. You could hear people cheering from the next residence hall over with every big hit or out. And following a big win, students would spill out of their rooms for high five’s up and down the floor.

College is about the friendships that you form and the moments that help form you. It’s been almost 15 years since that magical run by the Indians and I often find myself looking back thinking how lucky I was to experience one of the most exciting months of my collegiate life thanks to the Cleveland Indians.

I did the same back in my day, learning all things seen and heard on JCU’s campus, as well as re-reading my prose – seeing it in print to figure what I could’ve possibly done better as a budding beat writer. Covering various sports for The Carroll News, primarily football, I had it easy as the teams were consistently successful … except against the school in Alliance that shall go unnamed. It was a great experience, for I was using what I was learning as a communications major while preparing for my then-desired career as a sportswriter. I landed an internship in the sports department at The Plain Dealer and parlayed that into a position as a full-time sportswriter at a hometown newspaper covering prep sports and Ohio State football after graduating in 2001.

Now more than 10 years later, I find myself leading marketing programs and initiatives in the university banking segment of consumer marketing at PNC Bank. My work takes me to colleges and universities across our 19-state footprint. One of many reasons I enjoy my job is because it’s a steady reminder of how great the college experience is and what mine at John Carroll University has meant to me both professionally and personally. I met my wife here and boast many friendships with classmates I still see regularly. Needless to say I’m a proud alum.

Along the way during my career pursuits, the interview question always came up: “Where do you want to be in 10 years?” In college, I’d never imagine I’d be a sportswriter turned banker. And I still feel that it’s a trick question. Who really knows what they want to be when they grow up? I don’t know – I’m still trying to determine an answer to that one.

I do know that, through all of its offerings and experiences, JCU taught me transcendent skills that I’ve come to rely upon as I’ve navigated my own professional endeavors across various functions from consumer/small business underwriting to retail distribution strategy to marketing. The 5 -part programming series Backpacks 2 Briefcases (BP2BC) is a great opportunity to learn and practice the intangible skills that leave lasting impressions, like how to stand out from other applicants during job interviews all while networking and building relationships with fellow students and members of the local Cleveland business scene.

One’s professional and career development – much like the college experience – is what you make of it. So my advice to you?  Take full advantage of all the opportunities JCU provides to exercise and enhance your personal brand, thereby living the John Carroll University brand of learning, leadership and service.

Certainly, “dating” in college is different than dating in the real world. We went on our first date on Feb.  12 of our sophomore year, and I do not think I considered my husband my “boyfriend” or went on another date with him until nearly one year later. But, we stayed together throughout college and when we were married four years after graduation, there was no question that we wanted our wedding Mass to be held at St. Francis Chapel. Even changing into my wedding dress in the Rec Center and walking past the cafeteria in my dress and veil felt “right” on our wedding day.

Regardless, no one should start college planning to find a spouse.  The friendships and experiences that you have at John Carroll will shape the rest of your life.

My CN managing editor, friend and former roommate, Lisa (Foster) Smith ’00 wrote in her Alumni Column that college was about relationships, and she is right. College is about the relationships that you have with your friends, classmates, teachers and significant others. Many of those relationships will carry you long past graduation day. And, if you happen to meet someone worth holding onto while at John Carroll, you are fortunate to have a spouse with whom you share your John Carroll experiences. Something brought you both to John Carroll, and through your time together at Carroll you have many shared memories. I appreciate that Jason and I can take our children to campus for Homecoming or Breakfast with Santa and let them know that mommy and daddy met and were married here. There are enough of us “John Carroll couples,” including my sister and brother-in-law, my husband’s sister and brother-in-law and a number of our friends, that this year, Alumni Relations is hosting a couples reception on Feb. 10.

I hope the couples reception tradition continues, and John Carroll c

ouples can come back to campus each year for a night out to celebrate their marriages and the school that brought them together.

Attending my first “12 Blue Streaks for Dinner” event in Chicago sponsored by the JCU Student Alumni Association was a true example of this. We walked into the meal as new faces and walked out with new friends.

The students in attendance realized the word “alumni” does not mean “old,” in fact it represents “new.” Current students included Alex Furth, Alyssa Singer, Joe Cahill, Billy O’Brien, Matthew Hoyt, Michael Hager, Michael Hulseman and Sean Hulseman. Alumni included Suzie Shoup, Bill Burke, Dick Murphy, me and the gracious hosts Paul and Patrice Hulseman.

Like these students, I am sure you have been reminded 100 times that your years in college will go by “so fast” and have heard the never ending stories of “In my day…”  It does not make the time fly any less fast, nor does it make the stories any less meaningful. My intent is to express to each student, of every class, that there is an instant connection when current and past John Carroll students meet, and those connections can be invaluable now and throughout life.

As a past Carroll News writer and admissions tour guide, I enjoyed interacting with current and potential students. I learned quickly from personal experience the real value of being a John Carroll alumna.  The idea of “Once a Blue Streak, always a Blue Streak” has opened many opportunities for me to meet and interact with extremely successful people. I was able to intern at NBC 5 Chicago and after that, with NBC’s “Today Show.” As a member of the JCU Chicago Alumni Chapter Leadership Committee, I now have the privilege of meeting incoming students and families, welcoming back current students and inviting all to partake in Chicago chapter events and programs.

Whether you are an athlete, serve in campus ministry or explored age-old myths of the John Carroll campus, alumni love to hear about your college experience now. This alumni column encourages students to be active in the Alumni Association, but I also hope to inspire you to begin that activity now. Alumni chapters exist and are being established in various cities across the country, including Cleveland.

Carroll alumni are currently searching for students to hire as interns at their respective companies. Countless alumni check in with the JCU website, or follow news on Facebook to learn of the many successes of today’s students. I invite you to familiarize yourself now with the many new faces of the John Carroll community. Your relationship with John Carroll truly does last a lifetime.