

Rock Climbing and Conquering Fears
This week, SA Caroline took 10 brave students to a local rock climbing gym. There, students conquered their fears and showed their strength by completing eight different climbs of varying levels, heights, and speeds! We started off with the smaller walls, and quickly made our way to some of the more challenging climbs available in the gym. Conquering fears was made easier by the encouraging words from fellow MAIA students. Cheering each other on throughout the event, MAIA stu


New Winter Sports: Ice Hockey!
For many students at MAIA, winter sports are a new way to embrace the chilly season! This weekend, some of the new students at MAIA enjoyed an exciting game between the Worcester Railers, a local hockey team, and the Jacksonville Icemen. Surrounded by hundreds of fans in a stadium about 20 minutes away from MAIA, students cheered and applauded the team and had a lot of Massachusetts pride! This was the first time some students had ever seen a hockey game, and they were eager


Cross Country Skiing Weekend!
This weekend, students traveled to Weston Ski Track to learn how to Cross Country Ski! SA Rachael took students on the trip where she and about 15 students spent hours skiing around the snowy track. Despite the snowy conditions, it felt more like Spring and students were actually wearing t-shirts since it was so warm out! Many students came away wet and sore from falling so many times, but a wonderful time was had by all. Students made new friends, explored a new sport, spent


Playing Chess and Painting Pottery!
This week, students spent some time indoors as the weather turned cold and snowy outside! There was a chess night and a chance to go paint pottery at a nearby studio. Students and SA Rachael enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of painting pottery in Northborough. There were plates, golf bags, pencil holders and bowls, all painted beautifully by MAIA students. The creative MAIA students will get more chances to do art this semester, as SA Elise is starting a new Art Club on campus! A


Karaoke Night at MAIA
New students got to take a break from their busy orientation week and join us for a night of Karaoke! Current students attended as well to relax after their first week back to classes. The SAs and a few members of the hockey team started off the night singing a few songs, and eventually students came up and sang songs mostly in English and a few of their favorites in Chinese. While watching the performances, students got to snack on cookies, fruit, hot chocolate and sodas. It


MAIA Welcomes New Students!
MAIA welcomed its first group of new students this week! After the first day of orientation, we all relaxed together with board games and cupcake decorating on Monday afternoon. Some excelled at chess, while others were hit in the face with whipped cream. One group even completed a giant jenga game! Students started to show their personalities and are making new friends. It was a wonderful afternoon!


Ice Skating before the Big Storm!
This week at MAIA, we received over a foot of snow in just one day! It's been a snowy winter break, with many MAIA students enjoying their relaxing break without classes my staying on campus. While on campus, many have been studying, visiting Boston, and attending SA events. This week, SA Ashley took a group of students to the local ice rink for some ice skating! This is the second time students have gone skating this year, so many have improved. What better way to embrace th


Christmas Crafts for a Christmas Tree!
To have a quick break and de-stress during finals, students prepared for the upcoming holidays by making home-made Christmas ornaments! Students gathered in the atrium for several hours to create beautiful decorative works of art and enjoy some seasonal snacks. Students got to de-stress from the craziness of finals by sharing their creativity and making beautiful ornaments. They painted everything from pokeballs to happy messages to winter wonderlands- they really let their c


Baking Christmas Cookies
There are many ways to celebrate Christmas in America, but the most delicious way is the holiday tradition of baking Christmas cookies. We bake cookies for family, friends, neighbors, and even Santa. So, the Saturday before Christmas, an SA and 5 MAIA students decided to take to the kitchen and make cookies for the students staying at MAIA over break. Students were able to learn how to bake cookies from scratch and practiced how to read a recipe. This was a great time to rela