Catherine Wade’s Archive

Reflecting on the Journey

Thursday, May 2nd, 2013

By Kristine Cody

This May marks the end of my graduate assistantship in the Service-Learning office. It is a bittersweet season as I look back with gratitude on the experiences I have had and prepare to move forward into new positions. Service-Learning has come to take on a new meaning for me – it signifies citizenship and stewardship of resources for the overall benefit of a community. It shifts the aim of education from betterment of self to the betterment of society in a reciprocal, results-based manner. More than that though, Service-Learning means intentional application of learning that produces transformation of mind, heart, and spirit for students and community members alike.

Our theme in the office this year has been “Journeying Together” which indicates partnership, collaboration, and collective vision, not only in the work we do, but in the personal experiences that we share. The CASLR family is saying “see you later” to many valuable employees and friends, including five graduating seniors and five graduate interns. In facing this reality we have reflected together on the past year, the relationships built, and the work completed – there is much gratitude for the landmarks we have experienced together. These pivotal moments include the following accomplishments:

  • Establishing a collaborative mission statement for the College Headed and Mighty Proud program.
  • The office’s Assistant Director, Cindy Montgomery, completed her first full year in the position.
  • Staff presented at the 2013 Continuums of Service Conference in Portland, Oregon.
  • The expansion of the 8th Grade Majors Fair to include all three middle schools in the Azusa Unified School District.
  • The Community Scholars transitioned to an independently functioning group.

I leave this year with intellectual gains from researching and participating in Service-Learning and the social emotional gains from working in an office that fosters workplace community and professional development. This experience has demonstrated the concept of bringing together many voices to have maximum impact on community need and resilience. It has shed light on how positive team synergy can optimize motivation and impact, and integrate inherent value of all parties involved.

“No group can solve its problems without the expertise and perspective of others. Artists need business-minded people to complement their creativity with economic savvy. Developers benefit from artists who create neighborhoods that have character and aesthetically unique identities. Planners profit from mothers’ input in designing neighborhoods that nurture children. To solve the problems of today’s multifaceted communities, we must bring together everyone’s ideas to construct a collective vision of the future.” – Milenko Matanovic, Executive Director of the Pomegranate Center

Service-Learning is the pipeline for civically engaged and socially responsible individuals who prioritize making a difference in the world. This is what it means to journey together – to bring together diverse voices, to give and receive, and to care for the well-being of our communities.

~

Kristine is a graduate assistant serving at the Center for Academic Service-Learning & Research serving as the 2012-2013 Coordinator for Student Professional Development. She is working towards her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development.

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Empowering Middle School Students to Believe in Their Future

Wednesday, March 13th, 2013

By: Kristine Cody

Spring semester at the Center for Academic Service-Learning & Research is bustling with activity. The overcrowded, color coded master calendar is a daily reminder of the many professors and students committed to serving and learning in the Azusa community. A distinctive of this time is the intentional programs focused on increasing college awareness and readiness for middle school students. Welcome to CASLR’s March Madness!

8th Grade Majors Fair

The 8th Grade Majors Fair is in its second year of existence and already demonstrating phenomenal growth and impact. It is designed to give middle school students exposure to academic majors and extracurricular activities, so that they can envision a future at college and begin to take intentional steps to prepare during their high school years. This event is made possible by the collaboration of three higher education institutions (Azusa Pacific University, Cal Poly Pomona , and Citrus Community College) and has grown to reach a total of three middle schools (Center Middle School, Foothill Middle School, and Slauson Middle School). It will take place on March 14th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Memorial Park North Recreation Center.

Brain Awareness Week

The second annual Brain Awareness Fair is occurring March 11th through 17th in celebration of National Brain Awareness Week. Dr. Skyla Herod and her neurobiology students are providing learning opportunities for Azusa Pacific University students, as well as Azusa Unified School District middle schools to communicate practical concepts on brain health. APU students can benefit from attending two lectures and/or visiting a publicity booth. In addition, the neurobiology will be presenting to seventh graders at Slauson Middle School on March 18th, to Center Middle School on March 19th, and Foothill Middle School on March 20th.

Cougar Pals

For over a decade, Azusa Pacific University’s (APU) Cougar Pals program has been providing mentorship for at-risk middle school students. This long-standing partnership with the Azusa Unified School District has grown in its capacity and impact, reaching all three district middle schools and having a high parent-request rate as a result of the proven outcomes. The potential benefits are many and include an increase in student’s ability to focus in class, positive changes in behavior, and improvements in course work. APU social work students are partnered with middle school students to provide academic and social support on a weekly basis. The culminating experience is a visit day to APU’s campus on March 21st from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. during which students are given a tour and have the opportunity to ask questions about college.

~

Kristine is a graduate assistant serving at the Center for Academic Service-Learning & Research serving as the 2012-2013 Coordinator for Student Professional Development. She is working towards her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development.

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Defying Odds: Fourth Graders at College

Tuesday, November 13th, 2012

By: Kristine Cody

If you stroll through Azusa Pacific University’s campus this week you may be surprised to find troops of elementary school kids walking along the pathways. Don’t be alarmed, their bus driver did not take a wrong turn. This is actually a bi-annual occurrence that is sponsored by the Center for Academic Service-Learning & Research’s College Headed and Mighty Proud (C.H.A.M.P.) program.

C.H.A.M.P. is overseen by Dr. Paul Flores, the chair of the liberal studies department, and has been in existence for twenty-one years. It is a ten week program, held each semester, during which APU students facilitate lessons on college preparation in fourth grade classrooms around the Azusa community. The curriculum focuses on team building, financial aid, major and career exploration, and the college application process. The experience culminates with an expository essay, a visit to APU’s campus, and a graduation ceremony. Currently C.H.A.M.P. services six elementary schools: Murray, Magnolia, Paramount, Mountain View, Lee, and Powell.

November is an eventful month for this program including three campus visits and graduation. These events promote both a concrete experience of higher education for students, and allow parents of first generation students to become educated. Individuals looking to learn more about this program or get involved are welcome to attend graduation on November 28th at 6:30 p.m. in the Felix Event Center. Additional information can be obtained through the C.H.A.M.P. webpage, http://www.apu.edu/caslr/champ/, or by contacting the C.H.A.M.P. director at champdirector@apu.edu.

This year’s C.H.A.M.P. director, Anthony Bernardo, seeks to lead on the “front line” by demonstrating care and intentionality with all students in order to have the greatest possible impact. Bernardo’s Liberal Studies background and family history in the field of education has equipped him well to mentor and motivate those under his supervision. He is thrilled to be in a position that merges both of his passions – college students and children.

He believes that C.H.A.M.P. finds success because of the buy-in from administrators from both the university and elementary schools. In addition, this program will find continued success if awareness and support grows within the Azusa community. Bernardo’s recommendations for accomplishing this are prayer for education in general, advocacy for college access for younger generations, and involvement by local businesses. These efforts will help our youngest citizens understand the value of higher education and their opportunity to participate. Each partner plays a critical role in defining this value, which inspires our youth to be tomorrow’s leaders.

So if you happen to be on campus and see an elementary school student making their way towards you, flash a smile or offer a high five. You may be in the presence of a future president.

~

Kristine is a graduate assistant at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research serving as the 2012 – 2013 Coordinator for Student Professional Development. She is working towards her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development.

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So What Is Service-Learning?: Reflections of a Novice Service-Learning Enthusiast

Wednesday, October 10th, 2012

By: Kristine Cody

I have gotten acquainted with Service-Learning through my
work as a graduate intern in Azusa Pacific University’s Center for Academic
Service-Learning & Research. With that statement, I feel that I must also
give a disclaimer – I’ve been in this position for a month and a half. I know
my words won’t perfectly capture what Service-Learning is but I hope that they
will shed light on the journey of discovering its likeness.

Service-Learning is when service – and – learning are
equally incorporated in an institution’s efforts to address community needs. Whether
done by a department, an individual, or by educators themselves, there is a key
coordinator, such as APU’s Service-Learning office, in this process that
matches classroom curriculum with relevant service projects.

Participating students intentionally apply knowledge and
skills acquired in the classroom to assist others, which both enhances their
service and authenticates what they are learning.  Those being helped contribute to the process
also by sharing their experiences and feedback in a way that allows for
practical understanding of academic concepts as well as realization of impact.
Therefore, optimal service and learning occurs when both parties are recognized
as playing an essential role and mutual benefit is gained.

In addition, for those committed to living their life for
Christ, there is also a spiritual impact in doing Service-Learning. One of our
Service-Learning Advocates (SLA’s) shared her experience of doing Service-Learning
in India over the summer. She talked of her volunteer experiences and
interaction with the local people that taught her lessons in disregarding unjust,
societal divides and loving in a Christ-like manner. Her stories and reflection
illuminated the fact that incorporating Service-Learning into your lifestyle
has the potential to foster intellectual, moral, and spiritual development.

In my efforts to define Service-Learning I have discovered
that it is a concept better experienced than explained. You know it by doing
it. I know those statements alone will not result in an epiphany for most, but
I hope that it will at least prompt people to discover it for themselves.

~

Kristine is a graduate assistant at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research serving as the 2012 – 2013 Coordinator for Student Professional Development. She is working towards her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development.

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Service-Learning Advocate Spotlight: Elizabeth Russo

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Liz is a graduating senior, and has worked in the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research (CASLR) as a Service-Learning Advocate (SLA) since the fall of her sophomore year. She hales from Rancho Cucamonga, CA and has one little sister, Katie, who is also an APU undergraduate and has just been hired as a new SLA. Liz has majored in Psychology, and is starting a Masters program in Marriage Family Therapy at Fuller Theological Seminary in the fall.

Liz has thoroughly enjoyed her time as an SLA. She loves the excellent community and support at the CASLR. The weekly staff meeting prayer times have reminded her to slow down and take interest in the lives of those around her. Liz also appreciates the professional development skills this position has increased in her own life. Even though she has always been an organized person, her organizational skills have greatly increased. Liz has also gained experience working in multiple environments and with a variety of different people, including professors, AUSD principals and teachers, and APU students. This position has also given her the ability to learn about other disciplines outside of her major in Psychology.

During Liz’s first year as an SLA, she assisted the graduate assistant with C.H.A.M.P., and has since then coordinated the Teacher Assistant Program (TAP). Each semester, this 10-week program places approximately 100 upper-division liberal studies and teacher education majors in classrooms to serve as teachers’ assistants. Students are currently serving in Azusa Unified School District as well as schools in the Covina Valley, Duarte, and Glendora school districts. Liz has coordinated these labs, helping APU students (usually sophomores) to clarify and reaffirm, through practical application, that teaching is definitely meant for them. She has also assisted in courses regarding presidential formation and the ethics of special education.

Liz enjoys most being a part of the “light-bulb” moments she often witnesses in the experiences of APU students who participate in Service-Learning, when they are able to make the connection between theory in the classroom and practice in the community. As a kinesthetic learner herself, she appreciates how Service-Learning is able to give hands-on experience to what is being taught, which allows students to learn in a different way than the normal classroom approach.

Liz’s Top 5 Strengths are Responsibility, Empathy, Restorative, Discipline, and Individualization. Utilizing her strengths, she hopes to leave this office with revamped and sustainable programs that can easily be taken up by her successor. The other SLAs definitely see her as incredibly organized, responsible, and caring. Liz will miss all the CASLR staff and her unique job, which never fails to invoke multiple questions whenever she tells someone that she is a Service-Learning Advocate. What she has learned most about herself and hopes others will be encouraged to do by her example is to never let fear stand in the way of going for their dreams.

~

Mary C. Pearce is the Coordinator for Student Professional Development Graduate Assistant at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, working on her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development


 

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Service-Learning Advocate Spotlight: Meghan Gifford

Monday, April 23rd, 2012

Meghan is one of our newest Service-Learning Advocates (SLA) at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research (CASLR). She comes from Tualatin, Oregon, near Portland, where she still has a little brother and sister finishing up high school. She is a sophomore, majoring in Liberal Studies and minoring in Spanish.

Before starting work at the CASLR, Meghan had already participated in two different Service-Learning courses, where she was able to see, first-hand, the academic reciprocity and opportunity for making a difference that S-L courses were able to provide. Now Meghan gets to see the behind the scenes operations, how everything goes into making S-L courses a success, and finds the planning especially rewarding.

Meghan’s primary responsibilities this semester were to assist the C.H.A.M.P. Director graduate assistant. Each year, the College Headed and Mighty Proud (C.H.A.M.P.) semester-long program introduces the idea of college to around 700 fourth graders from six local schools in the Azusa Unified School District through various activities. The C.H.A.M.P. program is a service-learning experience for APU students enrolled in EDLS 405 Diversity in the Classroom. This education course is designed to engage prospective teachers with issues such as race and culture in the educational setting. Each semester, APU partners with three elementary schools from the Azusa Unified School District. APU students are assigned to classrooms at the designated school sites to serve as college mentors to groups of five to seven fourth grade students. The APU students facilitate activities that correspond to the C.H.A.M.P. curriculum, covering such topics as college admission, financial aid, and career exploration.

Meghan has loved seeing the enjoyment on the middle school students’ faces during Visit Days, where they were amazed to think that some day they could actually live on campus and go to college. Seeing them all dressed up for C.H.A.M.P. Graduation, knowing how much it meant to them, was Meghan’s highest anticipation throughout the semester. She has found the CASLR to be a perfect place for her to put service into practice. This has also been her first professional job, where she has learned invaluable skills in organization, effective communication, and assertiveness.

This has also been a place to continue fostering her Strengths. Her top five are Adaptability, Empathy, Developer, Includer, and Positivity. Using her strengths, she is able to adjust quickly and go with the flow during events and last minute changes. She is also able to relate well and understand the people she has to work with, and enjoys fostering those relationships. Her fellow SLAs would describe her as nice, positive, and friendly; always willing to take up the slack for everyone else when needed. Meghan hopes that her short time at the CASLR has made a worthwhile difference and that the relationships she has made will be stronger when she leaves. Next year, Meghan will be one of APU’s Resident Assistants.

~

Mary C. Pearce is the Coordinator for Student Professional Development Graduate Assistant at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, working on her Master’s of Science in College Counseling and Student Development


 

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