Buck -I Serve (May 2017)
I had the the wonderful opportunity to serve as an advisor with Buck-I Serve in Boston, Massachusetts . Our group of OSU students to performed a week long community service project. This service project is commonly known as an ” alternative spring break”. This is an opportunity for students and staff to use their break to serve a community in need. Our project was to volunteer at two organizations in Boston called Cradles to Crayons; who helped low income children with clothing , books, and toys and a Meals on Wheels program to serve at risk individuals in the greater Boston area. Our group truly had a good time serving for both of these organizations in Boston and really learned a lot about ourselves and the great need for more volunteers to provide services to these organizations. We packed clothes, scrubbed shoes, prepared and delivered meals and spent time connecting with the Boston locals. I felt truly blessed to dedicate a a week to serving with these organizations and it even further sparked my desire for travel and volunteerism! Oh.. and you cannot leave Boston without going to Regina Pizzeria ( awesome homemade pizza’s), Mike’s Pastry ( best Canolli’s ever!), Quincy Market, and taking a walk on Boston’s Freedom Trail. ( just to name a few!)
Martin Luther King Jr. day of Service (Jan. 19, 2015)
I had the pleasure of participating in the ” MLK OSU Day of Service”( Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) I attended with Janis Browning, the Outreach Coordinator with the Office of Outreach and Engagement at OSU. We arrived at 7:30 am to the Ohio Union to be assigned a group and a community service location.
My group was assigned to an organization called W.A.R.M located in Westerville, Ohio. This was a a ministry and a food pantry. My group assisted with organizing and loading food for their patrons. It was an awesome time! We had a chance to learn more about this Non- For – Profit organization which offers food, employment, and counseling services to individuals in need. In the short time my group served, we all bonded as a team and had a chance to “reflect” as a group about our service. I really had a great time serving and want to make sure I continue serving the community around me. This MLK day of service really allowed me to understand the importance of serving and has motivated me to continuing serving the community around me outside of a scheduled or manadatory event. I had a really fun time meeting new students and serving along side all the wonderful people we came across!
OSU Libraries ( October 3, 2014) I have an on-going collabortion with Deidra Herring, OSU Librarian to ” enhance my EDUTL 1902 class. We would like to engage our ESL students in a more social setting to prompt critical thinking and discussion. We had our first activity held at The Thompson Library in the Mortor Board Room on Oct. 3, 2o14. We had students perform a research assignment/ activity. They had to select a periodical of their choice( article for more in-depth research) and report on the information in that article. We allowed students some social time to discuss and find articles afterwards, Deidra performed a session to assist students in relaying the information they found on their selected articles. The students had a chance to talk and practice their English, work in groups, and gain a more in-depth understanding of how to select different types of periodicals and report information about those articles. This was a very successful session!!!
Middle East Studies Center OSU ( March 22, 2014) Marhaba ! I had a great opportunity to partner with Melinda McClimans, Assistant Director of Middle East Studies Center at OSU and Maggie Nassif, with the National Middle East Language Resource Center at Brigham Young University. An Arabic Language Camp was offered to the highschool sudents at the International Highschool Columbus North. The principal Ameer Kim welcolmed us and participated with us. I attended the Camp and had a great time!
We learned some Arabic and did a little Arabic Art , it was a great educational opportunity and I look forward to partnering with the Center for Middle Eastern Studies again.
Ohio Dominican University ( March 26, 2014) I had the Pleasure of working with Kevin Cordi, P.h. D. Dr. Cordi is a professor at Ohio Dominican University. He loves teaching and storytelling. Before arriving at ODU, he has served as adjunct professor at California State University (Fresno) and as lecturer taught courses at The Ohio State University. Last year he was The Ohio State University’s first ever “Academic Storyteller-in-Residence.” He worked with The Multicultural Center using narrative to address social justice, equity, and race relations. He, in concert with the center, launched over 40 Story Boxes around the world with his well-known Story Box project.
Dr. Kevin Cordi visited my class as a guest speaker to share his amazing and creative story telling skills to my international students. He also shared stories from his recent travels to Qatar along with some amazing pictures on a slide show presentation and invited a dialogue with my students about their respective cultures. His travels to Qatar were about his work with a high school in that Doha, Qatar. The trip was to build “cultural bridges”. Kevin also my invited students to contact him should they have questions about American University Life. My students and I enjoyed Kevin’s presentation and the entertaining stories he told that connected all of us! A brave student asked Kevin to “show off ” his storytelling skills, and that he did! He told us a entertaining and poignant story about a man with a tattoo. I am now a believer in the power of storytelling!!!