From High School to UMBC

by Katie Cano

Check out my last blog "Going Back to High School" before you read this! Check out Phase 1 of the Apple Project.

Phase 2 of our project involved the students of the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) coming to UMBC for an entire day. RICA is a small school; there are only 30 residential students and 50 day-time students. So the senior class is quite small. There are only about 13 senior students at RICA. So only there were only 8 students who attended the field trip to UMBC. 

The students arrived in the morning and were greeted with bagels and fruit for breakfast. While they ate we took them on an in-depth tour around campus. The students then had a series of workshops throughout the day, including an activities fair where some student organizations talked to the RICA students. And of course, we fed them pizza for lunch. 

More residents from Susquehanna were able to participate in this day too. They were able to get to know the students, provide them with information, and show them what a day in the life of a 4-year college student is like. 

Eight students had a whole day at UMBC where over 25 people planned and helped their day. These kids have normally had pretty negative experiences in life, and they have hardly ever been given anything just out of kindness. To have a whole day devoted to just their understanding of college and to support their future is almost unimaginable to these kids. 

I think one of the biggest benefits that I got out of this project was extending my love to RICA to other people at UMBC. I love having people interact with these kids and hearing, "Man I love those kids. We should go back." There's no greater music to my ears. 

Going Back to High School

by Katie Cano

For the first phase of our project the staff of Susquehanna Hall visited the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA)–a level 5 special education school for children with emotional disturbance disorders that we decided to work with. We went to RICA to help these kids with their dreams of higher education.

We arrived at RICA with a group of 5 UMBC students, a Residential Life Community Director, and lots of information at 9:30 am. After showing everyone around and giving an in-depth tour to the other members of the UMBC community, I was able to introduce everyone to the senior class and some juniors of RICA.

We had a couple different sessions with the kids where we answered questions and talked abut college experience. Then we were able to sit down and eat lunch will all of the kids.

There were three big things that came out of that day:
1. This project required a lot of flexibility. We actually came prepared that day to host many different workshops and we actually didn’t get to conduct any of them. However, we informed the students to our best ability in the time and setting that we were given.

2. These kids needed our help and they got a lot out of that day. So many people are not able to go to college and pursue higher education, but these kids especially are starting farther back from the starting line. Many are in foster care and group homes. Many of those kids were not properly education within their schools and now at 16 and 17 are practically illiterate. Many of these kids have been abused and given a bad hand in life. They were asking us questions that may seem self-explanatory to many of us here at UMBC, but to them it’s all new.

3. It’s amazing how much you can connect with someone in just a couple of hours. I volunteer at RICA each week so I know these kids. However, by the end of the day, everyone else from UMBC were receiving pictures from the kids, getting hugs, and many thank yous.

I love those kids at RICA. They are so brave, so intelligent, and so courageous. I’m glad that we were able to teach them very different things about higher education and portray the message that everyone can receive some kind of higher education and take control of their future.

Food for Thought

I volunteer at a site called College Gardens, it is a YMCA affiliated after school program for kids in grades K-12 that live in Baltimore City. 

I volunteer alongside others and for our reflection session, I had the group of volunteers read an article on the difference between helping and serving and write a response on how it relates to what we do at College Gardens and here is a quote from one of the responses:

"At College Gardens we do not volunteer to help kids, because they are not broken, we volunteer in order to get to know the kids."- Jonah Kracke-Bock

This quote to me was just a reminder that at our service site we don't do things to help "a lost cause" or those "lesser" than us, we serve to form relationships that can transforms lives, those of the kids and of ourselves. 

For this Apple/Social Change Effort working with the kids from RICA I think it is important for us to remember that the kids aren't defined by one aspect of there lives. We are not "fixing" anyone rather supplying an opportunity for growth in both ourselves and the students.

#foodforthought #servicelearning #civicengagement #whatareyourthoughts? 

-Kathy

The Apple Project

by Katie Cano

I wrote a couple blogs early titled “Light in a Dark Cave”. I have updated everyone in a while with what is going on with that project, but it now has a name and it’s ready to launch. The Apple Project will be allowing Susquehanna Hall’s residents to impact students of the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) in just a few short weeks.

Although I’ve been in charge of the committee for UMBC students going to RICA onApril 25th and helping the RICA students with preparing for college, I am really proud of the other committees.

We don’t have a huge group planning this project, and the other two committees–Marketing/Education and a committee for RICA students coming to UMBC for a day–have worked so hard to assure that this project comes to fruition.

The Marketing/Education committee has made an adorable video based on Frozen’s, “Do You Want to Build a Snowman” to advertise for the event.They are taking care of all the educational posters and ads that will go around SUS. They’re also taking care of all the sign-ups for the event. Basically, the Marketing/Education committee is ensuring that SUS residents will actually participate in this project.

The other committee, for RICA students coming to UMBC, has an amazing day for RICA students. They’ve planned an interaction scavenger hunt and tour, a mock lecture with an awesome professor, and an activities fair.

I’m a shameless plugger for RICA and I know in part that’s why we’re doing this project. But despite all my blathering on about this Level 5 Special Education school that I love, this project would never have been able to happen without all the hard work of the SUS staff.

I know that I’m sometimes a very bossy, loud, and I stick my nose in other peoples’ committees constantly, I could not be more proud of the SUS staff. I know that when we finish the project we’ll all have affected the kids at RICA and allow them to change us as well. I couldn’t ask to work with a better bunch of people.

RICA

Before spring break, I had the pleasure to going to the school that we are hosting for our Apple project, the Residential Institution for Childhood Adolescents, RICA. RICA is a school for children who suffer from severe emotional trauma from a previous event. Each of the 80 students enrolled have a personal clinician that is there for counseling and guidance. I went with Katie Cano, and she introduced me to the head advisor of RICA, Ms. Kathy Kelly. Ms. Kelly told us the stories and obstacles that are faced by her students. Some were survivors of human trafficking or lost their parents in a very short period of time. The emotional trauma from these experiences has disrupted their education and as put them at a severe disadvantage. Hearing the stories about the student of RICA, makes you think how lucky one has to be in a stable environment I look forward to this project and learning more about kids like the students at RICA.

Living out your values

"Service is love made visible.

If you love your friends, you will serve your friends.

If you love community, you will serve your community

If you love money, you will serve your money.

And if you only love yourself,  you will only serve yourself, and you will only have yourself"

-Stephen Colbert, Northwestern University Commencement Speech, 2011

At our staff meeting last Thursday, the Resident Assistants, Desk Manager, and Community Director of Suss got together to talk about our journey toward and through education. For me, this was an opportunity to share my beliefs about what service means. If service is love made visible, then we will always serve what we love. 

It was also an opportunity to talk about how we can serve. As undergraduates, we occupy a particular space--one fraught with opportunity, confusion, and dotted with individuals who are working to fully understand disciplines and them-selves. 

It is from this perspective that I look at service. Many hear that word and think of volunteering--going to a soup kitchen, for example, and working with those in need. That service has profound importance, but as students we can contribute even more. 

Our journey through UMBC is gifting us with skills and knowledge that others will never get the chance to have. If you're here to study biological sciences, then you are working to master the discipline of biology. Use that. If you are here to study mechanical engineering, how can social value be created through that process? Who's lives can be bettered, and how can you contribute to that?

Because that's what it comes down to. We're all here to allow people to become healthier and happier, to breathe more easily, to live more fully, and to love without restraint. If that's not the purpose, then why are we really here? Well,like every decision, coming here is a product of serving what we love. If we love money, then we are here to learn how to better serve our money.

But if we love others, if we are here to serve others, then we chose to go to college so that we may learn how to better serve others. And if that's true, then we are becoming better Biology students, better Engineering students, better Political Science students in order to better serve others through the skills that a degree symbolizes. The very process of getting that degree can be service, too. We can serve others through the very means of getting that education if only we choose to. Because service is not an act, it is a choice to be made every day. 

Creating Paths

This past week I was blessed with the opportunity to hear from a group of people; their personal stories on how they got to where they are in their educational career. More specifically, I heard about their challenges, victories, and if possible what they would change in their journey to an undergraduate degree. From the discussion we had one thing that became increasingly clear is that no two college journey's are the same, we all took different paths to get to where we are, and no path is lesser or greater.

Another thing that I was reminded of is that many students in the United States are not aware or unable to create the path that leads to college. In elementary schools in certain places, the idea of growing up to become whatever a child wants to be whether that be a teacher, artist, lawyer, or doctor is instilled at a young age. Students are taught that despite their circumstance they can overcome and become who they want to be, college is something attainable. Other schools however, students are not given this same hope and support, they in turn begin to see there situation over the opportunity of a college degree. This social change project provides us with the opportunity to show all students that upon graduation there are many paths a student could take work, military, etc, but the college path that is also attainable.

Equality Matters

The need to have at least a degree from a 4-year university is becoming more and more imperative to obtain a good paying job. 

This is why I am participating in The Apple Project. 

The process of getting into college is not equal for everyone. For some high-school students, going to college isn't an option due to costs, ineligibility, or legal issues. I think people need to be aware of this, especially those like me who were fortunate to have a rather easy time getting into college.I want to use my strengths to extend that privilege to those who don't have it.  

My Journey to Higher Education

I was born and raised in an Army family all the way--my parents met in the Army, and both of my older siblings joined the military right out of high school. For me, life after high school meant choosing between two options. I could choose to follow my family's path and join the military, or I could choose to take a step of faith and try out college life. I honestly don't think that I ever really considered joining the military; college seemed like the only real option that I had for my next step in life--so I took the plunge into the unknown.

Neither of my parents ever attended a University, although my Dad did take some community college courses when I was just starting high school. My Mom and Dad were both clueless to how the college process really worked--when to get applications in, how to apply for loans, what scholarships to apply for....all of these details were lost on them. My guidance counselor at school was completely useless. I can't think of a single piece of information that was given to me about the application process or any financial advice at all.

The lack of information that I had leading up to my application process is definitely something that I think should change, though I know that this is not the case for every student! By going out to RICA, we will be able to provide students with a basic knowledge of what it means to be a college student and what college life actually looks like.

I'm excited to be able talk to the students about what college life is like and to answer with firsthand experience what the application process looks like for students!

How Things Look from the Marketing Side

So, I'm on another side of things. I'm on the marketing team. Yes, my team and I may not be directly working with students from RICA, yet I do believe that we are equally as important as the rest of the people who will be serving. We are taking our time to educate SUS residents about this amazing possibility to serve and learn more about the issue of educational inequality that affects so many. Fliers, videos, bulletin boards, etc. are all important aspects that we will be covering in order to fully market the importance of: THE APPLE PROJECT. That's what we are calling it, and I'm excited for it.

Light in a Cave, Part 3

Katie Cano

EVERYTHING IS COMING TOGETHER WITH THE SOCIAL CHANGE PROJECT.

Finally, I feel like everyone can see that things are finally coming together. We have picked a date, and we are starting to delve into the interests of each student that we are going to be helping. By Friday, we should have it mostly put together. We’ll only be working with the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents (RICA) now though, which I am still really excited about.

The game plan is that the students of RICA will come here for a day–tour the school, experience what classes are like, eat lunch here, and meet people from student organizations and student life.

Then the students of UMBC will go to RICA and work on preparing further for college.My goal is to have everyone who helps with this project love RICA at least a quarter of the amount that I do. I just hope that everyone gets to connect with at least one child and see the value in working with kids who are high risk. These kids are so smart, talented, and strong; I hope the students of UMBC get a taste of that strong spirit in these kids when they visit RICA.

I volunteer at RICA on Mondays and I was telling the seniors about coming to UMBC to tour. They were really excited to come here. The feeling is mutual all over UMBC.

Predictors

What if I told you I knew how you were going to perform in life?
All you have to do is answer a few questions about yourself:

1. What is your gender? Is it different from your biological sex?
2. Are you heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, asexual, etc.?
3. What is your race?
4. How much money did your parents make when you were growing up?
5. What was the highest level of education your parents completed?
6. Do you live in a two parent household?

Like a choose-your-own-adventure book, statistics would show that different answers to any of these questions can predict how economically well-off you'll be later. According to a study by The Williams Institute, women in same-sex relationships tend to make more money than heterosexual women, while homosexual males tend to make less than heterosexual males. Income across different racial groups also varies disturbingly, with Asian-Americans making an average of $68,636 annually while African Americans made an average of $33,321 (US Census Bureau, 2013).

The interesting thing is that across all categorizations of people, the main indicator of economic success is education. 

In a society where de jure segregation of virtually any institution or facility is illegal, it is the socially constructed de facto inequalities that merit the most attention. Especially in higher education, there is a a paradoxical situation in which institutions will literally bend over backwards to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups - some very controversial examples include race/gender quotas, special scholarships, targeted support programs - and yet it still has not worked to normalize enrollment across categories. 

One of the easiest categorizations is obviously race, which has been the subject of much media hype for decades:

It's impossible to not notice the downward trend in the orange bars, representing one word: INEQUALITY. True, these statistics come from following one group of students in Philadelphia over many years. However, similar trends are seen across America. In a society that strives for political correctness and equality, why does there exist so much disparity? These are not issues that can be shut out and placed in a corner in hopes that they will remedy themselves, because that's the Pandora's box that we will inherit when it comes to be our turn to essentially rule the world. 

At Susquehanna Hall in UMBC, we are striving to break the patterns that allow for predictions of educational success based on categorization. We envision a society in which answers to questions 1-6 above have neither statistical nor realistic impact on how high a child can achieve. A person's life is truly a choose-your-own-adventure, except it is not an adventure in which the options are already written ante factum. If we are truly to progress as a society, we must change society. This is our contribution to the hopes we all have for a brighter tomorrow, and we hope that you'll join us!

Light in a Cave, Part 2

by Katie Cano

In case you didn’t catch part 1, Susquehanna Hall’s staff is currently starting their social justice project about equal opportunity in education. We are planning on educating the residents about educationally opportunities in the U.S. and then taking them to Digital Harbor High School and the Regional Institute for Children and Adolescents–Baltimore (RICA), to help those students achieve their dreams of college. We are also planning on bringing many of these students to UMBC to show them what college is really like.

In my following blogs about this project, I will be addressing our process, struggles, achievements, and reflections about this project.

We’ve actually already had our first setback, but we’re continuing to move forward. Thurgood Marshall High School is a high school in Baltimore City that has many students that could use some help, and that’s who we wanted to work with. Unfortunately, we could never get in contact with them. So we continue to move forward.

Digital Harbor High School, another school in Baltimore City also has a large population of students who are struggling to make it through their education and into college. Students are plagued with cultural differences, language barriers, problems at home, drug use, and remedial skills that make it hard to keep up in their current classes. They also have many teachers, staff members, and parents who are very supportive of their students and are more likely to partner with us. So we have switched our efforts to Digital Harbor.

In addition, we had our first meeting with RICA this was extremely supportive and excited about working with us and helping their students. We decided that working with the seniors and juniors of the schools would be a great option. We could help them apply for community college, study for placement tests, practice note-taking skills, and talk about the reality of college.

Throughout this entire affair there may be setbacks. However, the important thing is to remain calm, keep pushing through, remember to be supportive of each other, and keep our goal in mind.

Light in a Cave

by: Katie Cano
Encyclopedia Britannica refers to social change as, “the alteration in the social order of a society. Social change may include changes in nature, social institutions, social behaviors, or social relations.” Social change means different things to every person, despite the definition from Encyclopedia Britannica.

For me, social change doesn’t necessarily have to be so broad. I think that for there to be a large social change throughout society there needs a number of people actively trying to create such change.

One person though has the ability to make a change in at least one other person. Like a chain effect this will spread until it eventually can become a larger social change.

I used to use a metaphor frequently when I was younger about a light in a cave. In a completely dark cave, it only takes one person to light a candle for there to be light everywhere. Then that light will spread until eventually everyone has a light of their own. That light is like social change.

The staff of Susquehanna Hall is once again embarking on a journey into social change. We are developing a project together– the community director, the resident assistants, the desk manager, and the desk staffers–to create a social change throughout the UMBC campus, the Baltimore community, and Susquehanna hall.

We have collectively decided to create a project about equal opportunity in education where we will educate ourselves and Susquehanna residents. Then we will go out into the community and try to educate children within Baltimore about how they can have the opportunity to experience higher education.

Each week, from now until the end of the semester, one of the blogs that I post will be about Susquehanna’s social change project. We’re all very excited for the final project!

Test Post

Testing one two three. Amalia's single coffee bean smells good. Alfonso's picnic looks good. Jack's stomach sounds good. Belawoe's pancake feels good. Kathy's gucci sweater tastes good. The balance of Lindsey's atomic measuring tape is good. I sense the relative position of Wendy's oregano is good.