Change Agent</h1> <article> <h1>Change Agent</h1> <p>tapplega — Tue, 19 Sep 2023 15:27:08 +0000</p> <span>Change Agent</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-09-19T11:27:08-04:00" title="Tuesday, September 19, 2023 - 11:27">Tue, 09/19/2023 - 11:27</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Jesse Kohler ’16 set foot in 91ֱ�� with a dream of baseball stardom. But like the unpredictable curveballs he threw from the mound, life directed him toward a path of public service, and the baseball enthusiast evolved into a beacon for community and national advocacy that took shape through his major in <a href="/node/3396">law and society</a>.</p> <p>Kohler hails from the outskirts of Philadelphia, where he was intimately exposed to the challenges many families face in raising children and making ends meet. Witnessing these difficulties up close fueled his desire to make a tangible impact and ultimately led him to pursue a career informed by trauma-informed care, a medical framework through which providers aim to connect with people who face negative consequences from past experiences. </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Jesse Kohler pitched for three seasons on the 91ֱ�� baseball team.</figcaption> </figure> <p>91ֱ��’s culture of advocacy left an indelible mark on Kohler. “I came with cleats and gloves, thinking the field was where I’d shine,” he says. But the fertile sociopolitical climate on campus began to shape his aspirations. “Transitioning from my introductory <a href="/node/3366">psychology</a> classes to the depth of the law and society major broadened my horizons.”</p> <p>We caught up with Kohler to learn how his work at 91ֱ�� led to a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that employs scientific research to improve overall well-being among challenged populations.</p> <p><strong>What are you doing these days?</strong></p> <p>I’m the founder and president of The Change Campaign, a nonprofit birthed from my senior project at 91ֱ��. The campaign also works with government agencies and other organizations that have similar goals. Because of my work with The Change Campaign, I was selected as the executive director for the <a href="https://www.ctipp.org/">Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice</a> (CTIPP), a nationwide organization trying to create a resilient society by addressing the injustices that cause poor health and supporting the integration of resilience-building and healing activities.</p> <p>Apart from this, I’m on the board of the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC) and an advisor for the Compassionate School Leadership Academy (CSLA) at Yale. My main aim is fostering a sustainable planet and a hopeful future. Early in my career, I’ve emphasized leadership that’s community-led, trauma-informed, and resilience-focused.</p> <p><strong>What led you down this career path?</strong></p> <p>My initial dream was to be a professional baseball player. My academic leanings were toward <a href="/node/3411">neuroscience</a>, <a href="/node/3366">psychology</a>, and <a href="/node/3391">political science</a>. However, my grades in Psych 100 challenged this path. Consequently, the law and society program at 91ֱ�� caught my attention, offering a blend of multiple disciplines and the chance of law school. My interest in the school-to-prison pipeline [the higher likelihood of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds being incarcerated] began here, and it led me to my work at an educational nonprofit. This, in turn, resulted in a master’s in educational leadership from Arcadia University and an influential internship with the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General.</p> <p><strong>What facets of your work are you most proud of?</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Kohler speaking at the Council for Tribal Employment Rights conference.</figcaption> </figure> <p>Supporting the development of CTIPP’s programs that have enabled some of those policy wins are some of the most rewarding experiences of my career thus far. I learned so much working alongside trauma-informed leaders throughout the United States to create programs that fill unmet needs in the field. I have been fortunate to have played a significant role in the development of CTIPP’s Community Advocacy Network (CTIPP CAN) to organize trauma-informed advocates across the country; PressOn envisions an infrastructure to connect and mobilize federal to state to local collaborations to propel the community-led, trauma-informed, prevention-oriented, resilience-focused, and healing-centered movement forward; and Ideas Lab, which promotes tools and resources to build the movement.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">How a senior project at 91ֱ�� became a life calling for Jesse Kohler.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-09-19T12:00:00Z">Tue, 09/19/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tyler Applegate</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2360">After 91ֱ��</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2771">Athletics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3897">Internship</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25286">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25396">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/psychology" hreflang="und">Psychology</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society" hreflang="und">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pull-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-cte-images field--type-list-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yes (Gallery Style)</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Jesse Kohler</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-32103" class="paragraph paragraph--type--pb-el-bq paragraph--view-mode--default"> <blockquote class="blockquote--quotemark" data-text-color-red data-text-size-giant> <p>91ֱ�� nurtured my curiosity, helping me understand the root causes of world problems. The interdisciplinary learning there became the foundation of my knowledge.”</p> </blockquote> </div> </div> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-27789" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-copy paragraph--view-mode--default o-flex--basic-copy basic-copy"> <p><strong>How did 91ֱ�� equip you for your current roles?</strong></p> <p>The Change Campaign—my senior project—was a significant one. I had been working with [local nonprofit] <a href="https://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/">91ֱ�� Community Services</a> for a year and a half before the <a href="/winter-term">Winter Term</a> of my senior year. I was serving as a public health advocate when we wrote a grant to the Ohio Commission on Minority Health for $20,000 to fund a Text for Wellness program, making crisis counselors available for the state through text messages. I played a very minor role in that project but learned a ton. As I marinated on the experience, I realized that if 91ֱ�� students donated an average of $20, we could raise $60,000 of flexible funding for community services.</p> <p>91ֱ�� nurtured my curiosity, helping me understand the root causes of world problems. The interdisciplinary learning there became the foundation of my knowledge. Moreover, the deep introspection fostered at 91ֱ�� about my position and privilege has been invaluable in my professional journey.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Kohler's first professional experience after college was with 12+, empowering underprivileged students to succeed after 12th grade.</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>How did you secure your first post-college position?</strong></p> <p>I met Rob Reed, the executive deputy attorney general for the Pennsylvania Office of Public Engagement, during my fellowship with 12+ [a nonprofit aiming to bring educational equity to K-12 students in Philadelphia]. Rob asked if I wanted to meet with him, and I came prepared to talk all about The Change Campaign. I told him all about the project and what we hoped to accomplish, and when I was done, he told me about the project he was working on—the Pennsylvania Trauma-Informed Care Network—and asked if I wanted to help him with its development. This was my introduction to trauma-informed care, and it changed my entire life. In that position, I met leaders of CTIPP when it was first coming together, and this led to me becoming CTIPP’s first official intern. </p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-left"> <figcaption>Kohler was a member of the 2015 team that won the NCAC Championship. </figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>What’s your fondest memory of 91ֱ��? </strong></p> <p>The 2015 91ֱ�� baseball team won the North Coast Athletic Conference. We were underdogs and went on an incredible run at the end of the season. I didn’t play a lot that season. I got a concussion earlier in the year when an errant throw hit me in the head, but I found a role serving as a bullpen catcher and tried to be the best teammate I could. This humbling experience taught me more than my successes did. The night after we won the conference championship, we drove back from Chillicothe and stayed up the entire night celebrating until the sun came up!</p> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Taking Passion to the Pavement</h1> <p>tapplega — Fri, 05 May 2023 17:14:08 +0000</p> <span>Taking Passion to the Pavement</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-05-05T13:14:08-04:00" title="Friday, May 5, 2023 - 13:14">Fri, 05/05/2023 - 13:14</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/55501">Bonner Scholars</a> program has been connecting classrooms to communities for more than 30 years. Operated by the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research</a> and supported by the national <a href="http://www.bonner.org/">Bonner Foundation</a>, the scholars program provides four-year community service scholarships to approximately 60 91ֱ�� students who are the first in their families to attend college or come from underrepresented populations. Bonner Scholars participate in intensive, developmental community-engagement experiences throughout their time at 91ֱ��.</p> <p>Each year, approximately 15 incoming first-year students are selected as Bonner Scholars. Their experience is guided by designated student leaders, who lead community projects and engage with the entire campus community about service opportunities. Fourth-year Bonner leader Ari Leandry majors in <a href="/node/3216">comparative American studies</a> with minors in <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history">history</a> and <a href="/node/3426">gender, sexuality, and feminist studies</a>, and an integrative concentration in <a href="/node/322091">journalism</a>. Her previous Bonner work has revolved around <a href="https://prochoiceohio.org/">NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio</a>—a reflection of her deep passion for reproductive justice and mutual aid. A native of nearby Lorain, Ohio, Leandry finds herself serving the very community in which she was raised.</p> <p>We asked Leandry about her life as a Bonner Scholar.</p> <p><strong>Can you describe the Bonner Scholar Program to someone who is unfamiliar?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholar Program provides an outlet for students passionate about social justice and service to further engage with their greater college community. Bonner enables these students to build connections that will help them personally and professionally. </p> <p><strong>How has your service corresponded to social issues you care about?</strong></p> <p>I was always interested in engaging with reproductive justice efforts, but I did not know how to pursue this interest. Through Bonner, I had support to seek out opportunities to work with reproductive justice organizations in Ohio and understand how I can turn this passion into an actual career. I was able to explore my interest in reproductive justice and grassroots activism. I built connections in my field that I otherwise would not have found if it weren't for Bonner's encouragement of exploring academic and personal interests through service. I appreciate the diversity of service opportunities that Bonner provides, and I feel fortunate to have been able to connect with reproductive justice advocates in Ohio and build a greater personal network in this issue area.</p> <p><strong>How has your Bonner experience influenced your time at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <p>Bonner allowed me to build strong relationships and connections with other students who shared my passion for community service and social justice. Through Bonner, I was able to participate in meaningful and impactful service projects, which not only contributed to the community but also allowed me to develop my skills in leadership and teamwork.</p> <p><strong>What have you learned about the 91ֱ�� community through your service?</strong></p> <p>One of the things that I have learned is the extent to which social justice and equity are at the forefront of people's minds. I have also learned about the importance of collaboration and partnership in addressing community needs.</p> <p><strong>What is unique to you about the Bonner Scholar Program?</strong></p> <p>What makes Bonner unique is the tight-knit community that accompanies it. The support and guidance of the Bonner staff and my fellow Bonner Scholars helped me navigate the challenges of college life and find a sense of belonging on campus. They provided me with resources, advice, and encouragement that allowed me to thrive academically and personally.</p> <p><strong>Share a fond Bonner memory!</strong></p> <p>I loved getting to connect more deeply with my fellow Bonner Scholars at our Fall Bonner Retreat in 2021!</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Dedication to reproductive rights fuels the service of Bonner Leader Ari Leandry.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-05-05T12:00:00Z">Fri, 05/05/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tyler Applegate</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25361">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=181496">Journalism</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/gsfs" hreflang="und">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/journalism" hreflang="und">Journalism</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Ari Leandry</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>One Big Service-Oriented Family</h1> <p>tapplega — Thu, 27 Apr 2023 16:18:37 +0000</p> <span>One Big Service-Oriented Family</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-27T12:18:37-04:00" title="Thursday, April 27, 2023 - 12:18">Thu, 04/27/2023 - 12:18</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/55501">Bonner Scholars</a> program has been connecting classrooms to communities since 1993. Operated by the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research</a> and supported by the national <a href="http://www.bonner.org/">Bonner Foundation</a>, the scholars program provides four-year community service scholarships to approximately 60 91ֱ�� students who are the first in their families to attend college or come from underrepresented populations. Bonner Scholars participate in intensive, developmental community-engagement experiences throughout their time at 91ֱ��.</p> <p>Each year, 15 incoming first-year students are selected as Bonner Scholars. Their experience is guided by designated student leaders, who facilitate community projects and engage with the entire campus about service opportunities. </p> <p>Bonner leader Wyae’ Stewart is a third-year <a href="/node/3391">politics</a> major with minors in <a href="/node/3396">law</a> and <a href="/node/3431">Africana studies</a>. She is completing her service learning with the federal math education program <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories.html">America Counts</a> and has previously tutored local schoolchildren as a <a href="/node/56206">Ninde Scholar</a>, worked in the office of Congresswoman Nikema Williams, and with the National Society of Leadership and Success. A native of Atlanta, Stewart is committed to service in education and housing, and she’s taking the first steps to reform education across the country.</p> <p>We connected with Stewart to learn more about her work as a Bonner leader and how she fosters service at 91ֱ��.</p> <p><strong>What does the Bonner Scholars Program mean to you?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholar Program is a family that is not only committed to doing work with one another throughout our communities, but assisting each other on a daily basis to become better people for and with others.</p> <p><strong>How has your service with Bonner corresponded to social issues you care about?</strong></p> <p>Even though I am not working directly with educational policy at America Counts, I have interacted with students, teachers, and parents and gauged their views on how these children are being taught. In particular, I enjoy working closely with the kids, as I remember feeling how they felt when I was that age. Through this experience, I know that when I go into policy, there are aspects that I want to target to ensure that our students are safe in all aspects!</p> <p><strong>How has your service with Bonner influenced your time at 91ֱ��?</strong></p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Stewart repairs a bike wheel<br> at the Ohio City Bike Co-op in Cleveland.<br> (courtesy of Wyae' Stewart)</figcaption> </figure> <p>I came to 91ֱ�� blindly, without a visit, and with little knowledge of the school. As soon as I arrived, the Bonner program was extremely welcoming, which made finding a service site easier. Through my service, I have found mentors who continue to support me and guide me through my 91ֱ�� journey.</p> <p><strong>What have you learned about the 91ֱ�� community through your service?</strong></p> <p>I’ve learned that 91ֱ�� is a tight-knit community that is very engaged. I saw this more recently while working with my on-campus organization, ABUSUA [91ֱ��’s Black Student Union], where we partnered with the Black Student-Athlete Group to sponsor a block party to welcome community members to meet and interact with students in the college. Since I work in the school system and know many students and their parents, I used that connection to get the community involved. This event turned out to be a success because a lot of the students and their parents participated! We are excited to continue this partnership through the years. I know that my service with America Counts helped sponsor this connection, and I am forever grateful for that.</p> <p><strong>Can you share a favorite Bonner memory?</strong></p> <p>One of my most cherished Bonner memories was the All-Bonner Retreat! Though this is not a regular event, it was where I bonded with so many other Bonners who I never had the opportunity to interact with outside of All-Bonner meetings. I enjoyed playing our favorite games such as Mafia and singing karaoke.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">The Bonner Scholars Program eased Wyae’ Stewart’s transition to 91ֱ��. Now she’s easing the way for others.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-04-27T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/27/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tyler Applegate</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25396">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society" hreflang="und">Law and Society</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Wyae' Stewart</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>From Classroom to Community (and Back Again)</h1> <p>tapplega — Tue, 18 Apr 2023 19:30:06 +0000</p> <span>From Classroom to Community (and Back Again)</span> <span><span>tapplega</span></span> <span><time datetime="2023-04-18T15:30:06-04:00" title="Tuesday, April 18, 2023 - 15:30">Tue, 04/18/2023 - 15:30</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s <a href="/node/55501">Bonner Scholars</a> program has been connecting classrooms to communities for more than 30 years. Operated by the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, and Research</a> and supported by the national <a href="http://www.bonner.org/">Bonner Foundation</a>, the scholars program provides four-year community service scholarships to approximately 60 91ֱ�� students who are the first in their families to attend college or come from underrepresented populations. Bonner Scholars participate in intensive, developmental community-engagement experiences throughout their time at 91ֱ��.</p> <p>Each year, approximately 15 incoming first-year students are selected as Bonner Scholars. Their experience is guided by designated student leaders, who lead community projects and engage with the entire campus community about service opportunities. Fourth-year Bonner leader Sadie Owens ’23 is a <a href="/node/3391">politics</a> and <a href="/node/3201">philosophy</a> major with a minor in <a href="/node/3171">writing and communication</a> and an integrative concentration in <a href="/node/25226">education studies</a>. She’s completing her Bonner experience as the leadership team’s coordinator for first-year Bonner Scholars. During her time as a Bonner Scholar, she has also served as a tutor to local high school students with the <a href="/node/56206">Ninde Scholars program</a>, as a creative writing mentor to incarcerated youth through <a href="/node/76356">91ֱ�� Writers in Residence</a>, and with the Stark County YMCA near her hometown of Canton, Ohio, where she’s been supporting children’s education since high school.</p> <p>We caught up with Owens to learn about her Bonner experience and how she fosters service at 91ֱ��. Learn more about getting involved in community-based initiatives at the <a href="/node/4416">Bonner Center website</a>. </p> <p><strong>Can you describe the Bonner Scholar program to someone who is unfamiliar?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholars program is a collection of like-minded, service-oriented students with first-generation and/or low-income backgrounds coming together to make a difference in their community.</p> <p><strong>How has your service with Bonner corresponded to social issues you care about?</strong></p> <p>Access to education is the most important and closest issue to me. As a first-generation student, it has been a privilege to be able to work with other students applying to or entering college for the first time.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Owens helps out during Bonner's First-Year Trip<br> Photo Credit: courtesy of Brittnei Sherrod</figcaption> </figure> <p><strong>How have your Bonner experiences related to your academic or professional interests?</strong></p> <p>My goal is to work with students and to uplift students of different backgrounds. Being able to do so in Bonner through my service, as well as participate in a community that has lifted me up in similar ways, has prepared me for a career in this field and modeled how I can make a difference.</p> <p><strong>What do you enjoy most about your Bonner experiences?</strong></p> <p>I enjoy how much of a tangible difference I am able to make. As a Bonner leader, I am given the opportunity to participate in planning, organizing, and shaping this program for the Bonners below me, and for future scholars to come. It’s so rewarding and truly special to be able to see my ideas come to life and to know that I am making a difference to people whom I share so much in common with. </p> <p><strong>What have you learned about the 91ֱ�� community through your service?</strong></p> <p>I’ve learned that the 91ֱ�� community is full of vastly different people, from different backgrounds and with different beliefs. The 91ֱ�� community is a rich and often unexplored tapestry of ideas, insights, and specialized knowledge that the college can truly benefit from, and that has definitely taught me so much.</p> <p><strong>What is unique to you about the Bonner Scholar community?</strong></p> <p>The Bonner Scholar community is unique, to me, in its ability to foster intimate conversations and relationships. In a place so fast-paced as 91ֱ��, I admire how slow-moving and close-knit the community feels.</p> <p><strong>Can you share a fond Bonner memory?</strong></p> <p>My favorite Bonner memory was the All-Bonner Retreat last fall. I remember sitting at a table with fellow Bonners and reflecting on our time at 91ֱ��, and realizing how much we had all learned and grown, and in particular the ways in which Bonner has allowed us to develop and become who we are.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">For Bonner Scholar Sadie Owens, the best lessons come from teaching others.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2023-04-20T12:00:00Z">Thu, 04/20/2023 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tyler Applegate</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25416">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25406">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25451">Writing and Communication</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/philosophy" hreflang="und">Philosophy</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/politics" hreflang="und">Politics</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/writing-and-communication" hreflang="und">Communication Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">courtesy of Sadie Owens</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Iesha-LaShay Phillips ’22 Awarded Full Scholarship to Yale Law School</h1> <p>ygay — Mon, 25 Apr 2022 17:19:59 +0000</p> <span>Iesha-LaShay Phillips ’22 Awarded Full Scholarship to Yale Law School</span> <span><span>ygay</span></span> <span><time datetime="2022-04-25T13:19:59-04:00" title="Monday, April 25, 2022 - 13:19">Mon, 04/25/2022 - 13:19</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Phillips’ recent award follows an academic career accented with scholastic achievements. </p> <p>In 2021, Phillips, a <a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society">law and society</a> and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" target="_blank">Africana studies</a> double major, was selected as a Frederick Douglass Global Fellow, which provides a full scholarship to participate in a summer study abroad program focused on leadership, intercultural communication, and social justice. The <a href="/news/campus-compact-names-iesha-phillips-22-newman-civic-fellow" target="_blank">Newman Civic Engagement Fellowship</a> and <a href="https://www.truman.gov/" target="_blank">Harry S. Truman Scholarship</a> followed several months later. In addition to $30,000 for graduate school, Truman Scholars participate in several programs, including a leadership week, three-month summer institute in Washington D.C., and other programs that support Truman scholars throughout their public service careers.</p> <p>Immediately after graduating from 91ֱ�� in June, Phillips will participate in the <a href="https://www.seo-usa.org/law/our-program/fellowship/" target="_blank">SEO Law Fellowship</a>, the only program of its kind that places talented, underrepresented incoming law students in top law firms around the nation before they begin law school. </p> <p>“I am so excited for a summer of exploring my interests and gaining valuable legal experience that will prepare me for my legal career,” says Phillips. “I aspire to use my legal education to fight to end generational incarceration, prevent family separation, and give children a chance to live outside of the criminal legal system. I hope to work as a criminal defense attorney and eventually shift to impact litigation.”</p> <p>Service to others is essential in Phillips’ career goals and personal philosophy. She is a member of the Indigenous Peoples’ Day Committee, and has been involved with the <a href="/bcsl" target="_blank">Bonner Center</a> since her first year at 91ֱ��, serving as an associate at the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/resources-and-support/wap" target="_blank">Writing Center</a> and <a href="/arts-and-sciences/resources-and-support/wap/speaking-center">Speaking Center</a>, and was a writing tutor at 91ֱ�� High School, among other campus involvements. In her junior year, she volunteered at juvenile detention facilities throughout Ohio with Writers In Residence (WIR). This work, she explains, “is very important because it uplifts the often ignored voices of the youth in these facilities. Workshops allow them to reflect on their lives and tell their stories. These workshops also restore their humanity because these children are often disregarded in society and treated without basic respect, but this work forces others to see them as people, as children. To see that they deserve gentleness and kindness.”</p> <p>Phillips is currently studying peace, justice, and community engagement in a study away program that is traveling throughout Central America. The experience is allowing her “to learn from those typically left out of academia like Indigenous, Afro-Latinx, and poor communities,” she says. “We are typically based in a large city, but we take excursions to Indigenous communities and to rural communities to learn about social change and those most oppressed by their governments.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2022-04-25T12:00:00Z">Mon, 04/25/2022 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After earning full scholarships to nearly every law school she applied to, Iesha-LaShay Phillips ’22 has decided to pursue a fully funded law degree at Yale Law School in the fall.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2373">Awards and Honors</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2376">Study Away</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3846">Engaged Liberal Arts</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25396">Law and Society</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/law-and-society" hreflang="und">Law and Society</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Iesha-LaShay Phillips.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jonathan Clark '25</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Talking Sustainability with 91ֱ��’s Green EDGE Fund</h1> <p>swargo — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 21:57:19 +0000</p> <span>Talking Sustainability with 91ֱ��’s Green EDGE Fund</span> <span><span>swargo</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-11-12T16:57:19-05:00" title="Thursday, November 12, 2020 - 16:57">Thu, 11/12/2020 - 16:57</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>October was Sustainability Month at 91ֱ��, and no group is more dedicated to its celebration than the <a href="https://www.greenedgefund.com/">Green EDGE Fund</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>. Composed of 10 student board members, the organization distributes funds to community-based projects dedicated to environmental sustainability. </p> <p>Equipped with a new website and social media channels, the group has worked all semester discussing and approving <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdh5d5RzYSISysb7UiZTJWv_ktVw1arIyyLEklTUoe10NjJPA/viewform">new ideas</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> submitted by 91ֱ�� students, faculty, and community members, who faced an early November proposal deadline.</p> <p>“We’ve been pretty busy,” said GEF chair Hannah Scholl ’21, who expressed excitement about a new pilot program in partnership with 91ֱ�� Community Services, which harvests produce from local farmers for use in the 91ֱ�� community. The program launched in summer 2020 and will continue into the winter and spring.</p> <p>“It was very successful. We’ve been talking a lot about the importance of building community resilience, not only environmentally speaking, but in this age of the pandemic and thinking about ways we can support the 91ֱ�� community,” said Scholl.</p> <p>Supporting the 91ֱ�� community is what the GEF does best. Projects vary in size and scale, from smaller endeavors such as public composting bins to larger tasks such as retrofitting new lighting systems for buildings, the current undertaking of Stephan Ciulla ’21, the GEF’s Office of Sustainability liaison.</p> <p>With the help of a fund set aside for efficiency loans, Ciulla is working to ensure the installation of LED bulbs and modernizing the lighting controls throughout the 91ֱ�� College Science Center, which he says accounts for 3 percent of the total amount of energy the town uses. When the retrofit is complete, the funding provided for the project will come back to the GEF through the savings the college realizes in its electricity use and will then be used to support future projects. Other buildings that benefit from energy-efficient retrofits include Mary Church Terrell Library and Stevenson Hall.</p> <p>No matter the size of the project, the GEF’s main goal is the betterment of both the college and the town in tandem. For example, the Environmental Dashboard monitor, display, and educational programming provides an inside look into 91ֱ��’s collective efforts toward carbon neutrality, and the GEF recently funded monitors for 91ֱ��’s newest public school. GEF also secured funding for bike fix-it stations outside the local middle and high schools.</p> <p>For Ciulla, these projects lie at the core of the town-college connection. “At the end of the day, it’s a really symbiotic relationship we have with the town, and providing our resources and making 91ֱ�� College’s resources available to the public further strengthens that relationship into one that improves and builds upon social equity,” he said.</p> <p>Social equity is a founding principle of sustainability. For the GEF board, sustainability takes on social, economic, and environmental forms, but always comes down to the “equitable access of resources,” according to Ciulla. “We ask how we can distribute resources to make sure that everyone has a fair chance in our community,” he said.</p> <p>Scholl emphasized that anyone can partake in the efforts toward a greener future.</p> <p>“We want to debunk the idea that sustainability is elite and posh and something that only certain people can achieve if they pay a lot of money and buy certain environmentally-friendly products,” she said. “It’s a community-driven system. Things like community gardens, growing your own food, or biking when you don’t have a car are sustainability at its core. It’s about meeting people where they’re at.”</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-11-13T12:00:00Z">Fri, 11/13/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Kyra McConnell ’22</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2369">Environment & Sustainability</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2355">Student Organizations</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25351">Environmental Studies and Sciences</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/environmental-studies" hreflang="und">Environmental Studies and Science</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Green Edge Fund board members gather in the atrium of the Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Courtesy of Green Edge Fund</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Welcome Showers</h1> <p>eburnett — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 14:39:58 +0000</p> <span>Welcome Showers</span> <span><span>eburnett</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-04-28T10:39:58-04:00" title="Tuesday, April 28, 2020 - 10:39">Tue, 04/28/2020 - 10:39</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Back in January, a group of 91ֱ�� students began a collaboration with a nearby hospital. Now those students and others have begun a new initiative to support that hospital’s staff.</p> <p>They call it “<a href="https://sites.google.com/view/gratitudeshowers/home?authuser=0">The Gratitude Showers Challenge</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>,” which is intended to honor the dedication and sacrifice of healthcare professionals at University Hospitals Elyria Medical Center. In recent weeks, the project has been further reenvisioned to involve the creativity of area children and to support a key fundraising initiative at the hospital.</p> <p>The Gratitude Showers Challenge grew out of a winter-term project called Sonic Arts in Society, which involved five students from the college and conservatory, led by <a href="/node/51641">TIMARA</a> technical director <a href="/node/49256">Abby Aresty</a>. Together they set about devising a series of projects with UH Elyria:</p> <p>• They prototyped bracelets that could tell the story of patients’ lives through audio recordings and meaningful scraps of fabric.</p> <p>• They prepared creative programming to share with the hospital’s “Better Breather’s Club,” intended to examine the intersections of sound, breath, mindfulness, and technology for the benefit of COPD patients and others with respiratory conditions.</p> <p>• And they devised the Gratitude Showers Challenge, a celebration of thankfulness among staff and others at the hospital that would culminate in a community art installation.</p> <p>The projects developed during winter term were to be implemented by Aresty’s spring semester class, which is also called Sonic Arts in Society. (The winter-term project was profiled in <a href="/node/184541">this story on oberlin.edu</a>.) But soon after Aresty’s spring students began their work, spread of the novel coronavirus changed the plans of hospitals—and everyone else—nationwide.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>In January, Abby Aresty worked on Gratitude sundrops with students in TIMARA's makerspace.<br> Photo credit: Julie Gulenko '15</figcaption> </figure> <p>“The Gratitude project came about as a way to express gratitude across the hospital community,” says Aresty. “We were collecting anything that people at the hospital were grateful for, which was great. But the changes that have come about in recent weeks with COVID-19 have made it clear there’s a real desire among so many of us in the community to show our gratitude toward hospital workers.”</p> <p>Sonic Arts in Society is supported by four student research assistants: Michael Gaspari ’22, Maya McCollum ’23, Gabriel Baskin ’23, and Rachel Gibson ’20. Once they were settled at home for the rest of the semester, they set about the task of repositioning the project for a virtual world, complete with a <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/gratitudeshowers/home?authuser=0">website</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, promotional videos featuring drawings and animations, original music—and a revised mission to raise funds for the community. Their hope is to connect the initiative with schools and local youth organizations.</p> <p>“We all tried to convey the complicated feeling of having hope during dark times,” says Gaspari, a composition major who worked on the website’s music and animations. “To do that, I had the <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_QksCL_VGJgzownDowFOtFFTUk-19olf/view">video</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> start with darker colors and shift slowly to warmer tones.” Likewise, Gaspari’s score transitions from minor to major chords. “Working on this has been a pleasure, and I can’t wait to see what it becomes in the future!”</p> <p>Aresty and her students use craft cutters to fashion vinyl “sundrops” that can be decorated with brief, personalized expressions of thanks—words or drawings—to hospital personnel. When hospital officials deem it appropriate—and ideally when 91ֱ�� students can take part—the collected sundrops will be installed on clear umbrellas suspended in a courtyard at the hospital.</p> <p>Why “sundrops” as opposed to raindrops? The website identifies several reasons: In part because each message will deliver a ray of sunshine to those in need of support. In part because each drop will cast a welcome shadow when the sun shines through the installation. And in part because specially designed solar-powered “sundrop circuits” created by Aresty and her students will allow the installation to emit soft raindrop sounds when the sun shines. (Hear the sound of a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NUaoAfP5zYNT1lu0fWNAYQHXErcSMmPe/view">sundrop circuit</a>.) <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span></p> <p>Sundrop messages can be submitted via the <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/gratitudeshowers/home?authuser=0">Gratitude Showers Challenge website</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> or the Twitter handle @GratefulShowers.</p> <p>Supporters are also encouraged to donate to <a href="https://support.uhgiving.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app30123b?idb=1396846009&df_id=1646&mfc_pref=T&1646.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=CF1E51138B8D6B0EF4118385944E4D75">UH Elyria Medical Center's COVID-19 Community Response Fund</a>.</p> <p>In late April, Aresty’s students connected online to make sundrops with children from the <a href="https://www.ochoristers.org/">91ֱ�� Choristers</a> vocal program.</p> <p>Also in the works is a virtual challenge that runs from Monday, May 4, through May 11. Aresty and her students are encouraging area children and others to submit drawings or messages of thanks that will then be transferred to sundrops for the hospital installation: As the messages pour in, Aresty and her students will be completing the sundrops at their homes.</p> <p>The event kicks off with a broadcast on YouTube Premieres from 7:15 to 10 p.m. on May 4; details are available on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/669089710540418/">Facebook</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>. It also serves as an opportunity for participants to pledge to the UH Elyria Community Response Fund.</p> <figure class="captioned-image obj-right"> <figcaption>Sundrops use solar-powered circuits that simulate the sound of rainfall. (photo by Julie Gulenko '15)</figcaption> </figure> <p>Hospital administrators, not surprisingly, have been sharing their own messages of gratitude lately.</p> <p>“What an amazing show of support for our caregivers in a time when feeling positive and hopeful is crucial,” says Kristi Sink, president of UH Elyria. “Aresty and her students have been extremely creative as they continue to work on this project.</p> <p>“We couldn’t be happier with how Abby and her students are working so hard to provide our front-line staff with emotional support through the Gratitude Showers Challenge. We can’t wait for a time when the umbrellas can actually be displayed.”</p> <p>This fall, Aresty will be co-teaching an interdisciplinary course for first-year students that focuses on arts and election-season activism. She hopes by then those new students will be able to finish the work her current students have begun.</p> <p>“For so many of them, COVID-19 really defined their senior year in high school and—hopefully to a lesser extent—it will define their first year in college,” she says. “This would be a very powerful opportunity for them to give back.”</p> <p><em>Institutions interested in having children create sundrops for the Gratitude Showers Challenge are encouraged to contact Abby.Aresty@oberlin.edu.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-04-28T12:00:00Z">Tue, 04/28/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Erich Burnett</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ�� students lead ‘‘Gratitude Challenge’’ with area hospital and children.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2356">Conservatory</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=3319">Community Engagement</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=33031">TIMARA</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/abby-aresty" hreflang="und">Abby Aresty</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/contemporary-music" hreflang="und">Contemporary Music</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Costume Shop Produces Face Masks</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 20 Apr 2020 16:11:59 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Costume Shop Produces Face Masks</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-04-20T12:11:59-04:00" title="Monday, April 20, 2020 - 12:11">Mon, 04/20/2020 - 12:11</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s Costume Shop has joined the nationwide effort to provide health care workers with protective face masks.</p> <p><a href="/heather-brown">Heather Leigh Brown</a>, 91ֱ��’s costume shop manager in the Department of Theater, made 130 masks that have been sent to the Cleveland Clinic, as well as a small number of masks for the campus community. Brown explains that the masks are meant for replacing the general surgical mask, not the specialty filtered or wired ones because she’s using 100 percent cotton fabric and elastic leftover from past theater productions. </p> <p>“I know that the family of costume producers in professional and educational costume shops around the country is involved in the efforts to increase personal protective equipment (PPE) and to flatten the curve” of COVID-19 infection, says Brown, noting that sewing is a skill she’s happy to use.</p> <p>“To me, as a theater artist, sewing is a means to an end. Live storytelling is that end. But, it is a skill that I have, that I could do something with. As much as anyone, I have friends and relatives for whom getting a cold would be hard, let alone COVID-19. Mask making seemed like the responsible choice.”</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Heather Brown wears one of her own cotton face masks. Photo credit: Yvonne Gay</figcaption> </figure> <p>The masks Brown sent to health care workers reminded her of the students and the costumes worn in shows that have been performed in her last six seasons at 91ֱ��, including <em>Cabaret</em>, <em>Body of Bourne</em>, <em>The Bluest Eye</em>, <em>Turn of the Screw</em>, and <em>Spring Awakening</em>. Her work sewing masks has been combined with cleaning the shop in the wake of <em>Cosi Fan Tutte</em>, the opera theater production that was scheduled to be performed on March 11, 13, 14, and 15, but came to an abrupt end. The show premiered in a performance that was viewed only by faculty and family, while the second show was performed with no audience but was live-streamed. The following two shows were canceled as students were packing up their residences to go home. </p> <p>Brown says the people on campus who received masks have been grateful. “Some people were at risk and needed them before the CDC said we should all be using them,” Brown says. “Ohio (Gov. Mike DeWine) is encouraging us all to consider the future as masked avengers until there is a vaccine, so there is a great need.”</p> <p>Brown references the website GetPPE.org <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> , which matches donors to medical workers who are affected by the surge of COVID-19 cases, as well as the #millionmaskchallenge as good sources for anyone who wants to help. </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-04-20T12:00:00Z">Mon, 04/20/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2385">Community</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=32971">Opera Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25441">Theater</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/theater" hreflang="und">Theater</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/conservatory/divisions/vocal-studies" hreflang="und">Vocal Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Costume Shop Manager Heather Leigh Brown sews face masks.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Community Engagement Institute Takes Thoughtful Approach to Service</h1> <p>anagy — Mon, 09 Sep 2019 19:23:58 +0000</p> <span>Community Engagement Institute Takes Thoughtful Approach to Service</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-09-09T15:23:58-04:00" title="Monday, September 9, 2019 - 15:23">Mon, 09/09/2019 - 15:23</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>For more than two decades, 91ֱ�� has offered a day during orientation that acclimates students to their new educational home through hands-on service work with local community partners. Formerly Day of Service, this introduction to organizations in 91ֱ�� and surrounding communities in Lorain County builds a foundation for continued service throughout students’ college careers. </p> <p>On August 31, the <a href="/bcsl">Bonner Center</a> piloted a new <a href="/bcsl/programs/cei">Community Engagement Institute</a> for more than 100 student volunteers. Rather than launching into service projects early in the day as the program was structured in the past, the day began with breakout sessions led by alumni and community leaders. This served as a primer for issues related to working in the arts, civic engagement, cultural preservation, education, environment, and social services. A workshop on volunteer etiquette and ethical principles of community engagement was facilitated by student leader volunteers.</p> <p>In the afternoon, students went to work in groups at 13 sites, including long-standing partners 91ֱ�� Community Services, the 91ֱ�� Heritage Center, Firelands Association for the Visual Arts (FAVA), Kendal at 91ֱ��, and 91ֱ�� Public Library. </p> <p>“It’s important for us to engage with our community, but we can’t do this work without our partners,” President Carmen Twillie Ambar told participants in opening remarks. “We think about leadership in a lot of ways here, but leadership is not just positional. It’s not just because you’re president of your particular organization, or you lead a particular area. Service is leadership at 91ֱ��.”</p> <p>Ambar noted that 91ֱ�� students collectively average 115,000 service hours per year, reinforcing the value of student work in the community. By getting infused with a community engagement mindset, Ambar believes 91ֱ�� graduates will go on to bring the change they want to see in the world. </p> <p>“I absolutely believe that the world needs more 91ֱ�� graduates,” Ambar said. “There is a way that 91ֱ�� graduates think about the world. They imprint their thinking, and then the world changes for the better.”</p> <p>At <a href="https://www.favagallery.org/">FAVA</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, students spent the afternoon cleaning, organizing, and discarding unusable supplies in an art classroom—tasks that instructors normally wouldn’t have time to do.</p> <p>“I think it’s important to get involved when you’re going to be living here for the next four years,” said first-year Althea Ort. “I want to make more connections, not just in 91ֱ��, but in the surrounding communities.”</p> <p>At <a href="https://www.oberlincommunityservices.org/">91ֱ�� Community Services</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> (OCS), a responsive organization that provides direct assistance, referrals, and other services to 91ֱ�� and southern Lorain County residents who need help meeting basic needs, students broke into teams to sift compost for the community garden. The compost would be used for a third round of vegetable plantings that will withstand the first frost, explained OCS lead gardener Holly Whiteside. The garden is full of summer staples and less expected surprises like berries and herbs, even aromatic varieties grown for tea. </p> <p>Whiteside said that in the previous week, the garden yielded 65 pounds of fresh produce for the center’s food pantry.</p> <p>“What you do today is really going to matter,” Whiteside told the volunteers.</p> <p>Elliot Davey, a first-year from Washington, D.C., was enthusiastic about helping in the garden. Davey was interested in community engagement before coming to 91ֱ��.</p> <p>“I thought this day of service and workshop would be a good way of discovering opportunities to get involved.”</p> <p>Jackie Tafoya, a first-year from Oklahoma, agreed. “I think it’s important to give back to the community that’s giving you so much for the next four years.” </p> <p><em>View our <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/albums/72157710657523691">Flickr album</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> for highlights from the Community Engagement Institute.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-09-09T12:00:00Z">Mon, 09/09/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The rebranded Community Engagement Institute helps students see possibilities for continued service throughout their time at 91ֱ��.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">First-year student volunteers remove invasive plants from the grounds of Kendal at 91ֱ��.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Builds Partnerships in Cleveland</h1> <p>anagy — Thu, 05 Sep 2019 15:56:45 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Builds Partnerships in Cleveland</span> <span><span>anagy</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-09-05T11:56:45-04:00" title="Thursday, September 5, 2019 - 11:56">Thu, 09/05/2019 - 11:56</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91ֱ��’s Connect Cleveland program returned for a second year on August 28, bringing more than 800 first-year students to the city for a day of discovery and service work during Orientation week.</p> <p>Connect Cleveland was initiated by President Carmen Twillie Ambar as a way to strengthen ties between the college and city. The daylong experience is an opportunity for the incoming class to learn about Cleveland and greater Northeast Ohio, meet 91ֱ�� alumni, and identify possibilities for future internships, community engagement, and employment. </p> <p>The event is organized by the <a href="/bcsl">Bonner Center</a>, which has partnered with 35 organizations throughout greater Cleveland. In the morning, students engaged in hands-on service work at sites such as MedWish International, Rid-All Green Partnership, Ohio City Farm, and the Children’s Museum of Cleveland. Students were divided into cohorts and participated in site visits and workshops at places including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, MetroHealth Medical Center, and the Somatic Center. </p> <h3>The value of partnerships</h3> <p>91ֱ�� students “bring a special energy a genuine curiosity when they visit,” said Caley Haehn, volunteer program manager for MedWish International, a not-for-profit organization that repurposes discarded medical supplies and equipment to provide humanitarian aid in developing countries. “We believe it is important for young adults in Cleveland and surrounding areas to be cognizant of the local efforts that affect change both here in town and across the globe. We hope that exposure to local organizations during orientation encourages lasting partnerships.”</p> <p>The Children’s Museum stated that it values the importance of building partnerships that allow students to learn more about their communities, develop community engagement opportunities, and provide ways for students to strengthen their interpersonal skills in a real-world setting.</p> <p></p> <p>First-year Gabriela Castillo was part of a cohort that volunteered at MedWish International. An intended biology major from New York City, Castillo said she found it interesting to learn about various medical supplies. “It was really cool knowing that people were going to be receiving those things.”</p> <p>Solace Porter, a first-year from Guilford, Connecticut, volunteered at Rid-All Green Partnership, an urban farm that grows and distributes fresh produce to residents and area institutions. She echoed the sentiment of other students from the day who said they enjoyed being able to bond with their <a href="/dean-of-students/pal">Peer Advising Leadership</a> (PAL) group.</p> <p>“It was nice to work together with the people in my PAL program, and we got to tour the facilities.” While urban farming wasn’t necessarily related to her educational interests, Porter said “it did spark some interest in environmental studies.”</p> <p>In addition to Connect Cleveland, students had the opportunity to engage in service work in 91ֱ�� and surrounding communities as part of the <a href="/bcsl/programs/cei">Community Engagement Institute</a>, held this year on August 31.</p> <p>“There are not many institutions where you have multiple days of service through your orientation,” said President Ambar. “I think it says something about 91ֱ��.” </p> <p>View pictures from the Connect Cleveland orientation in our <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oberlin/albums/72157710588748883">Flickr album</a>.</p> <p> </p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-09-05T12:00:00Z">Thu, 09/05/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Amanda Nagy</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Connect Cleveland immerses the Class of 2023 in the city’s culture through site visits, workshops, and hands-on service work.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2565">Orientation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2382">Community Service</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students hang out in Wade Oval during the 2019 Connect Cleveland trip.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yevhen Gulenko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>