Service/Capstone Update #1

Service/Capstone Update #1

September 1, 2022 Uncategorized 27

Please respond to BOTH questions thoroughly.

What is your service site/capstone project? What is your main role there? What is a professional goal you would like to achieve at your site/with your capstone this semester?
Please reflect on any service experiences or Bonner trainings you have attended over the past month. Describe what you learned, and what you would like to know more about as it pertains to the specific topic.

27 Responses

  1. Victoria Taco says:

    My service site this semester is Ellis Hospital. Due to my major I have little availability to give to a Bonner associated site therefore I fulfill my hours by completing my student clinical hours. My main role is to provide assistance to patients and learn from registered nurses. It involves the community because the hospital sees so many different people from all around the county. I would love to be able to incorporate more community building service into my hours at the hospital. I aim to use the skills im learning in my nursing classes and incorporate them in clinical in order to better serve my community.

    In Ava’s training I learned so much about micro aggressions and about being considerate regarding word choice. I think all the examples of micro aggressions and issues that could go on in campus helped me realize the severity of them. Being able to know how to handle a misuse of language and how to better avoid any phrases that we may not see at the time how its harmful was great to learn. I think learning how to take care of personal language and how to handle micro aggression situation is something that will constantly bring new ideas so I look forward to learning more ways.

  2. Chandler Edbauer says:

    What is your service site/capstone project? What is your main role there? What is a professional goal you would like to achieve at your site/with your capstone this semester?
    Please reflect on any service experiences or Bonner trainings you have attended over the past month. Describe what you learned, and what you would like to know more about as it pertains to the specific topic.

    My Capstone is looking at the selection process and formation of social innovation. I will be doing literature review and research regarding how social innovation projects are selected for implementation. I would like to have a beginning of a paper by the end of the semester. I have learned a lot about my capstone and how to improve my research and methods for collection of information.

  3. Raenell Holder says:

    This semester I am lucky enough to be working at two service sites. I am at the Connect Center for Youth and Focus Churches. For my position at the Connect Center, I am tasked with helping pack and deliver bags of goodies and groceries to the children a part of the program. For my position at Focus churches, my role is not stagnant but so far it has been to be the welcome person and to help pack bags for the breakfast program the next day. As a welcome person, I am in charge of taking note of how many people come to participate in our program, what meal they opted to receive — either breakfast or lunch, their approximate age, and their gender. One service goal I have for work at both of my sites would be to find more ways to be of help; taking on more responsibilities.

    The most enjoyable meeting I have attended so far has been the Wednesday night Bonner Freshman meeting that Kayla McKay facilitated about time management and learning how to be a young professional. Kayla did an excellent job at this meeting and the entire group engaged in meaningful conversation and had the opportunity to learn more about each other and bond. We learned about making certain tasks our priorities and how to navigate finding the balance between work life and personal life which I found very helpful.

  4. Brianna Rodriguez says:

    My service site is FOCUS Churches of Albany and my main role is Site Team Leader. I don’t fully know what this role entails since I’m completely virtual, but I know it’ll be a lot different considering last year was all direct service. A professional goal I would like to achieve at my site is being comfortable with leadership at my site, as well as with having more responsibilities.

    A training during SGU that I enjoyed was the Dark Side of Disney gallery walk. This training highlighted the importance of representation in the media, more specifically Disney, and how content creators need to be aware of what stories they’re telling and HOW they are telling it. Media has the power of influencing impressionable young minds, and with Disney creating content for children, it’s their responsibility to tell stories that empower different groups of people (groups of people that also happen to be their audience).

  5. Kayla McKay says:

    My service site for this semester is being a PA in the ACE office for Bonner. My main role is establishing and enforcing accountability. Even though my main role involves holding my peers accountable in the program and the other program associates have responsibilities, another role I have and hope to get stronger in is being supportive of whatever my team needs as well as any bonners that have questions. My professional goal this semester is to influence and encourage another fellow Bonner to present on a social justice issue that they are passionate about. My sophomore year, a PA did this for me and although it was out of my comfort zone, I was so appreciative and proud of all that I accomplished. I would love to influence another person in the same way someone took a chance on me. Another professional goal I have is to gain more efficient listening skills. The act of listening is so important because understanding people’s needs and then acting upon them is so powerful.
    Also this semester I am starting my capstone project which is scary but exciting. During SGU there was a training that I created that incorporated Disney. The training included watching a clip from the movie Pocahontas to further analyze the dark side of Disney. The main focus of implementing this clip was to emphasize the point of perspective, how stories can be misconstrued, and to recognize that romanticizing colonizing is insensitive and inappropriate. From doing this training, I am more interested in learning more about Native American culture and how this particular community is oppressed in the aftermath of colonization.

  6. Kimberly Lopez says:

    I am excited to be back at the Connect Center! My goal this semester is to further develop our social media platforms’ marketing tactics in order to keep our programs filled with youth. I will also be working alongside the Connect Center team to organize a food drive and hopefully, we achieve a suitable way to keep both our Backpack program and community closet up and running.

    I’d say that the training I really enjoyed receiving was the First Language training. We discussed microaggressions and shared examples that one may hear and/or say that would be microaggressions. I learned the difference between microaggression and macroaggression because although you’d think one can spot the clear difference between both, microaggressions can easily escalate. Knowing how to identify these statements and speaking up when you hear them is extremely important to do. Failing to do so can contribute to the cycle of someone making such statements and not taking accountability.

  7. Anum Tehseen says:

    This year I have the opportunity to work on a Next Project called Food as Medicine. This is a little different from the project that I worked on previously (Spina Bifida). I’ll be working on the project as a team where we’ll have to collectively agree on things and solve problems. To be honest I’m a little scared but mostly excited. As of now my job is to look over a few articles and understand them so when my group meets we can talk about them. I know this might be thinking too far ahead, but my goal this semester is to think about a few ideas for my capstone project or just learn about its requirements with the help of my Bonner site.

    So far my favorite meeting for this year has to be the one about Microaggressions. This is a word that gets tossed around a lot in my social group and after attending the meeting I realized I didn’t really know its meaning before which is why during the meeting I asked for so many explanations. Not only did I learn what microaggressions are and how to identify them but I was also able to discover some ways we can stop them or atleast retaliate against. I look forward to meetings like this one in the future, where I will not only learn about the topic but what can be done about it.

  8. Stephanie Da Fonseca says:

    My Capstone this year is an auto-ethnography about the immigrant experience and the impact it has on first generation Americans. My main goal this semester is to outline and start writing my paper while doing research on it on the psychological impacts it has.

    One training we did this past month that was really eye opening is the Dark Side of Disney, it really brought into perspective the way that even things that are seemingly innocent and fun can have obscure things and issues we look past. We learned about the racism, sexism, lack of inclusivity, among many other things that Disney sadly does. I would like to know about how Disney, a multimillionaire company, can have so many people on their boards and these things are still allowed to happen when it caters to a hugely diverse population. I would also like to know how this also happens in other companies.

  9. Mya Pedersen says:

    My service site this semester is the Connect Center in Cohoes. At the Connect Center I will be directly serving children from low income areas and teaching them the different aspects of STEAM through various activities at the center. Throughout this semester I want to work on my professional communication and work on growing into a leadership position at my site. I would like to implement some new programs at the center and really push myself to think of ways to benefit the organization as a whole. I look forward to stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying new things this semester both Bonner related and not.
    Although my experience with Bonner trainings is slim as a freshman, the few I have been a part of have been incredible and extremely impactful. At the most recent Wednesday night meeting, Kayla facilitated an incredibly useful training on time management for all freshman Bonners. This training made me realize that there are certain things we often say we just don’t have time for when in reality the fact is that they are just not a priority for us. This training provoked me to rewire my thoughts and really evaluate what I spend my time on throughout my day. I often tell myself and others that I just don’t have time for certain things, I need to come to terms with the fact that I do actually;ly have time I am just not spending it as effectively as I should be. A goal of mine this semester iOS to improve my time management skills in all aspects of my life and this training was a great way to dip my toes into the world of time management!

  10. Katie Lindsay says:

    My service site is the BGCCA Boys and Girls Club of the Capital Area in Troy! I have not had the chance to visit my site yet this semester, but last year my main role was assisting staff with dinners and activities and engaging with the kids during that time. I also created an advertisement for an event. This year, I would like to expand my role by taking on more leadership responsibilities like facilitating workshops and games on my own and with coworkers, volunteering to run or collaborate on heading social media, and exploring capacity building!

    At the language matters Bonner meeting this week I learned about using first person language as a way to be inclusive and respectful of others’ identities. I also didn’t know about the terms micro assaults and micro insults.
    I would like to know more about what schools and colleges are doing to combat microagressions in their spaces and look into what I can do more.

  11. Giavanna Pitagno says:

    This semester, I am working with the Food Pantries of the Capital District.

    • Giavanna Pitagno says:

      Ignore that^ oops. This semester, I am working with the Food Pantries of the Capital District. We will be running a consumer survey to grasp how well the food pantry programs are serving the community. Right now, I am working on getting my CITI certification as our survey is still going through the IRB approval process. Once we get rolling, I will be trained, and eventually survey the community. One goal I have this semester- potentially regarding this project is choosing my capstone. This survey gives me the potential to statistically analyze the results as a capstone- however I am still unsure if I want to go that route for my capstone.

  12. Mara Golden says:

    My Capstone is an autoethnography. which is means I am researching myself. My main goal this semester is to feel like my capstone makes sense. Writing an autoethnography can become a little confusing and my work sometimes gets jumbled. I also get very frustrated with my work because it reflects on my skills as a social worker, which I don’t have too much experience with. It’s a learning experience for me and Dk but we’ll figure it out.

  13. Asavari Gowda says:

    My first service site is on campus at Free Food Fridge – Albany and my second service site is at the CCRM free clinic in Albany’s Southend. With Free Food Fridge, I pack meals weekly which are then distributed to individuals who are food insecure. We are also working to implement free food fridges in the community (one at Siena, one near the Times Union center, and one in schenectady). I hope to be able to learn more about the process nonprofits have to go through to implement their programs in the community since I also do nonprofit work with my friends back home. With CCRM, I will primarily be a medical assistant – taking vitals, patient history, scribe work, and assisting the doctors and nurses around the clinic. Other than learning more about the clinical environment, I would like to learn more about the patients’ experience with access to healthcare programs and the hurdles they face without insurance, proper documentation, etc. I hope this will help me better understand the experiences of individuals experiencing healthcare inequity.

    I really liked the training we did today regarding microaggressions and using a people-first approach to address individuals in our community. There are so many different microaggressions that people face and listening to my peers share their own experiences re-emphasized to me how important it is to be careful about how we speak to and treat one another. Actions that seem harmless but are subconsciously driven by stereotypes are hurtful to individuals who have to experience these actions on a daily basis. I really liked the slide on a people-first approach to addressing individuals in our community who have different disabilities. Saying “disabled person” versus “Kate uses a crutch” are two very different ways of referring to the same person expect the latter actually treats the person as a person who is more complex that just their physical impairment.

  14. Annabelle says:

    This past week I started service at my new site Girls On The Run and it was amazing. I love the site and my supervisor is great. I’m starting work on recruiting volunteers for our 5k event and I’m feeling really good about it. I’m feeling really positive about being at GOTR, I’m currently not meeting my hour requirements so I might increase my hours there. I think my main goal is just to become familiar and confident at my site and get to know the organization better. I think one of the main takeaways from many Bonner meetings for me is that it is ok to stand your ground if something makes you uncomfortable and advocate for yourself and others and its Ok to let that person know they said something not ok.

  15. Elizabeth Holden says:

    This year I am doing service at Girls on the Run. I am working with the director to help with volunteer recruitment as well as retention. We are also collaborating to plan events and thank you projects for the volunteers. I would like to learn more about how a non profit organization is run and what is necessary to have it succeed.

    One training that really stuck out to me was the Serving as Young Professionals. I found it very helpful for handling the transition into college and learned a lot about managing a busy schedule. It taught me how to prioritize my schedule in order to find time for things that are important to me. I hope to continue to learn more about being a leader and public speaking in future trainings.

  16. Isabella Banks says:

    My service site this for this semester is the Red Cross. At the Red Cross I am responsible for assisting in humanitarian initiatives. My position allows me to help victims of disasters that take place in the world, provide care and comfort to the ill and injured and teach others lifesaving skills such as First Aid and CPR.

    A goal I would like to achieve is to work on my communication by voicing to my boss any concerns or inputs I may have. I plan to work on my planning by balancing my work schedule, service work and school work to make sure I get all of it done without feeling stressed

  17. Hannah says:

    My service site is the Boys and Girls Club. My role at this site is to work with the children directly while helping them with anything they may need. Professionally, I would like to observe the children and then talk to my supervisor about implementing a program I think they can benefit from.

    So far I have only attended one Wednesday night training and one Monday Freshman study hall. The first meeting was overwhelming, but helped clear up some confusion. The study hall allowed me to create my CLA and learn more about the BWEBERS process. I would like to learn more about BWEBERS and my service site.

  18. Abeer Jafri says:

    My service site is Unity House of Troy, through which I am working with the domestic violence services program on my capstone project. My project is to develop a training to educate healthcare professionals on holistic care of domestic violence victims with disabilities. My main role currently is spearheading this project, and working closely with their Disability Assault Response Team to reach out to hospitals and ultimately deliver the training. My goal is to receive feedback about my training, and hopefully make a lasting impact on the treatment protocol for these patients. For the rest of my hours, I am doing my clinical hours at Ophthalmic Consultants of the Capital Region. My goal here is to continue working with a diverse group of patients, and improving my skills in the clinical setting as I prepare for a career in healthcare. I hope to apply skills learned in Bonner as I continue work with my patients, including empathy and cultural competence.

    One Bonner training that stuck with me from SGU was the Damietta training with Brother George about privilege. I felt that it did a good job of putting people in the shoes of others, and was a good rework of the “Breaking the Chains” training. I would like to play the game again, and learn all the possible outcomes listed on the cards.

  19. Amanda Molloy says:

    The service sites I am working with this semester are the Spina Bifida Association of New York State (SBANYS) and Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center. At SBANYS I volunteer with a focus on marketing, advertising, and fundraising tasks. These are to support the association, raise money for those living with spinal bifida and raise awareness of the condition. At Sunnyview Rehabilitation Center I work as a social work intern and watch and assist with admissions, discharges, meetings, and patient interaction and questions. At SBANYS, a professional goal I would like to achieve is expanding the platforms I use to create flyers, videos, etc for the association. At Sunnyview, a professional goal I would like to achieve is learning more about medical social work and becoming comfortable talking to patients specifically doing an admission with the depression screening independently and things like that.

    One service experience I had this past month was a few days ago at Sunnyview. When there I observed many ethical dilemmas at play between workers as well as with patients. Some have to do with people in different departments (like physical, occupational, or speech therapists) overstepping into the social work realm and possibly not understanding some things having to do with the patient and one within a patient and family dynamic where there were some problems that needed to be addressed. I learned that the social work field is very complex and interdisciplinary and involves listening to many perspectives, but overall the biggest importance is advocating for what is best for the patient.

  20. Ava Bibisi says:

    The service sites I will be working with this semester are the Spina Bifida Association of New York State as well as the Bonner Program as a PA. My role at the Spina Bifida Association is as a marketing and fundraising volunteer. I am hoping throughout the semester to not only gain more leadership skills as a PA but also at my service site.

    While beginning my capstone, I have several nerves and worries, but also a lot of excitement. My goal through my work with my capstone is to have an issue that I want to focus on as well as a mentor. Hopefully, I will get to use my passions in service and in health to guide me through this process and map out my capstone project.

  21. Samantha Lunt says:

    My service site and my capstone is with the Connect Center. I am looking forward to getting started at the Connect Center again and fully diving into my capstone. I have switched up my capstone in this past week, I have shifted more towards volunteer recruitment and retention and I want to create a training for volunteers. I am sharing my idea with Ben today and I am excited and nervous! I hope that with my capstone this will be something that is beneficial for the Connect Center.

    A training from Summer Gear Up that I enjoyed was when we did the Dark Side of Disney Training, one that is specifically standing out to me is the gallery walk. I think it is important to be aware of the issues within a large company and to know that its okay to still like Disney it is just important to be aware of the stereotypes present and know how we can talk about it.

  22. Abby James-Vickery says:

    I am at the Connect Center for Youth again this semester and I will be working on developing programs and building partnerships with other organizations for the center. My main goal is to establish a long term relationship with some sort of food donor so that we can keep running the backpack program and the community closet.

    I attended Summer Gear Up with everyone else in ACE and enjoyed some of the Dark Side of Disney trainings. It was really interesting to learn about stuff I never thought about. I learned a lot about the stuff I loved growing up and I now recognize how problematic it was. I am glad we were all able to learn about something that we could all understand in some way.

  23. Isabella Ferragine says:

    My service site is at the Boys and Girls Club in the Capital Region. There, I am helping with their after-school program and getting used to the organization. One professional goal that I would like to accomplish at my site this semester is building a good foundation and observing so I can give feedback. I look forward to being able to assist in whatever way they may need!

    As a new Bonner, I felt a little overwhelmed with both SGU and the start of college. I felt like I did adjust in the end and it helped me to feel comfortable and known on campus. I liked our theme of the dark side of Disney as it helped me to dig deeper into things that our youth are typically exposed to. It was extremely provoking and I liked being able to workshop on how Disney could do better. It showed me how big issues were so rooted in things that are apart of our everyday lives.

  24. Rachel+Gifford says:

    My service site this year is Food Pantries for the Capital District. My main role is as a network coordinator for their online site Oasis. I am also taking my first Capstone class this semester with Allison which I am super excited and scared for! One professional goal I would like to achieve with my site is possibly taking on a larger project or more responsibilities at my site. I do have a number of responsibilities but I would like to try something new or learn a new skill. For the intro to my capstone class I would like to figure out what I’m doing for my capstone but also feel set for my last couple of semesters at Siena :(. My theme for this semester is identifying my role in all the work I’m doing in Bonner and outside of Bonner as well as outlining what the future looks like.

    Unfortunately this semester I’m taking a course during Wednesday night meetings but I am excited about Friday capstone courses and learning more about what everyone else is passionate about doing their capstone on. During SGU I enjoyed all the trainings that we did especially the Game of Privilege run by Br. George from the Damietta Center. I think there are a lot of privileges in our own lives that we don’t always recognize. For me that training made me think a lot about my privilege and issues that I need to educate myself more on. This semester I’m hoping to get more involved in different areas of campus and attend more seminars and lectures from community members and experts in their fields.

  25. Liz MacMurray says:

    This year I am a Program Associate so my service site is the Bonner Program! My role this semester is recruitment so my main focus will be putting together a recruitment team and trying to recruit freshman students to join in the spring semester. One of my main goals this semester is to become confident and comfortable in my role while also helping out in different areas because I do have some ideas that I would like to potentially implement.

    A service experience I would like to reflect on is the service day that we attended during SGU. A few things that I liked were that we have been to that farm for a previous service day and I think it’s cool that we consistently work with the same organizations because consistency seems to be important when it comes to nonprofit work. It’s also nice to hear about the growth that occurred since the last time we volunteered. Also, I liked that we were told that the tomatoes were going straight to the Food Bank because even though I was covered in tomato juice I knew that all that work was worth it. It is nice to know why you are doing service and how the service you are doing is impacting individuals.

  26. Nora Diede says:

    My service site this semester is working with the food pantries of the capital district. I will be working on a survey, which will then be distributed to their clients. By answering these surveys the clients will be able to direct the pantry workers in ways in which they need to be better served. I will be working to ensure that this survey is comprehensive and clear for the constituents, so that their voices are heard. I will also be working to distribute this survey and organize the distribution of the survey to clients within the community. A professional goal I would like to achieve this semester is tied to this aspect of the project. I want to develop stronger planning and organizational skills, by working to find the most beneficial ways of distributing the survey. This may include finding transportation, and other conveniences for the community from which we want to hear their voices.

    Over the past month, a service opportunity that stands out is the going to the farm on the service day during Summer Gear Up. This opportunity is something that I always thoroughly enjoy, and learn a lot from. While learning about the speed at which tomatoes rot, I grasped a better understanding of agriculture and food insecurity throughout this country. A large portion of food that is harvested at farms are not able to be served, which results in food waste, along with many people being overworked with no usable outcome. I want to know more about how to solve this problem, as doing so will address food insecurity and allow produce to be more readily available to many areas that lack fresh produce.

Comments are closed.