Student Spotlight Archive

HOME	Year 2010-2011 Month September October November December February March April May Student Greg Anderson Tatiana Baez Wimontip Calkins Fillipé Ferreira Arthur Griffin Carmen Hsieh Antonio Marshall Priscilla Obia Edward Offutt Nick Perez Julien Poitoux Tastery Reed Victoria Robinson Adam Sennott Rosangel Valerio Michelle Wagner Sponsor Action Research Project Boston Learning Center and Alliance Francaise of Boston Boston Police Forensics Unit Chelsea Community Schools Community Servings Gatehouse Media,The Watertown Tab Governor Deval Patrick Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates Museum of Science Boston National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) New England Center for Homeless Veterans Presidio Networked Solutions Rosie’s Place Volunteer with Professor Andres Reyes WHDH Channel 7 Zelma Lacey house Program Biology Communications Criminal Justice Engineering ESL Human Services Journalism Network Technology and Administration Nursing Psychology Sociology Visual Media Arts Writing II
May 2010 Arthur Griffin Volunteer, Learning Community Seminar New England Center for Homeless Veterans “Part of turning into an adult is accepting responsibility not only for yourself but for others—for your community, for those around you in need.” Four years ago, Arthur Griffin walked through the doors of New England Center for Homeless Veterans and changed his life. Now, as a leader among student veterans at BHCC, he helps others change their lives, too. Art took the long road to the Center, and to BHCC, where he will graduate this spring with a degree in Sociology. “Right after my eighteenth birthday, I went to Vietnam,” Art says. After a successful 23-year Army career, Art eventually became homeless and after ten years of wandering arrived in Boston, where he heard he could get a bed at the Center for Homeless Veterans. “To me, it was just a place to stay for a little while,” Art says. But at the Center, Art was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar Disorder and began accessing social services. “Believe me, I’ve been in a lot of shelters. And the New England Center for Homeless Veterans is much more than a shelter.” In his three years living at the Center, Art became more than a client, helping serve meals, organize clothes, and run the Adopt-A-Vet program each Christmas. Today, Art remains a constant presence at the Center, where he volunteers and gets to know current residents. “I tell them, well, look, I’m 58 years old and I’m in college—why aren’t you?” Art’s encouragement pays off. “When they see me, they come up and they give me an update. It’s great to hear these stories… It’s telling me, ‘I’m following your example.’” Art has brought his leadership skills to BHCC, where he enrolled in 2007. He served as the President of BHCC’s Veterans of All Nations Club and as an active BHCC volunteer. Every other Monday, he organized BHCC students to serve dinner at the Center for Homeless Veterans. “I’ve always been able to motivate people,” he says. This spring, Art enrolled in an innovative new seminar at BHCC. In “Military: Before, During, After,” student veterans studied texts from Homer’s Odysseus to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and worked through their own military experiences. The class is special, Art explains, because “we’re all veterans so we understand where people are coming from.” As a culminating project, Art is assembling an e-portfolio that expresses his military experiences. “Art will absolutely leave his mark here at BHCC,” says Professor Kathleen O’Neill. Even as he prepares to graduate, Art is collaborating with Professor O’Neill and others to propose that BHCC open a center for student veterans. “I’d settle for a closet,” he says. And he is already exploring how he can get involved at UMASS Boston, where he is transferring next semester. Why stay so busy? “I don’t like to sit around,” Art says, with characteristic understatement. Another reason comes through in his advice to young people: "Try to envision the kind of world that they want their children and grandchildren to live in. Try to make it that kind of world." Return to Top	May 2010 Julien Poitoux Graphic Design Intern Chelsea Community Schools, Department of Health & Human Services "It’s just twenty percent about graphic design. It's more about people… It’s about the way you talk to people, it’s about building a network—people trying to build things together." For Julien Poitoux, a Graphic Design internship revealed the profession's greatest challenge—but also its greatest reward. Julien interned this spring with Chelsea Community Schools (CCS), an education and recreation program offered by the City of Chelsea. Early in his internship, Julien was asked to design a flier for a local tree-planting event. He presented several ideas for the flier to the City of Chelsea staff members involved, but the staff had something else in mind. Reluctant to leave behind his ideas, Julien turned to BHCC Professor Courtney McGlynn for advice. "He said, 'Listen, you can’t fight them. They are the client. What you can do is make it as beautiful as you can so you can be happy about it.' That was one of the best things I ever heard." Reenergized, Julien returned to the drawing board and created a flier based on his clients' ideas. "I drew three trees: one a seedling, and then right next to it a huge one, and then at the end a really big old tree. And then in the back I put a skyline because it was important to express that it was urban.” The tree planting event had record turnout, thanks in part to Julien’s flier. “I was very proud of it because it was all over the city… I can witness it." Julien succeeded when he learned to see his client interactions not as an obstacle to his designing but as a key part of his job. “When you go in cold water, it’s cold—but after thirty seconds, it’s good. You're happy to be in the water,” he explains. As a graphic designer, “You always have to try to please everybody. It can seem endless.” But eventually, “you’re just happy to deal with them because that’s the job… People work together. That’s how it should be." Julien's CCS supervisor, Bea Cravatta, emphasizes the importance of Julien's listening skills. "He listens very well… then he tries to think through what he heard and how he can apply it best in an image that we would be proud of." Julien looks forward to taking on a second internship. Eventually, he says, "I want to be a good designer and then later become a Creative Director." He dreams of someday opening his own company in his East Boston neighborhood, “a place where a restaurant owner that has no money could just come in, put in $100, and I'd do whatever I can.” Julien is currently finishing his biggest project yet, redesigning the 36-page CCS course booklet. The hard work is more than worth it: "I did something for the community and that makes me proud." Return to Top
April 2010 Rosangel Valerio Volunteer, Service Months Rosie's Place "They tell you these stories, and you think if that happened to me, I'd be really depressed. But they’re all so happy, joking with each other." While still in her first year at BHCC, Rosangel Valerio has already become a Community Engagement "frequent flyer," bringing her enthusiasm for service to both one-day events and extended commitments. One of her favorite destinations this year was a night of volunteering at Rosie's Place. After landing on campus this fall, Rosangel joined SHOCWAVES, the student community service club. Rosangel volunteered in high school, but "when I got here, it was a big difference. There are more options through Bunker Hill," she explains. One such option is BHCC’s Service Months, each featuring a variety of one-time volunteer opportunities. Through Have a Heart in February, one of the Service Months offered in spring 2010, volunteer events emphasized interactions with community members through meal service. Rosangel and other BHCC students volunteered together at Rosie's Place, a Roxbury-area sanctuary for poor and homeless women. At Rosie's, the BHCC group helped prepare and serve a homemade lasagna dinner to women and children. "Rosie's Place was the best!” Rosangel says. The organization is known for its warm, friendly atmosphere—and Rosangel did her part to keep that feeling alive. More than simply serving a meal, "I was talking to the women," she recalls. "I made a lot of them laugh." In turn, Rosangel is grateful for what the women at Rosie’s gave to her. "You learn so much through other people’s eyes," she says. Listening to the women’s stories, she discovered that "they were all professionals at one point, but things happen in your life." It was a reminder "not to take things for granted because you never know." The women encouraged Rosangel to pursue her education and career goals. "They make you feel proud of what you do." A Human Services major, Rosangel plans to graduate from BHCC, spend a few years working in a social service setting, and then return to school. "Eventually, I want to become a child psychologist," she says. Rosangel's volunteering, then, is just the beginning of a lifetime of connecting with and supporting other people. But for Rosangel, career development is just a side benefit. "I'm not doing it because it'll look good on my resume." She’s clear about the real reason why she keeps coming back for more: “At the end of the day, I made someone else feel better, even if it was just for an hour or half an hour…. It may not seem like a lot to you, but it’s everything to them." Return to Top	April 2010 Carmen Hsieh Communications Intern WHDH Channel 7, Urban Update "I want one internship for every single semester, just to learn more and meet new people." Carmen Hsieh is a name that you might want to remember. This BHCC alum is well on her way to a career in broadcast journalism — partly thanks to her internship with WHDH Channel 7's Urban Update show. Carmen, who is now at Emerson College, began at Channel 7 in the fall, while still a Communications major at BHCC. She was referred by Professor Beth Deare, a former producer whom Carmen counts as a friend and mentor. After acing her interview, Carmen started at Channel 7 under producer Brian Clarke. "What's cool about the internship is, every Friday, you get to watch the process of the whole show being done," Carmen explains. But the internship offered more than just opportunities for observation: Carmen also produced her own segment for the show. She chose to focus on Gardasil, the HPV vaccine. "Basically the whole show is yours," Carmen says. She found four guest speakers - "you have to get connections and go through PR" - and wrote the show’s script, supplying the host with "a list of questions for him to shoot at each person.” The guests included two doctors. "Controversy is good," Carmen says. "The two doctors were going back and forth… I thought they were going to fight!" Carmen's internship was such a success that she is back for another semester. She tentatively titles her next segment, "The Path to Higher Education: From Community College to Four-Year College." The guests will include BHCC's own Transfer Counselor, Karen Akukwe. Carmen is on a mission: "I want to show, you can go to community college and graduate with a Harvard degree." The segment will air this spring. Brian Clarke calls Carmen "extraordinary…. She rushes in and gives and amazing amounts of information with the greatest of ease... She is exactly what every organization needs; an unlimited source of energy and enthusiasm." Anyone who speaks with Carmen sees that energy at work. She is an avid networker, constantly connecting to new people, keeping up with friends, and asking people she admires for advice and support. As Clarke advised her on the first day of her internship, "In the media industry, don't burn bridges because you never know who knows who." Carmen's ultimate goal is to host a show covering pop culture news, "combining music, news, and being on TV." With her people skills, hard work, and more than a little talent, she could soon be appearing on your small screen. Return to Top
March 2010 Antonio Marshall Service Learning, Human Services Community Servings "There are some Americans who have learned how to give back in just their small way—or it's their human nature. Somehow it's established that you have to give back… it's just the right thing to do. You do it for them; hopefully, they do it for someone else." For Antonio Marshall, the service - learning experiences in his Introduction to Human Services with Field Practice course had a special relevance, both to his past life experiences struggling with alcoholism and to his future career goal of becoming a substance abuse counselor. To deepen learning in this Human Services course, Professor Pamela Schmidt integrates two service-learning components into the curriculum. The Darfur Assistance Project asks students to research human struggles in Darfur and find a way to support a relevant relief agency. In addition, the Fifteen Hour Field Practice component introduces students to the practice of human services in a local setting and asks students to reflect on the experience. While he valued his Darfur service project, Antonio’s interests aligned even more closely with his Fifteen Hour Field Practice, which he completed at Community Servings, a Boston area agency that prepares and delivers meals to people homebound with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. Antonio served for fifteen hours in the Community Servings kitchen alongside other volunteers and the organization’s famously fun and energetic staff. At Community Servings, "even though you work hard, it’s fun; there’s always something to do," he says. To complete his class assignment, Antonio wrote a reflection paper, which included information about Community Servings; interviews of other volunteers at the organization; and an analysis of his own service experience. "Antonio Marshall is a highly motivated, insightful student who brings a wealth of knowledge to the classroom," Professor Schmidt says. Antonio, who used to run a food pantry in Brighton with his mother and who can rattle off the locations and schedules of free meal services throughout Boston, has a unique perspective on Community Servings. The organization helps not only the people who receive its meals but also the people who volunteer in its kitchen, Antonio explains. Thinking ahead to a career in counseling, "If I had a client, and that client was starving," he would send them to Community Servings— "to stay out of trouble and to get a meal." Antonio knows firsthand the importance of basic needs like food for people struggling with substance abuse, and he also knows the value of having a productive and positive place to go. Community Servings, he says, welcomes volunteers from all walks of life. Antonio’s service at the organization touched him as a recovering alcoholic, as a future counselor, and as a BHCC student. Return to Top	March 2010 Nick Perez Network Technology Intern Presido Networked Solutions "In a lot of IT jobs, they want people with experience. The nice thing about the internship leading into the job is that now I’m missing the Catch-22: I’m working already. Not only am I working, but I could work here for the rest of my life." Through a BHCC internship, Nick Perez proved his skills to a future employer and began the journey toward achieving his ambitious career goals. Nick started his college education at UMASS Boston but never received a diploma. Last year, after seven years away from school, he decided to enroll at BHCC, where he is currently studying Network Technology and Administration. In the fall, Nick interned at Presidio Networked Solutions, a leading provider of Internet Technology (IT) and networking solutions. His internship focused on maintaining the computers, printers, and other technology used by Presidio itself - "all the internal house support," Nick says. You might not think that the employees of a company like Presidio would need much help with technology. But, as Nick explains, "The IT world is so diversified, and there's so many things to know, that most of the engineers usually just know a lot about the field that they work with. Like the systems engineers. They know the systems engineering inside out, but when they have a laptop problem, they come to us." Nick found Presidio to be the workplace of his dreams, offering both cutting-edge technology and a friendly atmosphere. He got to know the field of Internet Technology from every angle, "how it works down the system from the sales person to the pre-sale down to the engineering department - just the whole scheme of things." This insider's knowledge could help Nick as his career progresses. Nick's enthusiasm about Presidio was matched by the company's appreciation of him: He has been hired there full-time and is hoping to soon become one of Presidio’s network engineers. Meanwhile, he is continuing at BHCC and plans to transfer to UMASS Boston. He hopes to go to business school and someday to become a Chief Information Officer. "That is the dream," he says. His strategy: "Never stop… Just keep on little by little, baby steps; just keep it always moving forward." Nick urges other students to take advantage of the internships that BHCC offers. Even if it’s not a requirement in the major, he says, "it's a requirement in real life." Return to Top
February 2010 Wimontip Calkins Service Learning, Allied Health Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates "I used to think that it's really upsetting to see sick people every day… but I found that I can be helpful. I can do something that is valuable." With the help of a service-learning experience, Wimontip Calkins found the confidence and passion to pursue a nursing career. Wimontip began her BHCC education by pursuing a certificate in Phlebotomy. Through a practicum course with Professor Shahrayne Litchfield, Wimontip served for 160 hours at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates' Quincy practice - where she drew blood for the first time. Wimontip was "so scared" to draw blood from a person, rather than the dummies used in her classes, until a Harvard Vanguard staff member kindly offered up her own arm for practice. "I got it on the first try," Wimontip remembers. Wimontip came to be proud of her role at Harvard Vanguard: "If you don’t have the blood, you cannot do anything else!" And she wants other students to have equally valuable experiences. Last year, she returned to her old class to serve as a training assistant for the next group of practicum students. Once, a generous coworker rolled up her sleeve for Wimontip’s needle; "Now, I let them stick me!" Though she had always planned to work in healthcare, Wimontip's real-world experience encouraged her to set new career goals. Having finished her Phlebotomy certificate, Wimontip is staying at BHCC to earn her degree in Nursing. She plans to work for a year or two after graduation and then return to school to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, so that she can be the best nurse possible. Wimontip credits her success to her professors, who went out of their way to accommodate her schedule and encourage her. During her practicum, Wimontip met with Professor Litchfield every week to discuss the experience and receive advice on such matters as dealing with needle-phobic patients. "I was lucky because of my professor," she says. The feeling is mutual: "Wimontip is a great role model," Professor Litchfield says. "I am so happy that she applied and was accepted into the Nursing Program. Wimontip will be an excellent nurse." In Wimontip’s eyes, a nursing career is a means of serving her community. “At first, I just wanted to get a good job and get training,” she says. “But when sick people keep telling you, ‘Thank you,’ you know that you are helping them.” Return to Top	February 2010 Tastery Reed Criminal Justice Intern Boston Police Forensics Unit "Everything I was taught in class, I was able to comprehend it and put it into real - world experience." Tastery Reed remembers the day he picked up a criminal's gun, aimed, and fired. Of Tastery's many special experiences as an intern with the Boston Police Forensics Unit, the firearms unit was his favorite. "You walk into the room and you see nothing but guns," each one a possible weapon in a crime. To test a weapon, "you shoot it into a firing pen to see if the bullet matches up to a bullet in the crime scene," Tastery explains. Once he had shot his bullet, Tastery examined it under a microscope to find identifying characteristics. Did Tastery’s weapon fit the crime? Guilty as charged. "It was an internship that I had been hoping to do but everyone had told me that it was kind of impossible," because of its competitiveness, Tastery recalls. But with help, Tastery made his dream come true. Last year, Tastery, a Criminal Justice major, attended an event organized by BHCC’s Office of Student Activities. Tastery spoke to one of the speakers, Jason Marshall, about his career goals. Marshall, a lawyer, was impressed by Tastery’s enthusiasm. With Marshall’s assistance, Tastery applied and was accepted as a Forensics Unit intern. Tastery and Marshall are still in touch. Throughout Tastery's internship, Lieutenant Detective Thomas Maloney and other members of the BPD made sure that Tastery learned as much as possible about real-life forensics. “They were really nice, from helping me understand what they were doing to showing me around,” says Tastery. Tastery's work wasn't all fun: he helped out with "a lot of paperwork." But the opportunity to enrich his classroom learning compensated for the bureaucratic duties. After practicing "latent prints" (the expert's term for fingerprints) on his BHCC classmates, he analyzed real prints for criminal cases. He witnessed autopsies and even went behind the tape at a crime scene. The internship strengthened Tastery’s original career goals. He hopes to transfer to a four-year college to study criminal justice, criminal investigation, or forensic science. Tastery is grateful to his professors, including his advisor, Professor James Dilday, who told him to "stick with it… try to stay focused, motivated, and learn as much as you can." It's clear that Tastery took the advice. Return to Top
December 2009 Tatiana Baez Action Research, English "One student in my group is married and a parent. Another person in our group works full time because they receive no financial aid. Our hypothesis is essentially that the students at each type of institution face the same academic challenges, but that two-year students have a more challenging life beyond the classroom." Tatiana Baez is fired up about research. As part of Guixia Yin's College Writing II course, she and several of her classmates are conducting an action research project which focuses on the disparity in graduation rates at two-year versus four-year colleges. In this course, Tatiana and her peers are learning that research is a thoughtful process that sharpens dynamic problem solving and improves the way they study issues and solve problems. Action research also allows Tatiana to propose solutions to the social issues that face her and her classmates. Tatiana and her group designed a survey with roughly 20 questions that aims to measure the factors that affect the lives of students. How far do you have to commute to school? How many hours do you work a job? Do you have children? How many credits do you take? What's your homework load? These are all issues the group believes affect the ability of a student to succeed in school. They conducted their survey at Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, UMass Boston, and UMass Amherst. They have just finished tallying the data and are beginning to digest it. They haven't reached any conclusions yet, but some surprises have already come to light, “a lot of four-year students also work around 32 hours per week.” Tatiana and her teammates are eager to find out how their hypothesis holds up. "As we were conducting the survey it seemed like people were interested in what we were doing. What it comes down to is we're all striving for the same thing: an education that will lead to a career. Some of us just have more obstacles than others." Tatiana and her group hope to gain a better understanding of the services available to community college students to help them overcome these obstacles. She points to the daycare that already exists on campus as a good example of support for non-traditional students. She also believes that the Engaged Campus's learning community seminars are a good source of support. She's confident, however, that there are more things that could be done to help students with busy lives and lots of responsibility to achieve academically. When her group has reached some conclusions, they will have an opportunity to present their work to the BHCC community. "I would like to pursue a career in broadcast journalism," Tatiana says, "I'm going to have to keep working when I transfer. I'm looking forward to the challenge of being a four-year student." The findings of the action research project will only help her in that endeavor. Return to Top	December 2009 Adam Sennott Journalism Intern GateHouse Media, The Watertown Tab "I love it. I've been having a blast. It's been great. I can't wait to move on to a four-year school where I can really focus on journalism." Adam Sennott's dream of becoming a sports journalist feels a lot closer after a series of internships at local newspapers. The past two summers Adam has had internships with the Watertown Tab and the Roxbury Transcript. He was hired as a writing intern doing feature stories. His hard work and experience in the field paid off. At the end of his first internship, he was hired as a freelance writer. Adam took two journalism classes right off the bat at Bunker Hill Community College, but this was hardly enough to satisfy him. He decided that an internship would be the right way to get some real experience and keep learning about journalism while he continued his studies at Bunker Hill and his full-time job. His first step was to get in touch with the editor at the Watertown Tab. This led to an interview with the coordinator of internships for Gatehouse Media, a company that owns and manages many local papers. His first summer he spent as a writing intern. He said that initially it was difficult interviewing people, but he managed to overcome that. The following summer he began a new internship doing multi-media work. He helped with videos, the website, and updating stories. It was an excellent opportunity to add to the skills he had learned the previous summer. Adam remains employed on a freelance basis using contacts he made as an intern. He's been able to maintain a healthy amount of reporting and writing throughout the school year. He likes to incorporate video and other things he's learned from his internship experience whenever he can. Most of his current work is for the Allston Brighton Tab, and the Spare Change Newspaper. Adam credits the Bridge to College program offered by the Community Learning Center in Cambridge with helping him get to where he is today. A former high school drop-out, the program helped him receive the scholarships that have allowed him to attend BHCC. He also cites the support of his older brother, whose academic and professional success have been examples for him. A believer in the value of internships, his next goal is to do an editorial internship this summer. He would work with an editor throughout the summer, and at the end have a week to manage the paper on his own. Such an opportunity would be the perfect transition to a journalism major at a four-year school. Return to Top

November 2009 Victoria Robinson Volunteer, Learning Community Seminar Zelma Lacey House "My work was inconsistent and I was disorganized when I arrived, but with hard work I was able to become successful. I hope my own experience can be a lesson for other students." For Victoria Robinson, working as a mentor at Bunker Hill Community College brings her back to when she first began school here. Robinson, a criminal justice student, was overwhelmed when she arrived and it was the help she received from her professors and peers that provided her with the confidence she needed to succeed. This fall, Robinson became a student mentor for Professor Seabury and Hernandez-Folch's 'Math - Fear = Success' Learning Community. Learning Communities are courses planned together around common themes for new students. In the classroom, Victoria offers encouragement and advice to the students and helps assist the professors with activities. Victoria participated in 'Math - Fear = Success' as a student the previous spring semester. It was in that community where she received the support necessary to become a successful student and the opportunity to appreciate the importance of service. This was emphasized when she and her peers volunteered at Charlestown's Zelma Lacey House, an assisted living community. The students visited a number of times throughout the semester. During their visits students conversed with the residents, talking about a range of topics from their personal lives to politics. Before her service, Victoria, like many of her peers, thought she would have a difficult time connecting with the living community’s residents. She quickly realized this was an unfounded fear. Overcoming this fear helped Victoria realize that her fear in math was also unfounded. But it also made her realize how service can be mutually beneficial between both parties. During her mentorship she has found that the students in the Learning Community remind her of herself. She understands the difficulty and complexity of transitioning into college. But she is unrepentant in her belief that by encouraging and instilling confidence, every student has the ability to succeed. Victoria sees her service as just the beginning. While she does not intend to pursue education or teaching as a career, she does plan on continuing to do service work wherever she feels needed. For now, Victoria would like to continue mentoring in Learning Communities for the remainder of her tenure at Bunker Hill. The purpose of service is evident in Victoria's life: it is an opportunity to give back and to help others like her. It has also helped her to achieve her own goals. Victoria is aware of the load of service; her life, similar to many community college students lives, is very busy. But she believes that it is nonetheless necessary that for her to succeed, she must help others do so as well. Return to Top	November 2009 Michelle Wagner Biology Intern National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) "My time with the NOAA was incredible, and I was able to take a lot away from a learning standpoint. But the thing I'm happiest about is that it helped me to clarify or determine where I should be going." When Michelle Wagner began her internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she believed it would be an ideal opportunity. This proved to be true, though not necessarily in the way she expected. For Michelle, a biology student, the NOAA's work studying the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere should have been a perfect fit. Michelle attests that the internship itself was terrific. The people with whom she worked were knowledgeable and entrusted her with unique research opportunities. But Michelle realized that she needed to work outdoors, not in an office all day. Her experience demonstrates the usefulness of internships goes beyond providing a foothold in a student's dream field. It can also be valuable experience to inform someone of what the right path could be. he admits that she had few expectations before beginning her internship, but she was thrilled that she came away with an indication of what she wants to do and where she'd like to be. She says her interest in biology has not wavered. At her internship, Michelle was entrusted to do real research. She authored a white paper for the National Marine Fisheries Offices, compiling guidelines for new marine construction projects and negotiated the interests of commercial fisheries and environmentalist groups. Her research addressed the impact of dredging on endangered populations along the Northeast Atlantic coastline from Virginia to Maine, including the Atlantic salmon, shortnose sturgeon, and four species of turtles. This work was difficult, and she was amazed to realize that to overcome the challenges, she had to use techniques and theories she learned in the classroom, many of which had seemed impractical at the time. For example, the sound waves she'd learned about in physics class became relevant when she had to understand how sound affects the health of fish. Michelle values the relationships she developed and is looking forward to exploring new research opportunities at NOAA. She remains confident that the work done at the NOAA is of the utmost importance, and she is excited to have had the opportunity to work alongside knowledgeable and dedicated researchers. Return to Top
October 2009 Greg Anderson Volunteer, Education Professor Andres Reyes's ESL Class "It was incredible to hear people from all over the world, nearly every continent, none of whom were speaking their native language, find agreement and appreciate disagreement about issues they all knew and shared from different perspectives." Greg Anderson, an Education student, appreciates the diverse personalities he got to know as a volunteer in Professor Andres Reyes’ ESL course at Bunker Hill Community College. As a service learning project in Practicum in Instruction, Greg acted as a teacher's aide for Mr. Reyes, leading discussions about news articles that the students were assigned to read. While some articles were about the places where the students came from, most were about the neighborhoods in and around Boston communities where they live. Greg brought his own opinions to the classroom, and as he confesses his own nativity. It was his acceptance of the latter which was helpful for his own perspective. It also helped him to understand his students better. One student taught Greg about his home, Tunisia, of which Greg had no previous knowledge. Another important lesson for Greg was that although he could easily insert himself and his own opinions into the discussions, it was even better for him to ask questions of his students. This fostered a better discussion and helped him to understand where they were coming from. He says that not everyone was comfortable, but everyone was committed to their own and each other's education. Greg believes that his volunteerism was an invaluable experience in his education at Bunker Hill Community College. His work in the classroom was mutually beneficial to both himself and his students. It also helped to clarify his goals while simultaneously helping the students with their own. Return to Top	October 2009 Fillipé Ferreira Engineering Intern Museum of Science "It isn't my job to tell visitors how to complete activities. It's my job to teach." Fillipé Ferreira, an Engineering student, didn't anticipate that his Introduction to Engineering fieldtrip to the Museum of Science, Boston, would result in an internship, but Fillipé's interest was piqued after learning about the museum's Engineering Design Challenges Workshop. The open workshop develops engineering-themed activities and challenges for visitors streaming through the museum daily. To his surprise, Fillipé learned that the museum's workshop was accepting applicants for an internship, but he was disappointed when he learned that the interview process was well underway. The following day, Fillipé conveniently met BHCC’s Internship Coordinator who committed to help him apply for the internship. Together, they revised his resume and boosted his confidence for an interview that she helped arrange. Fillipe was offered and accepted a position in the Engineering Design Challenges Workshop the following week. The activities developed in Design Challenges aim to teach visitors about a wide variety of engineering topics, but they have also allowed Fillipé to use and improve knowledge gained from his coursework. The workshop's most popular activity, Echo Base Bobsleds, teaches visitors about friction by helping them build and race Star Wars themed model bobsleds. The museum even goes so far as to track visitor's best times accurate to 1/100th of a second, and compiles high scores. Fillipé notes that his record is, "pretty close to first." He has been encouraged by both museum's friendly and interested visitors and his erudite coworkers who are always willing to “improve upon [his] pre-existing knowledge.” Since beginning his internship in the spring of 2009, the museum extended his internship through the summer and has recently offered Fillipé a staff position, which he accepted. In his new position he will also take on a mentoring responsibility for the weekend museum volunteers. Fillipé continues to be excited by his work at the museum, and is eager to premier the first activity he designed which will teach visitors about simple machines. Fillipé also believes that his work with the museum has helped him focus on his coursework and reaffirm his passion to pursue a career in engineering design. Return to Top

	September 2009 Priscilla Obia Service Learning, Behavioral Sciences Boston Learning Center "My supervisor let me be myself and gave all us volunteers a sense of belonging, encouraging an envoironment of respect and fun" Priscilla Ugo an Education major at BHCC was offered a unique opportunity to become familiar with the Boston community through the eyes of being a volunteer in her Psychology 101 class last fall. After consulting with the Office of Community Engagement, Priscilla became a volunteer at the Boston Learning Center and French Library Alliance Française of Boston (FAB).Priscilla had recently moved to Boston from East Nigeria where she taught French at the Air Force Secondary School in Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria. Priscilla’s motivation for volunteering was to learn different teaching styles and become involved in the French community of Boston. Through volunteering at Boston Learning Center, Priscilla talked to parents about their children's learning styles, helped translate documents, and became familiar with administration processes. At FAB she worked with the Events Programs and discovered new French-speaking friends. Additionally, a significant learning experience for Priscilla came through her supervisory relationships. She was surprised by the friendly and positive attitude of her supervisors, reflecting that "they made feel like I belonged within the organization and I learned new teaching strategies." As a result of relationships she built with her supervisors and other volunteers, Priscilla has maintained her volunteer status. Through her volunteer experience Priscilla was reaffirmed in her desire to pursue a career as French teacher and as an advocate for a multilingual educational system. Reflecting, Priscilla now recognizes that volunteering was critical for her to become familiar with Boston and its culture, reflecting that "it was good for me immerse myself in the community as I was able to adjust to my new settings in Boston." Return to Top	September 2009 Edward Offutt Government Intern, Governor Deval Patrick "Going into this, if someone told me I’d be having lunch with Governor Patrick I would never have believed it. CNN doesn’t always showcase what is really going on and how politics work... I’ve seen very strong examples of how to do politics the right way. This has been a tremendous learning experience of seeing how things can get done when collaboration occurs and you bring everyone to the table". Edward Offutt is a Spring '09 graduate of the Criminal Justice Program. Last summer he was one of fifteen students from across the state to win a competitive, paid internship with the Massachusetts Democratic Party Headquarters for an intensive eleven-week summer internship program. Edward had the opportunity to intern for Governor Deval Patrick four days a week and then receive additional leadership training as part of this select cohort. He worked on the Governor’s Scheduling and Events Team and was most impacted by seeing bi-partisan leaders, educators, and students come together on the Readiness Project, an educational initiative to raise the standards for teachers and better prepare students to compete internationally, particularly in the math and sciences. To his fellow students who may not think politics is for them, Edward would encourage everyone to take a closer look, "I guarantee there’s something in their life that is connected to politics, whether it is community issues, education, healthcare, or immigration." Edward interned with two Bunker Hill Community College classmates, Patricia de Oliveira, who worked for the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, and Vicki Jones, who worked heavily on healthcare reform. Amongst other students from Harvard, Tufts, Suffolk, and Boston College, he was impressed with the revolutionary transformation and growth he saw in his peers by the end of the summer. Edward firmly believes he was looking at the future leaders of America and that change is possible if you go after it. This internship solidified Edward’s goals to pursue a law degree and a career in public service, and has opened the door to a new part-time position, created especially for him, as the State Committee Liaison to the 400 different committee members of the Massachusetts Democratic Party! Return to Top

Year
- 2010-2011
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- September
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Sponsor
Program

May 2010

Arthur Griffin
Volunteer, Learning Community Seminar
New England Center for Homeless Veterans
“Part of turning into an adult is accepting responsibility not only for yourself but for others—for your community, for those around you in need.”
Four years ago, Arthur Griffin walked through the doors of New England Center for Homeless Veterans and changed his life. Now, as a leader among student veterans at BHCC, he helps others change their lives, too.

Art took the long road to the Center, and to BHCC, where he will graduate this spring with a degree in Sociology. “Right after my eighteenth birthday, I went to Vietnam,” Art says. After a successful 23-year Army career, Art eventually became homeless and after ten years of wandering arrived in Boston, where he heard he could get a bed at the Center for Homeless Veterans. “To me, it was just a place to stay for a little while,” Art says. But at the Center, Art was diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar Disorder and began accessing social services. “Believe me, I’ve been in a lot of shelters. And the New England Center for Homeless Veterans is much more than a shelter.”

In his three years living at the Center, Art became more than a client, helping serve meals, organize clothes, and run the Adopt-A-Vet program each Christmas. Today, Art remains a constant presence at the Center, where he volunteers and gets to know current residents. “I tell them, well, look, I’m 58 years old and I’m in college—why aren’t you?” Art’s encouragement pays off. “When they see me, they come up and they give me an update. It’s great to hear these stories… It’s telling me, ‘I’m following your example.’”

Art has brought his leadership skills to BHCC, where he enrolled in 2007. He served as the President of BHCC’s Veterans of All Nations Club and as an active BHCC volunteer. Every other Monday, he organized BHCC students to serve dinner at the Center for Homeless Veterans. “I’ve always been able to motivate people,” he says.

This spring, Art enrolled in an innovative new seminar at BHCC. In “Military: Before, During, After,” student veterans studied texts from Homer’s Odysseus to Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried and worked through their own military experiences. The class is special, Art explains, because “we’re all veterans so we understand where people are coming from.” As a culminating project, Art is assembling an e-portfolio that expresses his military experiences.

“Art will absolutely leave his mark here at BHCC,” says Professor Kathleen O’Neill. Even as he prepares to graduate, Art is collaborating with Professor O’Neill and others to propose that BHCC open a center for student veterans. “I’d settle for a closet,” he says. And he is already exploring how he can get involved at UMASS Boston, where he is transferring next semester.

Why stay so busy? “I don’t like to sit around,” Art says, with characteristic understatement. Another reason comes through in his advice to young people: "Try to envision the kind of world that they want their children and grandchildren to live in. Try to make it that kind of world."

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May 2010

Julien Poitoux
Graphic Design Intern
Chelsea Community Schools,
Department of Health & Human Services

"It’s just twenty percent about graphic design. It's more about people… It’s about the way you talk to people, it’s about building a network—people trying to build things together."

For Julien Poitoux, a Graphic Design internship revealed the profession's greatest challenge—but also its greatest reward.

Julien interned this spring with Chelsea Community Schools (CCS), an education and recreation program offered by the City of Chelsea. Early in his internship, Julien was asked to design a flier for a local tree-planting event. He presented several ideas for the flier to the City of Chelsea staff members involved, but the staff had something else in mind.

Reluctant to leave behind his ideas, Julien turned to BHCC Professor Courtney McGlynn for advice. "He said, 'Listen, you can’t fight them. They are the client. What you can do is make it as beautiful as you can so you can be happy about it.' That was one of the best things I ever heard."

Reenergized, Julien returned to the drawing board and created a flier based on his clients' ideas. "I drew three trees: one a seedling, and then right next to it a huge one, and then at the end a really big old tree. And then in the back I put a skyline because it was important to express that it was urban.” The tree planting event had record turnout, thanks in part to Julien’s flier. “I was very proud of it because it was all over the city… I can witness it."

Julien succeeded when he learned to see his client interactions not as an obstacle to his designing but as a key part of his job. “When you go in cold water, it’s cold—but after thirty seconds, it’s good. You're happy to be in the water,” he explains. As a graphic designer, “You always have to try to please everybody. It can seem endless.” But eventually, “you’re just happy to deal with them because that’s the job… People work together. That’s how it should be."

Julien's CCS supervisor, Bea Cravatta, emphasizes the importance of Julien's listening skills. "He listens very well… then he tries to think through what he heard and how he can apply it best in an image that we would be proud of."

Julien looks forward to taking on a second internship. Eventually, he says, "I want to be a good designer and then later become a Creative Director." He dreams of someday opening his own company in his East Boston neighborhood, “a place where a restaurant owner that has no money could just come in, put in $100, and I'd do whatever I can.”

Julien is currently finishing his biggest project yet, redesigning the 36-page CCS course booklet. The hard work is more than worth it: "I did something for the community and that makes me proud."

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April 2010

Rosangel Valerio
Volunteer, Service Months
Rosie's Place
"They tell you these stories, and you think if that happened to me, I'd be really depressed. But they’re all so happy, joking with each other."
While still in her first year at BHCC, Rosangel Valerio has already become a Community Engagement "frequent flyer," bringing her enthusiasm for service to both one-day events and extended commitments. One of her favorite destinations this year was a night of volunteering at Rosie's Place.

After landing on campus this fall, Rosangel joined SHOCWAVES, the student community service club. Rosangel volunteered in high school, but "when I got here, it was a big difference. There are more options through Bunker Hill," she explains. One such option is BHCC’s Service Months, each featuring a variety of one-time volunteer opportunities.

Through Have a Heart in February, one of the Service Months offered in spring 2010, volunteer events emphasized interactions with community members through meal service. Rosangel and other BHCC students volunteered together at Rosie's Place, a Roxbury-area sanctuary for poor and homeless women. At Rosie's, the BHCC group helped prepare and serve a homemade lasagna dinner to women and children.

"Rosie's Place was the best!” Rosangel says. The organization is known for its warm, friendly atmosphere—and Rosangel did her part to keep that feeling alive. More than simply serving a meal, "I was talking to the women," she recalls. "I made a lot of them laugh."

In turn, Rosangel is grateful for what the women at Rosie’s gave to her. "You learn so much through other people’s eyes," she says. Listening to the women’s stories, she discovered that "they were all professionals at one point, but things happen in your life." It was a reminder "not to take things for granted because you never know."

The women encouraged Rosangel to pursue her education and career goals. "They make you feel proud of what you do." A Human Services major, Rosangel plans to graduate from BHCC, spend a few years working in a social service setting, and then return to school. "Eventually, I want to become a child psychologist," she says. Rosangel's volunteering, then, is just the beginning of a lifetime of connecting with and supporting other people.

But for Rosangel, career development is just a side benefit. "I'm not doing it because it'll look good on my resume." She’s clear about the real reason why she keeps coming back for more: “At the end of the day, I made someone else feel better, even if it was just for an hour or half an hour…. It may not seem like a lot to you, but it’s everything to them."

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April 2010

Carmen Hsieh
Communications Intern
WHDH Channel 7, Urban Update

"I want one internship
for every single semester, just to learn more and meet new people."

Carmen Hsieh is a name that you might want to remember. This BHCC alum is well on her way to a career in broadcast journalism — partly thanks to her internship with WHDH Channel 7's Urban Update show.

Carmen, who is now at Emerson College, began at Channel 7 in the fall, while still a Communications major at BHCC. She was referred by Professor Beth Deare, a former producer whom Carmen counts as a friend and mentor. After acing her interview, Carmen started at Channel 7 under producer Brian Clarke.

"What's cool about the internship is, every Friday, you get to watch the process of the whole show being done," Carmen explains. But the internship offered more than just opportunities for observation: Carmen also produced her own segment for the show. She chose to focus on Gardasil, the HPV vaccine.

"Basically the whole show is yours," Carmen says. She found four guest speakers - "you have to get connections and go through PR" - and wrote the show’s script, supplying the host with "a list of questions for him to shoot at each person.” The guests included two doctors. "Controversy is good," Carmen says. "The two doctors were going back and forth… I thought they were going to fight!"

Carmen's internship was such a success that she is back for another semester. She tentatively titles her next segment, "The Path to Higher Education: From Community College to Four-Year College." The guests will include BHCC's own Transfer Counselor, Karen Akukwe. Carmen is on a mission: "I want to show, you can go to community college and graduate with a Harvard degree." The segment will air this spring.

Brian Clarke calls Carmen "extraordinary…. She rushes in and gives and amazing amounts of information with the greatest of ease... She is exactly what every organization needs; an unlimited source of energy and enthusiasm."

Anyone who speaks with Carmen sees that energy at work. She is an avid networker, constantly connecting to new people, keeping up with friends, and asking people she admires for advice and support. As Clarke advised her on the first day of her internship, "In the media industry, don't burn bridges because you never know who knows who."

Carmen's ultimate goal is to host a show covering pop culture news, "combining music, news, and being on TV." With her people skills, hard work, and more than a little talent, she could soon be appearing on your small screen.

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March 2010

Antonio Marshall
Service Learning, Human Services
Community Servings
"There are some Americans who have learned how to give back in just their small way—or it's their human nature. Somehow it's established that you have to give back… it's just the right thing to do. You do it for them; hopefully, they do it for someone else."
For Antonio Marshall, the service - learning experiences in his Introduction to Human Services with Field Practice course had a special relevance, both to his past life experiences struggling with alcoholism and to his future career goal of becoming a substance abuse counselor.

To deepen learning in this Human Services course, Professor Pamela Schmidt integrates two service-learning components into the curriculum. The Darfur Assistance Project asks students to research human struggles in Darfur and find a way to support a relevant relief agency. In addition, the Fifteen Hour Field Practice component introduces students to the practice of human services in a local setting and asks students to reflect on the experience.

While he valued his Darfur service project, Antonio’s interests aligned even more closely with his Fifteen Hour Field Practice, which he completed at Community Servings, a Boston area agency that prepares and delivers meals to people homebound with HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. Antonio served for fifteen hours in the Community Servings kitchen alongside other volunteers and the organization’s famously fun and energetic staff. At Community Servings, "even though you work hard, it’s fun; there’s always something to do," he says. To complete his class assignment, Antonio wrote a reflection paper, which included information about Community Servings; interviews of other volunteers at the organization; and an analysis of his own service experience.

"Antonio Marshall is a highly motivated, insightful student who brings a wealth of knowledge to the classroom," Professor Schmidt says. Antonio, who used to run a food pantry in Brighton with his mother and who can rattle off the locations and schedules of free meal services throughout Boston, has a unique perspective on Community Servings. The organization helps not only the people who receive its meals but also the people who volunteer in its kitchen, Antonio explains. Thinking ahead to a career in counseling, "If I had a client, and that client was starving," he would send them to Community Servings— "to stay out of trouble and to get a meal."

Antonio knows firsthand the importance of basic needs like food for people struggling with substance abuse, and he also knows the value of having a productive and positive place to go. Community Servings, he says, welcomes volunteers from all walks of life. Antonio’s service at the organization touched him as a recovering alcoholic, as a future counselor, and as a BHCC student.

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March 2010

Nick Perez
Network Technology Intern
Presido Networked Solutions

"In a lot of IT jobs, they want people with experience. The nice thing about the internship leading into the job is that now I’m missing the Catch-22: I’m working already. Not only am I working, but I could work here for the rest of my life."

Through a BHCC internship, Nick Perez proved his skills to a future employer and began the journey toward achieving his ambitious career goals.

Nick started his college education at UMASS Boston but never received a diploma. Last year, after seven years away from school, he decided to enroll at BHCC, where he is currently studying Network Technology and Administration.

In the fall, Nick interned at Presidio Networked Solutions, a leading provider of Internet Technology (IT) and networking solutions. His internship focused on maintaining the computers, printers, and other technology used by Presidio itself - "all the internal house support," Nick says.

You might not think that the employees of a company like Presidio would need much help with technology. But, as Nick explains, "The IT world is so diversified, and there's so many things to know, that most of the engineers usually just know a lot about the field that they work with. Like the systems engineers. They know the systems engineering inside out, but when they have a laptop problem, they come to us."

Nick found Presidio to be the workplace of his dreams, offering both cutting-edge technology and a friendly atmosphere. He got to know the field of Internet Technology from every angle, "how it works down the system from the sales person to the pre-sale down to the engineering department - just the whole scheme of things." This insider's knowledge could help Nick as his career progresses.

Nick's enthusiasm about Presidio was matched by the company's appreciation of him: He has been hired there full-time and is hoping to soon become one of Presidio’s network engineers. Meanwhile, he is continuing at BHCC and plans to transfer to UMASS Boston. He hopes to go to business school and someday to become a Chief Information Officer. "That is the dream," he says. His strategy: "Never stop… Just keep on little by little, baby steps; just keep it always moving forward."

Nick urges other students to take advantage of the internships that BHCC offers. Even if it’s not a requirement in the major, he says, "it's a requirement in real life."

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February 2010

Wimontip Calkins
Service Learning, Allied Health
Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates

"I used to think that it's really upsetting to see sick people every day… but I found that I can be helpful. I can do something that is valuable."

With the help of a service-learning experience, Wimontip Calkins found the confidence and passion to pursue a nursing career. Wimontip began her BHCC education by pursuing a certificate in Phlebotomy. Through a practicum course with Professor Shahrayne Litchfield, Wimontip served for 160 hours at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates' Quincy practice - where she drew blood for the first time.

Wimontip was "so scared" to draw blood from a person, rather than the dummies used in her classes, until a Harvard Vanguard staff member kindly offered up her own arm for practice. "I got it on the first try," Wimontip remembers.

Wimontip came to be proud of her role at Harvard Vanguard: "If you don’t have the blood, you cannot do anything else!" And she wants other students to have equally valuable experiences. Last year, she returned to her old class to serve as a training assistant for the next group of practicum students. Once, a generous coworker rolled up her sleeve for Wimontip’s needle; "Now, I let them stick me!"

Though she had always planned to work in healthcare, Wimontip's real-world experience encouraged her to set new career goals. Having finished her Phlebotomy certificate, Wimontip is staying at BHCC to earn her degree in Nursing. She plans to work for a year or two after graduation and then return to school to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing, so that she can be the best nurse possible.

Wimontip credits her success to her professors, who went out of their way to accommodate her schedule and encourage her. During her practicum, Wimontip met with Professor Litchfield every week to discuss the experience and receive advice on such matters as dealing with needle-phobic patients. "I was lucky because of my professor," she says. The feeling is mutual: "Wimontip is a great role model," Professor Litchfield says. "I am so happy that she applied and was accepted into the Nursing Program. Wimontip will be an excellent nurse."

In Wimontip’s eyes, a nursing career is a means of serving her community. “At first, I just wanted to get a good job and get training,” she says. “But when sick people keep telling you, ‘Thank you,’ you know that you are helping them.”

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February 2010

Tastery Reed
Criminal Justice Intern
Boston Police Forensics Unit
"Everything I was taught in class, I was able to comprehend it and put it into real - world experience."
Tastery Reed remembers the day he picked up a criminal's gun, aimed, and fired. Of Tastery's many special experiences as an intern with the Boston Police Forensics Unit, the firearms unit was his favorite.

"You walk into the room and you see nothing but guns," each one a possible weapon in a crime. To test a weapon, "you shoot it into a firing pen to see if the bullet matches up to a bullet in the crime scene," Tastery explains. Once he had shot his bullet, Tastery examined it under a microscope to find identifying characteristics. Did Tastery’s weapon fit the crime? Guilty as charged.

"It was an internship that I had been hoping to do but everyone had told me that it was kind of impossible," because of its competitiveness, Tastery recalls. But with help, Tastery made his dream come true. Last year, Tastery, a Criminal Justice major, attended an event organized by BHCC’s Office of Student Activities. Tastery spoke to one of the speakers, Jason Marshall, about his career goals. Marshall, a lawyer, was impressed by Tastery’s enthusiasm. With Marshall’s assistance, Tastery applied and was accepted as a Forensics Unit intern. Tastery and Marshall are still in touch.

Throughout Tastery's internship, Lieutenant Detective Thomas Maloney and other members of the BPD made sure that Tastery learned as much as possible about real-life forensics. “They were really nice, from helping me understand what they were doing to showing me around,” says Tastery.

Tastery's work wasn't all fun: he helped out with "a lot of paperwork." But the opportunity to enrich his classroom learning compensated for the bureaucratic duties. After practicing "latent prints" (the expert's term for fingerprints) on his BHCC classmates, he analyzed real prints for criminal cases. He witnessed autopsies and even went behind the tape at a crime scene.

The internship strengthened Tastery’s original career goals. He hopes to transfer to a four-year college to study criminal justice, criminal investigation, or forensic science.

Tastery is grateful to his professors, including his advisor, Professor James Dilday, who told him to "stick with it… try to stay focused, motivated, and learn as much as you can." It's clear that Tastery took the advice.

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December 2009

Tatiana Baez
Action Research, English

"One student in my group is married and a parent. Another person in our group works full time because they receive no financial aid. Our hypothesis is essentially that the students at each type of institution face the same academic challenges, but that two-year students have a more challenging life beyond the classroom."

Tatiana Baez is fired up about research. As part of Guixia Yin's College Writing II course, she and several of her classmates are conducting an action research project which focuses on the disparity in graduation rates at two-year versus four-year colleges. In this course, Tatiana and her peers are learning that research is a thoughtful process that sharpens dynamic problem solving and improves the way they study issues and solve problems. Action research also allows Tatiana to propose solutions to the social issues that face her and her classmates.

Tatiana and her group designed a survey with roughly 20 questions that aims to measure the factors that affect the lives of students. How far do you have to commute to school? How many hours do you work a job? Do you have children? How many credits do you take? What's your homework load? These are all issues the group believes affect the ability of a student to succeed in school. They conducted their survey at Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College, UMass Boston, and UMass Amherst.

They have just finished tallying the data and are beginning to digest it. They haven't reached any conclusions yet, but some surprises have already come to light, “a lot of four-year students also work around 32 hours per week.” Tatiana and her teammates are eager to find out how their hypothesis holds up.

"As we were conducting the survey it seemed like people were interested in what we were doing. What it comes down to is we're all striving for the same thing: an education that will lead to a career. Some of us just have more obstacles than others."

Tatiana and her group hope to gain a better understanding of the services available to community college students to help them overcome these obstacles. She points to the daycare that already exists on campus as a good example of support for non-traditional students. She also believes that the Engaged Campus's learning community seminars are a good source of support. She's confident, however, that there are more things that could be done to help students with busy lives and lots of responsibility to achieve academically. When her group has reached some conclusions, they will have an opportunity to present their work to the BHCC community.

"I would like to pursue a career in broadcast journalism," Tatiana says, "I'm going to have to keep working when I transfer. I'm looking forward to the challenge of being a four-year student." The findings of the action research project will only help her in that endeavor.

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December 2009

Adam Sennott
Journalism Intern
GateHouse Media, The Watertown Tab

"I love it. I've been having a blast. It's been great. I can't wait to move on to a four-year school where I can really focus on journalism."

Adam Sennott's dream of becoming a sports journalist feels a lot closer after a series of internships at local newspapers. The past two summers Adam has had internships with the Watertown Tab and the Roxbury Transcript. He was hired as a writing intern doing feature stories. His hard work and experience in the field paid off. At the end of his first internship, he was hired as a freelance writer.

Adam took two journalism classes right off the bat at Bunker Hill Community College, but this was hardly enough to satisfy him. He decided that an internship would be the right way to get some real experience and keep learning about journalism while he continued his studies at Bunker Hill and his full-time job.

His first step was to get in touch with the editor at the Watertown Tab. This led to an interview with the coordinator of internships for Gatehouse Media, a company that owns and manages many local papers. His first summer he spent as a writing intern. He said that initially it was difficult interviewing people, but he managed to overcome that. The following summer he began a new internship doing multi-media work. He helped with videos, the website, and updating stories. It was an excellent opportunity to add to the skills he had learned the previous summer.

Adam remains employed on a freelance basis using contacts he made as an intern. He's been able to maintain a healthy amount of reporting and writing throughout the school year. He likes to incorporate video and other things he's learned from his internship experience whenever he can. Most of his current work is for the Allston Brighton Tab, and the Spare Change Newspaper.

Adam credits the Bridge to College program offered by the Community Learning Center in Cambridge with helping him get to where he is today. A former high school drop-out, the program helped him receive the scholarships that have allowed him to attend BHCC. He also cites the support of his older brother, whose academic and professional success have been examples for him.

A believer in the value of internships, his next goal is to do an editorial internship this summer. He would work with an editor throughout the summer, and at the end have a week to manage the paper on his own. Such an opportunity would be the perfect transition to a journalism major at a four-year school.

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November 2009

Victoria Robinson
Volunteer, Learning Community Seminar
Zelma Lacey House

"My work was inconsistent and I was disorganized when I arrived, but with hard work I was able to become successful. I hope my own experience can be a lesson for other students."

For Victoria Robinson, working as a mentor at Bunker Hill Community College brings her back to when she first began school here. Robinson, a criminal justice student, was overwhelmed when she arrived and it was the help she received from her professors and peers that provided her with the confidence she needed to succeed.

This fall, Robinson became a student mentor for Professor Seabury and Hernandez-Folch's 'Math - Fear = Success' Learning Community. Learning Communities are courses planned together around common themes for new students. In the classroom, Victoria offers encouragement and advice to the students and helps assist the professors with activities.

Victoria participated in 'Math - Fear = Success' as a student the previous spring semester. It was in that community where she received the support necessary to become a successful student and the opportunity to appreciate the importance of service.

This was emphasized when she and her peers volunteered at Charlestown's Zelma Lacey House, an assisted living community. The students visited a number of times throughout the semester. During their visits students conversed with the residents, talking about a range of topics from their personal lives to politics.

Before her service, Victoria, like many of her peers, thought she would have a difficult time connecting with the living community’s residents. She quickly realized this was an unfounded fear.

Overcoming this fear helped Victoria realize that her fear in math was also unfounded. But it also made her realize how service can be mutually beneficial between both parties.

During her mentorship she has found that the students in the Learning Community remind her of herself. She understands the difficulty and complexity of transitioning into college. But she is unrepentant in her belief that by encouraging and instilling confidence, every student has the ability to succeed.

Victoria sees her service as just the beginning. While she does not intend to pursue education or teaching as a career, she does plan on continuing to do service work wherever she feels needed. For now, Victoria would like to continue mentoring in Learning Communities for the remainder of her tenure at Bunker Hill.

The purpose of service is evident in Victoria's life: it is an opportunity to give back and to help others like her. It has also helped her to achieve her own goals.

Victoria is aware of the load of service; her life, similar to many community college students lives, is very busy. But she believes that it is nonetheless necessary that for her to succeed, she must help others do so as well.

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November 2009

Michelle Wagner
Biology Intern
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

"My time with the NOAA was incredible, and I was able to take a lot away from a learning standpoint. But the thing I'm happiest about is that it helped me to clarify or determine where I should be going."

When Michelle Wagner began her internship with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), she believed it would be an ideal opportunity. This proved to be true, though not necessarily in the way she expected.

For Michelle, a biology student, the NOAA's work studying the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere should have been a perfect fit. Michelle attests that the internship itself was terrific. The people with whom she worked were knowledgeable and entrusted her with unique research opportunities. But Michelle realized that she needed to work outdoors, not in an office all day.

Her experience demonstrates the usefulness of internships goes beyond providing a foothold in a student's dream field. It can also be valuable experience to inform someone of what the right path could be.

he admits that she had few expectations before beginning her internship, but she was thrilled that she came away with an indication of what she wants to do and where she'd like to be. She says her interest in biology has not wavered.

At her internship, Michelle was entrusted to do real research. She authored a white paper for the National Marine Fisheries Offices, compiling guidelines for new marine construction projects and negotiated the interests of commercial fisheries and environmentalist groups. Her research addressed the impact of dredging on endangered populations along the Northeast Atlantic coastline from Virginia to Maine, including the Atlantic salmon, shortnose sturgeon, and four species of turtles. This work was difficult, and she was amazed to realize that to overcome the challenges, she had to use techniques and theories she learned in the classroom, many of which had seemed impractical at the time.

For example, the sound waves she'd learned about in physics class became relevant when she had to understand how sound affects the health of fish.

Michelle values the relationships she developed and is looking forward to exploring new research opportunities at NOAA. She remains confident that the work done at the NOAA is of the utmost importance, and she is excited to have had the opportunity to work alongside knowledgeable and dedicated researchers.

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October 2009

Greg Anderson
Volunteer, Education
Professor Andres Reyes's ESL Class

"It was incredible to hear people from all over the world, nearly every continent, none of whom were speaking their native language, find agreement and appreciate disagreement about issues they all knew and shared from different perspectives."

Greg Anderson, an Education student, appreciates the diverse personalities he got to know as a volunteer in Professor Andres Reyes’ ESL course at Bunker Hill Community College. As a service learning project in Practicum in Instruction, Greg acted as a teacher's aide for Mr. Reyes, leading discussions about news articles that the students were assigned to read.

While some articles were about the places where the students came from, most were about the neighborhoods in and around Boston communities where they live.

Greg brought his own opinions to the classroom, and as he confesses his own nativity. It was his acceptance of the latter which was helpful for his own perspective. It also helped him to understand his students better. One student taught Greg about his home, Tunisia, of which Greg had no previous knowledge.

Another important lesson for Greg was that although he could easily insert himself and his own opinions into the discussions, it was even better for him to ask questions of his students. This fostered a better discussion and helped him to understand where they were coming from. He says that not everyone was comfortable, but everyone was committed to their own and each other's education.

Greg believes that his volunteerism was an invaluable experience in his education at Bunker Hill Community College. His work in the classroom was mutually beneficial to both himself and his students. It also helped to clarify his goals while simultaneously helping the students with their own.

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October 2009

Fillipé Ferreira
Engineering Intern
Museum of Science

"It isn't my job to tell visitors how to complete activities.
It's my job to teach."

Fillipé Ferreira, an Engineering student, didn't anticipate that his Introduction to Engineering fieldtrip to the Museum of Science, Boston, would result in an internship, but Fillipé's interest was piqued after learning about the museum's Engineering Design Challenges Workshop. The open workshop develops engineering-themed activities and challenges for visitors streaming through the museum daily.

To his surprise, Fillipé learned that the museum's workshop was accepting applicants for an internship, but he was disappointed when he learned that the interview process was well underway. The following day, Fillipé conveniently met BHCC’s Internship Coordinator who committed to help him apply for the internship. Together, they revised his resume and boosted his confidence for an interview that she helped arrange. Fillipe was offered and accepted a position in the Engineering Design Challenges Workshop the following week.

The activities developed in Design Challenges aim to teach visitors about a wide variety of engineering topics, but they have also allowed Fillipé to use and improve knowledge gained from his coursework. The workshop's most popular activity, Echo Base Bobsleds, teaches visitors about friction by helping them build and race Star Wars themed model bobsleds. The museum even goes so far as to track visitor's best times accurate to 1/100th of a second, and compiles high scores. Fillipé notes that his record is, "pretty close to first."

He has been encouraged by both museum's friendly and interested visitors and his erudite coworkers who are always willing to “improve upon [his] pre-existing knowledge.”

Since beginning his internship in the spring of 2009, the museum extended his internship through the summer and has recently offered Fillipé a staff position, which he accepted. In his new position he will also take on a mentoring responsibility for the weekend museum volunteers.

Fillipé continues to be excited by his work at the museum, and is eager to premier the first activity he designed which will teach visitors about simple machines. Fillipé also believes that his work with the museum has helped him focus on his coursework and reaffirm his passion to pursue a career in engineering design.

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September 2009

Priscilla Obia

Priscilla Obia
Service Learning, Behavioral Sciences
Boston Learning Center

"My supervisor let me be myself and gave all us volunteers a sense of belonging, encouraging an envoironment of respect and fun"

Priscilla Ugo an Education major at BHCC was offered a unique opportunity to become familiar with the Boston community through the eyes of being a volunteer in her Psychology 101 class last fall. After consulting with the Office of Community Engagement, Priscilla became a volunteer at the Boston Learning Center and French Library Alliance Française of Boston (FAB).Priscilla had recently moved to Boston from East Nigeria where she taught French at the Air Force Secondary School in Ikeja, Lagos Nigeria. Priscilla’s motivation for volunteering was to learn different teaching styles and become involved in the French community of Boston.

Through volunteering at Boston Learning Center, Priscilla talked to parents about their children's learning styles, helped translate documents, and became familiar with administration processes. At FAB she worked with the Events Programs and discovered new French-speaking friends. Additionally, a significant learning experience for Priscilla came through her supervisory relationships. She was surprised by the friendly and positive attitude of her supervisors, reflecting that "they made feel like I belonged within the organization and I learned new teaching strategies." As a result of relationships she built with her supervisors and other volunteers, Priscilla has maintained her volunteer status. Through her volunteer experience Priscilla was reaffirmed in her desire to pursue a career as French teacher and as an advocate for a multilingual educational system. Reflecting, Priscilla now recognizes that volunteering was critical for her to become familiar with Boston and its culture, reflecting that "it was good for me immerse myself in the community as I was able to adjust to my new settings in Boston."

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September 2009

Edward Offutt
Government Intern,
Governor Deval Patrick

"Going into this, if someone told me I’d be having lunch with Governor Patrick I would never have believed it. CNN doesn’t always showcase what is really going on and how politics work... I’ve seen very strong examples of how to do politics the right way. This has been a tremendous learning experience of seeing how things can get done when collaboration occurs and you bring everyone to the table".

Edward Offutt is a Spring '09 graduate of the Criminal Justice Program. Last summer he was one of fifteen students from across the state to win a competitive, paid internship with the Massachusetts Democratic Party Headquarters for an intensive eleven-week summer internship program. Edward had the opportunity to intern for Governor Deval Patrick four days a week and then receive additional leadership training as part of this select cohort. He worked on the Governor’s Scheduling and Events Team and was most impacted by seeing bi-partisan leaders, educators, and students come together on the Readiness Project, an educational initiative to raise the standards for teachers and better prepare students to compete internationally, particularly in the math and sciences.

To his fellow students who may not think politics is for them, Edward would encourage everyone to take a closer look, "I guarantee there’s something in their life that is connected to politics, whether it is community issues, education, healthcare, or immigration." Edward interned with two Bunker Hill Community College classmates, Patricia de Oliveira, who worked for the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition, and Vicki Jones, who worked heavily on healthcare reform. Amongst other students from Harvard, Tufts, Suffolk, and Boston College, he was impressed with the revolutionary transformation and growth he saw in his peers by the end of the summer. Edward firmly believes he was looking at the future leaders of America and that change is possible if you go after it. This internship solidified Edward’s goals to pursue a law degree and a career in public service, and has opened the door to a new part-time position, created especially for him, as the State Committee Liaison to the 400 different committee members of the Massachusetts Democratic Party!

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