Engaged Magazine Winter 2019

ENGAGED Office of Civic Engagement | Allegheny Gateway Volume 6, Issue 2 • Fall 2018

ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK

LEARNING IN ACTION See story, page 8

Table of Contents 3

Service by the Numbers — Academic Year 17–18

4

Challenging Stigma: An Interview with Austin Shaffer

8

Alternative Spring Breaks: Expanding Experiences

10 Alternative Alternative Spring Break 14 The Leaders of Today’s Future 16 Service Shapes Local Youth 18 From Academia to AmeriCorps 22 E=MC2: Where Science and Service Meet

Editor’s Note The fall 2018 issue of the Engaged magazine focuses on how academics and service come together in students’ lives to form their passions. As you read on, you will find that the students, faculty, staff, and Meadville community members highlighted depict what it truly means to pursue your interests while being able to give back to others.

Those featured realize that by helping others, you receive so much in return. Service to others provides experience, insight into potential jobs, new programs and organizations, and — most important — creates change.

You will also see how students continue to pursue service after they graduate from college, what service means to them, and how they want to make an impact in local communities.

There’s a place for everyone in Allegheny’s service movement. For more information, visit us in the Gateway, located in the Burgundy Node in Pelletier Library, or contact the Civic Engagement Office at civicengagement@allegheny.edu or (814) 332–5318.

—Corey Razevich ’16, AmeriCorps VISTA Member Civic Engagement Office (2017–2018)

ENGAGED magazine is a publication of Civic Engagement of the Allegheny Gateway in collaboration with College Relations.

Editorial support: Jennifer Kessner Layout design: Sarah M. Bennett Cover: ASB students visit Casey, Illinois, which holds the world record for the largest collection of the world's largest objects, like this pitchfork.

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Service by the Numbers — Academic Year 2017–18

 49

Alternative Spring Break

Participants

   1,076

89

Students

Completed Service Saturday

Completed Service

Projects

350

Meals Prepared & Delivered

by Religious Studies 290

Chicago Alternative Spring Break Trip

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Challenging Stigma: An Interview with Austin Shaffer

By Bethany Cocchi ’13, Davies & Fahrner Assistant Director of Community-Based Projects One of the benefits of having an experiential learning experience in the community is that one can utilize their academic knowledge, passions, and strengths to create change in the place that one lives.

These directly relational experiences are those that build the capacity of oneself and forge bridges of enlightenment. It was wonderful to interview a student who had this type of opportunity over the summer, Austin Shaffer ’20. Austin worked with the Crawford County Overdose Prevention Coalition (CCOPC) through the Fahrner Program with support from Lauren Paulson, Assistant Professor of Psychology.

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What is your project about?

The specific research project I worked on with the CCOPC was the Crawford County Stigma Survey of 2018. The CCOPC’s ultimate goal is to use the study’s findings to create anti-stigma education campaigns that will be implemented throughout the county to reduce the prevalence of social stigma towards those suffering from drug addiction. By correcting common misperceptions about addiction, these education campaigns have the potential to lessen prejudicial attitudes and discriminatory behaviors towards

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those with addiction that result from social stigma.

In doing so, these anti-stigma education campaigns will foster community support for those with addiction, thus increasing access to treatment and preventing overdose deaths. Correspondingly, there is potential for this project to reduce the number of drug-related crimes, to prevent trauma caused by drug use, to lessen the number of babies born addicted to drugs, and to help save millions of dollars that are incurred annually from healthcare expenses, legal fees, and lost productivity related to drug addiction.

My involvement with the project consisted of survey recruitment, data analysis, development of a formal report and executive summary, and presentation of the results. Levels of social stigma were measured through a community-wide survey developed by the CCOPC that was distributed both electronically

and in-person through printed copies. That being so, my first task was to survey participants from demographic groups that the electronic version of the survey was unable to reach: men, those without a college education, and those without health insurance. After five weeks of surveying in-person, I doubled the percentage of male participants, raised the percentage of other underrepresented groups, and closed the survey with a total of 960 participants. While there were still a disproportionate number of women and college-educated participants at the end of the study, I consider my involvement in survey recruitment a success because I exhausted all of my resources and attained the most representative sample that I realistically could. My time surveying allowed me to have several eye-opening interactions with Crawford County residents who shared stories of relapse and recovery that they and their family members have experienced relating to drug addiction.

I statistically analyzed data to determine which negative attitudes and misperceptions about addiction were most prevalent among participants, and to assess whether those from certain demographic groups held more stigma than others. Once the analysis was complete, I documented and explained the results in a 38-page report for the CCOPC. The most fulfilling task I completed was presenting the survey results to community members at the CCOPC’s July monthly meeting. This presentation engaged community members from various organizations and initiated conversation about actions to begin anti-stigma efforts.

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I found this to be the most meaningful part of my job because the Coalition’s action-oriented response to the study exemplified that it will be taken seriously and that it will be used to create positive change in Crawford County.

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I used these results to assist in the creation of two educational handouts geared towards reducing stigma by explaining addiction as a disease and the connection of substance abuse to childhood trauma.

These handouts will be distributed

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at future community events hosted by the CCOPC. The CCOPC has been implementing prevention efforts throughout the community for the past two years. Moving forward, the CCOPC will more deliberately target the types of stigma that were found to be most common while continuing their prevention efforts.

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What are the results?

Addiction affects the majority of Crawford County residents. 18.3% of the participants reported having struggled with addiction themselves, and 68.9% disclosed that they care about someone who has experienced addiction. The second major finding identified that residents stigmatized the use of Narcan to save the lives of those addicted to opioids multiple times (26% of stigmatized responses). Narcan is a prescription medication that is typically used by first responders at the scene of an opioid overdose to reverse the effects of the drug and prevent overdose death. Importantly, this second finding reveals the need to address the underlying misperceptions about opioid addiction that lead residents to believe that those suffering from addiction are undeserving of a life-saving medication. Approximately 22% of responses showed stigma towards treatment options and recovery, indicating that many residents

My time as a Fahrner student instilled in me several transferable, professional skills that I will be able to apply in the future both as a student and in the workforce.

Austin Shaffer

Story continued on page 6

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Story continued from page 5

believe that addiction treatment is ineffective and that recovery is highly unlikely. 15% of responses indicated the prevalence of common misperceptions about addiction, such as those suffering from addiction being dangerous and irresponsible, and that only certain types of people can become addicted, such as adults and those with low incomes.

that there is potential for a unified anti-stigma campaign to effectively address the common sources of stigma among all county residents, regardless of their individual differences. Because those with higher levels of education had similar rates of stigma as those with lower levels of education, it can be speculated that anti-stigma education

held the same levels of stigma as those without addiction. In this case, self-stigma occurs when addicts recognize the stereotypes that exist about drug addicts and believe that they apply to themselves, which leads to embarrassment about their condition and the avoidance of help-seeking.

Given the high rate of stigma towards Narcan use, I recommended that the CCOPC’s anti-stigma education campaign to fundamentally address the underlying misconceptions about addiction that lead people to believe that those suffering from addiction are undeserving of a life-saving medication. However, in order to do this, the campaigns must explain that addiction is a disease rather than a choice and should educate the public on the effectiveness of treatment, the treatment options that are available, and the process and possibility of recovery.

Addiction affects the majority of Crawford County residents.

It was revealed that there were no meaningful differences between levels of stigma across demographic groups. Therefore, it was concluded that Crawford County residents hold similar levels of stigma regardless of their age, race, gender, type of insurance, experience with addiction, zip code of residence, and highest completed level of education. The consistency of levels of stigma among all types of residents leads to speculation that stigma is stemming from similar sources of misinformation across the county. That being so, it was further uncovered

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campaigns must be very deliberate in the way that they educate the public in order to reduce stigma.

To elaborate, anti-stigma campaigns must not only present facts about addiction, but must strategically use those facts to address attitudes and behaviors towards those suffering from addiction as well, therefore extending beyond what is covered in the traditional academic setting.

In addition, it can be speculated that those suffering from addiction in the county hold self-stigma, since those who reported having an addiction

3

How does it connect with your academic work and professional goals?

As a psychology major, global health studies minor, and aspiring mental health professional, this project was highly compatible with my academic work and professional goals. The research skills I gained will inevitably help me complete my senior comprehensive project and prepare me for the research-intensive field of clinical psychology. In addition, the literature review I conducted on studies relating to substance-use disorders throughout this project

has left me less stigmatized towards those suffering from addiction. My research on the science behind addiction, the effectiveness of addiction treatment, and the possibility of recovery has instilled in me more empathy towards those suffering from addiction that I may one day have the chance to apply while treating patients as a clinician.

The project’s emphasis on addiction and social stigma allowed me to gain knowledge in the areas of clinical and social psychology that has complimented what I’ve learned through my coursework. In connection with global health studies, my involvement with the CCOPC and their mission to reduce overdose deaths in Crawford County allowed me to receive a first-hand look at the successes and challenges that accompany public health interventions that are being implemented in my own community to handle the opioid epidemic.

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What professional skills did you learn from your project?

My time as a Fahrner student instilled in me several transferable, professional skills that I will be able to apply in the future both as a student and in the workforce. The first of these skills was self-management.

As a Fahrner student, the majority of my work was completed independently, which challenged me to set and meet my own deadlines and to decide upon the best ways to complete my required tasks.

Second, I gained problem-solving

skills while conquering the most challenging part of my job, which was finding male participants from blue-collar backgrounds who were willing to complete the survey.

I developed analytical skills while conducting the statistical analysis, familiarizing myself with statistical software and drawing decisive conclusions from the results. I expanded my spoken and written communication skills while engaging with supervisors, approaching strangers to survey, thoroughly describing the study in a 38-page report, and while presenting the project and its results to experts at the CCOPC and to students and faculty at Allegheny’s ACRoSS research symposium. Lastly, I learned how to be adaptable in the workplace after having to efficiently and flexibly adapt to the changing demands of my job throughout the summer.

5

Do you have any advice for students who are thinking about doing research in the community?

I would definitely recommend community research and the Fahrner program to other Allegheny students because it not only offered me useful research experience, but gave me the invaluable opportunity to develop my professional skills, build connections, and witness community agencies in action. I would recommend these projects specifically to students that find fulfillment in improving their communities and who

wish to see practical implications of their research come to fruition.

Further, I would advise students engaging in community projects to ask questions and speak with as many supervisors and community members as possible because it is through their perspectives and insights that you will gain practical information about your field that is often unavailable through classroom learning alone. For instance, I was able to learn about, and directly witness, the realities of tackling societal issues such as the opioid epidemic at the local level. I was able to hear about the challenges of treating addiction at the individual-level from an experienced counselor and a recovering addict. Second, I would advise students conducting community research to enter with a willingness to learn, as well as to be prepared to adapt to the changing demands of the position set by the host organization.

Throughout the academic year, you can find Austin in the library working as a writing consultant, participating in Sustained Dialogues, or partaking in Allegheny Christian Outreach. In the community, he interns as a health coach with the Meadville Medical Center and participates in Allegheny’s Service Saturdays. 

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Alternative Spring Breaks: Expanding Experiences

By Corey Razevich ’16, AmeriCorps VISTA Member Every year, Allegheny College sends students to various parts of the country to participate in a weeklong service trip known as Alternative Spring Break.

Through this experience, students are able to both travel and gain real-world job experience while impacting the local area. There are four trips every year that tackle a wide range of issues; there’s always a trip helping with housing issues, a trip focusing on youth programming and development, a trip focusing on the environment, and a wildcard one that changes every year.

This past year, the four trips were with Living Lands and Waters in Grafton, Illinois; the Jewish Farm School in Philadelphia; Natural Bridge State Park in Natural Bridge, Virginia; and Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte, North Carolina. We had 46 students,

faculty, staff, and Americorps VISTA members participate in ASB, completing over 7,300 hours of community service during the break.

In order to go on a trip, students go through an application and interview process. This helps the trip administrators and student leaders find the best candidates for each trip. While a student’s background is taken into account, anyone, whether they have experience or not, has an equal chance to go on one of the trips. Most students tend to go on trips that tie into their studies or their hobbies.

The following interview highlights some of the reasons why students participated in ASB and how it plays a role in their studies and passions.

How many ASB trips have you participated in?

Why did you apply for your specific trip?

What was your favorite part about ASB?

Three ASB trips total. This was my first one being a student leader.

MM: I chose that specific ASB because of my background in water resource conservation/education, and I graduated with a B.S. in environmental science this past May, so all of my passions lined up perfectly with the core values that Living Lands and Waters promoted on the ASB.

MM: The most memorable experience was hauling trash from a segment of land along a nearby waterway. Seeing all of the manmade objects that had washed ashore during previous storm surges really put into perspective humanity’s negative impact on the environment. By the end of the project, the area looked like a completely different, happy and healthy ecosystem.

–Melissa McCann ’18 Major: Environmental Science Minor: French Trip: Living Lands and Waters, Grafton, Illinois This was my first ASB trip.

–Jaelise Pittman ’21 Major: Environmental Studies Minor: Psychology Trip: Jewish Farm School, Philadelphia

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JP: The ASB trip I was on wasn’t my first choice, I think it was my second.

When I chose it I thought it would be fun to learn about food justice while also learning about our connection to the earth through farming.

JP: My favorite part of the whole trip was Drew cooking for us and finding things to do on the snow day, which included cooking, watching a movie and a documentary about the food industry.

Did your ASB trip fit in line with your academic interests?

Has this ASB trip made you think differently about possible career paths?

MM: I took many natural resource conservation courses at Allegheny, and my favorite aspect of each class was the outdoor laboratory component. This hands-on experience was recreated and further magnified by the Living Lands and Waters ASB. I loved every second of the nature-filled trip.

MM: Not particularly. I signed up for this ASB because of my involvement with Creek Connections, so I was already on this path.

JP: It does fit with my academic choices because I love plants and the ecosystem just as much as I love animals, and I got to do a lot with plants from an agriculture standpoint. I also learned about different areas to grow plants in an urban environment, such as in an urban farm, a community garden, or even at a school designated for agriculture.

Kerstin Martin, Sammie Easterling, and Allison Johnson worked hard sifting compost to be used in the Jewish Farm School gardens.

Participants on the Living Lands and Waters trip removed hundreds of pounds of trash every day from the Mississippi during their trip.

JP: This trip has made me think about food the most, so I’d have to say that it made me think about going into the food industry — mostly because there are a lot of steps to getting food from its base ingredients to how we see it in a store, not to mention all the processes that happen within the store for the food to be put on display.

Did this ASB make you think differently or change any misconceptions you previously held?

MM: It is refreshing to solely be in the mindset of environmental conservation in an effort to positively benefit a community. This ASB drove my passion deeper, but my core values remained the same.

Nicholas Silva-Jara is working in tandem with other participants to load up trays of seedlings ready to be planted.

Carina Saldivar is separating the dispersal crowns from seeds by shaking them in a screen.

JP: I didn’t think any differently than I already had before the trip, but the trip added knowledge about how seed packets are filled, sustainable agriculture, urban farms, and the restaurant business. 

The whole gang is getting a tour of the greenhouse facilities on the property.

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e v i t a n r e t Al

Alternative Spring Break

By Dave Roncolato ’79, Director of Civic Engagement

Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC), an organization located in Chicago that promotes interfaith understanding through service, awarded a small course development grant for the project. The first part of the semester involved studying the three Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

With Gateway support, students had the opportunity to apply this learning over spring break in Chicago.

The group visited and worked alongside service and advocacy organizations rooted in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Under the leadership of Muslims Against Hunger, the group delivered meals to the homeless.

They assisted Temple Sholom in their weekly dinner for those in need. They prepared and delivered 150 meals on the South Side of

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Chicago in partnership with the Night Ministry mobile health clinic.

While in Chicago, the group spent a morning hearing about the fight against Islamophobia by CAIR Chicago (Council of American-Islamic Relations). They were also invited for a morning at IFYC that included a working session with the organization’s founder and president, Eboo Patel.

They worked, they learned, and they prayed. Before the week was over, the class had a chance to observe and/or participate in worship at the Downtown Islamic Center, Anshe Emet Synagogue, Trinity UCC Church, and the Urban Village Church.

Erin Hartwiger, a student in the course, reflected on the experience:

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Over our week in Chicago, we learned so much about the many challenges interfaith work faces. These difficulties have not discouraged me, but have impassioned me to start being an interfaith leader when I notice divides. They have challenged me to expand my service and to be more intentional in my everyday life.

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Since the mid 1990s, Allegheny College has sponsored multiple Alternative Spring Break trips (ASBs). The “alternative” was to commit to a week of service instead of traveling south for a week on the beach with friends. Last March, Allegheny offered “an alternative” to the traditional alternative spring break experience. Students not only engaged in service for a week, they also took a semester-long fourcredit course, Religious Studies 290, Interfaith Engagement: Concepts, Community and Collaboration.

The students were inspired by interfaith leadership in Chicago, but the real challenge was to bring it back to Allegheny College. Baneen AlAkashi and Adele Gilman, peer mentors for the course, demonstrated remarkable commitment and leadership in Chicago and throughout the semester. With their assistance, the students in the course offered an informative dinner program for approximately 30 students on April 26 and a lunchtime panel for the faculty who assisted with the course.

Interfaith service experiences materialized in the fall of 2018. There are also preliminary plans to offer a similar RS 290 course in the spring of 2020.

Stephanie Felton, another student in the course, recognizes the challenges ahead: “We need to make sure we have knowledgeable interfaith leaders who have the resources, skills, and will to want to help make the world not only more tolerant, but more inclusive.” 

150 meals on their way to the South Side of Chicago for distribution through Night Ministry

Above: Meal prep under the coordination of Muslims Against Hunger

The group gathers at the temporary sign for the Urban Village Church in Hyde Park.

Left: Rabbi Russo of Anshe Emet Synagogue shares stories and answers questions prior to conducting Shabbat Service on Friday night.

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Alternative Spring Break Living Lands and Waters: Everyone thoroughly enjoying the morining sunshine as they pose in front of a large mound of trash they cleaned up.

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The Leaders of Today’s Future

By Baneen Al-Akashi ’19, Bonner Senior Intern

Sasha Miller '12

Service is intertwined with our everyday life, and Bonners often continue the path of service after graduation.

As the Allegheny Bonner Program wrapped up its 20th anniversary last year, we saw an astonishing range of service leaders and learned about how Bonner has changed their lives. Starting with a small cohort of students, the Allegheny Bonner Program has grown to over 50 Bonner undergraduate students and over 200 Bonner alumni. The interests and paths of Bonners are different from student to student, but when it comes to helping others and doing service, there is a powerful drive present.

Bonners are required to serve 300 hours with a local community organization during each academic year at Allegheny College, as well as doing two summers of service. The first summer is spent in Meadville performing service at a host site, and the second summer is spent in a national or international service internship.

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“Bonner has been an integral part of my life since my freshman year orientation in college. It was Bonner that showed me who I really was.

It was the Bonner director who was the first to ask who I wanted to be rather than what I wanted to be. I have never been a part of community like that before and have honestly not been able to find one so safe since. Service and all the ideals I have learned from Bonner are present in every professional job I have had since I graduated from Allegheny. I believe that service, in its truest sense, is embedded in everyone. There are many who say they want to help others and make the world better (and all that other cheesy stuff), but Bonner taught me how to be intentional in that thought. It taught me the importance of work and action when it comes to social justice.”

Jessica Hubert '10

Xun Li '10

“When I graduated, I knew I wanted to help form students through service and reflection as my mentors at Allegheny in the Bonner Program did for me. There were so many social justice issues I cared about, and I felt drawn to higher education, where I could impact all of them through accompanying and mobilizing students around their own passions. After a year as Davies Program Coordinator at Allegheny, I was hired in the Center for Social Concerns at Gannon University.

My Bonner experience helped me articulate my core values around service, and I now use those values to shape decisions with community partners and design mutually beneficial Alternative Break Service Trip (ABST) programs. Each year, 100-plus Gannon students participate in 15-plus studentled ABSTs, and the numbers are growing. Though I’m proud to be expanding this transformative program, I’m equally proud that we stay rooted in the best practices of community engagement that were first instilled in me at Allegheny: Mutually beneficial partnerships rooted in and guided by the wisdom of the host partners.”

“Service to humankind has always been the major draw for me to enter medicine. So I would say I am pursuing service every single day since graduation from Allegheny College. Yet, service is so multifaceted that I like to conceptualize it into two broad categories — direct and indirect — as I think about how I am impacting others. Examples of direct service comes easily in my line of work: Resecting brain tumors, performing spinal fusions, counseling families of traumatic brain injury patients.

On the other hand, examples of indirect service sometimes can be more subtle: Teaching medical students who go on to heal others, donating to my alma mater to ease access to higher education, participating politically to right the wrongs in our society. Though the effects of indirect service may not be readily palpable now, it is arguably the more important aspect of service that I engage in so that I can make the world a better place for future generations to come.”

The Bonner Program seeks students from diverse backgrounds who are passionate about community engagement, social justice, and personal development. As Bonner continues to grow, the passion for service and the connections that are formed will continue to flourish. Through this, the leaders of today’s future will emerge all over the country and will create a better tomorrow, working to improve their communities through service and service learning — and gain an understanding of what it truly means to be an engaged citizen. 

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By Corey Razevich ’16, AmeriCorps VISTA Member

Service Shapes Local Youth

Right: Adele Gilman ’20 led MASH and MAMS students on a project to clean the Bethel AME Church parsonage house.

Far Right: Cochranton students were on the front lines during Make a Difference Day October 14, 2017.

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In only its second year, the Allegheny Youth Service Corps grew from 79 students to 137 students participating in community service. In the 2017–18 academic year, the Allegheny Youth Service Corps documented over 640 hours and 30 projects completed.

There are now students from eight different public and private schools within Penncrest, Crawford Central, and Conneaut Lake school districts.

The Allegheny Youth Service Corps helps students develop soft skills and resume-building experiences and find a sense of place within their communities. Students get to develop positive relationships with their peers, Allegheny students, and community members through the projects they complete together.

Students develop an understanding that everyone comes from different backgrounds, communities, and beliefs but share a common goal of wanting to better their communities and the world we live in.

While most extracurricular activities create barriers to participate, the Allegheny Youth Service Corps doesn’t have any stipulations other than a drive to make a difference. Students in this program get to take an active role in creating change in their community and in people’s lives.

The results of this program wouldn’t have been possible without the two Allegheny Volunteer Service Leaders, Amanda Ress-Liere '20 and Shoshana Robbins '19, who have shown dedication and commitment to creating positive connections and opportunities for the students to participate in.

With their help, local students have been able to make connections with 17 local organizations, including Tamarack Wildlife Center, Mystic Mountain Training Center, Wesbury Retirement Community, Meadville Area Recreation Complex, and the Meadville Public Library, to name a few. Without the support of these organizations, students wouldn’t have gained resume-building experiences, knowledge of their community, or the relationships they have made with others.

As the Allegheny Youth Service Corps continues into the future, it will continue to foster relationships between local youth, Allegheny students, and the community.

Through this, students can continue growing and develop their self-confidence and sense of place in their neighborhoods. 

The Stone United Methodist Youth Group spent Global Youth Service Day, April 21, painting the church.

During Global Youth Service Day, MASH students went to Wesbury Retirement Community to sort goods for their annual rummage sale.

Saegertown High students raked leaves at Saegertown resident Janet Haas’ house.

 I have done a wide variety of community service activities with Allegheny students, but I always have the same feeling afterward. Doing community service gives me this great feeling of satisfaction like nothing else because I know that I have made an impact on someone else’s life, no matter how small it is. It’s an incredible feeling that’s rare to find.

– Macy Hornstein, MASH Key Club Member

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Samantha Bretz ’18 and MASH students show you who can make a difference. They cleaned up St. John’s Missionary Baptist Church.

 Being able to help the community is a satisfying opportunity that has influenced me to volunteer as much as possible and encourage others to do the same.

– Ashley Loccisano, Saegertown Key Club Treasurer

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The Oasis Youth Group worked on repairing and reinforcing a Meadville resident’s accessibility ramp

 The Youth Service Corps has given me the opportunity to meet and connect with Meadville’s youth while we participated in community service. The YSC allowed me to do more than just complete service projects, I was able to truly connect with the local community.

– Amanda Ress Liere ’20

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From Academia to AmeriCorps

By Gabrielle Bradshaw, AmeriCorps VISTA Project Director What are you doing after graduation? This has become the age-old, sometimes anxiety-producing, question for many graduating seniors as they finish up their final semesters of college. But for five Allegheny College students, the answer was easy — post-graduate service through Lake Effect Leaders AmeriCorps VISTA project.

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) builds capacity in nonprofit organizations and communities in order to help bring individuals out

of poverty. For over 50 years, AmeriCorps VISTA members have served as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation’s most pressing challenges and advance local solutions.

But what led these ambitious students to sign up to serve the Meadville community? As you will see below, for most, it was their experience in academia that lead them to pursue a year of anti-poverty work.

Questions asked to all five members:

1 2

What was your major/ minor at Allegheny?

Did your studies at Allegheny influence you in any way to complete a year of service with AmeriCorps? If so, how?

3

What are you hoping to gain by the end of your service year, and how will that influence your career goals?

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Arianna O’Connell ’18 Volunteer Coordinator and Resident Empowerment VISTA serving at Crawford County Coalition on Housing Needs and Crawford County Mental Health Awareness Program (CCCHN & CHAPS) Major: Communication Arts Minor: Psychology “During my time in the communication arts program, I took a number of classes on issues like

globalization, inequality, and neoliberalism — all of which deepened my need to give back to my community and my interest in helping others by building capacity. Doing research with Professor Ishita Sinha Roy in 2016 about rural politics and the presidential election allowed me to learn more about this region of the United States and was my inspiration for getting to know the Meadville community better.

Additionally, the research I conducted for an independent study and my senior thesis was framed around Crawford County’s political, economic, and social history. It is such a blessing to now be working with two nonprofits (CHAPS and the Crawford County Coalition on Housing Needs) whose goals are to assure that every person in Crawford County has housing and the necessary resources to live a fulfilling life.

Every day I am learning and growing, and I have learned countless techniques and skills that I can apply down the road. But, more than anything, I am glad I have gotten the opportunity to learn from so many people and expand my abilities as a writer through memos, press releases, and my column for The Meadville Tribune on issues related to homelessness, poverty, and resilience. While I am still figuring out my path as a journalist, I am grateful for the opportunity to continue writing such powerful stories about the individuals I have met through this job.”

Jenny Tompkins ’18 Opioid Intervention Coordinator VISTA at Crawford County Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission and Women’s Services Major: Environmental Studies Minor: History “Yes. The interdisciplinary nature of the Environmental Science Department allowed me to get involved in the local community. I pursued internships at local sites, and the outdoor, community-based labs promoted connections with local people and appreciation for the area’s ecological value. Exploring topics in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), environmental justice, community-based conservation, and human geography fostered my interest in a career in the environmental nonprofit sector.

The openness of the faculty to involve students in research allowed me to spend portions of two summers at Allegheny during my time as an undergraduate. This time solidified my desire to stay and serve in the community. After spending almost a year under the guidance of Becky Dawson and Chris Shaffer researching how data sharing and GIS can be used to reduce community trauma, I knew I wanted to serve as the opioid intervention coordinator for Women’s Services.

During my service as a VISTA, I hope to gain additional skills for solving community-based problems.

Improving my skills in data-driven decision-making and local stakeholder engagement, for example, will translate well from a public health to environmental context.

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I also hope to connect with people with different backgrounds from my own to continue to build toward becoming an informed, open-minded community advocate.

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My mentor and former professor Julie Wilson [also] inspired me to join AmeriCorps because she was aware of my background and eagerness to do my part in eradicating poverty. My background in studying inequality, politics, and history has allowed me to come into my position prepared and has kept me engaged throughout the process. Let me tell you, real-world experience is very different from learning about social issues from books and classroom studies, but it is such a joy to be able to go to work every day not knowing what I will learn, and knowing that I will be a better person for it. CHAPS and the CCCHN have given me that.

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The openness of the faculty to involve students in research allowed me to spend portions of two summers at Allegheny during my time as an undergraduate.

This time solidified my desire to stay and serve in the community.

 Jenny Tompkins

20 ENGAGED | Fall 2018

Nikki Hawk ’18 Youth Service Coordinator at Allegheny College Civic Engagement Office Major: Biology Minors: Spanish and Global Health Studies “In a way, my studies have encouraged me to complete a year of service with AmeriCorps. Throughout my undergraduate career, I was always learning about different systems of power in place that affect people around the world. I’ve always been an advocate for doing service, but in becoming more aware of the negative effects that different systems of power can have on people economically, physically, mentally, and culturally, I realized that I wanted to continue to do service in order to do my best to help those who want and need it.

By the end of my service year, I am hoping to do service in a way that not only benefits specific individuals, but the community at large. In doing this, I will strive to become the best version of myself by

overcoming challenges, enhancing my communication and listening skills, and leading and learning from others so that I will better be able to contribute in maintaining a positive, helpful, considerate, and collaborative environment in which anyone can benefit from. These skills will be beneficial for my future career in helping others as a primary care physician.”

Sarah Nathan ’18 MARC Community Garden VISTA at the Meadville Area Recreation Complex (MARC) Majors: Environmental Studies and Community and Justice Studies

Margaret West ’18 Capacity Building VISTA at Common Roots Major: Communication Arts Minor: Psychology “BIG YES. My studies and experiences prepared me to not just imagine solutions, but to BE an active part of making the world more just.

You can’t take a “Joe Class” (with Joe Tompkins, assistant professor of communication arts) and NOT feel called to step up.

At the end of my service year, I hope I’ll have learned firsthand how to work with a community toward sustainable collective action!”

“My majors strongly influenced my choice to serve with VISTA. Most importantly, environmental studies gave me repeated opportunities to engage with the MARC Community Garden in various capacities. Those experiences made me feel connected to Meadville and the MARC Community Garden, and they made me feel committed to sticking around to continue my work. Community and Justice Studies further engaged me in the community and gave me a lot of the theory that I needed to feel confident in my work.

By the end of my service year, I hope to have improved my ability to work with people from different backgrounds, learned how to mediate between groups with different priorities and goals, and positively impacted the future of the MARC Community Garden. After my service year, I am pursuing a career

as a lawyer, which on its face seems pretty removed from managing a community garden. Still, I think that VISTA will offer me a lot of lessons as I pursue a law degree. The idea of “mediation” that I mentioned above stands out to me. Though we often think of lawyers simply fighting for whatever is best for their clients, actual lawyering often requires an understanding of both parties’ desires and how to reach an agreement based on those desires.

Right now, I am facing similar issues. I have to balance the financial concerns of possible funding organizations, needs of community members, programming priorities of partner organizations, etc. I have to bring that information together to create some sort of sustainable structure for the garden.” 

Wondering if post-graduate service is right for you? Try shadowing a Lake Effect Leaders AmeriCorps VISTA member! Our service members currently serve at 21 different agencies in Crawford County and Erie County and work on projects focused in the areas of education, health, the opioid crisis, neighborhood revitalization, housing, homelessness, refugees/New Americans, and more! Interested individuals can contact Project Director Gabby Bradshaw at gbradshaw@allegheny.edu.

Fall 2018 | ENGAGED 21

Students learn about constellations and where they are located in respect to one another.

Students in the program learn about structural integrity and architecture through hands-on problem-solving activities.

Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation Center came to a session to teach local students about the different types of birds in our area and how to help promote them.

Students are taught practical skills in the classroom that lead to discussions about careers in STEM fields.

Children in the program get to go on field trips like this one to learn about topography and how it can be affected by natural disasters.

Student Leader Olivia Heeb is going around the campus with her students learning about the plants and ecosystem we live in.

Students learn the chemistry and physics behind how super cold water can freeze once poured out.

E=MC2: Where Science and Service Meet

By Corey Razevich ’16, AmeriCorps VISTA Member

Students used marshmallows and toothpicks to recreate constellation shapes to help with memorizing them.

Students learn how to splint broken bones in case of emergency situations.

22 ENGAGED | Fall 2018

The E=MC2 program started out of a need to support student growth and to help in the preparation for the PSSA exams. From this simple thought bloomed a program that not only benefits those children who are a part of it, but also provides opportunities for Allegheny students who want to pursue a career in STEM fields and their passion for working with children.

The E=MC2 program focuses on engaging and challenging local elementary school students in STEM fields through projectbased learning. Over each semester, there are six sessions in which architecture, physics, anatomy, electricity, astronomy, geography, social sciences, and the science of baking are taught and tested out through various projects and experiments.

Allegheny students create the lesson plans and the activities that create an engaging experience for the youth and volunteers involved.

We asked Olivia Heeb ’19, a biology major and studio art minor, to answer a few questions about her experiences with the E=MC2 program.

1

How did you first get involved with the program?

I actually became involved by chance.

I was talking with a professor and they happened to mention E=MC2. I was curious, so I signed up to volunteer for a day and I became hooked.

The student leaders in the E=MC2 coordinate everything from the lesson plans and activities to student and volunteer recruitment. These students share a passion and drive not only to pursue STEM fields themselves but also to share their excitement for the sciences to children.

2

What was your favorite part of the program?

My favorite part of the program is working with kids that want to know more and seeing them think through things and put to use the information to figure things out on their own. I can practically see their minds working through a problem and figuring a way through it from the forefront of the classroom, it’s funny to watch their thought process, and it’s rewarding when they figure things out.

3

Did the program align with your major?

As a biology major, this program definitely aligns with my major, but we’ve had English majors come and volunteer their time working with the kids and helping at E=MC2 because they too were interested in learning a little more about science.

It doesn’t need to align with a major in order for the student volunteers and leaders to enjoy teaching.

4

Did this program influence the type of work you want to pursue in the future?

I’ve always had an interest in education, but E=MC2 makes me want to continue it in the future.

Maybe not the near future, as I plan on continuing my education for years to come, but perhaps after that. I still want to teach and be taught in return.

5

What made you want to take a leadership position in the program?

I’ve been working in education since my freshman year of high school. I worked in the education department of the local zoo for four years, I was a tutor for my young neighbor, and now I’m a leader of E=MC2. My education is such an important part of my life and it’s what drives me to desire and enjoy being an educator. 

Fall 2018 | ENGAGED 23

Civic Engagement Staff

From left: Bethany Cocchi ’13, Assistant Director of Community-Based Projects, Gabby Bradshaw, AmeriCorps VISTA Project Director, Dave Roncolato ’79, Director of Civic Engagement, Nikki Hawk '18, AmeriCorps VISTA, Jennifer Kessner, Gateway Office Manager, Nicola Mohan, Bonner Program Coordinator, Olivia Lang '11, Associate Director of Civic Engagement and Bonner Program Director

ENGAGED Magazine • The Civic Engagement Office, Allegheny Gateway 520 N. Main Street • Meadville, PA 16335 • (814) 332-5318