Climbing Mountains and Helping Others

LEC Students, Faculty and Staff volunteer at nearby Holden Arboretum, part of the Cleveland Botanical Gardens.

This year, Mountain Day was held Wednesday, September 15th. Faculty did not hold classes, and instead, students were encouraged to engage in community service opportunities. LEC’s Mountain Day was inspired by Mount Holyoke College’s day of the same name, which includes their students climbing an actual mountain. The mountain we encouraged LEC students to climb this year was making a positive impact in the local and campus community. The College supports these opportunities for students to help others while strengthening their relationships with each other. Here’s what a few of LEC’s willing volunteers had to say about their experience:

Alex Lalezas ’24, a business administration major, was part of the team that won the Scavenger Hunt for which the winnings were donated to the Lake County Humane Society.

I just transferred here, so I cannot speak about the previous year’s format. I enjoyed Mountain Day though because as a transfer student, it allowed me to meet more people by doing good for the community.

Dedicating my time and efforts to others felt really good because as a college wrestler it is easy to get zoned in on only the grind. It was good to take a step back and realize there are so many other things going on in the world that could use help. It also felt better winning for charity with my team creating a stronger bond.

Rachel Ward ‘22 organized the letter writing at Zion Church as one of the closing events for Mountain Day.

Rachel Ward ’22, a chemistry major with minors in biology and applied research headed the Zion Church event for letter writing to a sponsored child through Compassion International.

I chose to run the Zion church dessert and letter writing event because I thought it would be a great way to get more students to see what we, as the Pre-Med Club, do with our sponsored child, Kwame, through Compassion International. Lots of students wrote poems to him in their letters because that is one of his favorite things about school as a 6-year old in kindergarten! It also served as a great first event with Zion this fall, since we coordinate monthly outreach dinners with them for any LEC students and community members. The Zion Church is always so excited to host events with us, and I loved being able to get them involved with Mountain Day this year. Conor Donahue ’23, a biology major, who volunteered at three locations throughout the day.

I really liked how Mountain Day was focused on giving back to the community. I thought that it not only helped students find new volunteering opportunities around the area but assisted students in creating new connections and relationships with other students and faculty. It also provided a new, productive experience with every volunteer event that students partook in, hence why I signed up for a couple of them. I think that Mountain Day should continue this way. Volunteering is rewarding; it provides not only instant gratification but a way to connect with your community and show you care. I think this was the introduction to volunteering I needed to get the ball rolling for future opportunities.

Mackenzie Carrah ‘22 and other students showed up to help the Cleveland Mounted Police Unit with their horses.

Mackenzie Carrah ’22, therapeutic equestrian horsemanship major volunteered at the Cleveland Mounted Police Unit in downtown Cleveland.

The experience was such an honor. They don’t get a lot of volunteers here. We brought our MagnaWave out to give some of the horses more of a spa treatment. I also live locally and participate in the organization’s mounted beach ride, so seeing the facilities, seeing all the horses and the people that make everything possible was just so cool.

Conor Donahue ‘23 helps clean up at Holden Arboretum. Conor volunteered at three activities on Mountain Day.

PA Challenge Bowl

On May 24th the Lake Erie College Physician Assistant Program placed 5th in the nation for the American Academy of Physician Assistants Medical Challenge Bowl, competing against over 60 other PA Programs. This success came after winning the North Central Region Challenge Bowl to reach the national challenge. The team was made up of recent graduates, Shyanna Neu ’21, Steven Zigman ’21 and Jessica Holiday ’21.

“I would just say being an AAPA Challenge Bowl Finalist team was a huge honor,” Zigman said. “Although we didn’t win the championship, finishing as one of the top six Physician Assistant schools in the country is something we are very proud of.”

The finalist placement continues a strong academic tradition from the Lake Erie College PA Program. The team has placed into the national quarterfinals or higher almost every year since the Program’s inception.

MPS

LEC will now be offering the new Master of Professional Studies (MPS) degree through a partnership at Lakeland Community College’s Holden University Center. Designed to support a wide variety of professionals at various levels in their careers, students in this program will develop sought-after and marketable skills in areas such as organizational dynamics, leadership, negotiation and problem-solving. Open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree of any type, the MPS program will be particularly appealing to working adults who seek to build specific skills to support and grow within their organization.

“We are proud of our longtime partnership with Lakeland Community College, and we are eager to make available our innovative and skills-oriented Master of Professional Studies degree,” said Bryan DePoy, Lake Erie College’s Provost.

As the only degree of its type in the region with a unique array of courses and concentrations, the Master of Professional Studies Degree is eager to leverage Lake Erie College’s experienced faculty, partnerships with a wide range of companies and organizations, and emphasis on individualized learning to meet the needs of career-oriented students seeking a skills-based graduate program. This partnership with Lakeland Community College will help the program reach an even wider pool of students and professionals looking to gain these skills.