December 16, 2009 - by Nicole
The semester is almost finished and I'm sure many of my fellow LGS students are pulling all-nighters, writing papers, studying diligently and looking forward to the holidays. To give its students a little break from the all the stress, LGS held a potluck dinner last night. This gave students the opportunity to relax, eat some great food and relax and chat with their LGS friends. I hadn't been able to make any dishes for last year's potluck, so I decided to show off my Italian heritage and cook some tortellini for everyone.
I had to teach in Hempstead High last night, therefore I arrived at the potluck a little over an hour late, but everyone seemed to still be having a great time from what I was able to see. We listened to holiday music and discussed our plans for January intersession. I noticed that many students—while very relieved to finally have a break from their studies—were saddened that they wouldn't be able to see each other just about every day in the lounge like they were used to. We're really a family here at LGS, and I know that I'm going to miss walking into the lounge and having some great conversations with some really awesome people. It's a bit of a relief to me that I'm going to be around here another year because of STEP—it gives me a little longer with all of my friends (well, except for my fellow seniors that is. I'm going to miss you all).
I really had a nice time at the potluck, and I hope that everyone who came had a wonderful time too.
December 16, 2009 - by Nicole
Last semester, my fellow LGS student and friend Asif Zaman and I were granted a unique opportunity to teach adults computer skills. We began in November teaching these classes again, and I was excited to begin again. I found it very rewarding to help out adults who might not have the opportunity to learn how to use a computer and the internet. Last semester we had split the class into two sections; I taught very basic computer skills to students who had no experience or very little experience with computers, while Asif taught students who wished to learn specific programs such as Word or Excel.
As we began the class, I was happy to see many familiar faces from the Spring. Many of the students couldn't wait to start up again, and most had purchased their own computers (or newer ones) in the time since last semester. The best part was realizing that many of the students who began as total beginners—they had to learn how to hold a mouse and the difference between left and right click—had now confidently moved up to Asif's class. They were able to apply what they had learned in the beginner's course in a more advanced setting.
We also have a new batch of students who are eager to learn about computers, and I'm currently in the process of teaching them the basics. I hope that soon they will be able to apply their skills to more advanced actions on the computers and eventually become very computer-savvy! In 2009 using a computer has become a very important and essential skill, and I'm really glad to have the opportunity to take what I've learned over the years and share it with others.
November 17, 2009 - by Nicole
Last year, I wrote an entry about How LGS can can work with students' majors. I think with many new students in the program or considering entering, it's probably time to address that topic once again.
Sure, it's often really easy for students in the humanities to relate their majors—especially when it comes to International Studies—but not all students can clearly see the benefit that a program like the Levermore Global Scholars can provide.
Many students to not realize that the world is becoming smaller. Our society is becoming increasingly globally-oriented, and individuals who wish to compete successfully in this smaller world will need the skills necessary to be both sensitive and aware of issues across cultures. As a senior with one semester left in this program, I can with confidence say that students graduating from LGS will leave Adelphi with these skills and much, much more. While my history and education classes have provided me with one perspective, I've gained a totally different one that will greatly assist me when I finally become a full-fledged teacher.
The program also provides community service opportunities to its students. This semester I'm currently in the "Community Service Seminar" class taught by our new director, Dr. Thornburg. All students in this class are currently volunteering in different areas in the community, and I've been afforded the opportunity to once again continue the computer classes I taught to adults last semester in Hempstead High School. Other students are working in areas related to their own majors and interests.
While the knowledge and experience that students leave with will certainly last them a lifetime, one the greatest benefits I will take away with me are the friendships I've made with my fellow LGS students. The program's small and intimate classes really gave me a chance to get to know my fellow scholars really well, and I think that it's from them that I've learned the most about the world and myself.
I hope that those of you considering the program will join us next semester or next year (I suppose I'll still be around despite graduating—I'm in STEP after all so I'm here for another year!) and that those of you currently in the program will stay. I hope that my fellow seniors stay in touch with everyone, but I'll certainly miss not seeing you guys around campus (make sure to visit us!).
November 16, 2009 - by Nicole
I've mentioned this before in the LGS blog, but one of the wonderful things about this program is the opportunities it bestows upon its students. Students are really given the chance to experience a variety of things in LGS, and I hope that each and every LGS student decides to take advantage of these unique events.
A few weeks ago I went with several other LGS students to see All Through The Night, an off-Broadway play about German women and their experiences during the Third Reich. As both a History major and a fan of plays (both on and off-Broadway), I jumped at the chance to see this—I'm certainly glad I did.
Most people know of the events of World War II and what led up to it, but very little know of the experiences of ordinary people—German women in particular—who lived through it. History is often told through the eyes of the victor, and as such we are often left with little knowledge of what the German people went through during the Third Reich. This very powerful play exposed the struggles that women went through at this time from adolescence to adulthood.
I really don't think there was a dry eye in the audience after the play was over. The small theater provided an intimate setting that made me—and the rest of the audience I'm sure—feel as if I were part of the lives of these women. I walked away from this play with a totally different understanding of what went on during World War II, and I hope those who attended with me had a similar experience.
May 11, 2009 - by Nicole
On April 30, LGS held it’s third end of the year dinner. As I’ve mentioned in my post about the similar dinner that LGS holds for a sort of “welcome back” at the beginning of the year, the dinner is a a lot of fun, plus it’s great to see all of my fellow LGS scholars. One of the great things about the end of the year dinner though, is that I get to see what all of the other LGS scholars have been up to during the year. It’s impossible for me to keep up with the numerous projects that all of the students are up to (all of the scholars seem to be doing such wonderful things and have many great ideas), and the end of year dinner is a great opportunity to catch up on what’s been going on.
The dinner highlights the achievements of the LGS students, with each one receiving a certificate acknowledging all of their hard work. I was pleasantly surprised to see a very large number of freshmen being recognized for everything they've done! It’s clear that this current up and coming class of LGS scholars will accomplish great things in their four years here are Adelphi. Watch out everyone! You’re probably going to hear about this group quite a bit! I wish only the best to such an inspiring, enthusiastic group of young men and women.
LGS also began a new type of award and scholarship given to two outstanding juniors or seniors who have been very active in the program, done much outside of it, and were in good academic standing. The two recipients of these awards were junior Matthew Sanfilippo and—as I was pleasantly surprised to find out—me! Matthew really deserved his award; I can’t think of anymore more active in LGS than him If you take a look at the LGS website, you can find the numerous things that Matt has done. If you’re quite diligent in reading Newsday, you might have caught an article about him and the work he’s currently doing for the community. Congratulations Matt!
I was very honored to be receiving the LGS Distinction Award, and although I felt speechless, I was sort of dragged up to the microphone to make a speech. In my speech, I couldn’t help but highlight how much I’ve learned from my fellow scholars. As educational as the classes have been for me, I’ve learned so much over these past three years for my peers. I already can’t wait to greet the new freshmen coming into the program and I’m very eager to see what I can learn from them.
It’s a bit sad that my Junior year is already coming to a close, but I already find myself looking forward to another LGS-filled year here at Adelphi.
April 30, 2009 - by Nicole
Today, LGS in collaboration with the Sociology Department, Criminal Justice Program and Club, Amnesty International, and ICAN Make Change are holding a Social Change Fair. Many students and professors have been hard at work organizing this fair for a long time, so I urge everyone to check it out and learn how they can make a difference!
Because of space limitations, there's no way that we could invite enough organizations to interest every person on campus. However, we've come up with a list of many organizations fighting for social change in many different areas. Download the list and take a look!
I'll be writing more about the social change fair throughout the day, but be sure to check it out!
Download the Organizations List
April 20, 2009 - by Nicole
As I mentioned in my previous post, LGS scholars are eager to give back to the community. Asif Zaman and I are working in Hempstead High School and teaching computer skills to adults. However there are a number of LGS scholars who also work in Hempstead High School and the surrounding area.
- Matthew Sanfillippo, an LGS junior, teaches computer classes at the Hempstead Hispanic Center.
- LGS scholars Jean Castano, Maria Deras, Dennise Edgerton, Stephanie Farkash, Carissa Grimaldi, Paige Hall, Carmen Jones, Samantha Mendoza, Amy Mikulski, Lendelle Raymond, Alejandra Singh, Ximena Valverde, and John Campana currently work as mentors to 9th grade students who fail their classes.
- April Hurley an LGS junior, teaches English to Spanish-speaking parents on Wednesday evenings
It's wonderful to see all of these students give back to their community! Keep up the good work everyone!
To my fellow LGS students: If you're currently giving back to the community, send me an e-mail and let me know! I'll make sure to write about it here in the blog.
April 15, 2009 - by Nicole
On April 9, I stood nervously in a computer classroom in Hempstead High School. I clutched the lesson plan I had come up with and looked it over multiple times, wondering if I had left anything out, or if it would be too simple or difficult for my students.
I couldn't help but worry that I would do a terrible job, or that those coming to the class wouldn't want to listen to a college student. I didn't really have any experience teaching a class after all, although I did have about three years worth of undergraduate education courses under my belt. Still, as confident as I was in my education, I had little confidence in my experience to apply what I've learned. Then I realized that the only way I'll ever get have experience is if I actually get some.
I wasn't alone in the classroom (which certainly helped alleviate some of my anxiety), I was co-teaching it with my good friend and fellow LGS student, Asif Zaman. We were volunteering our time to teach an adult education class in computer skills.
Our students varied in both age and experience, so we decided it was best to split the class based on what our students wanted to learn. There were many who had hardly touched a computer at all, while others were looking to expand thier knowledge of common office programs. We both thought it would be a bit unfair to bore more experienced students with the basics of right and left-clicking, while it wouldn't be fair to the less experienced students to immediately jump into how to use Microsoft Excel.
Once we split everyone up, we began our lessons and my nervousness immediately subsided . There were some hiccups here and there with having two simultaneous lessons taking place in one room (luckily we'll have two labs at our disposal for our next class), but many of the students were excited about learning how to use a computer and were eagerly awaiting our next class.
As I continuing planning for my next lesson, I find myself eager to continue my work in Hempstead and help my community. Asif and I aren't the only LGS scholars helping out those around us, there are many LGS scholars who are not only eager to help out, but are already doing so!
April 09, 2009 - by Nicole
In the last post, I went over required courses that all LGS students
must take in order to stay in the program. However, there are a number
of optional courses that LGS students can take.
- Foreign Affairs Colloquium
R 12:00–1:00 p.m.
- Internship Seminar
M 5:00–6:00 p.m. (other hours can be arranged)
- Community Service Project
TR 6:00–7:20 p.m.
I
hope everyone will consider taking these optional courses if they have
room in their schedule. Just because they're considered to be optional
doesn't mean that the courses aren't good!
April 09, 2009 - by Nicole
I'm in a lucky position right now. I'm a junior—just two credits shy of
being a senior actually—which means that registration is generally a
breeze for me. I was able to hit the "submit" button at 9:00 a.m. on
Tuesday without any issues. I'm pretty happy I have the nice, four day
schedule I made for myself.
Of course, if you're a freshman or
sophomore, registration can sometimes be a bit of a headache. Classes
can get closed out just before you register, prompting you to have to
move everything else around to make sure you take classes you need
while maintaining the required amount of credits.
This is
where being in LGS can come in handy. Instead of fretting over that
General Education class that you got closed out of because of seniors
who left theirs until the last minute, You can just take an LGS class
that fulfills the same requirements (and you probably won't get closed
out of it!)
Here's a bit of a reminder about what LGS students need to register for for the Fall of 2009.
Incoming FreshmenFirst,
let me welcome you to the program! I hope to see you all in the Fall
(look for me, I'll probably be in the LGS lounge, typing away on my
laptop!) Freshmen in their first semester need to take a number of
courses. I know this may seem like a lot to you all, but if you weren't
in LGS you would have to take similar courses.
All of these courses fulfill General Education requirements!- Art and Craft of Writing
MWF 10:00–10:50 a.m. or TR 10:50 a.m.–12:50 p.m.
- First Year Seminar
TR 3:05–4:20 p.m. or TR 1:40–2:55 p.m.
- FORE orientation
M 12:00–12:50 p.m. or R 12:15–1:05 p.m.
Current FreshmenCongratulations!
You're almost through your first year at Adelphi University. I hope all
of you are staying in the program. There's just one class you need to
take for the first semester of your sophomore year.
Global Issues I and II will fulfill your Social Sciences requirement- Global Issues I
TR 3:05–4:20 p.m. or MW 2:25–3:40 p.m.
Current Sophomores and JuniorsSophomores
are halfway done with their time at Adelphi, and I'm sure all of my
fellow Juniors are wondering where the time went! It seems like
yesterday that we were all Freshmen entering into a new program. There
are two classes open to us next semester. Both of the seminars offered
next semester fulfill general education requirements.
Seniors graduating in Spring 2010 should remember they must take the capstone course that semester and should plan accordingly.
- Levermore Global Scholars Seminar in The Arts
R 8:00–10:30 a.m.
- Levermore Global Scholars Seminar in The Sciences
TR 12:15–1:30 p.m.
There
are also a number of courses offered by LGS which are not required but
are highly recommended. I'll go over them in another post.
I hope registration goes smoothly for everyone!
March 24, 2009 - by Nicole
Just before Spring Break, several other LGS scholars and I went to see the Broadway play In the Heights.
I'm a big Broadway fan (I'm always on line early to buy tickets when
Adelphi sends a bus to different Broadway shows throughout the
semester), so I jumped at the chance to see In the Heights—especially since I knew very little about it.
The
play centers around a several characters in the heavily Latino
neighborhood of Washington Heights, and presents a classic American
theme—immigrants and the children of those immigrants struggling to
find their way in a new culture and society. Some of the characters
include Usanavi, the bodega owner who dreams of going to the birthplace
of his parents in the Dominican Republic. There's Nina, the first to go
to college and a source of inspiration and pride for everyone else in
the neighborhood.
The music was wonderful (I purchased the
soundtrack the next day!), and I had a wonderful time seeing the play.
I am incredibly grateful for LGS for allowing us this wonderful
opportunity, and I'm glad to see that as the program grows—we're going
to have freshman through seniors in the fall—the opportunities for its
students grow as well.
March 10, 2009 - by Nicole
Today—as I usually do after my class ends at 12:05—I headed over to the
LGS lounge to catch up on some work before my 1:40 class. My lunch in
hand, I opened the door and was greeted with a mountain of clothes!
It's
amazing to see the generosity of the Adelphi community in helping LGS
with their service trip to the Dominican Republic. They're going to
have so many things to bring to the children there.
Here's a picture I snapped with my cell phone of just a small amount of the clothes that have taken over the LGS lounge!
There's
still a few days left before some of the LGS students are leaving for
the Dominican Republic. If you want to help out, you can still bring
donations to Science 108.
February 17, 2009 - by Nicole
I know I've mentioned this previously in the blog, but LGS classes are
pretty unique in a variety of ways. Not only do they focus on topics
such as global issues and social awareness, but they're often small in
size and with familiar people.
I'm currently in my second
semester of junior year, and by now I know just about all of the LGS
scholars I'm taking classes with fairly well. We've all been in class
together before and we know a lot about one another. This environment
really helps foster a different kind of learning—especially for someone
who is a bit introverted like me! It's hard to be afraid to raise my
hand in such an environment, and I find that I participate in my LGS
classes the most out of all my classes here at Adelphi.
I
almost always find classes with other LGS students intellectually
stimulating and thought provoking. While it is generally assumed that
students will learn something new in each of their classes at a
university, I find that in my LGS classes I am constantly learning new
things from my fellow students as well as my professors with each class
I take in LGS. Every student comes from a radically different
background, and brings those experiences with him or her into each LGS
class.
February 09, 2009 - by Nicole
As I've mentioned before, one of the great things about LGS is that it offers its students wonderful opportunities to go different places and meet different people—right here in our own backyard.
On Friday, a group of LGS scholars and I went to the UN and went on a tour. It was incredibly interesting to take a tour of such an important and amazing place where nearly all of the countries of the world come together. My favorite part of the tour was visiting The General Assembly—a room where many different issues have been discussed by the participating countries.
Not only did we get a tour of the United Nations, but we were also educated about how the UN works and what it does around the globe. We learned about the six official languages of the UN (English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic and Russian), and how the United Nations helps in improving the lives of people around the globe (improving education and health, etc.)
I—and I'm sure all of the other LGS scholars on the trip would agree—had a wonderful time learning about and taking a tour of the UN, especially given our program's focus on global awareness. The semester sure got off to a great start with this trip, so I can't wait to see what else I can learn this semester both in my LGS class and any trips we might go on!
December 02, 2008 - by Nicole
I'd first like to start out this post by inviting questions from anyone—whether
you're an LGS Freshman or Junior, prospective student, or you're just
curious about the program—to ask questions about LGS! While the LGS website
can answer a lot of questions, sometimes it can be great to just hear
about the program from the eyes of a student. So feel free to e-mail me
at nicolerodriguez@mail.adelphi.edu, or comment on this or any blog post. Students can also talk to other LGS students across various majors by visiting the Talk with a Levermore Scholar page.
What can LGS do for my major?
This
question is something that seems to pop up quite often. While certain
majors—International Studies, Political Science, History, to name a
few—all seem to fit with the focus of the program, some students of
other majors are left wondering why they should be in LGS in the first
place. They may not realize that LGS fits with any of the majors that
one could take here at Adelphi.
The program requires its
students to become globally aware, gain global knowledge and to also
become aware of the needs of the community around them by participating
in community service.
Some may question how these things could
work into certain majors—maybe those majors in the sciences for
example—but this focus that LGS has and the thinking that it will
require from its students can benefit everyone regardless of what their
major is.
As I stated in the Study Abroad Misconceptions
post, becoming more aware of the world around oneself is good no matter
what one's major is. The world is becoming "smaller" due to
technological advancements, and no matter what one winds up doing for a
career, it can only be beneficial to be "globally aware."
Businesses
are constantly moving into other countries, Teachers need to be
culturally sensitive to their students, Doctors are needed all over
world, Computers are becoming a necessity and both, developed and
developing societies need to design and implement comprehensive
policies that will enhance the level of information and technological
literacy among their citizens. These are only a very small example of
how majors can be used "globally," and with a little thought and
creativity, I'm sure everyone can realize how LGS can not only relate to a major, but complement it as well.
LGS is raising a group of leaders by encouraging global activism, community service,
and much, much more. This leadership experience combined with the
global knowledge aspect of the program gives a student valuable
experience that he or she might not get if they were not in LGS. Once
again, this brings benefits to all majors across all of the schools
here at Adelphi, no matter what one's career path may be.
I
hope that those considering LGS, those accepted to the program and
those considering it will realize how the program can work for them and
what they can bring to the program. It may seem like a major might have
nothing to do with the Levermore Global Scholars' Program's focus, but
as I've stated above, that's not the case here and I hope that many
people realize just how much LGS can provide students with a unique and
enriching college experience.
