2. Dr. Robertson
Danny Persia&Michaela Grenier
Outside the Classroom
Who was involved?
+ In the Classroom Dr. Laurel Kennedy- Student Development
Abby Chua Curtis Edmonds Dean Laurie Neff- Student Development
Sarah Albrecht SaeranaParod Dr. Marci McCaulay
Heather Abzug Abbi Boss Dr. Mary Tuominen
Jennifer Reyes Lauren Tyger Natalie Pariano
Andrew Uhlman Stetson Thacker Erik Farley
Taylor Pavlik Bridget MicDevitt Bill Fox
Jiacheng Liu Celeste Alsina Mark Anthony Arceño
Bryan LeBlanc Sabrina Thibault Ryan Brechbill
Pound Depang Emma Bosley-Smith Ashley Strausser
Chevy Linear Drew Sorenson Sue Greene
Jonathan Huang Jessica Elsayed Maureen Severson
Xue Yang Mark Orten
Never ending list…
3. + What, How, Why
Learning
Reflecting on what I say, do, and feel is something that I do not Outcomes
make time to do as nearly as I should; however, its importance
rarely escapes my notice. Everyday encounters, little things that make my day, a
beautiful characteristic that I consistently see in someone, a reminder to check in with a
friend going through a low point, a meaningful way to show a friend that I am grateful
for them in my life, a mantra to “choose joy,” a realization that today is a gift, or some
small injustice that I see on campus reflected as a global issue, things that I want to see
changed in the world, things that I want to accomplish, places I want to experience, my
hopes, my dreams, my fears …
I want this to not only be a space to reflect on a workshop or program, but also a space
to test theories, play with ideas, remind myself of interesting organizations. I know that I
learn best visually, so putting all of this together has been a learning and discovery
process in itself.
This is how I will craft my identity as a Denisonian. This is my transformative
experience of a liberal arts education. This is an ongoing exploration with absolutely no
thesis.
+ First Year Experience
This is exciting! I’m starting with the day I arrived on campus last August as a First
Year…
To help remind me of the different activities that took place when I very first arrived
oncampus, I searched the inbox of my email. Well, that wasn’t the best idea considering I only
received an average of 6 emails a day in August/September 2010, most of which included
messages from my Mom and Laura Bracken. I looked over a couple and saw that I had emailed
to ask my Mom what I should include in my “Activities Report,” since I needed to update it to
send with student employment applications. I found this very interesting for a couple reasons…
1. That I had to ask my mom what I had participated in and learned from my past month and a
half before college began, 2. that I did not technically even have a resume, and I applied for a
job in Career Services and 3. that I remember being stressed out at this time, yet I’m having a
difficult time understanding why now… Regardless of how I started this process, it’s been so
fun! Looking back, it’s so interested seeing how much I have grown already.
Understanding how one situation, connection, or leadership opportunity connected to
another has been really insightful. This project has also confirmed my belief that everything
happens for a reason. No regrets! I’m still growing and learning everyday, and can’t wait to
see what this looks like a year from now!
4. + 2010 June-O 2011
Don’t You Know
June-O?
+ June-O as a First Year, I remember to be very exhausting but SO exciting! Choosing my
classes was very difficult and I ended up switching out of all of the classes that I registered for
over the summer because I just so happened to be during the last time slot, and was registered
for all humanities. (I was one of those kids). But I remember meeting someone who turned out
to be one of my best friends, Michaela, and we talked about how we both applied to DSO. It was
a really fun weekend, and I’m so glad that Denison offers this unique program.
If I thought June-O as a First Year was fun, oh my, June-O as an advisor is ten times
better! Not only did I get the opportunity to become super close with a bunch of fantastic
Denisonians whom I would have never met, stay on campus during the summer when it is
gorgeous to be alive in Granville, but I also had the unique opportunity to serve as an older
sister, giving advice on class loads, how residence life works, social life on campus, Denison on
the weekends, study abroad, a fresh First Year perspective, student government, leadership
opportunities, ChangeMaking course, DSO etc. I become close with a lot of parents that I
actually run into on visit days on campus which is so fun! Also, because I facilitated the parent
session, I also became more comfortable represented Denison in from of Faculty and Parents,
and developed the proper skills to communicate difficult conversation surrounding drinking
culture and sexual assault on campus. I also met a lot of my residents at June-O and still run
into June-O friends all over campus. I hope to get this opportunity again!
5. + July La RepúblicaDominicana 2010
The time that I spent in the DR the
summer before my freshman year
at Denison was my very first
exposure to international travels
and such a different culture. I
absolutely fell in love with the
country and have not gone 24
hours without thinking about the
next time I can return. I remember
precise, defining moments in my
first travel into the country; the
overwhelming feeling that there
really is no reason why I was born
in the US and Juan Ernesto was
born into poverty in the DR. I can
remember standing on the back of a
pick up truck, after an amazing day
at the barrio, learning more and
more from everyone I approached
in cautious conversation, thinking
about how lucky I was to be
experiencing this.
La RepúblicaDominicana 2011
After having so many
experiences at Denison, I had an
entirely different experience in
the DR this last summer. I am
the luckiest person in the world
to be able to meet one of my
manageable goals of my vision
for a brighter future from the
LeaderShape Institute.
6. + August DSO 2010
This experience set the tone for my first year at
Denison in the best way possible. For the first
time in my life I was given the opportunity to
discuss real world issues with my peers without
familial inhibitions. It really opened my eyes to
the unsettling thriving status of homelessness in
America- that you don’t need to travel to a 3rd
world country to see 3rd world conditions. I
remember being really moved and impressed by
how thoughtful my new classmates were,
especially after hearing some of the incredible
visitor’s stories of their past. This experience
completely opened my mind to a new way of
seeing a city and the way in which its inhabitants
and institutionalized conveniences perpetuate
oppression.
R.A. Training 2011
SO FUN! This was a great opportunity to
meet some of the most engaged and
positive students on campus. It was also a
great way to learn more about the
different resources on campus and how
to relate to my peers in emergencies and
sensitive situations. The ResEd Staff is
absolutely fantastic; the upperclass RAs
and HRs are true student role models.
7. + September
Technology & Community Dinner at Dr. Knobel’s
I can’t think of a more meaningful way to spend one of your first dinners on campus! This
was a very thoughtful event- the Academic Events committee invited a group of First Years
who submitted a “Community &Techonology” themed art project to have dinner with the
Senior Staff at Dr. Knobel’s house.
While at the dinner table, I remember being very nervous. I sat with Dr. Toni King, two other
professors, and three other First Years. I was worried that I would say the wrong thing.
However, I still remember the fantastic dialogue we shared to that day, and I learnedthat
sometimes you just need to let go of your reservations about speaking with administrators.
They are such fantastic researches and genuinely care about the student body.
2010 D.U. Lead 2011
As a participant in the convention, As a Fellow, I Dave Locke and I
I had my first experience with the Social were supposed to serve as On-Site
Change model of Leadership assistants to the On-Site
Development. I had my very first Coordinators, Michaela Grenier and
exposure to any type of leadership Dolly Cho. However, I was asked to
program as well. Obviously, I fell in love fill in as a Club Facilitator and am so
with… YEAH YEA! thankful that I had that opportunity!
8.
9. +
What it means to be…
A female in Student Government An aspiring Educator in Higher
Education
A Denisonian
http://www.eclac.org/cgi-
bin/getProd.asp?xml=/publicaciones/sinsigla/xml/3/28923/P28923.xml&xsl=/dds/tpl/p1
0f.xsl&base=/dds/tpl/top-bottom.xsl
http://www.unifem.org/materials/item_detail.php?ProductID=166
http://www.unifem.org/materials/progress.php
http://www.playingforchange.com/episodes/55/Stand_By_Me_Japan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ujySz-_NFQ&feature=related
