Helping Shelter Animals Find Their Furever Homes

 

I’m a big animal lover, and my love for animals has inspired me to branch out and help the animals within the Bloomsburg community. I’ve been a part of the Students Saving Shelter Animals (SSSA) Club at Bloomsburg since the first semester of my freshmen year. As I was walking through the Student Involvement and Activities Fair, I came across the SSSA table and couldn’t believe that such an organization existed. I was so happy to know that there are other college students out there like me who want to help animals in need. We meet on a bi-weekly basis, and our meetings are always centered around animals and coming up with new ways we can help the animals within our community. Our executive board team is senior heavy, so we could really use younger members to keep the SSSA Club thriving for years to come.

That's a call for you, the reader, to join!

I wanted to be as involved as possible within the club, so when the executive board elections came around, I was excited to have been nominated for a position. Last year I was elected the new Event Coordinator for the SSSA Club! I pitched a new idea that has been quite successful. I suggested that each club member or Bloomsburg resident donates any new or lightly used towels, blankets, or sheets to the Danville SPCA. That way they are not wasting their blankets and towels and are putting them to the best use possible. There are donation boxes in most of the residential dorm halls at Bloomsburg for students to put their towels and blankets.

We also collaborated with the Honors College, and they’re allowing Honors students to get service hours for their donations. It’s a win-win situation all around! The shelter animals depend on our love and affection to get through their time at the shelter. Unfortunately, some animals are there a lot longer than others, and those are the animals that need the most love and support.

I’ve been volunteering at the PSPCA Danville Center for over a year now. I go to the shelter monthly to help staff with whatever they need for the day. I usually spend time taking the dogs on nice long walks and playing with the cats in the cat room. The dogs do not care what the weather is; they’ll happily walk even in rain or snow. There are also gated yard areas at the shelter where I take the dogs to let them run around and play and have more space. It always fills my heart to see them happy. They are so desperate to get outside of their kennels and get some fresh air. Investing my time in them is the least I can do. If I can make even one animal’s day and time at the shelter a little better, then my time there is worth it. I love going into the shelter and seeing all of the animals’ names fill up on the adoptions for the month. That’s how it should be. I hope that each animal in the shelter finds their furever home with the best family!

— Lillie Corino, a senior business administration and communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis in management and organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications this fall. She's a native of Bucks County who enjoys spending time with her family, pets, ESA, watching Friends, seeing Morgan Wallen in concert, playing lacrosse, and going shopping with her mom.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

A sense of satisfaction and a sigh of relief

Driving my classmates in a 15-person passenger van for the first time

Hello again! I hope everyone’s semester finished with a sense of satisfaction and a sigh of relief that it is over. Let’s catch up on all things College Student Affairs and in the Honors College.

Over the past few months, my personal and social relationships have skyrocketed. I have become incredibly close with many of my peers in my cohort and have found a safe and relaxing space among them. They have also introduced me to various new activities across campus that I am proud to have participated in! We have visited Rohrbachs’ Farm and enjoyed the October festivities, gone geocaching, watched the school’s amazing drag show (featuring one of our own cohort members), observed a probate for a sorority, joined the diversity and inclusion protest on campus, and spent numerous hours in the Graduate Study Lounge in the library laughing, crying, struggling, and learning together.

PLP socializing at President Hanna’s house

Through all of these experiences, I have realized how important it is to get up off the couch and socialize with the people around you. I am elated to have these moments and memories thus far and I cannot wait for another semester to continue dining in the Commons, hanging out in each other’s apartments, and being around one another.

My main priority at Bloomsburg is to learn and this includes the practical learning provided by my graduate assistantship. Next semester the Honors College (my GA site) will be moving to Lycoming Hall where the majority of our residential students are located. With this move, the Honors College will have a bigger space for programs and staff and better accessibility to its students. The College has expanded from one track to five tracks (research, internship, extra courses, presidential leadership program [PLP], and international experience). Each track has its unique requirements and specialties. In PLP, we have visited the home of University President Bashar Hanna, where he easily recalled our student’s names. He enjoys meeting with our students to see how they are doing throughout the semester. Also, in the international experience track, five faculty members and I will be taking 55 students on a month study tour to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Hungary, and Germany. They will take two courses in Poland and have the experience of a lifetime!

Class field trip to Wilkes University

Now, how is it possible to do all of that and still focus on school to maintain a 3.0 GPA to stay in the program? In our classes, with assistance from our professors and support from our cohort members, it is doable! So far, I have flawlessly (if I do say so myself) completed three courses: Foundations and Functions of Student Affairs, Student Development Theory, and Educational Research and Writing.

My peers and I have created numerous projects and presentations that, at times, were extremely nerve-wracking. Some of us presented two 30 to 45-minute group presentations (two of the biggest grades for our classes) in the same day back to back! Then, we went straight to finishing our 15-page Literature Review assignment. Even though this semester was incredibly tough at times and I wished I could just walk away, I am unbelievably proud of myself and my friends for all that we have accomplished in such a short amount of time. I hope next semester’s chaos will be just as invigorating.

Until next time,

— Jen Cole, #ProfessionalU #SAPro

Cole is pursuing her Master's in Educational Leadership through Bloomsburg University's College Student Affairs (M.Ed.) program.