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

Carpe College ... don't get stuck in a 4-year routine

We all get those emails from our professors, advisers and department heads about "upcoming opportunities" and "volunteer position availabilities." But let's be honest, how many of these messages go unread and/or unopened?

Most of them.

We students have far too much going on, right? Between waking up on time for class, making time for meals, studying and sometimes even working, where could we POSSIBLY find time to add anything to our schedules?

Yes, I realize that it would look good on my resume, but what is the concrete value of any of these experiences? What am I getting out of it? Is it worth getting out of bed on a Saturday morning to volunteer at a campus program or community event?

Probably not.

This is the way I thought throughout most of my undergraduate career. Don't get me wrong, during those four years, I maintained an above-average GPA, became captain of the women's basketball team, tutored for the disability center and held a part-time job (about 10 hours per week). It may seem like a lot, but now that I've begun to actually read the emails being sent by my mentors, I am realizing how much more I could have done with that time and how many connections I probably missed.

When I graduated with my undergraduate degree, I knew nothing about what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I enjoyed writing. I knew that I enjoyed working with people. That's about it. I did my senior internship and didn't completely despise it, so that's where I ended up after graduation. It wasn't until I finally began embracing and seeking out new opportunities that I found my real passions and could start pursuing the life that I wanted rather than the one I fell into.

Regardless of the specific opportunity we choose to pass up, we are potentially denying ourselves personal and professional connections. College is a time to discover strengths, weaknesses, likes, dislikes and passions. By getting stuck in a 4-year routine consisting of the same types of jobs, classes and social networks, we are being exposed to a very limited set of experiences and therefore, simultaneously prolonging the process of discovering what type of career, lifestyle and education is worth pursuing.

Here are a few of the advantages I've found to seizing opportunities, even if you aren't sure if they're "for you" or if you think you can handle the addition to your schedule:

• Connections: Meeting people is everything! I cannot place any monetary value on the friendships and mentors i've gained through my volunteer experiences. I have connections across the country with people who can, not only help me professionally, but who have been wonderful personal supports and networks.
• Compensation: While volunteer opportunities never offer big bucks for your participation, they do often provide things like travel costs, meal expenses and hotel accommodations. Don't be afraid to ask if any out-of-pocket costs are covered by the organization or institution before you travel too far and break your bank.
• Experience different types of jobs: If you have an idea of what field you want to work in, use this as a chance to observe it on different levels and on various levels. You might find that you're more into the production side of things rather than being the front-(wo)man or vice versa. See what other people do in order to get a better idea of where you can see yourself.
• Sorting through the garbage: the more you know and understand, the more you can discard what's NOT for you.
• New places: Even if the position or job title isn't something you see yourself doing long-term, take advantage of opportunities that will allow you to travel. You might find that you really enjoy (or really don't want to end up in) certain places that you had never thought of before! Volunteer programs are great chances to experience different countries, states, cities and venues.
• Respect: Professors, advisers and peers usually admire the fact that you're willing to take chances, which makes them more likely to throw more opportunities your way in the future! You may miss some classes or need to ask for extensions, but I've found that 95% of the time, faculty values the experience you're gaining and are more than willing to work with you as long as you communicate your plans appropriately.
• Set yourself apart: While steady positions, degrees and long-term experience are definitely important, I am finding more and more that potential employers like to hear about my "unique" experiences and excursions even more than my schooling or day-to-day routines in my full-time positions. Those stories could be what helps them remember your interview after a day full of qualified candidates!
• Open up future opportunities: There is real value in relationships. Others can offer support, advice and direction based on their own unique experiences. The more you volunteer for, the more people you meet. The more people you meet, the more opportunities they can present you with as you move forward!
• Even if you hate the actual "job" you end up doing, most of these positions are part-time and temporary. Really, there's not much to lose. You never know what you'll discover when you stop ignoring those emails! Maybe even your future... Just go for it!

Social media: @_alyssameyers

— Alyssa Meyers is obtaining a graduate degree in Counseling and College Student Affairs (CSA) at Bloomsburg University, where she holds a graduate assistantship in the Student Activities Office. There, she assists in overseeing Bloomsburg's Program Board, Concert Committee and other groups and committees related to campus-wide event and activity planning.

Alyssa also holds a part-time position at Penn State University's Hazleton campus, where she is the Assistant Coordinator in the Office of Residence Life. In this position, she oversees a 10-person student Resident Assistant staff, works with the full-time residence life staff and participates in on-call or "Duty" responsibilities.

Prior to starting her career in student affairs, worked as a caseworked at Columbia County Children and Youth Services. She gained experience in crisis management, community health, and strength-based intervention strategies. Last summer, Alyssa moved to the Los Angeles area and worked with the Student Life and Engagement staff at Marymount California University. The focal point of her summer was designing an LGBT Safe Zone training manual and additional programming for the upcoming academic year.

No longer a newbie

Classes are well underway for my second semester here at Bloomsburg. The atmosphere arriving back at campus was slightly different for the spring semester as opposed to the fall.

In the fall I was a new student trying to make friends and find my place on campus, but now coming back for the second semester feels a little different. There were people on campus that I missed not seeing over break and moving back into the dorm was a family reunion opposed to the awkward few days of the fall semester.

Personally, the new spring semester has raised the difficulty in my classes. For the spring semester I scheduled my own classes, in contrast with my fall semester being scheduled for me. I am nearly done with my general education requirements due to AP classes in high school, which allowed me to take more advanced classes for my major.

The AP classes are a blessing and a curse. They are a blessing because I have more flexibility in my schedule, but they have the drawback of placing me in more difficult classes more quickly. Other than class difficulty, not much has changed for the spring semester. As stated previously, the initial transition back to campus is smoother but nearly the same people surround me and my same support system remains. I quickly immersed myself back into the clubs and organizations that I was involved with last semester.

The fall semester was the transition time. The time to learn how to balance friends, clubs, classwork and importantly, sleep. The routine was more or less established over last semester and the spring semester was like getting back on a bike after not riding for a while. After about a week, I was back in the same routine just this time needed to add a little more study time to succeed in more difficult classes.

This semester I am volunteering at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville. I wanted to volunteer last semester, as I am on a pre-medical track, but I needed time to get used to college. I am glad that I waited a semester to try to volunteer, for the days that I volunteer are a little more hectic than I am used to.

The gradual transition period is in my opinion the best way to ensure success. As incoming freshman for the Fall 2014 semester at Bloomsburg, I would begin prepare first for the entrance exams. Review topics in math and English. The placement exams determine if you need to take review classes once you arrive on campus. The review classes will take us credits that could be used for general education or even classes in your major. They may not seem like they have much effect at first, but they may decrease the flexibility of your schedule.

Additionally I know being a science major, the math sequence is important and a person wants to place as high in math as they possibly can in order to stay on track with the math sequence. Another thing to consider is the foreign language placement exam.

If you took a foreign language in high school and are not interested in pursuing the language further, take the language exam. It will give a sense of accomplishment coming into college with part of your general education fulfilled! Even if you want to continue studying a language, still take the placement exam so that you are not placed in class that is below your current language level. Other than that enjoy the time before you arrive on campus!

Do not stress about meeting people or searching the website for the clubs that you want to join, all of that will fall into place once you arrive on campus.

— Morgan Lewis is a biochemistry major with a pre-medical studies concentration.

#FutureHusky #HuskyUnleashed