Journal #6 Time Commitment (Capstone Project)

I never realized how much time commitment goes into a project. I have recently been working on the Capstone Project. I have spent multiple hours putting it together and it has been the main focus of the majority of my internship. At this time, the videos have been recorded, cropped and are ready to show. I still need to make a poster but I am waiting for money from Kaleidoscope. One of the last steps is locating someone to volunteer to supervise the room.

I am beginning to feel a huge relief because I have most of the project completed. Because of timing, I needed to make the Capstone Project a priority and it was difficult to commit so much time to planning it because this project consumed so much of my time. I realize that I have other projects and I feel that I have allowed these projects to slip by. It is time to begin extensive time commitment to new projects such as the Cultural Showcase.  I realize that this project will be a large commitment in order for the showcase to be successful.  I am so glad that I agreed to work congruently on a project for the Tunnel. This experience has been very enriching and I have learned so many new things. This experience has required large amounts of time commitment, and many times I have felt a time crunch, however I have experienced fun while learning. 

Journal #5 Using Resources

Throughout my educational process I have been encouraged to seek outside sources to enhance my learning experience. I have had difficulty seeking out and utilizing outside sources, but since I started my internship I am finding it much easier. I have heightened my understanding that outside sources can help me find more information and therefore get projects done more efficiently. I feel that I have grown personally by becoming smarter, more mature, and more “in the know” by being a liaison between different clubs. I am informed about important informational activities and activities that students need to know prior to the release date. I think that this skill is improving due to having Nickie Hockenberry in the same office where I do my internship. She many times will discuss with me about all the different people she interacts with and their variety of experiences and knowledge. Sharing this information has enhanced my overall experience. I have connected with her intern and Taquon Middleton, who also work for her. My internship has allowed me to feel more confident to reach out to a variety of other people.  This experience has been positive for me because I can feel my growth while meeting my own personal internship goals. 

Journal #4 Communication

A hurtle in my everyday life and my internship is making sure that I am adequately communicating. In the past I have been reserved about communicating any question that I may have as well as requesting assistance when I need it. This is a skill that I have been trying to improve upon and I am sure that I have made progress, but I am aware that I have more work to do. Many times I really do not know what questions I should be asking.  In addition to that I require that explanations be placed into broken down steps. I look at my communication needs similar to a recipe which I understand much better if I go in an organized and step by step process. I also understand that life is not really designed for the way that I like communication to occur. I have been able to be successful so far in my educational process with the assistance of my IEP that gives me additional time to think the process through. This of course is not readily applicable in the workplace where many times situations occur quickly, not necessarily in order and shift gears frequently.

I find that my communication needs can be very frustrating to others. I may need additional explanation where someone else can fill in the blanks. Some people would be insulted if their supervisor gave them a step-by-step explanation, and sometimes more than once, for them to understand what needs to occur, however I find this to be very helpful. I have always desired a very structured classroom environment and feel that I thrive in those types of settings.  I understand about myself that once I have gone through a process with a task, I improve with repetitiveness. I find it very helpful to have daily or every other day meetings to discuss and ask questions on what specific tasks my supervisor needs completed. I understand how this can be time consuming and taxing for someone as busy as my supervisor. 

Getting to Know Cultures Spotlight Saraf

Name: Saraf Sampritee

Where are you from? Bangledash.

Why did you choose Alfred State? I was supposed to go to Canada but my Visa wouldn’t work there because my country and Canada are not on good terms.

Do you like Alfred State? Yes I do. What do you like about it? The people are very friendly.

What is the hardest thing about moving here? The weather.

Do you find it difficult to keep up with the culture of your home country alive while trying to assimilate into American culture? No. I have traveled a lot around the world so I know how to keep up with it.

 Do you feel discriminated against? No.

What do you think are the biggest misperceptions of your people to Americans? Everyone in my country thinks that Americans are druggies but they are not.

Do you plan on staying in America once you graduate? No I don’t. I want to take over my dad’s business.

Getting to Know Cultures Student Spotlight Mester

Name: Mester Alghamdi

 

Where are you from? Saudi Arabia

Do you like being at Alfred State? Yes it’s lovely.

Tell me what you like about it. Everything here is really fantastic and it’s my first time to study in the United States specific college or University. So it’s a good experience for me. The people and facilities are really good.

What is the hardest thing about moving here? When you leave your family you got a bigger responsibility on your own for everything taking care of yourself, helping yourself, finding good people to leave with.

Do you find it difficult to keep your culture of your home country alive while trying to assimilate into American culture? It depends on personality and for me my personality to keep myself open minded. I am open to any culture. There is a big difference between my culture and American culture. I like to be friendly to every culture.

Do you practice Islam or any other religion? Yes. I am a Muslim. I practice my religion every day and pray five times a day.

You don’t find keeping up with Islamic hard while here in America? No here there is freedom people can do whatever they want to.

Do you feel discriminated against in anyway? No. I feel very accepted and not judged.

What do you think are the biggest misperceptions of Middle Eastern people to Americans? I find it funny when I meet people asking me about my accent. I tell them I come from

Saudi Arabia and sometimes they don’t know where that is. I tell them it’s in the Middle East. American assume that all Middle Eastern people are the same but we are unique. They think that we are all bad. We should be open minded and not think we are all bad people. I like to talk to people about my country and explain to them what I am like.

Do you think that once people get to know you they don’t have those misperceptions about you? Yes. Once they get to know me they become really respectful and we become like brothers.

Do you plan on staying in the United States as a permanent citizen? I am unsure at this time. I miss my family and your culture and it’s hard to travel back and forth.

Opportunities at AU

Alfred University (AU) is a campus right across the street from Alfred State College (ASC) and they offer many opportunities for all students.  An Alfred State student can take classes at AU for free as long as they are registered as a full-time student at ASC and AU students may take courses at ASC for free as well. AU welcomes ASC students to join any of their multiple clubs, organizations, library facilities and events except for sport teams. AU also offers jobs to students. I know at least three other students from ASC that work at AU  and applying for a job at AU is very similar to the process of applying for a job at ASC. It is an awesome experience to have two colleges across from each other. My college life experiences have broadened because of the comradery between the two educational institutions. I have had the opportunity to take multiple dance classes and fulfilled one of my dreams by being a cheerleader. AU welcomes ASC students to be involved in their college activities. The other day I was walking through SLC and an AU student stopped me to be interviewed about my thoughts on the collaboration between the two campuses and what could be done to improve it. I said I thought it was amazing that we have opportunities at both campuses and awareness is the key because a lot of ASC and AU students are not aware of the advantages.  Collaboration between the two institutions offers more opportunities for growth and I feel that better promotion and more joint events should be sponsored by both schools. 

Democratic Caucus Results

The Democratic caucus was held last night, Monday, January 26, at the Alfred Village Hall. There was a tremendous turnout of people interested in nominating candidates for village mayor and board trustees. Tons of students from Alfred State, faculty and staff from both schools, and community residents showed up to show support. The race is now officially on for the nominated students and long term residents.102 students and residents were registered Democrats voted in the caucus. The nominees were given three minutes to speak and convince the populace to vote for them. The first nomination was for town mayor. Jason Rodd and Justin Griggs were nominated. Some town residents were of the opinion that Jason Rodd was only running for the position because of a student conspiracy, but he assured everyone that this was not the case. He wants to be a strong voice and leader for students and fulltime residents. He is looking for the best in the two campuses. He mentioned a noise violation law, which states that a person can be imprisoned up to 15 days. “This law was created to help end parties but there are better ways to do that,” he said. Justin Grigg is the current mayor of Alfred. If reelected he wants to expand his term so that the can form better partnerships with the outside communities. Justin Grigg. won The next nomination was for the town trustees. Nick Ferraro and Peter McClain were the first nominees. Nick Ferraro is an Alfred State student. He wants the long term residents and short term residents to be treated equally. Peter McClain is a graduate of Alfred University. He is on the Hot Dog Day planning board. The winner was Peter McClain. The last nomination was for the second spot on the Alfred Board of Trustees of Alfred. Kory Shick and Tom McDowell were the second nominees. Kory is an Alfred State student and has been a town resident for three years. If elected he wants to promote economic stability and an equal inclusion of all community members. He wants the community to come together as one to solve the problems. "I have a lot of different things I would like to do. There are problems in Alfred, just like everywhere, and I have a creative and strategic way of going about them. Students, as well as village members, have a good opportunity to work together and I'm doing my part to make sure it happens" said Shick. Tom McDowell is a professor of computer information technology. He has been actively involved in the community by being a coach on several sport teams, and helping out with Cub Scouts. The winner was Tom McDowell. The Democratic caucus was held a week after the Republican caucus, which resulted in Jason Rodd, Nick Ferraro, and Kory Shick defeating Justin Grigg, Peter McClain, and Tom McDowell. In Alfred, candidates can – and often are – nominated by both parties. Now that candidates have been chosen, the three positions will be up for election in March, and a clearcut choice for the future of Alfred will be presented. Current Mayor Grigg admitted after the caucus last night that the real winners in this process are the people of the village and democracy itself, since many, many more people are now participating in the elections