After the ceremony you are cordially invited to join us in Room 208, Sherman Hall (A-Wing), to celebrate with our new graduates and their families and friends. Light refreshments will be served beginning at 11:45 a.m.
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Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation seeks a Program Officer, Performing Arts who will foster the Foundation’s work in the creation and implementation of exemplary programs in the performing arts. The Program Officer, Performing Arts reports to the Deputy Director, Programs.
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Shannon Carney for TRW
Earth day was on Friday, a reminder for people to celebrate the planet and make efforts toward sustainable living. To celebrate the holiday, the Students for Environmental Awareness held a tree planting at the community garden. Undeterred by dark clouds and the drizzling rain, over 40 students came to get their hands dirty and make campus a greener place.
Small groups of volunteers worked on the trees, digging holes and covering the planted saplings with mulch while they socialized. They planted apple and pear trees as well as the paw paw — a plant native to the United States that bears fruit that looks like a mango, but tastes of banana custard. In addition to new trees, volunteers planted new seeds in the plots in the vegetable garden including carrots, lettuce and broccoli.
The community garden is nestled in a clearing between the camps police office and parking lot 8, ironically near one of the two smoking areas on campus. It is far enough away, however, that the smell of cigarettes does not waft over to the garden.
Wooden benches sit under a pavilion in a circle near two picnic tables. Those who weren’t planting painted the benches and tables with clouds, mountains and colorful abstract shapes, marking the seating as part of the garden.
A free lunch was provided of vegetable soup, chicken and beans, most of which was quickly devoured. The scraps that were leftover were tossed in the garden’s compost bin, turning trash into future fertilizer.
Light rain kept the weather cool enough that it was easy to hang out and help. Those in attendance had a laid back vibe, moving easily between conversations and work. A few students brought speakers to play music which was later substituted for a real guitar and bongos. Several attendees gathered in a circle singing along to “7 Feathers” by Nhako and Medicine for the People.
Ryan Cortez, a junior majoring in biology, came to the event because his friend who is involved with the garden invited him. Cortez has a green thumb, himself.
“I have a garden at home,” he said. “I’ve grown watermelon, peas, broccoli, lettuce, chard, spinach, kale, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce. A bunch of stuff.”
In spite of his experiences, the tree planting was the first time Cortez visited the community garden. In the past, events at the garden hadn’t fit in with his schedule. As a first time attendee, he was impressed with the event.
Cortez said, “There’s a big turnout, people are interested in this. Even if it’s raining, they’re still coming.”
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Students in this semester’s management of aging services first year seminar have been working with seniors who are part of the LGBTQ community to create digital stories about their lives. The class partnered with the Chase Brexton LGBT Health Resource Center and groups of students have been working with seven seniors over the course of the semester.
The completed stories are scheduled to be screened at an event at UMBC on Tuesday, May 3, and they are also expected to be shown at Pride and other events around Baltimore later this year. Students in the class worked with the seniors to gather audio interviews, photos, videos, and other material to produce digital biographies as the seniors reflected on their lives.
Saurabh Saini ’19, computer science, Dorjan Leka ’19, biology, and Hong Kun ’19, computer engineering, worked with Breezy Bishop, who had a distinguished career coaching women’s basketball at Western High School in Baltimore, and has since started a college scholarship fund for students who may not have the financial means to go to college.
The students learned about the various people who influenced her and some of the challenges and discrimination she faced throughout her life.
“Throughout this experience, I’ve learned how to look at things from a different perspective,” says Leka. “Breezy’s story inspires us to work hard in everything that we do.”
“In this class, you’re not dealing with textbooks,” explains Saini. “You’re dealing with life stories, and that’s powerful.”
The seven digital stories will be screened at an event in Sherman 145 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, May 3. This semester’s course is taught by Erickson School Undergraduate Program Director Galina Madjaroff. In past years, the class has partnered with the Arbutus Senior Center and Charlestown.
Image: Saurabh Saini ’19, computer science, Dorjan Leka ’19, biology, and Hong Kun ’19, computer engineering, work on their digital storytelling project.