Home for the Holidays

I hope everyone is enjoying being home as much as I do! I miss Siena though :-D...its good seeing friends and when your back home with your parents you realized that you can't hang out until the wee hours of the morning...kind of sucks. Anyway, just wanted to say hi and I hope everyone has a wonderful new year! see you in January!

Abrupt Ending

    It has been a little crazy the past few days.  From finals being pushed back, losing electricity, and being homeless from Hines I think sending us home was a good idea.  But now what is going to happen? I guess we'll wait and see what they decide to do about the finals that weren't taken.  I'm still in Hines, and its 4:40 on Saturday. I'm packing up all my belongings and heading to my brothers apartment for a a few days until he is done with finals and ready to go home.  I hope you all got home safely and have a fabulous break.  It has been a great first semester with Bonner.  You all are such amazing people. See you all soon 

B-Love

-Mel

F.I.N.A.L.S.

F.I.N.A.L.S. (Fine I Never Actually Learned this Stuff) -the polite form

I have been so overwhelmed and on pins and needles about finals that I have neglected to blog. I hope all is well for everyone and I feel bad for those that I had finals pushed back to sunday because of the weather. Well I am going home on Sunday! I miss my family, friends, and my cocker spaniel Tweety! :-D Good luck to everyone on finals, happy holidays and see you all in January!

Bonner Love,

Tai

Finals....

So I'm working on this paper now, but I'm really not working on it cause I've been logging hours and writing blogs and such for Bonner's which is soooo much more fun! I hope you all had fun at the party, I did!! I hope tim and Amanda enjoyed their formal!
Good luck on finals and Merry holidays to anyone i don't see!!

Last week I was at Joseph's house and a man walked in asking for help, but his english was not very good. I watched him talk to my supervisor for some time and then jumped in asking if he spoke spanish. He got VERY excited and started talking and talking to me about what was going. He was looking for a bed for an 18 year old mexican boy. Unfortunately, in the end i was not very much help at all to him, but it felt amazing to offer a service to that man that no one else in the building could have by speaking spanish.
Sometimes I think my small skills in abstract things are unhelpful, but it's times like this I realize that we need diverse people in every setting we're in. Diverse in culture, religion, skills, thought process... you know.. the whole shaBANG.

Finals

So again I come to blog with not much to blog about.

Our rugby formal was last night and that was pretty fun! I'm sorry I missed the holiday party, I was going to try to come but with my now broken foot it's pretty hard to move around campus and I try to do so as little as possible. My armpits are just about falling off by now, but atleast I only have one more day of real classes to crutch around to.

I still haven't been to Circles since before New Orleans because of my foot. I'm hoping to get back there Monday to get in another week of volunteering before finals. Other than that, Keri already mentioned to you guys about calling the Representatives about HR 4048, so PLEASE HELP US OUT and give them a call, it will be greatly appreciated!!! =]
Good luck with finals everyone!

Amanda

Christmas Party!!!

The Christmas Party was a lot of fun last night!  I'm glad everyone knows that Tai, Joe and I had the best gingerbread house ever.  I mean come on... we all know Siena beat Albany in out game! =)  I'm not gonna lie though... there was a lot of creativity and Kim had a great story line.  Anyways, wrapping presents was funnn and dinner was great.  Thanks Nicole and Judy! =)

As for everything else, life is crazy!  The little rambunctious children at the Boys and Girls Club are getting ready for our Christmas show.  My group is doing a dance presentation.  I am helping them out, but for the most part, they are collaborating their own dance.  This show is instilling the ideas of Christmas being right around the corner and they are all beginning to get wild!

Finals and final papers are driving me crazy!  I have a lot due on Monday but then I have quite a bit of free time next week so I think I will probably going to my site.  On a good note, I was able to really talk up Bonner yesterday when I gave a tour.  It was my first tour and the students seemed VERY interested in it.  I think we will be looking forward to many many applications coming in next week!

Well I'm outttt.  Off to class.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

BoNNer LoVe

Aprillll

Hey all,
Hope everyone had a really good Thanksgiving!! Mine was amazing. It was soo great seeing my family again and eating REAL FOOD! I think I ate enough to hold me over for these two weeks until I go home again :-P
Things at Two Together have been going really well. This Thursday we are having a little Christmas party for the kids since it will be the last time we see them until after break. I'm going to miss not having them as a part of my week to look forward.
Buuut I am pumped about this whole christmas party... Ginger bread houses??! I have this one in the bag! :-D Can't wait to see everyone!

B-Love
Stephanie

albany med

So this week I was able to finalize my class schedule and my volunteering schedule for next semester. I will be volunteering and Albany Medical Center and for now I am volunteering one day at the ultrasound department and the other day in the ER. I am pretty excited and I am pretty sure I will have a chance to see some crazy things.
Also just a reminder: On monday and tuesday (the 8th and 9th) Amanda and I will be calling into our local representatives offices and emailing them asking for their support and vote for the gulf coast civic works act. It would be great if some more bonners and siena students could call to. All the information is in the email I sent out and just in case you deleted it I will send out another email on sunday. Good Luck on all your finals!!!

Thanksgiving Break

So Happy thanksgiving everyone! I hope you all enjoyed being home or the break as much as i have enjoyed it. I wish i could just stay home and forget about finals. Its been great seeing family and friends. Bonner has been a constant topic of conversation. Everyone wants to know all about it. I miss the humane society. I check daily online to see if my favorite dog has gotten adopted since i've been gone. But Rex is still there. It is nice to be away but i'm still so attached. Winter break is going to be long without being there.

Thanksgiving...

First I want to say Happy thanksgiving to everyone!!! It's good to be home and see the family and friends.
So yesterday morning I was a little confused because I turned on the parade like I do every year and it was completely different. My favorite reporter was gone, there were no performances, and honestly it was just boring. HOWEVER, I then changed the channel later that day and realized that there was many more things to be concerned about.
After hearing about the terrorist attacks in India I was very upset. Being Thanksgiving, I found some time to reflect on this and realize that the social change we need is much grander than I've ever imagined. Our generation globally is one of the only one's to experience terrorism as we do.
Our parents lived through the red scare years, and their parents lived through the depression years, but never has there been a generation that has seen such hate based crimes with so few answers as to why.
As a Student leader I feel like I should do something, but I feel quite helpless in seeking justice for others. I hope that as a group we can figure something out!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hey
Thanks again to everyone that helped out at the North Albany dances. My canned green bean drive ended on Friday and we hit our goal of 200 cans. I'm really proud of everyone at the school for helping Equinox during the holiday season.
On another note the Bonner Foundation visit was really awesome. They came to North Albany for a site visit and it seemed to go very well. I think we showed them how much we have done this semester. We have definitely become very close over this semester and they could see that.
Enjoy your break!
Hannah

nothing too exciting.

So... I don't have too much to write about. I haven't been to Circles of Mercy since before New Orleans, since I got strep my return, and this past weekend I broke my foot!!!! So I have been luckily/unluckily home since Saturday.
I really do miss being at Circles, I really do love working there. I emailed the director, and he is really understanding about my situation, so hopefully as soon as I figure out transportation I will be able to get there a few more times before the end of the semester.
I hope you guys all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy being home!

Home sweet home!!!

As much as a do looove you all, it is nice to be home.  There is nothing like opening the front door of my house and smelling pies.  Overall, there is nothing like the smell of home.  Although I am here, I am still thinking about everyone!  It is also nice to have a break from being so busy.

Speaking of being so busy, I never had the chance to reflect on last weeks visitors!  Wayne, Annie and Ari were great!  I was a little nervous for my speech but I thought it went well.  The best part was when Wayne said he thought I was atleast 24!!! hahaha I guess some dress clothes and heels can go a long way huh?  I guess we all know where Nicole and Dr. Johnson get the whole "crazy man" thing from. =)  I love how Wayne said he felt at home at Siena.  I mean after all, who doesn't feel at home here?  I think there was a lot to learn out of the enrichment that we did with Ari and maybe we should do the other half of it at a meeting.  

I am very excited for the adopt-a-family!  We also adopted a family as a hallway AND I picked up a card off of the tree!  I love Christmas... not so much for receiving gifts but for giving.  I think it is a great time for charity and I get so overwhelmed.  I just wish that I could adopt every family!  But, I'm not rich... yet at least! 

Ok well now that I have written a novel for everyone to read, I hope you all have a very HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

See you all at the party!

B-Love

Aprilllll 

Who cares about big gestures?

FIRST, I want to throw out that the first year trip is moving little by little, but i think Nicole has an exciting proposal that we should all hear about tomorrow!

So it's been a slow start for me with this whole CLA thing, BUT I have finally started!! I went for an interview and training earlier this week, and I was a little nervous. It seemed unorganized and a little intimidating to me. However, I went in for a few hours yesterday and I fit right in. There was plenty for me to do and the guests are great. I can tell the staff are worked very hard but love what they do. I hope I'll be able to alleviate some of that burden. I deffinately had two high points of the whole day. First was when we had one of the guests help carry a donation and the staff member told me to work with the guest. When I spoke with him and remembered his name he was floored. He gave me this smile like, "no one's bothered to remember my name in a long time." That totally made up for the whole fact that i dropped three frozen turkeys on my foot right after.
Later that day a mother asked me to wash her little boys hands and he was crying and crying cause I'm a stranger, but once he put his hands in the water he got soo happy and really wanted to play with me all day. It was precious.
<33 T$

Lego League Tournament

Today was the Lego League tournament at SUNY Albany. My teams were amazing- they had to answer questions from three judges plus from a lot of other people who came to the competition all afternoon. I was very impressed by how well they did giving information about their models and posters and all the work we did over the last few weeks. The Blizzard Wizzards were the first team to be called up for an award- they won the climate change awareness award. The Fourth Grade Nightmares won the oceanography award. All the kids got medals and each team got a trophy and a certificate. It was a great day for all of them!
The best part is that I do not have to say goodbye to the team already. The tech teacher who runs the middle school Lego league club invited all my kids to join his team, beginning in January. I will be working with them too, which I am really excited about.
All the kids told the judges that they really enjoyed everything about the season and the team and a lot of them were really happy when I told them that I would still be working with them. It was great to be able to see everything that the kids learned and to hear that from them. I am sad that it is over already though.
Hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Peace,
Caitlin

Meeting the Bonner Foundation

After meeting and talking with Wayne, Ari, and Annie, I feel like going to do a service at 8:35pm! I felt really good and more intrigued into Bonner even more. I seen a different side of Wayne from when I seen him at the EOW last month. I'm glad that the Bonner Foundation was happy to be here and I was happy that they were here.

I went to the Bonner reception where there was April and I community partner the Boys & Girls Club of Albany - Delaware Unit. I loved April speech! GREAT JOB! Dr. Johnson also had a wonderful speech. If only the Bonner Coordinator aka Nicole got up and spoke but its ok we still love Nicole anyway:-D What surprised me at that reception was that it was so many people and that we have support from the faculty on campus.

As for my trip to LI yesterday, it was a wonderful experience and hopefully we can rotate going on admissions trip and getting Bonner known to prospective students. I got to see my mom which was wonderful and able to meet more Siena students who love Siena as much as I love Siena. I now have to go to S.O.L.I.D. (step team) meeting Signing off. Bonner Love. Tai

Meeting our Bonner Family

Today was an enlightening experience. I was so grateful that I was finally able to meet Wayne, Ari, and Annie after hearing all about them from the Bonner conference and Bonner's from other schools. It was great to see all the passion and dedication that they have put into the Bonner program. An obvious example of this is them coming to visit Siena, not only did they meet with us, but they also met with all sorts of campus offices and programs.
I would like to give a Bonner shout out to April who gave a touching and impacting speech during today's reception. Great job!
I am also really excited to get everyone in Bonner's and the rest of the Siena's campus involved in the Gulf Coast Civic Works Act. I think with the input and dedication from others, we have the capacity to help make a difference. I am really excited about this program and cant wait to see it evolve.

Humane Society

Hey everybody! I just wanted to keep you all posted about what 's going on at my service sites. I still go to Two Together twice a week and I absolutely love it. The student I work with is in second grade and I am so proud of how much progress he has made in the past few weeks.
In addition to Two Together I started at the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society last week. I'm so glad I was placed there because they can really use all the help they can get. I have been working with the vet and helping them clean up and prep for different surgeries. I actually witnessed a cat getting spayed and surprisingly I didn't pass out! I can tell that I am going to learn a lot here and I'm so excited to see what the next few months has in store for me there:)

Making a Difference

It makes me so happy to know that I am making a difference in kids lives. At New Day Art, I help kids with their homework, and I have been helping one girl with her spelling words a lot. She had a test, and came in the next day all excited, and told me that she only got one wrong. She kept saying, "Thank you Miss Jen! Thanks so much for your help!" It made me feel awesome to know that I made a difference in her work, and that she was grateful for my help.

Homeless...

Homelessness is a big issue among the American population.  I think that in order to help prevent some of these issues we need to start from the inside and work our way out.  I know many may not agree but I believe that Universal Healthcare will help.  Tons of Americans go bankrupt and are forced out of their homes due to their high debt in hospital bills.  From there I think that providing more homeless shelters and cleaning up the inner cities will help.  Since these are the areas where poverty is the greatest, I think that if we work from there on out that there will be a better chance of preventing homelessness.

BoNNer LoVe

Aprilllll

Job Placement

Hey everyone!! Sooo after my first placement did not work out I started going to Two Together with Meg and Sara. I absolutely love it there! The kids are awesome and they always make me laugh. I love being able to teach something new to them and see how excited they get. I love being able to encourage them through a word and show them that they can do it. I love being able to interact with them and know that I'm actually making a difference. Everyone I work with is really really nice. I love the atmosphere of the room we teach in (corny i know but true :-P). Im very happy with this placement and I cant wait to keep everyone posted on what goes on!

B-love yall

Stephanie

Mission Statement

Hey all, here is my mission statement!

I want to defend those unable to defend themselves. I want to bring justice to those who rightly deserve it. Every person should have the opportunity to enjoy the freedoms they have been promised.

Hey Bonners!

This is a huge week for me at my service site- Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday are my Lego League teams' last three days to get ready for our big tournament on Saturday. We have had a great few weeks together- I cannot believe my first major project is almost over and I am amazed at all my kids have accomplished since we began in October.

Our "mission" is on climate and weather and I think the kids have learned a lot about both since we began. One of my teams is studying the climate in the oceans, the other is looking at the Arctic. They have to create a poster showing what they have learned, with pictures, illustrations, and decorations. They then have to create a model out of Legos that shows the innovative ways their team came up with to measure the climate in their area. This was a great project for my 4th graders since they just finished a unit on climate in their science classes- the project is a good way to show them how the ideas and facts they learned can be applied in real life, how these ideas have consequences (global warming, human involvement in climate change, ways in which humans can "fix" some of these problems), and also gives them a chance to learn a bit more about what interests them. It is great to see the kids get more and more excited as we get closer to the tournament and as our projects are starting to finish up.

Have a great week, see you all tomorrow, and I will let you know how Saturday turns out!

Peace,
Caitlin

This week is Homeless Awareness week. Let's talk a little bit about what WE can do to help.

bonner loooooove,

Nicole

3 am Bonner Love?

   So it's 3 am and as usual I can't sleep, so i figured this was a good time to blog.  Things have been really hectic and busy lately.  I need Thanksgiving break to come a little quicker because I need a few days off of school. The humane society has been keeping me busy.  Just yesterday we moved offices around. So i ended up downstairs, in my own little "office."  Well its basically a cubical, with my own plastic desk and laptop.  My task changes on a day to day basis and I love that about being at the shelter.  I never feel stuck.  If i want to walk a dog I can, or I can do office work, or help the vet staff. Whatever slack needs to be picked up, i'm the girl for the job. I'm starting to get comfortable with the staff. They are so helpful and always smiling.  It is so inspiring to see these people doing what they love.  Everyone at the shelter loves animals and wants to help them.  The vet staff could be paid a lot more by working at a private vet but they make the sacrifice.  Their drive makes me believe that you can be doing what you love no matter what.  Some of the staff works other jobs to help pay the bills. It is nice to be around people who are so caring all the time.

B love

Tai's Campus Involvement

Last Wednesday was my 18th birthday! I feel different a little bit. My friends say that I now can buy cigarettes and play lotto. 

On, Saturday was Fall Fusion: Welcome to the Jungle! I performed with Top Quality, my dance crew who won Siena's Best Dance Crew last month and I performed with S.O.L.I.D. (Stepping On Line In Definition) the Siena Step Team. The show was amazing and a lot of fun. If you didn't come make sure you come to Expose in the spring. You can see the talent that is on Siena campus.

Tonight is the first official Siena Men's basketball game at the Times Union starting at 7:30pm. As you all know that I am on the marketing team so I will be there getting the crowd hype, throwing out free goodies like t-shirts and pom-poms to the crowd. If you didn't get your free ticket last Wednesday...yikes! Your going to have to pay...sorry...or I can try to get you in :-D

Wednesday, I will be going down to Long Island for a Admissions Reception. My purpose is not only to plug in bonner but also to try to bring more minorities to Siena campus. If anyone has any ideas or anything I should say just let me know. Thanks!

Bonner Love, 

Tai...muah! lol

Thisss weeek...

Just a reminder guys... this week is important for everyone!!!  Keep those Bonner Smiles on and have a good Bonner attitude as we greet the Bonner President!

p.s. don't forget about the 5 E's andddd the 6 Common Commitments!

BoNNer LoVe

New Orleaaaans

So as I sit in the airport at 2:30 New Orleans time, 3:30 home time I figured it would be a good idea to blog and pass the time until our 4:10 flight to Charlotte.

All I can really say about this weekend is wow. This conference "Rebuild the Gulf Coast, Rebuild America" was really an eye opening experience. I knew that there were still struggles going on down here from the after math of not only Hurricane Katrina, but also Rita and Ike, but I had no idea to what extent these struggles truly were. Unfortunately we missed the tours of the regions of devastation, but just by the ride from the airport to the hotel, and the trips to restaurants around New Orleans I was able to get a little taste of what has been happening here.
The speakers at the conference were great, they did an awesome job of getting their point across, and really had an impact on how I now view the situation of what is going on in New Orleans. Also, Dr Scott Meyers-Lipton was a great host for the conference, he was so nice and really helped in making our situation there (which had the potential to be filled with confusion regarding registration and the hotel) to be truly stress-free and enjoyable.

I so badly want to come back here to do service, and hopefully we can plan a trip to do something about that.

One of the main focuses of the conference was the promotion of HR 4048, a bill that was designed to help rebuild the Gulf Coast by creating jobs and restoring infrastructure. This bill really is an exciting model for reconstruction, and could potentially serve as a model for rebuilding the entire country. So there are a couple of ways that Keri and I are planning on promoting this bill on our campus and in our region, and hopefully all of you guys are willing to jump into this with us. We also met Bonners from Hobart that are interested in networking with us, and that looks to be really exciting as well.

I have so much to say about what I experienced this weekend, but since I already wrote you guys a novel, I'll save the rest for our next meeting.

B.Love
Amanda

NEED HOURS?

I know it's been rough getting all 150 bonner hours done this semester. If you would like to get some hours in so that you don't need to find as many service opportunities over the break I am looking for helpers for the North Albany Academy dance. The elementary school dance is from 4-6 and the middle school dance is from 7-9 Friday night. If you can help out with either or both dances let me know.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21st 4-6 and 7-9

We are here!!!!

So we arrived at our hotel in New Orleans at about 4pm(5pm our time). We had a flight delay for about an hour at our connecting flight. We went to the closing events for the night and it was very informative. There was a woman who spoke to us about how she lived on a Superfund site for about 30 years and she talked about the toxins that were buried there from hurricane Betsy (40 years ago) and how people were getting sick and some had died. It was a very strong story that I would be interested to learn more about.
Amanda and I have been having lots of fun so far. We just got back from walking around and experiencing some crazy culture. We walked over to the french quarters and don't worry we had the video recorder to document every thing. We start bright and early tomorrow to learn more about the Gulf Coast Civic Works Project. We already have seen some great ideas for service work that are in the surrounding areas of New Orleans that have not been getting that much attention. Cant wait to come and report back to everyone.

New Day

I absolutely love my placement at New Day Art, but some of the kids have been trying to test me. It is really frustrating, because I trust them to tell me the truth about rules there, about the amount of homework they have, or the correct names of the other children in the program. It is really hard when they tell me false information, because I am still trying to learn everything about New Day. Thankfully, it is only a few kids who do this, but still it is annoying. I spoke to my boss about it, and she said she noticed the same thing, but I am handling it well. It was nice to hear some encouragement. I told her that I won't let it break me, and she said "That's the spirit!" It is teaching me to persevere. :]

Hey guys
Sorry I didn't blog last week; I had a very hectic week. I've been working on a Canned Food Drive at North Albany. Tonight the after school students and I will be counting how many cans each class has collected so far and making a bar graph. I have also been working on getting the Girl Scout applications to all the girls of North Albany. A few girls whose mothers picked up the application form have come up to me while I am at the school and turned them in. It's really cool that they recognize me as the 'leader' of the Girl Scout program. It is also really awesome when they are telling me how excited they are and they ask tons of questions.

My Missionnn....

My mission is to inspire children, to educate them on what is healthy for their future and teach them how to have faith in themselves.  Through this, I will personally achieve happiness.  It makes me happy to know that I made a difference.  Working at the Boys and Girls Club, I have really seemed to make a difference.  It hasn't been long, but what I have done already and the relationships that I have developed with the children are amazing.  I hope to keep it up.

BoNNer LoVe

April

Bonner Coordinators - Programming Ideas

Hi Nicole!

Answering your question about what would I like for you to bring back.

Can you find out the following things:

1. Recruitment Ideas(freshmen and upperclassmen)

2. Fundraising Ideas for the First Year Trip

3. Policies

4. Interaction with other Bonner schools

5. How did other schools promote bonner on their campus

-Tai

Hello from North Carolina!

Here I am in North Carolina at the Bonner Directors and Coordinators Meeting! Things here have been fun so far and hopefully making some connections to bring back with me. Lots of people here are really excited about our program and the foundation is really excited to come visit us next week.

Just wanted to touch base and let you all know I made it alive and to remind you to BLOG before Thursdays meeting.

In the spirit of encouraging you to blog I will post a question that I expect you all to answer... guess what.... VIA BLOG.

Is there anything you want me to find out from Directors at other schools to bring back with me? Programming ideas? Whatever you want.

Let me know...I will be checking in!

-Nicole

Obama, generation hope.

    Studying for my history exam seemed so unappealing compared to watching the election.  In a room down the hall, 7 other girls and I sat with our eyes fixed to the screen.  Our nerves were out of control and as Obama won states we would all scream and cheer.  I'll never forget the moment it showed that he had won California.  We all jumped up, screaming and cheering.  Everyone was hugging and laughing.  Still generation quiet?  Then i looked over to see Chrissy smiling with tears running down her cheeks.  We moved our celebrations into the hallway and were greated by other celebrating from the north wing.  I have never been so moved by tears and smiles.  Everyone was so happy and their eyes were full of hope.  I know that Obama is just one man.  I hope people don't expect him to change the world, but to just do the best that he can.  And we need to be a part of that, we need to want to be a part of that.  Chrissy smiled and said "This is our chance.  This is our chance for change."  It is easy to say now that the presidental elections are over your done with politics.  But this is only the beginning.  What about generation hope?

The Obamas. . .

Hey Bonners!

First I wanted to let you all know a little bit about my mission statement. I really feel like the most important "values" that I can support and work towards are equality, justice, and knowledge. The three tribes that I chose reflect this- civil rights, education, and socioeconomic equality (ok, so I made that one up; originally I had down 'the poor'). I believe that these issues and values all need to go together and that is something I am willing to work for. I believe that we need to restore and create justice and equality in our society, increase the levels and availability of education, work tirelessly until all segments and populations in the world have civil rights. Only then can we begin to create a just, equal, and classless society. This is my mission statement, although I couldn't really explain it in 1-2 sentences.

Next I wanted to talk a bit about the election. I watched the coverage on CNN for a few hours on Tuesday at my friend's room in Hines, where she lives on a floor with mostly freshmen. After they announced that Obama won at least 20 people all over her wing ran out of their rooms, screaming and hugging each other. It was really amazing to see how excited young people all over were at the news. It was also great to see people's reaction in Kenya and across the world when they heard the news. People all over really supported Obama and see him as a symbol for all that can be achieved in America. I don't want to get into a discussion about how valid this view of 'the american dream' is right now, although I did talk about it in my wealth and power class today. I want to focus on how the election of Obama was and will be a source of hope and pride for people all over who perhaps have not ever had the chance to have their voices heard. When I was studying in South Africa and Namibia last semester, so many of the people I met already supported Obama, before I even knew much about him. The Democratic Party had not even chosen a candidate yet but almost every single person I talked to over there were hoping almost against hope that he would become our next president. I really loved being here to see and listen to a bunch of our freshmen students cheer and yell, but at the same time, I would have loved to have been back in SA and Namibia, to share that with them.

For my CLA I coach two Lego League teams made up of 4th grade students at North Albany Academy. One of the team's name is the Blizzard Wizzards (we are doing a project on climate). The other team is the 4th Grade Nightmares. This team though was originally split between being known as The Tigers and The Obamas. These fourth graders actually knew enough about politics and what was going on to suggest this name! Both my site supervisor and I loved this suggestion, but we eventually decided on the Nightmares so the whole team would be happy. On the day after the election, my teams and I had a discussion on the election and the candidates and, once again, I was pleasantly surprised to hear what they had to say. They might have just been repeating what their parents were saying but at least they were interested. I think this was a great thing for me to see and hear since kids' voices are so often ignored in our society, and it was also great for the kids to have a chance to talk about how they felt.

Whatever candidate you supported and voted for in this election, I really hope we can keep up the enthusiasm that so excited people during the past few months. Our job doesn't end after the election. We need to pressure all our newly elected officials to keep the promises they made during the election season. We have a responsibility and a duty to hold them accountable. Make your voice heard!

Peace,
Caitlin

"We believe in Barack Obama..."

That is the first line in a song about Obama by the Hush Sound. It has been stuck in my head for months, and I have been following the race very closely with that very statement in mind. I have been an avid supporter of Obama since the very beginning, and I was extremely happy when Obama obtained over 270 electoral votes on Tuesday night. It was amazing to hear people cheering and running down the hallways and seeing some people cry over this historic event.
I believe that Obama is not perfect, and probably not be able to bring all the change that he promises, but I know that he will do his best to take our country out of the rut that we are in. He has some great plans about foreign policy, health care and the economy. I believe in him, and all that he can do for the United States.

election 08

I was very excited because it was my first time voting and it was for a race that has gone down in history. I was just upset because I had to fill out an absentee ballot instead of pulling down the levers at a voting station. I was unable to stay up for most of the night because I was still on painkillers and fell asleep around 10pm, but I still followed along on my computer until then. This is defiantly going to be a change for our country and Obama had a lot of guts to come and face this challenge. This will be the talk around the world. History has been made and will soon be in the next editions of our high school social studies textbooks.

Election '08

Tuesday night was a night I know I will never forget. I was working on my paper in my room, not paying any attention to the time when suddenly I heard everyone in my hall screaming at the top of their lungs. When I opened my door and realized Obama had won the election I couldn't help but jump up and down and scream with them. It dawned on me at that very moment that our country had made history. That night is something that we will be reading about in the textbooks of our future generations.
I know that Obama is going to bring the change that this country is in desperate need of. I have a lot of faith in him and I can't wait to see what the pursuing months have in store for us all. From this point on, I have nothing but hope for this country.

Obama '08!!!

This was my first election that I've voted in, and it made me nervous because it is so important. We've been hearing non-stop that this is the election that will make history, but in reality it will. We have so much riding on not just the president but who he chooses for his cabinet, new senators, and local governments as well. Change always comes, but not over night. It's easy for me to get excited and expect that but I need to be patient.
This is a tremendous event that makes me proud to be an American. When America chooses a man (by a landslide!!) who has ideals and desires for our country like Obama does, I know I'm not in such a bad place...

Election

Wow, what a crazy election night. I didn't get to watch all of it because I had lab from 6-10, but you can be sure I watched what I could when I got back. I had a feeling all along that McCain was stuck in a race that he just couldn't win, and that's what happened. I have to say that I didn't feel too strongly about either candidate, but I can say that I am happy Obama won. I feel like he was the more qualified leader for our country at this time, and he had what it takes to motivate tons of people, including record amounts of young people, to vote and have faith that change really can come. I am looking forward anxiously for next year and what Obama's administration will bring to America. I know some people aren't happy with the outcome, but I really think we need to give him a chance. He has the potential to be a great president, and no one knows what will really come of it until he is in office. Until then we just need to try to ride out the last few months of Bush, and turn our thoughts to the future where hopefully many great things will be done to help jump start out country again.

Obama

Heey everyone!.. what a crazy election this was! I'm glad its finally over with. So last night me and my roomie were watching the polls on FOX and when Obama finally won the entire campus could be heard screaming and yelling in celebration. It really was an amazing thing to experience.
Although I disagree with alot of Obamas policies I was still so happy to be a part of this election. I will be able to tell my family and friends, years from now, that my first year of voting was the year Obama became the President of the United States of America. Being the big history buff that I am it was a once and a lifetime experience. To be able to be included in something so historical is truely special. Our country has come such a long way and has grown to accept so many new things. I am proud to say that I live in a country where anything is possible.
I hope that Obama will bring the change our counrty needs. I hope he will be able to justify the faith that the people of this country have put in him. History took a new course yesterday, and we are able to say that we lived in a time of change.

I Am History - Obama '08

In the Multicutural lounge in Sarazen, sitting there watching CNN was my best friend Amanda, and my friend Ricardo. Downstairs in SSU 241 my latino friends were practicing their show for Fall Fusion. This was November 4, 2008, everyone had so much anxiety, we were texting our friends at home and hoping that maybe the United States is hoping for change. That its not a race thing but just wanting change period. As I write this blog, tears of joy and happiness come down my eyes and I am a person not to ever cry about anything. At 11pm CNN flashed across the screen "BARACK OBAMA ELECTED PRESIDENT" There was a still pause for about 5 seconds and our mouths just dropped. Seconds later you heard screaming, tears of joy, phone lines were busy, you would have thought that we were celebrating the new year.

People looked at us(the minorities) like we losted our minds but I don't think anyone will understand the pride and the confidence that we feel now. Not to make this a race issue but my president is well-educated black man. I never thought in a million years, I would ever see this and I am only 17 years old. I called my mom during all of the screaming and running around the Student Union and you know what she told me "Tai, when I pulled the lever to cast my vote, I cried."

My great grandparents grew up during a time of slavery when blacks were considered 3/5ths of a person. My grandmother grew up during the time of segregation and the civil rights movement as african americans had to fight for their right to vote. My mother grew up during the 1970s when there was the Black Panther Movement. And now in my time, I get to see to the first black president in history. I was not able to cast my vote because I am only 17 but I had hope and prayed for everyone that was eligible to do the right thing. For the sake of people like me who are to young to vote and to think about our next generation, our future.

Barack Obama has given minorities across the U.S. a sense of pride, hope, and courage that we would have never gotten from any other president. Now when I see Obama, I see me.

People might say this and that about him but can you give the man a chance?! Some people don't like change and this change is drastic. I want our troops to come home, I want the recession to be over before it gets to a depression, I want my extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins to not have to worry about how they are going to get their next meal and how they are going to pay for rent, electricity, basically how are they going to survive.

If you never understood where I have come from and who I am, I hope you do now. Just give him a chance. He may not be able to change in six months or a year but give him time.

I AM FINALLY PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN!

Bonner Love,

Tai

The time has come..

I want to express to each of that I respect that everyone is our group has different political views and ask that you respect eachother as your blog about your thoughts following the most incredible presidential campaign our country has seen in a long time.

Now is a time for reconciliation and hope for our country. It is time that we work TOGETHER to better ourselves and our country. So although i want to encourage you to speak HONESTLY and CANDIDLY about your feelings i was to urge you to respect and love one anothers beliefs and feelings.

Many of you are celebrating the historical election of President Barack Obama and if you've been involved in his campaign you should be proud of yourselves for the selfless work you have done.

Many of you are mourning John McCain's loss, and you have the right to do so, but should feel PROUD to have supported an American Hero who loves this country and who has graciously conceeded and asked that we all come together as a now as Americans.

This is not the time (although if you ask me, there never was a time) for blaming, name calling and overall intolerance. This is a time for healing, for solidarity.

I look forward to hearing what you all have to say and look forward to the discussions I'm sure we will have a group.

Please remember we are a family and a community and we should always show (BONNER) love for one another.

I, for one, am hopeful for the future of this country and believe we have all the potential in the world to come together and THRIVE.

Goodnight everyone,
Nicole

Obama!

History has been made! No one will ever take this feeling away from me. Barack Obama is our next President!

-Blake (Member of THE future generation)

Yeah yeah yeah...

So... I just wanted to express my excitement for this election!!!! =) && Tell everyone what a wonderful time I had at my CLA today!  I worked with the pre-k kids.  They are just adorable.  We played "duck, duck, goose."  I helped them practice their ABC's and I absolutely love the feeling of knowing when I get across to a kid.  For example, when they are misbehaving and I help them understand what they did wrong.  Or on another day, like last week, I helped this one kid with his math homework.  I taught him how to subtract with his fingers.  I did a few problems with him & then when I let him do a few on his own, he got them all right!  It gives me the BEST feeling ever!!!

Well... I just wanted to express my feelings at the moment.

BoNNer LoVe

    So i've been at my community partner for a pretty long time now.  I love the atmosphere of the humane society.  Everyone is eager to help and the enviroment is so friendly.  On a weekly bases my tasks change.  Last week I made a powerpoint for school children, so that they can relate the shelter animals to their pets.  People have such a negative connotation of what a "shelter dog" is.  The best way to eliminate that problem is to teach children that there are good pets at the shelter.  Today i postaged about 200 letters to start work on our Spring Gala.  Around the world with 80 strays. If i get involved with this fundraiser, I get to go to the Gala in the spring. Which would be a lot of fun.

Mission Statement

Mission Statement

To unify, inspire, and motivate the youth that they can achieve excellence. The help of non-profit agencies will hopefully lead the children into making their dreams come true.

My Reflection

My mission statement describe what I am currently doing at my service site which is the Boys & Girls Club of Albany: Delaware Unit. I work with the Teen Program and age group ranging from about 15 to 19 years old. The teens really have taken to me and hate when the program is over and when I leave early. I personally think the boys just like me(lol). The main reason why a lot of the albany teens come to the program is because it keeps them off the streets, stop them from getting into trouble, and a safe environment for them. I'm already looking forward to next semester and wish to stay with the teen program for the next 3 and half years.  

My First Blog

Hello fellow bonners and friends. This is my first ever blog. I am very happy to be doing this because it makes me feel like a real bonner. I am going to write more sentences than Joe because i care more. I really dont know what to write but I have to go get food with Joe. Bye
Tim

Halloween

I am still amazed i did not win the best costume, i want a recount. Obama is going to take the Win on tuesday.

It's been a while...

Well... It has been quite some time since I have blogged. I have been so busy between mid-terms and paper. Ah!
Anyways, that's besides the point. Since my last blog, I have spent ALOT of time with my little as well as with the wonderful children at The Boys and Girls Club.
As for my little, her name is Tatyana and she is 7. We have a lot of fun with eachother. She loves to see my dorm and I encourage the idea of her having a dorm someday. While we have fun with one another, I also express the importance of doing well in school.
I have only been at the Boys and Girls Club for a week now and I really enjoy my time there. At first I was a little concerned that I may not enjoy it because there are things that worry me. I think that the more time I spend there, the moe I may be able to shape the program and encourage the other workers/volunteers there to show the children a little more respect in order to receive the respect that they would like from the children. Someday I hope to create games and things that will keep the kids busy while they enjoy themselves as well. I just don't want to move in too quickly and step on anyone's toes.

Thats all I have to say about it for now...
See everyone Thursday!!!

BoNNer LoVe

West Virginia Conference

Last Friday we left at 6 in the morning to drive down to West Virginia for the Bonner and Engaging Our World Conference. It was a long drive, but it was a lot of fun. Blake's van was definitely the best one by the way. The road rules challenge was great, and we made some really funny videos and confessionals. At the conference, I went to four different sessions: one about grassroots activism, the peace corps, facebook and other social networking resources, and my favorite, speak. I learned so much during the conference, and it really encouraged me and motivated me to become more active with the organizations that I am passionate about. I am very glad that I went to the conference.

new day art

I started working at New Day Art in Albany on Monday. I absolutely love it there, but I am not going to lie, I am a little scared because it is a really bad neighborhood. I will be there Mondays and Wednesdays from 3 till 5:45, and Thursdays from 4:10 till 5:45. I am extremely happy with my placement, and I love the kids there. They are so cute and call me Miss Jen and always ask how my foot is feeling, and if I will be better soon. I know that this is the perfect place for me to be.

My personal Mission statement

I really like this exercise (after I figured it out) and I think it's a really good thing for every college student to do. This is what I ended up with:

I will choose to connect to diversity and hold respect in family issues especially in the homless and/or addicted populations and at the same time reflect optimism in my service.

Short and sweet, but I think it sums up really well my goals in college, life and as a social worker.

EOW Conference

This weekend was definietely interesting. i had a lot of fun hanging out with all the bonners and I feel like I learned so much. I will admit that some of the conferences weren't as exciting as others, but overall it was a good expierience. My favorite session was Speak because it really awakened me to how oblivious I am to all the conflict going on in the world. After hearing the story of the Fallin Whistles I was absolutely devastated. I couldn't even fathom the fact that people could actual do this to children. I realized that I can no longer sit back and do nothing. It is so easy to put things at the back of your mind, but I refuse to forget that story.

Generation Q, EOW and MORE!

"...in the end, we just feel overeducated and underutilized."
Talk about a powerful statement. I get where Friedman is coming from, especially after reading one of his books. I even think he writes to piss our generation off on purpose. His all encompassing Generation Q label is just an attempt at getting all of us stirred up, so we might go out and focus on one of the many issues that he himself feels are important. Taking it all in, both Friedman and Martin rant and rave, but there is indeed this useful, so called controversial, resource that stood out most: Technology.
Ahh, what a great segway. In West Virgina, we were once again briefed on the usefulness of what Bonner labels Serve 2.0. This technology that Friedman argues is consuming our generation is the very same technology that is reducing our impact on the environment, bringing social justice movements and their resources together, and connecting like-minded individuals on a level that has never been done before. This technology is what brings all of us together when we can't meet at 7:00pm every Thursday.
Putting my own rant aside, I loved the trip. I loved the drive even though it was 20+ hours. The changing of the leaves and the dead carcasses. Beautiful! Most importantly, I loved driving through a battle ground state (Pennsylvania) with "Vote" on the back and Obama labels everywhere... I like to believe we got one swing voter to say, "Hey if these kids are doing it, I might as well do it to!"

I guess I am a sucker for happy endings.

B-L[ake]ove

my news

Well, I hope everyone had a great time at the conference this weekend I was so upset that I had to miss out. I have had a pretty eventful week. We had playoffs this weekend in Buffalo and we lost but I was the lucky one to come home with a souvenir, a broken collar bone. So of course I was suppose to begin my service work this week and that did not happen because I am home for the week on medical leave. Although, I did get a chance to speak to John at Josephs house today and he was very understanding and said their is work I will be able to do when I return. So I was very thankful because I thought I was going to fall way behind on my hours. Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.

more circles

Hey everyone!

It sounds like you had so much fun at the conference last weekend! I am so jealous that I couldn't make it to what seems to me was a great bonding experience for everyone in the program. :-( I can't wait for the meeting tomorrow to hear all about it and to see the video footage when you guys get it together!
In other news, I participated in the Halloween Extravaganza here on campus on Saturday, and that was nice to see all the little kids in their costumes and help them do some Halloween crafts.
As for my service at Circles of Mercy, it has been going great! The ladies there I think are really accepting me there and everytime I go there is more and more to talk about and more to do, it just a really fun place to do service.
Richard, the director, has asked me to go with him to the Interagency Network Meeting with him next week to help him represent Circles and to meet some of the other Community Partners in the area. Also, next week I am going to help set up the Adopt a Family program, if all goes well, and hopefully be the liason between them and Siena for our own Giving Tree that we have here for the holidays. It looks to be a truly exciting experience, and I am really looking forward to diving into these things.
Anyway, that's all I have for now! See you all tomorrow!

Tai Presents this week: Engaging Our World Conference. admissions committee recruitment ideas, other thing

Before this past weekend I never thought that I would ride in a minivan for about 9-12hrs to Buckhanon, West Virginia. Well now I can say I somewhat accomplished something in my life. The conference was an eye opener and a learning experience to a lot of things. I brought back a lot of information about homeless and hunger awareness. I also was able to network with other bonner programs and see what they were doing at their schools. Overall the trip was really fun even though I missed a lot more at Siena, I think that the trip gave us more bonding time then just our weekly meetings. From the longest minivan ride of my life, to the 88 lounge, and West Virginia Wesleyan College, these memories I will always cherish. BONNER LOVE!

I have an idea. I think that we should get bonner shirts! Many schools had their own bonner shirts and I wanted one. So maybe we can put that into action for either next semester or next school year.

For the admissions committee, I believed that I already stated this in last week's meeting that one of our recruitment ideas is to hopefully host the multicutural overnights, have one of us on the student panel, or if time permits have a short 15-30 minute presentation about the bonner program to hopefully recruit more minorities to the program and on campus which would be a plus if successful. Another is that the admissions committee need to set up a meeting with admissions to see if one of our bonner students are able to go on tour with admissions to the receptions that they have along the East Coast. We also need to hold a forum for upperclassmen applicants the beginning of next semester to fill in the empty spots. I can not wait for the day when I do not have to explain what the bonner program is to Siena students and it becomes common knowledge.

Bonner love,

Tai

Bonner Conference

Hmmm, where to begin!.. haha what a weekend this turned out to be. I don't think there is a word to describe it. Besides the whole cell phone incident within the first hour we were there, I really enjoyed it.
I loved getting to meet the leaders of other programs and talk to them about ways they have promoted Bonner. It was really helpful to talk with students who were in programs that have been concrete for a few years now. I can't wait to start promoting our program and recruit new members.
At times many of the workshops were very slowed paced, but my favorite one was definitely Speak . It really got a lot of us thinking about our lives and what we really want to do to make a difference. I hope I will be able to be as passionate about my community placement as the presenter at Speak was. It was a great experience and hopefully we will be able to have the presentation here at Siena.
My favorite part of the trip overall was just being able to hang out with everyone and be crazy goofy. Between the music videos (our van definitely kicked ass) in the car and our singalong experience in the restaurant, I could not stop laughing. I cant wait to see all the footage and pictures! There were definitely some memorable moments! One being our near death experience in the elevator! hahaha it was a crazy weekend and soo much happend but I loved being able to get to know everyone better and being able to gather information to better our program!

B-looove

Bonner Love!

Hey all,

I want to start by saying I am so proud of everyone who came to the conference this weekend! Your willingness to participate (especially in all the silliness) did not go unnoticed by me or by the Foundation! Although we were all exhausted and some of the sessions went slower then others you still came up with some great ideas for the program now that we are back. Whatever you can come up with, bring it to me and I'll do my best to make it happen!

For those of you that went-- what is one thing you brought back from the conference that you would like the others to know?

For those of you that didnt-- pay close attention to the answers and ask some questions of you own!

Bonner looooooooove,
Nicole

weekend of bonner love

Hey guys! We had the Engaging Our World Conference this weekend and it went pretty well. There were some good presentations: Falling Whistles (I'm hoping that the speaker will be able to visit Siena), Oxfam (there's a 1 week training that you can attend the summer between freshman and sophomore year or sophomore and junior year) and the Oxfam Fundraising presentation. I had an idea for a fundraiser we could do right here at Siena. As we all know basketball season is almost here and it's a big deal. What would happen if our mascot was missing? There would be a price to pay at the beginning so that you would receive clues about where you might find the mascot. Whoever found the mascot would get a prize (to be determined...maybe tickets to the MAAC tournament?) I'm hoping that the athletic department would be on board with this idea but as of now it's just an idea. There was a lot of bonner bonding this weekend from the car rides to the haunted house to sing-a-longs at dinner. For everyone that didn't get to go there's a ton of videos that will be up soon! I don't know what everyone is doing Saturday morning from 9-12 but I'm looking for a couple of people to come to North Albany to help me help them with their garage sale. Let me know if you're interested. Thanks! Have a great week!!!

EOW

Saturday night:

So we have internet service, which is amazing. We are sitting in our room, just hanging out and relaxing after a super long day. It's been a day of workshops, singing videos, and conversations. As much as the day was long, tiresome, and mostly boring, I think all of us are going to be coming back with a lot of ideas. Today I went to four workshops. The first one, how to have a cow was really tiring. It focused on hosting a particular event and nothing else. The second session was speak. It was incredible. It was about this guy's story of his trip to the congo. And the story of the falling whistles. The third workshop how to do with facebook and technology and how it can be used to better your bonner program. It was interesting and educational. The last workshop was called check yourself before you wreck yourself. The point was to teach how to deal with stereotypes and race issues in your community. The icebreaker game they had us do was really interest. After putting a card on everyone's back, with some kind of race or minority group.(ex. poor, native american, jewish...) Everyone at first was afraid to use stereotypes to try and get the person to guess. But it was the only way we knew how to do it.

Sunday:

Currently I'm sitting in the bonner congress meeting. Were working on plans to bring what we learned this weekend back to our campus. Tim keeps falling alseep. Haha. No one is surprised. We miss Siena. It's a little long and very repetitive.

to be continued....

our generation

After reading both articles about our generation, I have to say that I agree with points made by both Courtney Martin and Thomas Friedman. I believe that our generation is definitely different than the ones that preceded us, but that is to be expected. Our country would not move forward if the different generations did not differ from one another. I agree with Friedman when he said that we are quiet, but I don't believe that we are too quiet. We have a different way of doing things, most of which are online. And that is okay. I guess I take Martin's side more than Friedman's, because she is right when she says that our generation is not apathetic, and that we are doing our best. People of other generations may not be able to understand our ways, or the change that we are creating for our country, but that definitely does not mean it is not occurring.

new orleans

Amanda and I (and hopefully Nicole) will be attending a conference in New Orleans during mid-November. The conference is titled Rebuild the Gulf Coast, Rebuild America. The point of us attending is hopefully to gain insight about the current situation and how we would be able to help from up here in New York. There is also the possibility of attending some sort of service trip in the spring to help with the hurricane relief. I am really excited and think it is not only an excellent opportunity to help others but to travel to some place I have never been and hopefully get a change to experience some of the culture.

Generation?

After reading the two articles on our generation I felt that Martin better captured how are generation feels. We are looking for an outlet for our anger and what we have found is that volunteering is what seems to make the most difference. I attended the lecture about Nike and their injustices to their workers. Over the past decade team sweat has been sending letters to head of Nike and it has done nothing to change the wages and conditions of their workers. I think that as a generation we want to see a change and the only way we have found to effectively do this is through volunteering in our communities and across the country. When we volunteer at a single organization for an extended period of time we are able to see the positive change we are making. I believe that we do need to find another way to express our dissatisfaction with our government and big businesses.

Generation Q

After reading both articles I couldn't help, but feel torn between what Friedman and Martin argued. I understood where Friedman was coming from when he said that we are a quiet generation because many of us have our own political views, but we don't always voice them. It makes sense that we should try and catch the attention of politicians because we are the ones who control our own future. On the other hand though I agree a hundred percent with Martin on the fact that today in this world we as young people are consumed by the media. All we see is the death and destruction that is taking place everyday. It is overwhelming to see all these things going on because it's impossible to solve every conflict on this planet. I believe that we are doing our best to try and bring some humanity to the world through our service. Even though we may not be "lighting a fire under a country" like Friedman said, we are taking action in a different way, by making a difference ourselves instead of waiting around for some politiican to save the day.

Generation Overwhelmed

So I guess I'll start off with saying sorry for not making it to the meeting last week, things have been really overwhelming with midterms and home life all coming down on me at once, but I made it through!!
I got the articles that we had to read, and after reading them I felt as though I really could relate to Martin on almost everything. It's true that a lot of us twenty-somethings have strong beliefs and feel very passionate about many things. It's also true that there is no true outlet for us to channel all of these feelings. It is very overwhelming to turn on the news every night before I go to bed and to hear story after story about horrible things happening all over the country and the world. It's hard not to feel so small and helpless at times like these, but all of us try. Using the internet as our venting space IS our generation's way of expressing ourselves, it may not seem as forceful to Freidman, but I think it might just be because he has not grown up with the resources of the internet at his hands. No matter what it is though, I feel as though the older generations will never be happy with what we are doing unless we follow in their exact footsteps, which is something our society has, in my mind, long surpassed.
No matter what anyone may say though, I believe that in doing our community service through the Bonners we are helping to make change in our community and in the world.

Bonner Love and Bonner Goodbyes

Hello Bonners,
I wanted to to let you all know that I unfortunately had to leave the Bonner Program.
Things pile up quick, I know you all can understand what I am talking about, and senior year is tough for someone that is trying to find the next path he or she is going to take. Between this, my crazy 7-Class schedule and work-- I knew that I would be unable to commit myself to the full 100% potential that this program deserves. I will continue to work at my community site, the Alzheimer's Awareness Association on a different schedule and in different places around Siena and Albany.
I did learn a lot from my time with the Bonner Program, and I am not simply referring the clever E's or any vague anagrams... I am talking about what it means to get out there and serve the community with new friends. North Albany Family Day, the orientation... that was all so much fun and I maintain great respect for the program and what it stands for.
I am really going to miss working with you guys, from every grade and major. Who knew I'd make such good friends putting ketchup and mustard on peoples' hot dogs? The committee of Publicity: Tim and April, we are dynamic! Also, Nicole, your brave leadership, making meetings fun and energetic-- that means a lot and you're great at what you do.
I know that this seems like some final goodbye, but that's not really the point. I am sure I will be seeing all of you around, and I want everyone to know that if they are ever feeling overwhelmed, bored, lonely, need advice or have questions, you know how to reach me: I will always be available for friends no matter what. (April and Tim, I would be happy to continue writing Bonner updates in the paper if you so wish (just send me what you want to go in and I can edit it and make it work), and if you'd like to bounce ideas around, I'm available for that as well.
It was a pleasure to work with everyone and get to meet so many fantastic students, and I look forward to maintaining an ongoing relationship of laughter, awkward door holding and sub par saga meals. Good luck, and have FUN!
Bonner LOVE!

-Leah

Generation

I read both articles being open minded as possible but when I was done, I sided with Martin. A lot of older people try to compare their generation to our generation. We have more opportunities than they did back in the days. Therefore with more opportunities, there are more problems. There are some many things going on the world we all can't fight for each and every single cause, worry about going to graduate school, paying off high interest loans, and then we have the war, the government corruption in different countries, Darfur, etc. The list can go on for days.  Though what I did get from Friedman's article is to not forget how far America has come though America still has a long way to go.

Generation...?

  After reading both the articles I felt pulled more towards Martin.  But Friedman makes a good point about how we use the internet to speak what is on our minds.  Blogging is our generations way of expressing our opinions.  At the same time though, I think a lot of us feel as though we have no other choice.  What else can we do? As a generation we are completely overwhemed.  College degrees are equivilant to our parents high school diplomas.   We're going to be coming out of college and paying back thousands upon thousands of dollars in loans. When Martin says "we just felt overeducated and underutilized" I had to disagree.  No matter how much education we get it never seems to be enough.  We may be underutilized to some extent.  But I think we have to put ourselves out there more if we want to change that.

Generation Q

After reading both pieces, I found my response to be somewhere in the middle. At first I thought that what Friedman was saying did not reflect what I have seen. To me, everyone I know is very political y active and involved in what is going to happen in our future. So I felt that most twenty somethings were active, but I see his side because we are not forward enough in pursuing what we believe. I think Martins response was precise but not accurate. As I think more, I do see that people have strong beliefs but they are not pursuing them in a fashion that makes sense to others and gets the point across. Martin talks about the internet and I think that that the twenty somethings use the internet as their main way to speak out and get their point across. I felt that Martin expressed her end of the extreme while Friedman expressed his opinion but was not as firm. My opinion takes from both sides and both pieces got me to really think about what our generation is doing and what they can do.

the past week

I think that it was a great idea to have the presidential debates be mandatory for us Bonners. They were great opportunities for us to sit down and really get to know both of the candidate's positions about topics such as health care, taxes, the economy and of course Joe the Plumber. I had been pretty involved in the presidential election, but I know that some of us had not, and I am happy that people are now more educated about this important election.

Also, I went to visit New Day Art a few days ago. I absolutely love it, and I couldn't stop smiling at the site. I know that the center will be a great fit for me, and I can not wait to begin volunteering there. Hopefully I will start next week!

Circles of Mercy

So today was my first real day of service with my community partner - Circles of Mercy, an outreach center for women and women with children. I love it there. They have so many great programs, including adopt a family (which they do in coordination with Siena), training classes for women to learn how to use Microsoft Word, a thrift shop in the center where everything is $1-$5 (where I actually picked up a nice Gap sweater for $1 myself :-] ), and tons of other great things. The director there, Richard, is so nice and so is Pat- the woman I worked with today in the thrift shop. Basically today I helped organize the store and helped some women pick out outfits for them and their babies. It was crazy to see how young some of the girls were that came in to pick up clothing for their babies, but I think it's great that they have opportunities like the ones that Circles of Mercy gives them. I am so looking forward to getting more integrated into the system there and getting to do a lot more for them.
See you all at the debate in 40 minutes !

2nd Presidential Debate

Hey so sorry this is soo late iv been swamped with work all of a sudden. Anyways... The last presidential debate was hard for me to stay focused. I did not like the format of the debate at all. Everyone that i had talked to the next day said that they felt the same way.
During this debate i payed more attention to the personal jabs between candidates then i did their actually policies. By the end of the 90 minutes i was very sick of hearing each candidate attack each other rather than prove their abilities through their policies. I felt bad for the mediator that night. Each candidate kept going over their permitted time. Even when the mediator reminded them of the time limits, both candidates refused to listen.
I did not enjoy this debate at all. I could not stayed focused and i did not gain anything from it. I discovered that neither candidate, in my opinion, is the best choice for the presidency. Neither have surprised me, and neither have made me say to myself "wow this candidate is the one for the job." Hopefully this next debate will be more entertaining.

Reflection on first day of service

Today I started my service at North Albany Academy. I am working with the Lego league robotics team with a few fourth grade classes. Although I didn't meet any of the 4th graders I did meet a few of the 8th graders from the older Lego team who will be mentoring the little ones with me. I learned that one of the boys was a first generation American- his parents are from Syria. The principal and tech teacher introduced him to me and asked me to tell him a little about Bonner and Siena. The entire time we talked they kept telling him about how he was going to go to college after. They also said this to every student who came into the classroom. They are also having a college day for middle school students this Saturday that a lot of the kids are going to. I thought it was awesome how the principal knew all the students' parents (she even told a few that their parents would be interested in going to the event on Saturday) and knew what the kids were interested in. I could tell that the personal attention she gives to the kids really makes a difference and encourages them, academically and otherwise. I haven't really seen this level of interaction before, like for example, when I visit my the school my sister teaches at back home. This is just one way that I have seen so far where NAA is a bit different from some other schools and how I know that it is a positive environment for these kids to be in, especially when other things in their lives might not be working out as well at the moment. I can't wait to really begin my experience tomorrow afternoon!

second pres. debate

I felt that the town hall style debate was more interesting than just a blacked out audience. But I felt that the candidates tried to please the person asking the question to where we got the point they were trying to get to their level and it just became annoying. I also think it was funny how Tom addressed both candidates multiple times on the issue of the time constraint but it did not make too much of a difference. I have to say out of the three moderators we have seen Tom has been my favorite because he addressed multiple issues and dug for the deeper questions and answers. I also felt that we have already heard a lot of what they have to say and it keeps being repeated, not saying that's a bad thing, but I would also like to hear some new plans that have not been mentioned.

2nd Debate...

I don't really want to comment on how I feel about a particular candidate.  I also do not want to argue with anyone on their political views.  However, I do want to say that I think that the debate was a little immature at times.  I understand that both candidates want to be able to rebut on what the previous candidate said but it just got out of hand.  I must admit that I did get a few giggles out of it.  I honestly don't know who I'd give the debate to but I am looking forward to the one next Wed.!!!

April

VP debate

Hey i know this is a little late but I've been pretty sick and haven't gotten to it yet...
I attended the vice presidential debate in the westroom last week. I was the only republican at my table and had to constantly defend my views from my teasing friends. I thought the VP debate was very interesting. Everyone expected Sara Palin to fall on her face and she succeeded in proving them wrong. I felt that she is unlike anyone who has run for VP before. She has the ability, unlike Joe Bidden, to speak plainly and openly. Bidden has been a member of the senate for many years and is considered professional when it comes to political speaking. I found that after answering a question he leaves me with the notion that he must have answered it yet i dont really know what exactly his policy or view was. Sara Palin is less experienced but has the ability to relate to the common American on the same level. She spoke clearly with no commplicated plays on words.
I disagreed with many things Joe Bidden said, especially when he made the statement about his policy in tax cuts and raises. He claimed that his idea of redistribution was just "FAIR". What i was unable to grasp was how he can justify taking money from those who have earned it fairly and redistributing it to those who have less. Especially when the people he is taking the money from are those who stimulate our economy the most. If this policy is put into play our already hurting economy is going to be worse off. The wealthy people of our society are the one who invest and expand capital. If the government begins taking money from them they are no longer going to invest their money. This policey also effects small businesses. There are many small businesses that will be effected by these tax raises. If this happens small businesses will no longer have the ability to expand. Their expenses to keep the buisness running will raise and they will have to cut off workers or lower wages. Those who are laid off or have less income will now spend less on the economy. His policies have a domino effect that will do nothing to improve the current situation of the economy.
Dont get me wrong I'm not say that Sara Palin is the perfect woman for this job because she is not. She is inexperienced and may not be well enough informed on certain issues. However the policies are what I am judging each candidate by and i strongly disagree with those of Bidden.
Haha sorry about how long this was. We just had a debate about it in my Political Science class so im still riled up from that :-P

This I Believe

As i sat in front of my computer to write this essay I realized i had no idea how to put down my beliefs in a coherent manner. I have always known what my beliefs are but I've never had to express them to other people. This is what I came up with...
I believe in freedom and opportunity. I believe in the ability to make my own decisions and set my own goals. I believe in setting my mind to something and understanding that i will accomplish it. No matter who may laugh at my dreams or hopes and call them senseless, they are not able to stop me from acheiving them. I can wake up everyday and decided what is it i want to do. I can go to class and choose to try my hardest, I can go grab lunch to go with my friends and choose if i want a turkey sandwich or a ham sandwich! To have the ability to make my own decisions is a freedom that I strongly believe in.
Life is full of opportunities that open different doors. I can choose which opportunity to jump at and follow its course. To be able to live in such a country where I am presented with so many chances and freedoms is what has shaped my beliefs. There are so many people in the world today that have their lives planned out for them from the time they are small children. They have no ability to make decisions and act upon their own desires. To be able to truly say that i have the choice to decide what it is i want to do with my own life is such a special thing...
.... I believe in the ability to choose what i do and do not believe in.

This I Believe

I believe that everyone deserves a friend. Regardless of age, intellectual capabilities, or socioeconomic status, there is an emotional and natural need for such companionship. I learned this to be true when I began participating in Best Buddies, a program dedicated to creating friendships between people with mental disabilities and their non-disabled peers.
My own friends introduced me to the program my senior year of high school, and I knew it was something I would want to pursue throughout my college career. I was lucky to be paired up my freshman year with Tom. Rolling into the room on his wheelchair, Tom greeted me with a huge smile. It was actually Tom who broke the ice by telling me a joke. We talked about our interests and families, and quickly found we had a lot in common. In particular, we both love to eat!
Over the next few months, Tom and I continued to talk and participate in group buddy activities. We would go bowling, out to eat, and gather with the other members once a month for a party or outing. Tom and I are fortunate in that we will be paired together for all four years I will be at Siena College.
One day I was talking with Tom’s mother and she was telling me how much my companionship meant to their family. Even though my graduation date was over two years away, she asked if she and Tom could attend. Her humble request made me realize how significant the simple gesture of friendship can be. Not only had Tom and I developed a friendship, but we had become part of each other’s families. Even my grandparents will ask how Tom is doing when I talk to them.
Becoming a part of Best Buddies has had a major influence on shaping my personal beliefs. It made me realize how important friendship is for everyone.