Sunday, October 24, 2010

Getting My Feet Wet

Hi everyone! My name is Joanna and I am currently a junior in the Lynch School with a major in human development and a minor in psychology. I am currently trying to decide whether I am most interested in school counseling or mental health counseling. To get some hands on experience, I spent last year volunteering at Mass General Hospital in Boston and I am currently volunteering at a local high school, Mount Alvernia High School that is located in Newton, MA (just five minutes from campus!)

While at Mass General I worked along side the Child Life Specialist in the pediatric oncology ward. This was one of the most life changing and rewarding experiences I have ever been a part of. My typical day consisted of visiting multiple patients within the Outpatient unit. I traveled from room to room with both the Child Life Specialist and a team of doctors and psychologists. My favorite part of the day was the one on one time that I spent with the children. We would spend the day doing anything from playing board games, to making jewelry, to painting pictures for the playroom. I acted as a companion to these children and was changed by the ways in which such simple actions of mine put the biggest smiles on their faces.

In order to get a better feel for what it is like to work in a school setting, I am currently volunteering at Mount Alvernia High School, and all girls, private, Catholic high school. I spend my time in the guidance office preparing the senior’s files to be sent to colleges, help the younger students become organized and pick their classes, and help those in charge get organize for events. I especially like the one on one time that I get to spend with the girls and it has been very easy to get to know each of them based on the small size of the school!

While I am still in the process of exploring different options, my volunteer work has helped me gain a better sense of aspects of jobs that I will seek out and the aspects of certain jobs that I will try to avoid! I know that I want to work with people one day, specifically children and teens. Boston College has provided me with the resources I need to get involved around the community and these experiences will surely benefit me in the future!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Why Hello There!

Hi everyone! Just thought I'd introduce myself, since this is my first time blogging for SAP. My name is Erica Paglierani and I'm a freshman in the Lynch School of Education here at BC! I hail from Stoneham, MA (about 20-30 minutes away from campus), and I'm planning on majoring in Elementary Education and Human Development (although I'm not 100% sure)!

As for housing, I live in a double in Keyes North on Newton Campus, and while I was worried about taking the bus (I'm one of those people that tends to run a bit late...), I've found that it's had a really positive effect on me. It's taught me to manage my time better than I ever could've in high school, and I always run into friends on the way to class in the morning! 

Another great aspect of Reslife here at BC is that once you officially decide to become a student, you fill out a survey with information like when you typically go to sleep and whether you like to study in a quiet atmosphere or with music on. Then, BC takes your answers and matches you up with other students who have similar preferences. However, before sending you a random roommate assignment at the end of the summer, Reslife allows you to see your potential matches online, and even talk to them to figure out if you might be interested in rooming together! For me, this process could not have worked out better. Because I was an only child, I was extra anxious about sharing a space with someone else, let alone someone I barely knew. 

I worked up some courage and decided to send a Facebook message to one of the girls who Reslife said might be a good roommate for me. She responded, and once we got to talking, we found out that we really were pretty similar. We decided to meet up in Boston (she's from Cape Cod, so it wasn't too far of a drive for either of us), and had a super fun day of shopping and people-watching! We requested each other as roommates that night, and I don't regret it one bit. Sharing the space hasn't been a problem, and to top it all off, Annie and I are now best friends! Here's a picture of us at convocation (Annie's on the left, and I'm on the right):


Well, I'm off to go finish some lit homework before lunch! Next time I'll write about my classes and the clubs I'm involved in! :) If you have any questions at all, feel free to email me at e.paglierani@gmail.com!

~Erica