Allegheny College: ACCEL

During my time spent interning at Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, P.L.L.C., I had accompanied Michael Hausfeld to the CMHT office in New York City for the deposition of former Philip Morris CEO, James Morgan. The experience proved to be as eye opening as it was exciting. More than any other day that summer I came to the realization that there was more to the law profession than meets the eye: a law career demanded long hours, international travel at a moments notice, and a above all a great deal of professionalism in dealing with personal associates as well as with lawyers from different firms. I took away from this experience the ability to interact with top professionals (such as Top Legal Professionals and CEOs) in a collaborative fashion and a newfound confidence in handling myself in a business environment.

While studying at Lancaster University in the U.K. I had the rare opportunity to experience a proper Rhamadan celebration. One of my English friends from the university, Fahad, had invited me to his home 30 minutes south of the campus in the City of Wigan to be a part of the traditional festivities surrounding the Muslim holiday. The overwhelming welcome and acceptance extended to me into his home on the part of his family was the first time I had forgotten I was from another country; it was the first time that I had realized I was part of something bigger despite my allegiances as an American citizen. My experiences with Allegheny's ACCEL office have taught me the value of stepping out of one's comfort zone to meet new people, to try new experiences and to take calculated risks. Through its programs I have learned how to self-prepare for jobs and interviews, communicate effectively with those in the business world and the international community at large, and network and build professional relationships.

Oi-ling Yu (Graduate/International Student/China)

Knowledge of what it means to be a part of a global/local community, and the multiple ways to carry out civic responsibility are the most significant experiences that helped me develop particular skills, abilities, and values, because the ability to adapt and learn from your working environment helps you to interact with individuals from different cultures, countries and experiences. In addition, it allows your ability to offer genuine recognition, affirmation and gratitude or the skill of mobilizing and motivating others.

My experience with ACCEL and the Bonner program allowed me to adapt the skill of mobilizing and motivating others. My experiences with ACCEL encourage me to lead others and to work as a team.

Neil Simpson (Graduate)

I believe that one of the greatest assets of the ACCEL office is the balance of knowledge, real-life skills, abilities, and values that any given ACCEL experience offers a student during their development at Allegheny. It is hard for me to decide which experience has had the greatest impact on my own personal growth because all of my experiences with ACCEL have aided in my understanding of "community," both within and beyond Allegheny College. Through ACCEL programs and support I have been exposed to many different people and unique interactions. I have made the best of friends; honed communication, organization, and leadership skills; and developed a true passion for civic engagement on all levels due to the encouragement and sponsorship of the ACCEL office and all the experiences they have offered.

Choosing one competency that I have further developed thanks to the ACCEL office is very difficult because I have gained so much from "experiential learning." I believe that the knowledge of self and others has been one of the primary competencies I have gained while here at Allegheny. Being able to understand the privileges or skills that I may possess have helped begin to grasp a greater perspective of the world we all live in. Through the mere experiences of sleeping in a comfortable bed in Boston, to a concrete floor in Mexico, to a stiff and creaking cot in New Orleans I have acquired the knowledge of the many factors that "keep our world turning."

The resources of ACCEL have helped move me towards my career goals by truly opening my eyes to the social injustices and oppressions that many people deal with on an everyday basis. I have developed the sense of how truly blessed I am and that I should use my skills and abilities to help those in need. Because of my experiences I have come to truly appreciate and value selflessness, service, and reflection. I hope one day that I put into practice the personal attributes that ACCEL experiences have helped me hone and expand upon throughout my years at Allegheny.

Amy Warnick (Graduate)

Being a Bonner Leader at Center for Family Services (CFS) helped me develop a variety of skills. I gained invaluable knowledge about how the local community works and ways to bridge the gap between the town and the college. Moreover, working at CFS strengthened my communication skills and taught me how to solve problems in creative ways.

Interning at National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH) helped me improve a variety of abilities. Being in Washington, D.C. helped me become more independent by forcing me to negotiate the public transportation system, budget money, etc. Moreover, I gained experience with working collaboratively on a variety of projects. I also interacted with people from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Experiential learning enables me to connect the theory I learn in the classroom with actions in the community. It has also provided me with skills that I can use in almost any career path.

My work as a Bonner Leader at the French Creek Project has increased my communication skills as well as my confidence in the work place. Through my EL internship in Boston I was challenged by living and working in an unfamiliar city. I learned a lot about being independent through that experience as well as creating a desire to serve through my work in the inner city public schools in Boston.

My value of civic responsibility grew while I was in Boston. I spent three weeks working in the intercity public schools implementing environmental education. My first day was a culture shock, but through the next 3 weeks I grew very close to the teachers and students I assisted. Seeing the conditions present at the public schools made me realize the injustices present in our school systems and made me thankful of the educational experience I had.

Through my Bonner Leader position and my EL internship I have been able to explore possible career options. These experiences have made me realize that I probably won't go into education, but I want to serve the betterment of the community through my work and my EL experiences have helped me do just that.

Eileen Gallagher (Graduate: now an AmeriCorp VISTA here at AC)

Through both of my experiences with ACCEL, the Davies Community Service Leader program and an EL term to Alaska, I have developed some of the core competencies on the provided by ACCEL. Through the Davies program, I have certainly developed knowledge of the local community. I have had the opportunity to participate in a variety of networking events and community meetings through my two Davies positions, which have allowed me to interact with members of the Meadville community that are passionate about its prosperity and growth. Through these positive interactions, I have formed my own opinions and viewpoints about the Meadville community, as opposed to the more stereotypical, negative ones that are so easy to accept.

My experience on the EL term contributed to my finding value in stepping out of my comfort zone and trying new experiences. I had never studied environmental science or geology and I had also never been camping, but the EL term ended up being one of the best experiences of my college career. I had a lot of time to reflect on the topics that we studied in Alaska, and to reflect on why I had chosen that trip and what I wanted to do when I returned from it. Through both the Davies program and the EL term, I learned about myself and achieved a better understanding of my values and of the work that I find ethical and important. My participation in the Davies program most significantly shaped my value for an ethic of service and civic responsibility. During my time at both the Meadville Area Industrial Commission and the Meadville Chamber of Commerce, I have seen the amount of work and dedication that goes into keeping these non-profit organizations operating productively. I am impressed by the amount of passion and creativity in the employees of these organizations and by the amount of time that citizens of Meadville volunteer willingly to them. I enjoy working on my Davies projects and I have learned to find this work to be rewarding and important. I have found that it is important to invest yourself in a community and to build relationships with the people in that community because it is only by working together that a community can be improved.

My experiences with ACCEL have both enhanced my academic work and shaped my career goals. My experience on the EL term to Alaska broadened my area of academic study because it was based in a field that I knew very little about. It gave me hands on experience that I would have never gained by taking an intro class on campus. My participation in the Davies program has definitely influenced the type of work that I want to do. I have gained a lot of leadership experience and have enjoyed interacting with many different groups of people. I like the challenges of working in a non-profit organization and I have found it to be very rewarding and valuable work. It is something that I would consider being involved in as a career.

Kristin Yu Ling Khor (in Oxford this year)

ACCEL has provided me with the most enduring and enriching experiences as part of my total education in extended learning, community outreach and leadership development at Allegheny.

I am particularly proud to be involved as an Allegheny Service Leaders at Cordia Commons. I learned the true meaning, purpose, and spirit of community service not just to serve selflessly from the heart but with a purpose to be involved in building and maintaining a cohesive, humane and civil society. It reinforced my belief in the principles of servant leadership. I have also experienced and tested the concepts of mutuality and reciprocity in service. The reflections of their lives and the sharing of their wisdom by the residents are invaluable aspects of the bonding I enjoyed with many of them. The joy and meaning I found in being able to make a small difference at Cordia Commons are indeed spiritually fulfilling and educational.

In addition, through ACCEL, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Penn Compact Conference which featured distinguished speakers from various colleges, universities and organizations such as PennSERVE and PHENND. Topics covered ranged from community partnerships to student engagement strategies. The conference had broadened my knowledge about civic engagement and community partnerships at the local and international levels and also providing different perspectives to look at an issue or problem pertaining to social activism. I had the opportunity to share my service learning and volunteering experiences with students from other colleges and universities and at the same time, learn about their initiatives and experiences on community service and civic engagement.

Also, last summer, I did an EL shadowing program sponsored by ACCEL at a local pharmacy and the Meadville Medical Center as a step toward my goal of becoming a biomedical research scientist. I learned the basics of drug administration and dispensing besides getting an insight into the pharmaceutical profession which is linked directly with the medical and biomedical research world. Knowledge of what it means to be part of local community and the understanding of responsibilities of a leader is what I felt to be an important, significant aspect of my pursuits and goals at Allegheny.

As a community volunteer and student leader, I subscribe to the concept of servant leadership, which emphasizes that good leadership must begin with the mission to serve. Through the many leadership opportunities provided, my leadership style has shift to be guided with a sense of humility and respect for the people I care for. My first meeting with a visually impaired senior resident at Cordia was indeed an unforgettable encounter that was tinged with a sense of deep compassion but marked with an emphatic respect for the moral courage of an aged elder. I have learnt to accept criticism positively to make changes for the better and be a good listener, as I know the importance of ensuring a two-way communication during any discussion or conversation. In addition, I know that respect has to be earned through exemplary behavior. I have to be and be perceived as a good leadership role model. This includes the qualities of fairness and accountability regarding the performance of my team. I believe that I am a servant leader who leads by consensus to achieve the collective goals and aspirations of the people I serve.

ACCEL has definitely made a great difference academically and socially to help me in getting the all-rounded education that Allegheny offers. Foremost, it has provided the avenues to explore further my interests in community service, academic discursions and leadership development. Importantly, ACCEL has made is possible for me to participate in the summer shadowing program during my first year and beyond. These opportunities would be important milestones for me to achieve my ambition to be a research scientist. Through ACCEL too, the study abroad program option has also helped me further enrich my learning to prepare myself better in my chosen academic field and career goal. In addition, the ACCEL outreach programs have indeed been a fulfilling, real life experience about the community and volunteerism. The result is the joy of finding me better equipped with the knowledge and skills to serve the community better now and in the future. In the process, I believe that ACCEL has taught me more on humility, respect, teamwork, and being a committed, responsible member of our Allegheny community.

Jaclyn Stallard (Graduate)

Looking over the list of competencies, I feel that two of my experiences with ACCEL stand out as complimentary. I was privileged enough to obtain two internships in the summer of 2005, one with an environmental non-profit organization in Washington DC and the other with a Pennsylvania local environmental non-profit organization. Working for these two separate agencies provided me with the knowledge of local community politics, as well as with an understanding of what it means to be a part of a greater global community. Working with these two organizations helped me to understand that although the realms of the local and the global are separate, they are implicitly connected. Furthermore I, acting as a single agent within these organizations, have the ability to influence the United State's environmental policymaking. From the standpoint of a young, active, civic participant, these two internship opportunities also proved to be very empowering. My experiential learning experiences provided me with the knowledge and skills necessary to better understand myself, while simultaneously emphasizing the value I place in coupling civic responsibility with new and challenging experiences. Lastly, through my experiences with ACCEL, I have a better understanding of the wide range of career opportunities available and the different means possible to attain these career choices for students of environmental science.

I believe it is essential for young, energetic college students to develop knowledge as citizens, understanding multiple ways to carry out their individual civic responsibilities. As a result of my ACCEL internship experience with the Alaska Wilderness League, a non-profit environmental organization, I learned more ways to voice my political opinions, and get them heard, than I ever thought possible. Part of my internship duties entailed creating "Action Kits" that provided information that equipped regular, everyday citizens with the knowledge and power required to write letters or make phone calls to their Congressional Representatives in Washington, DC. I also helped to create an informative PowerPoint presentation that would be taken on the road to regionally inform interested and concerned citizens on the conditions of our environmental and status of the United States' environmental policy. I also spent an afternoon distributing information relative to a specific, pressing environmental issue to Congressmen on Capital Hill. Through this experience, I was able to identify myself as an active, participating citizen in American society. An individual's realization that his or her voice is one that is knowledgeable, bears influence, and can be heard is one of the greatest lessons that a student can learn. I thank ACCEL for providing me with the opportunity to learn this important life lesson.

Through my experiences with ACCEL, I have decided that my future rests in environmental politics and policy. I have determined that I would eventually like to attend graduate study in such a program. Before embarking in graduate study, however, my ACCEL experiences have also made me realize how much I need to spend time working on the environmental struggle for influence and power currently underway in Washington DC. After graduation, I plan to work in the DC area for a year or two, where I may more wholeheartedly participate in ongoing environmental politics. My experiences with ACCEL have allowed me to move beyond my academic work of the classroom and understand how it applies to real-life experiences. Through ACCEL, I have come to understand how my course work connects to the world that exists beyond Allegheny College, as well as my place within it.

Stepping into the position of Bonner Leader/Program Director for America Reads only a week after arriving on campus for the first time has forced me to develop my skills, namely my communication skills: listening, oral and written. I have had to entertain and balance the concerns of administrators, community partners, students and tutors. In addition, I have had to be articulate when informing tutors of various important aspects of their jobs. However, at the same time, I had to convey the messages, which sometimes were not positive, in a way that would neither offend them nor cause them to doubt my sincerity. One particular policy was the strict dress code that I had to enforce at the request of a community partner despite the fact that the tutors saw other Allegheny students who did not have to abide by it working at the sites. Finally, I had to use the written word mostly through letters and emails. While doing this, it was important that I was specific with the rhetoric that I used as any specific word could change the meaning and the way that the recipient perceived the message.

Knowledge is another competency that I have been developing through ACCEL programs. Being involved in America Reads, Bonner, the BorderLinks Study Tour, the Spring Break Trip to VIVE la CASA, Help a Neighbor Day and Make a Difference Day have all challenged me to realize the fact that the world really is more than the United States and to question the culture we have developed that is based on immediate consumption. Through these experiences, I have seen children for whom the world outside of Meadville is only a dream; refugees who fled trauma and despair in their countries yet who were joyful for the life they lived; people who broke down in tears of joy because of the work we did through Habitat; and men my age who were told that the only way to become a man was to leave Mexico and immigrate to the United States without documents. Before coming to Allegheny, I believed that immigrants were coming to take our jobs and that the Government should respond first to the unemployment problem rather than world hunger, but these experiences have opened my eyes to the importance of not just caring for ourselves but also caring for others in need. It is my civic duty. Now, I have learned that there are many ways to carry out this duty. I can march in a protest, send a letter to Congressmen, tutor needing children or help build houses. These experiences have substantially advanced my academic work. When I came to Allegheny, I knew that I wanted to major in Political Science and be a lawyer/politician; however, after going on the BorderLinks and VIVE la CASA trips, I have decided that I want to work in the field of immigration. I was able to apply what I learned in my classes to the real world and witness the things that professor taught. Additionally, these experiences have allowed me to use my Spanish skills. When I arrived in Mexico, I could not speak coherently or understand hardly anything. By the end of the week I was not only conversing but also translating for other students. All of this will hopefully be topped off by my desire to mix Political Science and Spanish majors with Mexican Immigration to Pennsylvania.

Ryan Zurowski (Graduate: Graduate Student at Stanford in English Literature)

If I learned one lesson during my year at St Peter's College, Oxford, it was never to discuss politics or religion in social situations. My most memorable and valuable experience is late-night debates between my hallmates: three Brits, a German, and a Slovakian. For instance, we would sit for hours in my room--I was always the mediator, though I still don't know why--discussing and arguing whether it's appropriate for heads of state to invoke God during an official address. What surprised me most was that we never scheduled these events; they were spontaneously generated conversations between bright and informed students. I spent much of the time listening to my friends argue with one another, and from those experiences I learned that a person's background significantly shapes his/her beliefs and outlook. This seems like an obvious lesson, but, as yet another Allegheny student from Pittsburgh, I suddenly found myself listening to students refer to their experiences in Münster, Germany and Košice, Slovakia. My European friends taught me to think globally--that is, to be keenly aware of ethnic, religious, political, and other forms of diversity. Consequently, my communication skills have drastically improved: I find myself debating less and listening more.

When I reflect on my development at Oxford, I am struck by how academically independent I have become. Allegheny has helped me develop a strong work ethic, but Oxford showed me the importance of self-motivation. Rather than class schedules and course guidelines, my tutors handed me reading lists. I had one weekly, one-hour meeting during which my tutor and I would discuss the essay I had produced. At first, I had difficulty adjusting to this independent approach, but it forced me to rely less on a professor's guidance and more on myself. In addition, even though I had to take final exams each term to receive academic credit, I did not receive individual grades for my weekly essays or an overall grade for the course. As a result, I spent more time reading independently and less time reviewing drafts of essays to ensure that they were error-free. My tutors expected polished writing, to be sure, but they encouraged me, above all, to read as much as possible. A year of such intensive, independent study taught me that my undergraduate education is not in my professors' hands, but in mine.

After finishing my bachelor's degree at Allegheny, I will begin my Ph.D. in English and American literature. While I value my academic experience at Allegheny, I realize that spending a year at Oxford prepared me for graduate study in ways that Allegheny could not. For example, it provided me with the opportunity not only to focus exclusively on literature, but also to adjust to a more comprehensive, faster style of learning. Overall, Oxford forced me to redefine my academic and personal boundaries, and in the process of doing so I confirmed my desire to pursue a career in academia. I expect to feel overwhelmed in graduate school, but I am confident that my experience at Oxford will help ease my transition and will give me the necessary confidence to overcome future academic challenges.