Table of Contents
Capstone Highlights - River Rocks of Kindness
Capstone Highlights - Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association
Winter Research Corner - James Lingman
Winter Research Corner - Annie Define
A Letter From the Editor
By: Sophia Shaloka
It’s that time of year again! We are all starting new classes and the Honors Student Association is back up and running. If you didn’t get as involved in H.S.A. as you wanted to last semester, now is the time to attend those meetings and learn more about what you can do to participate. While I am of course biased, I have to say that writing for H.S.A. Happenings is a fun and easy way to contribute.
Along with participating more in H.S.A., something that I am looking forward to is watching the days start to get longer. If there is one thing I hate about the winter season, it’s how early the sky turns dark. I personally cannot wait for brighter days and warmer weather. Although I am admittedly not winter’s biggest fan, our recent snow day was the first snow day I experienced at West Chester, and the campus looked beautiful! Now that in-person classes are resuming, I hope that we can all appreciate the beauty of a snowy campus, and maybe a gyro from the Greek truck too.
I am so excited to see what is in store for this semester, and I hope that you are, too! In this edition of H.S.A. Happenings, you can read about one student’s admirable Capstone project, last semester’s Open House event, updates from the Social Committee, and Brian Lynch’s efforts to bring music to the H.S.A. community. Also, be sure to check the flyer for upcoming H.S.A. meetings at the end of the newsletter!
Sincerely,
The State of the Music
By: Brian Lynch
Have the past two years left you feeling Sour about the lack of music from H.S.A? The transition to virtual learning has felt like one step forward and three steps back for music-making, which truly is brutal. Since 2020, adults struggled to find steady jobs, teens struggled to earn a drivers license, and musicians struggled to find ways to make you feel happier. You may be feeling a bit of deja vu with the changing conditions of the world currently, but we hope the changes made by HSA music groups in 2021 have been good for you!
Last spring was a return to music-making with creative solutions to maximize impact and minimize exposure. Under the leadership of James Weber and Hannah Atlas, students were able to rehearse and create music once more. In late April, the HSA jazz combo put on a livestreamed fundraiser supporting COVID relief. At the same time, HSA choir rehearsed virtually and recorded an arrangement of For Good from the Broadway musical Wicked.
The fall brought new music and new opportunities! Hannah Atlas reclaimed her role as HSA choir coordinator, and Danny O'Callaghan became the new H.S.A jazz coordinator. Hannah brought the choir back to a state of normalcy, including regularly scheduled rehearsals, new music, and in-person performances at H.S.A. Danny decided to change things up this semester, creating an alumni jazz concert centered around bringing alumni back to campus.
The future looks bright for H.S.A music groups. Be on the lookout for jazz and choir events throughout the spring! H.S.A will do everything possible to make sure this music is enough for you!
Social Committee Update
By: Andrew Rubas
What’s up with Social Committee? Well, I am glad that you asked! The Social Committee is starting its very own movie club and game nights starting next week! The movies and games that we end up playing will be up to you and your suggestions. If you are interested, please fill out the QR code below so you can receive updates and more information on the specifics as they come out! It is important to note that you do not NEED to fill out the QR code to attend, as it is open to all honors students. The QR code is to simply gauge interest on how many people we should be expecting for the first gathering. Movies and Game Night will be held in the 7th floor Honors lounge. We hope to see you there!
Furthermore, the Social Committee is looking for bright students who have ideas for social events to help plan some! It is important to note that when you help plan an event you receive service hours for the event you are helping to plan. If you have any ideas of events you want to do, or if you want to help with current events, please let Andrew know. (AR947775@wcupa.edu)
Capstone Highlights
River Rocks of Kindness by Gracie Citro
With a new year comes a new monthly segment to H.S.A. Happenings! The Honors Student Association would like to highlight the efforts of students working on their capstones by asking them to share information about their projects. To kick off the monthly capstone highlights, Gracie Citro has been working on her project titled “River Rocks of Kindness”. The following is a description of the inspirational work that Gracie has been doing in her own words:
Over winter break I worked on my newest kindness endeavor: River Rocks of Kindness. Since the pandemic started, I have been decorating and painting positive messages on stones and leaving them around my neighborhood to brighten peoples' lives. My rocks turned into an entire rock garden, and eventually, I decided to broaden this and create rock gardens for my Capstone! I have created four large paver stones and dozens of smaller stones for the Honors College Rock Garden, located in the Honors House backyard, around the small and beautiful Japanese Maple 🍁. I formalized my inspiration and created a new theory, called EcoKindness, which combines art therapy, positive psychology, and the idea of using nature as a canvas to build peace and kindness upon.”
If you are interested in Gracie’s capstone project and would like to see more, she has created an Instagram in hopes to broaden her organization. Follow @riverrocksofkindness to help let kindness flow!
Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association By Carly Lare
During the past year, I am so lucky to have grown closer to my dream of working with environmental nonprofits, and I was able to use my Honors Capstone experience as a tool to help me learn about my future. For my Capstone, I decided to work with the Chester Ridley Crum Watersheds Association (CRC), an organization based in Newtown Square focused on planting trees and cleaning streams with the help of volunteers. After previous work with the organization, I realized an important need: many individuals do not know what a watershed is, making watershed protection a much more difficult process.
A public understanding of the watersheds, water funneling systems moving runoff pollutants to bigger bodies of water, is pivotal for proper environmental stewardship. In order to promote awareness of watersheds and stream health, I decided to create an interactive map for CRC, connecting local geography, scientific facts about water health, mapped locations of nature activities, and more.
My work with CRC, including my Capstone Project and my internship focusing on grant management, allowed me to form a relationship and secure a job with CRC after graduation. My Capstone Project is still in the process of reaching the organization’s website, but is a task I continue to work on with the organization moving into the future.”
Open House Event
By Victoria Grace
The Honors College Open House occurred on the 10th of December from 12:30 to 4:00. It was located in the Honors College Backyard and provided an opportunity for honors students to destress from studying vigorously before finals week. Students from all years showed up and interacted, growing the bonds within the Honors community.
Students engaged in activities like painting Kindness Rocks, as well as playing cornhole and jumbo-sized Connect Four. The Honors College provided a variety of snacks, including Insomnia Cookies, Dr. Dean’s signature seasonal punch, and a hot chocolate bar with a wide range of toppings. The WCU A Cappella Groups Under A Rest and The High Street Harmonix also came out to give awesome performances! Honors vintage T-shirts were available for purchase, such as Honors pink polo shirts and Banana Day shirts all the way from 2007. There were many guest appearances such as Dr. Dean, Dr. Ramick, Dr. Loedel, Dr. Wooten, Dr. LeVasseur, Dr. Martin, Dr. McCown...and even Santa Claus. Michelle Wills was to thank for the Honors College Open House (and delicious Hot Chocolate!) The event was a huge success amongst the honors students and provided a relaxing way for students to mingle and destress before finals.
Winter Research Corner
By: Jocelyn Brown
Hi everyone! I am starting a new segment of HSA Happenings to celebrate the wide array of research completed by Honors students. This month, I wanted to start with two Honors juniors who have worked on research within their departments. Let’s take a look at some testimonials from them.
James Lingman is a junior History major.
James writes,
Undergraduate research may seem like a difficult undertaking reserved for the end of your college career. The reality, however, is far from that. Undergraduate research is a rewarding process that you can take on at any time of college! I worked as an undergraduate research assistant for the summer of 2021, the end of my sophomore year. Under the tutelage of Dr. Éric Fournier, assistant chair of the History Department, I studied documents from late 3rd century North Africa. I specifically focused on key terms and phrases from early Christian texts and authors, such as St. Cyprian, that were cataloged into a running list. After I had completed more than a few documents, I read several texts from the 6th century and specifically looked for those phrases I had already identified. My work looked to connect the writers of the 3rd and 6th centuries through keywords and phrases that had been transplanted from other sources. Ultimately, the research will be used in Dr. Fournier’s upcoming book, which seeks to chronicle trauma and memory in the early Christian North African Church. I intend to continue my research into early Christianity through my HIS 400 capstone course, with the goal to earn a Summer Undergraduate Research Institute (SURI) grant for the summer to further my research. I aim to submit my research for peer review by the end of this summer, and I hope to be published in historical journals soon after.”
Annie Defina is a junior Cell and Molecular Biology major.
Annie writes,
Deaths due to cocaine overdose have been increasing since its rise in popularity in 1980, and this number only continues to increase. Around 16,000 Americans die from cocaine overdose every year. Part of this is due to the lack of a good antagonist for cocaine that can be administered to people in the hospital for an overdose. In Dr. Sweet’s lab we are researching parthenolide, a drug that has been mostly used for cancer treatment, as a potential antagonist. We test on mice that we breed and raise in the lab, observing their behavior on mixtures of parthenolide and cocaine, as well as each individually. Some of our mice are only administered saline as a control. As of right now we have found that parthenolide does not affect the normal behavior of the mice, but it does not seem to combat the effects of cocaine in a significant way.”
Next month, we will have the professor-student pairings for the Spring 2022 Research Scholars Program! I will be highlighting their work in the coming months, as well as the work of past Research Scholars.
If you have a research project that you would like me to highlight, then feel free to email me at JB941149@wcupa.edu.
February Research Corner
By Jocelyn Brown
We have the professor-student pairings for the Spring 2022 Research Scholars Program! These Honors sophomores and juniors will be completing at least 30 hours of research with their faculty members. Congratulations to everybody listed below! I will be highlighting their work in the coming months, as well as the work of past Research Scholars.
If you have a research project that you would like me to highlight, then feel free to email me at JB941149@wcupa.edu.
Miss WCU
This year, two honors students (Julie Stinson and Kamie Dombrowski) competed in the annual Miss West Chester University pageant. The Miss WCU organization has awarded close to $60,000 in scholarships and prizes to women who display exemplary leadership in the West Chester community. The key pillars of the pageant include leadership, scholarship, and service, which align with the ideals of the honors college. According to their Facebook page, the Miss WCU competition includes "interview, casual wear, talent, evening gown, and onstage question and features university performers and organizations”.
Here are some words from Kamie Dombrowski, who won the competition’s Community Service Award!
Miss WCU was an unforgettable experience. I was honored to win the Community Service Award. Community service has always been a big part of my life, as service is something I highly value; I am so grateful to have been able to share that. My talent, twirling baton, is something that I hold dear to my heart as I twirled all through my childhood and it has helped me grow into who I am today. COVID took away the performance aspect of it, so it was such a breath of fresh air to be able to perform again through Miss WCU.”
Another honors student, Julie Stinson, had the privilege of being titled Miss WCU this year! Here is what she has to say about the accomplishment.
Being Miss WCU is an incredible honor and I am so thrilled to represent groups on campus such as HSA! I am so grateful for the support of HSA and everyone in the organization! I am excited to spend my year promoting the arts with my platform, Inspire Through The Arts: Music and Arts Education, as well as attend WCU events."
1871 Award
This year, 12 of our fellow honors students are recipients of the 1871 Award! This selective award is the highest distinction given by the Division of Student Affairs and was received by 41 students this year. The award recognizes juniors and seniors who display high achievement in academics, as well as co-curricular activities. The four pillars on which students are evaluated include Academics (GPA), Leadership, Community Engagement, and Career Readiness. These students will be recognized at a spring award ceremony, they will receive a special pin, they will have a special designation within the commencement program, and they will be posted on the West Chester University website. We are so proud of the honors community for continuing to thrive in their education and involvement! Below are the names of the honors college recipients this year:
Evan Brooks
Jocelyn Brown
Carlyn Crisi
Grace Fuller
Steven Kendikian
James Lingman
Brian Lynch
Gabrielle Mahoney
Ronan McDermott
Lauren Torres
Caitlin Viespoli
Zachary Zajkowski
Student Self-Care and Wellness
By Gabrielle Mahoney
Self-care can be a phrase garnering a variety of reactions depending on one’s background. However, this semester I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Honors 310 students on ways to bring awareness and incorporate self-care practices into students’ lives. The goal of the Wellness Project is to provide a time and space to have a conversation around what self care looks like in our personal lives and develop lifestyle habits that will empower us as balanced, recharged and strong leaders.
In a world that is in constant motion, it can be a struggle to not feel guilty when stepping aside and focusing on practices that bring balance to our lives.
The project, though simple, is structured to challenge students to explore areas they often push to the side like sleep, nutrition, exercise, self-reflection, etc. The project focuses on making small habitual changes that can have long-term impacts on students’ daily lives.
The habits and choices that we make today have a strong correlation to our success as we move forward. If we can develop consistency in these habits, that’s when we see results. People often assume they need to start with BIG changes to see results, but living by that myth is what often leads us to quit before we even start. The key is setting a goal, determining possible obstacles, and then instituting ways to overcome those obstacles.
When we are proactive with our habits, we begin to make and see changes. I would encourage all students to take some time this semester to look at their current schedules and habits. Do you feel that your lifestyle is setting you up for success? Do you feel like your current pace is sustainable? When was the last time you took time to pause? Focus on creating balance in your life so you already know ways to manage stress. Lastly, have fun and remember that life should not feel like a to-do list. Rather than feeling burdened by your lifestyle, take some time to enjoy the BIG and small moments of your days. For questions or information, you can contact me!
Gabrielle’s email: GM905893@wcupa.edu
HSA Fundraising Update
By Jess Mitchell
HSA fundraising has hosted three fundraisers so far this school year! Two of our fundraisers occurred in the fall semester and our most recent just ended sales February 2nd. Our fall semester events were a T-shirt sale and Halloween candy grams. Below are pictures of our T-shirt design and some of our candy gram message templates. Our most recent event was a fundraiser hosted by Cioci’s treats by Mary. The candy sales were set up by committee member and freshman honors college student Zach Morrow. His grandparents are the owners of the small business and were gracious enough to help us out. So far we have raised over $250 for HSA!! Keep an eye out for future events to help continue our fundraising efforts.
Credits:
Created by Leela Rose, Graphic Design Editor | Edited by Sophia Shaloka, Director | Leela Rose & Allison Farrell, Assistant Directors | Dr. Martin & Professor Wooten, Faculty Advisors | Created with an image by sergei_spas - "snow ice winter"