Details quickly - names William Dowd, I studied print journalism and minored in political science at a small liberal arts college called Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania. I’m 23, originally from Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to a small town called Wellsville, Pennsylvania when I was 11 years of age. I came to Massachusetts by way of Wellsville. I’ve been placed at North Shore Community College as a MACC AmeriCorps*VISTA - charged with developing a student leadership program tailored to community service. It’s going to take a lot of work on the College’s part as well as mine. I’m one of about 30 other VISTA scattered in patches in different higher education institutions located all over this beautiful and stunning state, whether it’s my fellow AmeriCorps*VISTA member Margo all the way out in Amherst, placed at UMASS Amherst or someone as close as AmeriCorps*VISTA member Jay located at Salem State College – we’re truly patched all over.
Well, it’s a sunny Friday. I’m sitting in my new office at NSCC in Lynn. Yes, the city with the jingle that goes like this: Lynn, Lynn. The City of Sin, you never come out the way you went in. This tune of sorts is quite misleading though, Lynn has its rugged rough parts, but I’ve only met nice people thus far. The city is right off the bay, next to a beautiful island dubbed Nahant. In reference to Lynn’s location on the North Shore of Massachusetts it’s just below Salem, Swampscott, and right above Revere. I remember before moving here my friends were always confused because they thought Lynn was a person. So, I had to correct them – “No, no, no, I’m not moving in with Lynn, I’m moving to Lynn,” it was quite tiring after a while though it surely faded.
The experience thus far from spending a week in Boston at Northeastern University to receive training, visiting Salem for the Salem Jazz and Musical Festival at the Willows, taking adventures to Gloucester’s Harbor Beach and Nahant, meeting a group of people who carry the same values as I do, and will all be partaking in a year of service is truly rewarding.
Alright back to the office. I have an office with a window, looking out on Broad Street in Lynn a very busy section of the city. My office is fairly medium sized I’ll give you a mental breakdown - family photo’s on my right tacked to the large cork board, cold morning coffee - next to my black keyboard and the mouse pad, and of course the staple Merriam-Webster: dictionary and thesaurus –got to have those. Imagine for a second a square room with a purple door, windows straight ahead, white walls, book shelves on your left as you walk in and a desk place parallel to the window. I’ve been doing work on the computer for most of the day, so, these eyes are starting to become dry. I’m in need of some water. Now, I’ve decided to update Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA blog with a post, to enlighten those who’ve been de-voided of posts and have just been dying to read the next.
I want to really just reflect on the last four weeks of my life living in “The Bay State,” - I can’t believe it has been that long. I feel like I just got here, the roller coaster, lifestyle of a VISTA for the first few weeks has been really go, go, go, here are the tools you need to succeed, now go make a difference in the world. So I’ve decided today to take a breather, step back, focus my attention on what’s happened and just let it flow. That roller coaster is starting to simmer down. Reflection is a huge part of service, I’m looking forward to this upcoming Friday’s reflection – it will be the first time everyone’s seen each other since we left Northeastern.
Prior to arriving at NSCC, as written before, I received a week of training at Northeastern University - we’re given a packet called the “work plan.” We got it on our third day of training, as vocal as I was about getting it, other VISTA’s started picking up on how wound up I was. But to me it was a big deal the work plan gives you a timeline of your project, has your job description, tells you who your supervisor is- and is pretty much a manual that guides your life for the next year. So that night, I must have skimmed through it like three or four times, as if I were reading Kerouac’s On The Road, it was like experiencing the taste of coffee for the first time. Most definitely, a rush was felt; I was already building a mental map of how to execute the plan. Not having any prior experience in developing a leadership institute, I was a little overwhelmed – but I understood that the plan has a mission statement, having four goals; the goals guide the mission statement, accomplishing these goals will achieve the mission of the institute. Hold that thought for couple of paragraphs.
The first three day’s consisted of nothing but meeting Vice Presidents, Directors and Deans who I had delightful, engaging, conversations with; they all have the best interest of students in hand. My supervisor and I ate at the International House of Pancakes on the second day; it was quite early in the morning, so coffee was in order. Lloyd is the name of my boss; he’s the Dean of Student life at the College and is the one who wrote the work plan and compiled the grant to get me - he’s a very sweet man wh0 also happens to be from the South – Mississippi to be exact. At the meeting we go over expectations and talk of our leadership styles, but we couldn’t help but get off track – we started talking about our taste in music and found out that we had some things in common, he also told me to take a Myers-Brigg test, wanting to know what type of personality I was, so he could best direct me. I made a mental note to use this with students.
After this casual morning meeting I walked out of IHOP full from two pancakes, 4 cups of coffee, two slices of toast, home fries, eggs – along with a new friend, a new professional colleague, and someone I know is going to be a great mentor. I am going to learn a lot from him within the next year.
It’s around 9:30 a.m. we arrived back at NSCC - I was greeted with my first office plant and a welcoming card both from the NSCC Human Relations Department. I’ve decided to call the plant, “Alfie” (I’m all about naming things, inanimate objects too) – the name in my opinion suits the small plant plotted in a squared yellow cereal bowl. I appreciate small acts of kindness like this one. Now, let’s see if I can take care of the plant, I’m betting on a couple of weeks, but I’m going to try to keep Alfie alive (especially since it was a gift too) as long as possible. This will be the test to see whether I can handle a cat or a dog later in life. Pam Nolan-Young a now dear friend of mine, a well educated woman, director of human relations gave me these gifts.
After meeting practically everyone in the College, I could finally sit down and work. First task - I needed to see how things would come together, that is grasping how to meet my goals, I worked it out with a dry erase marker in hand by pretty much locking myself in a room and a not allowing anyone in. So for three to four hours I created a web thoughtfully defining my goals, understanding them, and then tediously working out logistics. I’m having a meeting with Lloyd this week to go over it, before we present it to my focus groups, which will come later on in the next couple of weeks. Through my mapping and readings transcending departments is going to have to happen in order to meet the standards of higher education. Stakeholders aren’t just students, but all entities of the college.
My second week I started compiling a list of all the community based organizations in Lynn, Danvers, and Beverly – this took quite awhile, however, once it’s finished the end product will be useful. I also created a Google map outlining the community based organizations in the Lynn. Now, it’s time to set up one on one’s with these organizations to see what they need. So when students are looking for direct community service opportunities they intrinsically better themselves, but also meet the needs of the community.
My third week consisted of meeting with three community based organizations to perform one to one’s. I met with Lynn History Museum and Historical Society, Lynn’s alternative adult education program Bootstrap, and finally Gordon College in Lynn. My first big project is working with Diana Kerry, she is the Public Policy Institute director, and we will be collaborating to make hunger awareness and homelessness at the forefront of the College and Institute as for initiatives coming out of our offices. Beginning September 11th, a day of national service to October 9th NSCC will have a food drive to fill the food pantries all across the North Shore.
As we move forward and closer to the September 9th onset of students the energy on the professional side of NSCC is building. Our students will soon be walking through the halls in due course and in no time at all, they will be filling every nook and cranny of Lynn, Danvers, and Beverly campuses. It’s a sweet feeling to be a part of higher education, especially in a new environment, and on the other spectrum as professional. I’m excited to get the ball rolling. On September 9th – 10th at 7:30 a.m. in the morning I will be “Walking The Lines” for two days. “Walking The Lines” is a program for the first couple of days where faculty, administration, and staff hand out energy bars and water to students as they walk into each entrance.
All in all it’s going to be a great year; I mean it’s already off to a great start. Massachusetts is absolutely a beautiful state.
Peace out.
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