Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / April 20, 2012, edition 1 / Page 9
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F E ATU RE S GLEN HAVEN April 20,2012 Glen Haven provides space for service and education Continued from Page I The center offers services besides tutoring in conjunction with UNCG's Center for New North Carolinians, which helps refugees resettle. The Cuilford and UNCC students work one-on-one with students on math, reading and science homework. Beyond helping the children to complete assignments, the tutors establish bonds with the students. Week after week, the children run up to greet the cars of tutors as they pull into the driveway and bombard them with hugs, demands for help, endless questions and requests to play. Sibrizzi, an Education and Spanish double major, is the site coordinator for Clen Haven and has been volunteering there every week since her first year at Cuilford. Sibrizzi tutors at Clen Haven every afternoon and has recently started a group meeting for Latino mothers on Friday evenings. She has worked on building strong relationships with the parents of the children. "Now that they know me, they'll come to me and ask for help," said Sibrizzi. There are currently 11 Cuilford students who go each week to tutor, and they all express their love for working with the children. The children at Clen Haven have left a strong impression on first-year Nicole Caines. "The kids are just so funny, and, for the situation they're in, they're so warm hearted," said Caines. "It's great to see how they improve over the weeks and how comfortable they get with you." Some of the children prefer to stay at the center even after they have finished their homework. Oftentimes they do not have anyone at home to take care of them because their parents are still at work. Tutoring each week at Clen Haven not only provides the children with role models and positive reinforcement in their schoolwork, but also gives Cuilford students the chance to get off campus and to witness and engage with a different community. For first-year Rachel Ulrich, working at Clen Haven has beert beneficial in many ways. Not only has she been able to get to know the kids, but she has also become a Community Scholar. Being a Community Scholar allows her to volunteer at Clen Haven for several hours each week, which essentially translates into work-study hours. "I really felt like I needed to get a work- study position so that I could help my parents with paying for tuition, but I also really wanted to do service in Creensboro," said Ulrich. % Rene Haile began working full-time as the Clen Haven director as an AmeriCorps ACCESS member at the beginning of the school year. The ACCESS project is focused on aid for immigrant and refugee communities. For Haile, one of hardest parts of starting her work at Clen Haven was introducing herself and her services to the community. "I had to engender trust with the families and children," said Haile. "As they saw me constantly day after day, they began to know that I was there as an advocate for them." Haile went on to say that she faces the challenge of figuring out how to appropriately meet the needs of the families and their children. "My job is to empower," said Haile. "Balancing what I do for them and what I help them do is difficult." Volunteering at Clen Haven or any other site in Creensboro offers students the chance to form meaningful relationships with people off campus. Simultaneously, students work to inform the greater Creensboro community about our school's commitment to our city and its people. First-year Rachel Ulrich (left) teaches Sul, a Glen Haven member, about photosynthesis.Tutors are expected to help with homework in all subjects. Augustine excitedly displays his Tar Heels pride. Once homework is done, children and tutors color, read aloucTor play outside. .r* ■ n Junior Charlotte Cloyd (right) helps first-grader Aldolfo to learn the difference between consonants and vowels. Life After Guilford: Alumni Association's new website By Daniel Vasiles Senior Designer How do you transition into life after college? Graduation is quickly approaching, and for many seniors, this question is at the forefront of their minds. To help answer this question, the Guilford College Alumni Association has been developing an online resource to help current and future graduates stay connected to the school and to each other: my Guilford. The Alumni Office began work on the site last year. The central idea behind the project was to combine an encyclopedia of information and resources with aspects of social networking into one Guilford-specific service. As a subsection of the Alumni Association website, myCuilford's features fall into two categories. The first is a collection of resources for alumni. For graduates with questions about how to get a transcript, register for continuing education, or activate a permanent school email, this is the place have them answered. "It's a one-stop shop ... everything alums would be concerned with in one location," said the site's creator, Kimberly Barnes, assistant director of communications and alumni relations. The second function of the site is a network for alumni. in which each member can customize a profile and set what information can be searched by others. The space is designed to allow members to not only connect socially, but also exchange information and help one another. In this section, there are also postings for events and even jobs that may interest alumni, both on campus and out in the world. "Guilford alums are incredibly committed to helping each other succeed," said Katherine Helms Cummings '83, president of the Guilford College Alumni Association, in an email interview. "I hope the class of 2012 will take advantage of the contacts and opportunities available to them by using myCuilford, the Alumni Association's newest and fastest way to be involved in alumni events and activities." Members also have the ability to make posts and updates about what's going on in their own lives. "People like to hear about what others are doing," Barnes said, adding that this feature also gives members a reason to return to the site frequently. Many students are struggling with how to stay connected with Guilford as they get closer to leaving the school s close-knit community. There is a world full of opportunities and connections outside of campus, but they are not always readily apparent, particularly to those within the bubble. "With alums across the country, new graduates shouldn't have to look far for someone who values the Guilford experience as they begin a career or continue in education and research," Cummings said. Karrie Manson '82, associate director of alumni relations, agrees. "We want to build a big web of Guilfordians, so when you leave the stage (at graduation) ... there's already a canvas for connectivity," Manson said. Thanks for reading "Life After Guilford"^ this semester! As you enter or prepare for your life after Guilford, keep in touch with your school at www.guilford.edu/alumni and your college newspaper at www. guilfordian.com. Thanks for a great year!
The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.)
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April 20, 2012, edition 1
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