Empowering Women Through Physical Education and Sports in Moldova

Girls and women face obstacles when it comes to empowerment, whether it be cultural, socioeconomic, political or religious. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova, I tried to help the girls and women in my community overcome some of these obstacles by promoting female participation in physical education and sports. Primary obstacles were the poor insulation and heating in the gymnasium, which prevented girls and women from participating in sports and physical education from October-April. Working with a Let Girls Learn (LGL) grant allowed us to repair the condition of the gymnasium, add additional sports teams and clubs to the school, and introduce girls to opportunities in sports through a lecture series. As a result of the interventions, more females participated in physical education classes and sports

Daily Artefact: a record of making and maker

Reacting to the inherent qualities of clay this thesis is an exploration into how mass, color, expressionistic textures, quiet neutral planes, and the materiality of clay can embody extreme contradiction and tension in abstract ceramic sculpture. The body of work begins as a massive blank canvas awaiting my response of the moment. Each form is acted upon differently but holds in common a stretching of the expressivist potential of clay. This exploration is driven by my struggles with the extreme highs and lows of bipolar disorder. That was the premise of my thesis before I began working on it. As the work took shape, it became apparent that it was an exploration in surface, specifically in color. This exploration took me through techniques of manipulating color that ranged from saturating porcelain with ceramic stains to layering wet clay with wet glaze and handfuls of stains and then stretching the clay to create new fields of color. Having set strict parameters for myself (working only in sculptural cylinders and building each object within one working day) to create a constant among the many variables of color. These parameters became more important as the work continued to evolve. Here the work became an artifact of time - a record of making and maker. This thesis is a record of that evolution

Anxiety: Environmental and Otherwise

“Anxiety: Environmental and Otherwise” is a collection of works from different genres and of different lengths. The pieces vary in tone from professional to confessional. Nonfiction sits next to fiction and experimental forms. The common thread that binds the pieces together is one of personal values. The heart of the collection is the importance of discovering one’s self and then making the choice to nurture that identity. With all of life’s strangeness and the impossible abundance of experiences, it can be difficult to truly see one’s self. It’s even more difficult to see why any of us are the way that we are. The pieces in this collection examine impacts: how anxiety disorder can affect a person, what people have done to this planet, and what the planet can do to its people. This collection is one girl’s attempt at introspection, all with the hope that something positive will come of it. “Anxiety: Environmental and Otherwise” grasps for understanding and begs for progress. It’s a plea, a lament, and a celebration

Korea and the Dominican Republic: A transnational case study-analysis

The study of transnational movement and the lives of individuals who cross nation-state boundaries has grown in recent decades. Transnational study regarding the Dominican Republic has continued since migrations to the U.S. in the 1960s and has primarily focused on “transnationalism from below” (Smith & Guarnizo, 2002) narratives, while study of South Korean transnationalism has focused on movement motivated by access to English in order to assure access to the competitive job market and opportunities for social mobility. This pair of case studies examines the lives of two relatively privileged Korean students who lived transnationally between Korea and the Dominican Republic over a prolonged period of years. The purpose of the study is to examine how transnational movement has influenced the lives of these students and their identities

Biological Survey of Elizabethtown College

The campus of Elizabethtown College possesses various ecosystems that frequently are overlooked by the student body and community. These ecosystems include forests, meadows, wetlands, streams, and ponds and provide habitat for a variety of plants and animals. We are advocating for the college to recognize these campus areas as the “Natural Lands of Elizabethtown College.” The goal of our project was to determine what species inhabit these natural lands. Our primary taxonomic focus was on birds. We determined the absence and presence of bird species common to the eastern United States. About three times a week for three weeks in late May and early June of 2019, we birded in seven locations for 15-minute intervals. These locations included meadow, wooded, pond, and residential ecosystems. We determined the probabilities of occupancy and detection of birds within these ecosystems. In addition to birds, we also surveyed for salamanders and aquatic macroinvertebrates in streams on campus. We also mapped patches of milkweed on campus in anticipation of future research on monarch butterflies. These data on various taxonomic groups are a first step to understanding the biodiversity of the “Natural Lands.” The Natural Lands of Elizabethtown College will demonstrate our college’s commitment to preserving biodiversity and providing opportunities for the educational, physical, and mental well-being of students by creating connections with nature

Increasing Awareness of Natural Areas on the Elizabethtown College Campus through Digital Story Maps

The campus of Elizabethtown College includes multiple types of ecosystem—forests, meadows, wetlands, streams, and ponds. These areas can serve as outdoor extensions of the classroom, presenting convenient settings for research projects. They are also a valuable recreational resource. To increase student awareness of the natural areas of the campus, we are utilizing ArcGIS technology to create a story map of trails on campus, to be used for self-guided tours or tours guided by student volunteers. Story maps define the path and draw attention to notable or ecologically interesting locations along the path. Photos and detailed descriptions in the story map act as a starting place for students who want to know more about features of campus related to sustainability. We are creating two mapped versions of the trail—they vary in length, type of terrain, difficulty, and intended audience. The more basic trail, which only covers paved and packed gravel terrain, will be accessible to prospective students and families interested in learning about Etown’s natural lands and the learning opportunities they offer. The second trail is a more rigorous hike through densely wooded areas, best suited for those with a desire to learn and a willingness to make the more challenging trek. In addition, we are planning ecological restoration of a section of forest. Restoration will involve removal of invasive plants and planting with selected native species, with the objective of increasing plant and animal biodiversity of the restored area. Our goal is for the area we restore and the process we follow to serve as a model for future student restoration projects

Linguistically Responsive Leaders: Working With Multilingual Students and Their Families

The demographic composition of the United States (US) has transformed since the early 1990s with immigrant arrivals from Mexico and Central America. Education leaders frequently exit preparation programs without content focused on opportunities around working successfully with multilingual students. This qualitative case study explores the implementation of online learning modules focused on engaging multilingual students and their families that were embedded into advanced leadership preparation coursework. Utilizing data (e.g., classwork, fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews) collected from 10 participants, findings include recommendations for stronger preparation on multilingual learners and flexible learning experiences that encourage the application of knowledge in professional practice