What You Know So Far . . .

11/9/2020

FOR THIS IN-CLASS DISCUSSION BOARD POST: Everyone should have at least some information from their alum at this point. Even if you haven't completed your interviews or have more questions for them, you at least have the information they've shared with you so far. In a series of in-class writings that you will post to this space, I hope you will start to do the work of ANALYSIS. This involves summarizing information and then analyzing it for what is important and significant. That analysis will turn into your thesis for this paper. Your evidence will be the information that your alum has given you.

This is a good place to see what you've got to work with so far. This paper is due to me at the end of next week. So it's good to know where you are at and what more you need to do. Remember what I keep saying: the more information you have from your alum, the easier it is to write this paper. And, two, you can't--cannot, cannot--just put a bunch of answers to a bunch of questions.

1. What are the top three most interesting things you've learned about your alum? Why are they interesting to you?
2. In what ways, if any, do you feel like your alum and you have something in common? What are those things?
3. Do you notice a difference in how your alums think about their time at BSU from how you think about it? Has talking with them made you reconsider how you approach your college career at all? Why or Why not?
4. What things do you want to know more about from your alum?
5. Are there things from the in-class alums that you see your alum has in common with them? What are they?
6. Finally, what could a tentative thesis be for your profile of your alum be based on the information you have so far. Write down what that thesis sentence could be and what evidence you feel proves it--also include what other questions you might ask to get information that could help you prove that point.

15 Comments

Kyle McCrea

11/9/2020 09:02:32 am

Along with a major in Biology at BSU he acquired a minor in biochemistry which is extremely difficult. He also managed to get a PhD which is even harder than the first 4 years of college to get you bachelors. He met his wife senior year at Bridgewater and she also has a PhD in Biology. I find it really cool that he met someone who shares the same interests and career path as him. Along with taking a major and a minor in college, he also managed to play sports year-round at Bridgewater.

I feel that Matt and I both want to help other people. He really does seem like a genuinely nice person who looks out for the people that he cares about. I am the same way, I want to help people in any way that I can; that’s why I want to go into cancer research because I would feel like I am helping people save their loved ones. Also he loves baseball and I also love baseball and play baseball. I could really connect with him in that part.

Matt has not really talked about his time at BSU. I will be meeting with him on tuesday on Zoom to chat with him and get all of the answers I need. All he really explained was that he met his wife his senior year of college.

Matt is very similar to Stephanie because Stehpanie was a Bio major also at BSU and she grew up to have a PhD and Masters. Very similar because they both had to go through immense work loads and grinding to get to where they are now.

Matt and I are men who want to change the world and make it a better and happier place for our peers to live in.

Grace Reardon

11/9/2020 09:03:11 am

Three really interesting things i learned about Haley is she loves her dog so much. She has a very important job but still makes time for her dog and considers it her favorite hobby. She originally said there was no way she would go to BSU because she lives so close. She ended up transferring to BSU spring semester of her freshman year and says it was the best decision she has made. She takes so much pride in her job and how far she has come in her career. Haley loves her job so much and loves to promote that OT is fun. Her older brother is a world traveler and he is currently living in Vietnam teaching English to children.
Haley and I seem very alike in all aspects. We both are health science majors and feel so passionate about being a healthcare worker. Haley and I both are hard workers in school, but also like to enjoy life and not constantly be working. My dog is absolutely by far my best friend so I relate to Haley a lot when she says going on walks with her dog is one of her favorite things to do. Haley and I also weirdly look like we could be sisters.
Haley definitely looks at BSU a little different because she finished all the hard work. I love BSU just like her, however I still have to take all those hard classes she talked about. Her love for her job made me realize that is what I am working so hard for. Talking to her definitely shows me that all this hard work will pay off and I will be as happy as her when i finally finish all the work. She told me how she regrets listening to other people telling her to take classes. It showed me that I should stick to my gut and my advisor.
Haley is a very recent alum, 2018, so her thoughts about everything aren’t so much the same about the in class work we did. She is still fresh in the real world so her mindset could change in a few years on the school either negative or positive. I can say however, she has the same pride for the school that all the other alumni had.
As of right now i can see talking about her family life a lot and say how well she was raised but also that she is on her own path. She gave me a lot of information of her family so that is the best bet, I just haven’t narrowed it down to a single sentence.
Haley gave me so much detail I am confident I can write with all she gave me.

Tk Okla

11/9/2020 09:03:27 am

The top 3 interesting things that I have learned from my alumni is that she did study abroad, she wanted to travel far for school but didn’t, and she also started working at 14. These things were interesting to me because it was somewhat related to me. I also want to study abroad and I had plans for going to school in Atlanta but because of cost I stayed close, and I started working at a young age as well under the table.
Based on what I know about my alumni so far we have a few things in common. We both are into business and we both have had times in our lives when money was very short. We also started hustling at a young age.
Talking with my alum has made me reconsider how I approach my college career because at first I did not want to attend college at all but knowing how my alumni went through it even tho she struggled at times but at the end of the day she still came out successful gives me a lot of encouragement that I can do it as well.
From the alumni that were in the meeting they said things like it got to a point that it was hard but they had someone to talk to and to help them and that's what my assigned alumni also said that it got hard but she got someone to talk to.
A possible thesis for my paper is Ashley’s college experience was not what she expected but she found a way to overcome her obstacles.

Emily Bachman

11/9/2020 09:04:00 am

The most interesting things about my alum is that she is now an English teacher all the way in South Dakota and just graduated this may. She told me that she had gone to this school for a trip for Bridgewater and got to observe some of the classes there. Another thing that I found really interesting about my Alumni is that she used to be a very shy person back in the beginning of her college career. She seems like she has come out of her shell quite a bit now. I can tell because she seemed very outgoing when I was on the zoom call with her. One more thing that I found that was super interesting about her is that she came to Bridgewater State with an undecided major even though that she knew she loved writing and reading.

Like I said before, Laine told me that she used to be a very shy and quiet person who didn’t like to party or do any of that kind of thing in college. That is something we have in common. I am the type of person who is very introverted until you get to know me. I am starting to come out of my shell like she did. I am starting to be able to talk to more people without feeling nervous about it.
From when I talked to Laine about her college experience, it seems like she really did like being at BSU. Even though there are some things that bothered her about the school such as not getting along with her roommate her freshman year and she told me that she had a bad mental health when she was in junior year. By the way that she talks about her time at BSU, I am sure that I will be very happy going to this school for the rest of my college career. I am hoping I have as good as experience as she did and have as much luck as she did finding a job that she loves.
I really don’t know if there is anything in common other than getting involved with the schools events like Laine was involved with a lot of different things on campus. She was part of the writing studio, she went to a lot of the pride center events.
I don’t know about the thesis from what I know about my alumni but what I talked about with Patrick was that I would do my thesis of how college has shaped Laine as a person.
I want to know more about her college experience and how what she did in college helped how she got to where she is today.

Miah Poindexter

11/9/2020 09:04:09 am

Some of the most interesting things that I have learned about my alumni are that she didn't enjoy Bridgewater when she first started, I find this in particular interesting because I feel that I can relate to it. School in general is not my thing, and I feel like having it online is making me not want to do it anymore, I have NO motivation and it's horrible. Another thing that I found interesting was her perspective on happiness, she is a very minimalist person, she doesn't find happiness in loads of money or expensive things, which I really appreciate. Some things that I feel me and my alumni have in common besides majoring in the same things would probably be the relationships that she made throughout college. I am a very outgoing person and I feel that going through life, in this case specifically college, with strong bonded relationships is really good. I think that creating some type of relationship with your professor is important because it helps you stay engaged with school. For example if I have professors that are not as engaged as professor torda and I am struggling tremendously in their class. I do feel like BSU is a good school, but right now where i am in life in general school is just really frustrating and hard for me. I don't feel like I'm learning. I just feel like trying to pass which has made my experience not as good as my alumns was. She was able to enjoy school and make something out of it. It seems like she used BSU to its highest potential which so far I have failed to do. Something that I think that the alums in class have in common with my alum is that all used their college experience and it made them the person they are today. I can see that each of their experiences helped shape them and helped them get to where they are in life. They all described their college experience as this big part in their life that they enjoyed and they all took a lesson from it. A thesis i would most likely use would be “everyone that leaves college, leaves with a lesson and an experience, weather its good or not so good. Going to BSU a very hands on and one on one school will most likely leave you with a good experience that will teach you a very valuable life lesson that will help you.” somethings i want to know from my alumn is just advice on how she got through college, a little life lessons that might help me get through college.

Colm McDonough

11/9/2020 09:04:33 am

What are the top three most interesting things I learned about my alum? Why are they interesting?
What I found really interesting about my Alumni is what they are interested in. I am really into movies, games, and sports. So somehow Lee managed to put me with someone who likes Star Wars, Comic Books, and RPG things. Which surprised me that I am partnered with someone that shares an interest that I almost never talk about. My mother is also from a big family of 7. So I have somewhat of an understanding of having many people in the same house. Why do I find these interesting? Because I can already right off the bat relate to my Alumni about some things.

In what ways, if any, do you feel like your alum and you have something in common? What are those things? 
Yeah I do. We both like the same things. My alumni mentioned an RPG game podcast which is cool because I like RPG games. I never talk about it but specifically Fallout. They also mentioned guitar and piano. No, I don’t play either of those but I really like music.

Do you notice a difference in how your alums think about their time at BSU from how you think about it? Has talking with them made you reconsider how you approach your college career at all? Why or Why not? 
I cannot answer this one about my assignment alumni yet. But I can answer it based on the other three alumni we had in class the other day. I wouldn't say they have changed my thought process but they have given more ways to think about this school. That maybe other majors could work out for me. There is a difference in how they talked about it too. Maybe it is because they have already left it but there is a difference. It feels like they were talking about how people are there to help you, and you really can do anything if you take that help. It seemed as if they were just like us, lost and confused.

Are there things from the in-class alums that you see your alum has in common with them? What are they?
I have not met with my Alumni yet, so I cannot answer this question. But if I had to assume, then yes, I could see there being a common theme.

What could a tentative thesis be for your profile of your alum be based on the information you have so far. Write down what that thesis sentence could be and what evidence you feel proves it--also include what other questions you might ask to get information that could help you prove that point.
Based on what I already have, Cory is a hardworking guy. Coming from a family of six and is now a single father with a son. Seems pretty hard to do. I think Cory got this after being the first person in his family to go to college. Cory has managed the difficulty in his life from the traits he got at BSU

Wicahpi Yankton

11/9/2020 09:06:17 am

The first thing that was interesting about my alumni would probably be that he had worked with a large number of first generation college students and helped prepare them for success. He said that this is one of the most rewarding parts of his job. The second thing was that Hallenbrook was very fortunate to be in a good situation where his family had encouraged him to pursue higher education and different interests, to find his own path after graduation. The third thing is that Hallenbrook decided to add political science as a second major during his sophomore year at BSU. Hallenbrook had stayed in the political science and higher education area after graduation and he was a part of the PhD program and a MA in political science at UC Davis from 2009 until 2015(Graduate School).I feel that we both like volunteering at different places that we really care about in our own way. He has worked at different animal shelters and he volunteered for the project to be a resource to students and try to stay in touch with my alma mater. He likes old school movies from the early decade and I prefer the 1990s and early 1980s.. He has only talked about him attending graduation college at UC Davis. But I feel that BSU is helping me in different ways such as giving me a hotspot for classes and giving me a full ride scholarship to attend bridgewater.My alumni told me that certain classes will benefit you in the near future and help curve you into a person.The in-class alums had stated that they started on different paths at the beginning of starting at bsu. But towards the end, they said that you slowly know what you want to do after college. Everyone has ups and downs at college but it was interesting hearing how a certain class such as lee torda could help them and show them support throughout their college career. I think that my thesis would be based on his work with first generation students or probably why he decided to attend graduate school. Chris Hallenbrook is a person that has a support system that benefits many first generation students such as setting them up for a successful future and this is my maybe thesis. I want to know more about his work with first generation college students.

Laura Schnitzer

11/9/2020 09:06:50 am

I find it interesting how her major led her to where she is today. She studied Biology with a concentration in environmental science and a minor in chemistry. What I am most excited to learn more about her. I look forward to our zoom meetings we set up.I feel like my alum and I have the same passion about what we both are looking into for our careers. We both are into science. I am not personally into biology however I am interested in chemistry. She seems incredibly smart and can’t wait to hear about her experience at BSU.I am not really sure yet if we think the same about BSU. I think I will get to know more about how she feels BSU has helped her in our zoom meetings. I think that my alum has similar qualities to the alums we met in class. She wants to help me in any way she can. I find that so remarkable because she is willing to take time out of her day.I think a tentative thesis for my paper thus far is how I can relate to my alum. I do have basic information about her but I still need more to add to my tentative thesis.

Alexis Maldonado

11/9/2020 09:07:09 am

1. Top 3 most interesting things are that he was an English major and it’s interesting to me because he is going to be an executive director. Also, the fact that he’s made the decision to move is interesting to me because for most people it is hard to leave home and start fresh in another state. Lastly, what I find interesting is that his wife and him organize a pizza event and that’s interesting to me because I’ve never heard of someone organizing that/
2. I think we may have taking care of ourselves and exercising as something in common and I know we have the likening of pizza as well.
3. My alum graduated in 2005 along with his wife and I’m sure a lot has changed since then.
4.(5) what the in-class alums have in common with my alum is that they all graduated a couple years ago.
5. My alum seems that he has changed what he originally had planned for a career. He majored in English, but he now has a position in Houston and will be a executive director. What was your “dream” job?
6. I want to know what his reason was for majoring in English.

AJ Marangos

11/9/2020 09:18:22 am

1. My alum was the parole officer for a murderer who stayed in the "Supermax" prison in Colorado. He has been working since he was 9. He switched his major from health science to criminal justice.
2. Me and Joseph both had a rough first semster at college
3. Well I think of my college experince, and I think of zoom meetings. Joseph was obviously able to make it to campus with no corona around
4. I want to know how close he got to the corruption of the criminal justice department. He says the system is corrupt and they only care about money.
5. One of the in-class alums mentioned their rough start to college as well. Both alums said it was due to not really knowing which major was for them.
6. Joseph Moloney is someone who always wants the truth, no matter how ugly it may be

Omayra Saez

11/9/2020 09:17:54 pm

The top three things I learned about my alumni is that she is married and has a 21-year-old daughter and her daughter studies art education in Boston, and she is going to try to travel back to japan. Also, one of her favorites hobbies to do is hike and Stacy hiked a glacier in Alaska in the middle of winter! What do I have in common with my alumni is that I feel like we are both warm hearted people and we generally care about everyone who was brought into our lives! I feel like the more I can talk to her the more I would be able to find more about her but the way how it looks is that she puts her mind to what needed to get done and does it the right way. I feel like I cannot say much on my alumni until I really get to know her. Things that I want to learn more about is just Stacy in general I want to like play 21 questions or something.

Ally Spencer

11/12/2020 11:29:06 am

Sidney is a very inspiring person. One of the most interesting things I learned about her was her motivation to make change. She teaches second grade at Red Cloud Indian School in Pine Ridge, South Dakota and she has always been involved in community service. Sidney and I are both are home bodies and we both are willing to try new things. Talking to Sidney has made me reconsider the way I’m going to approach my college career. I have never been interested in doing any clubs or getting involved at all but she has inspired me start. Sidney has similarities with all the alums. All of them have been highly impacted by their time at BSU. Something I noticed was that both Sidney and Kris have switched jobs and ended up really enjoying where they are. I am not sure what my thesis is yet, but I would like it to be about how Sidney’s experience at Bridgewater helped shape her to be who she is today and made her realize how important community service work is.

Essiah Marcial

11/18/2020 08:42:14 am

My alumni is Casner Parfait he attended BSU nearly 10 years ago in 2011.

One of the most interesting things about Casner is he originally went to school to be a dentist. He ended up becoming a teacher. The reason he wanted to do so was because that was a goal he set as a kid and just always felt like that's what he had to be. Until freshman year that is.

Another interesting fact is he switched his major. I pointed that out because there are days where I feel completely lost and I understand that with life comes change if it wasn't to late for him to decide its never to late for me.

Another cool fact is Mrs. Torda is a psychic When Casner was a senior and looking to go on to teaching he was super stressed due to the fact there could be NO Jobs out there so he went to see Mrs. Torda and her words exactly wore "you are a black man in education opportunity will be everywhere." that is very inspiring to me. Although I am not a black man where I come from and how I grew up I am a minority, but I have dreams of making a true change.

I would like to know more about Casners early life and his upbringing I feel like that really molds you into the man or women you become.

11/23/2020 05:30:27 pm

1. One interesting thing I learned about Joseph(probation officer) is that he once supervised a man who was once an inmate at the "Supermax" prison in Colorado. I also learned that he loves to hike. Lastly, I found out that he wants to take a trip to New Zealand one day.
2. Me and my alum both want to travel out of the United States one day.
3. Well my alum really enjoyed the social experience he got in college and I was looking forward to that as well but now I have to wait until next year. My whole experience has only been online so far but Joseph's optimistic approach has helped me have hope for my sophomore year
4. I want to know more about what my alum is going to night school for
5. My alum and the in-class alum both found there best relationships in college.
6. Joseph Moloney is a man who likes to takes risks, chances, because you never know where they can lead you.

kaia souza

11/30/2020 12:25:33 am

some things that I found interesting about my alum is that they started as a buisness major but now has a career in working with at risk teens, she has had multiple people in her life including someone as close as her husband that question her career choice, and she is married with two daughters.
My alum and I grew up very different from each other, my alum considers her childhood quite privileged as she grew up in Bridgewater and stayed here to go to college and would go home to her parents on the weekends. despite us growing up differently my alums career choice has allowed her insight into other teens live that are similar to mine so we are able to have similar knowledge and understandings.
my alum and I view BSU pretty similar, we both see it as a place for opportunity. she did make me think more about study aboud she really believe that there is no better opportunity and no other time in your life that you are able to just spend time in another place for that price and it is a really good opportunity so that is all making me think more about that as well
my alum, Jillian Lucchetti is a caring, hard working woman who is passionate about her career and puts her family and the children she works with as top priorities.

What You Know So Far . . .

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