UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Earlham College

 

 

 

Team Bonner

 

 

We are Team Bonner. Here you can learn a little bit than the usual facts about these people who help make the Bonner Program amazing at Earlham College.

 

Name: Derric Watson

Code Name: D

Position: Director of the Bonner Center for Service and Vocation

 

Contact Info:

Number: 765.983.1893

Fax Number:  765.983.1894

 

Please, tell us a little about yourself.

I grew up on the west coast, but fell in love with Earlham and east central Indiana while here for graduate school.  I have an amazing partner whom I love and respect very much, and we have a beautiful little boy who is a delight.  And I really like coffe and music.  

Please briefly describe your position and some of its related tasks.

My task as Director of the Bonner Center for Service and Vocation is to wrok with students and support the professional staff as they work with students.  I also am charged with keeping in mind the needs and overall direction of the whole Center.

What is it that you enjoy the most about this position?

1) Earlham students. 2) The professional staff who work in the BCSV. 3) Working with our community partners.

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If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

A lazy housecat.  That way, it would be like lounging around in my pajamas all day.

If you could be any superhero, who would it be and why?

Well, I identify most with Spiderman, but really would like to be able to fly.

If you could live in any era in any part of the world, where would it be,

when, and why?

1) I think I would enjoy hearing Miles Davis play jazz when he was young and fearless, back in NYC in the late 40's and early 50's.  Or perhaps hear John Coltrane's original quartet begin to spread their wings in the early 60's. Yeah, either one of those'd be cool.

 

 

Name: Jana Schroeder

Code Name: Jazzy Jana

Position: Coordinator of Earlham College Bonner Scholars Program

 

Contact Info:

Number: 765.983.

Fax Number:  765.983.

 

Please, tell us a little about yourself.

 

My name is Jana Schroeder, and I began working at Earlham as the Bonner scholars Program coordinator in July 2004.  I grew up in the country near Dayton, Ohio with two older brothers.  I attended Earlham and graduated with a degree in sociology/anthropology and history. 

 

I lived in Dayton for a number of years staffing the Ohio Criminal Justice Program of the American Friends Service Committee, a Quaker organization.  The program I staffed advocated for a more humane and effective criminal justice system in which rehabilitation is emphasized over punishment and the rights and dignity of all are respected. 

 

I have been blind since birth.  Until my late teens, I could see colors and large objects close to me.  I am now totally blind.  I don’t mind people’s questions about the techniques and technology I use.  I like interacting with people but don’t necessarily know you’re there unless you speak to me.  It’s helpful if you  can say your name, too, especially if you’re just saying hi in passing as I may not recognize your voice in just a few words.

 

I live with my partner of over 20 years, Leslie, and our dog and cat.  We live close enough to campus for me to walk to work.  I love to read, and I’m a huge music fan (without any musical talent of my own) who loves listening to live music and discovering interesting, new artists.  There are several other hobbies I’d love to take up if I could find a little more free time.

 

Please briefly describe your position and some of its related tasks.

 

The Bonner Scholars Program coordinator oversees the day-to-day operation of the Bonner Scholars Program.  I work closely with the 60 Earlham Bonner scholars, helping them to understand and meet the requirements of the program and coaching them individually and in groups as they develop within the program.  The Bonner Scholars Program involves more than just volunteering ten hours per week at a nonprofit in the community.  Bonner Scholars are expected to grow and to develop skills during their time in the program and to reflect on their goals and experiences as they go along.  To that end, I myself facilitate or find others to lead monthly All-Bonner and class meetings as well as required in-service training activities and retreats for each class.  In addition, I coordinate the process for selecting and orienting each year’s new class of 15 Bonner Scholars.  I am also responsible for insuring that students are submitting the paperwork to document their hours and activities as required by the Bonner Foundation and for completing other reports to the foundation which provides the funding for the program.  Summers are busy as well.  I spend time visiting the service sites where Bonner serve during the year and helping with the preparation of the BCSV’s community service site directory.  Bonner Scholars are required to complete at least two summers of service in addition to the school year service hours so I also receive many questions throughout the summer months from Bonners doing service all over the U.S. and usually in several locations outside the U.S. as well.  Finally, I enjoy supporting students who are not Bonner Scholars who are also interested in service.  I answer individual questions, offer support to EVE and other student groups and have helped coordinate alternative spring break trips to the GulfCoast since 2006.

 

What is it that you enjoy the most about this position?

 

The students!  There is no question that the students I have the privilege to work with are what keeps my job interesting and makes it feel worthwhile.  I really love the passion, creativity, intelligence and kindness of Earlham students.  I love to see students grow and mature while they are at Earlham, and I am especially proud of students who struggle but ultimately succeed in learning and contributing to the community.  I get the idea that some students find me intimidating.  I do set standards and hold people accountable.  At the same time, I try to meet people where they are, listen to their stories and give them support and an opportunity to succeed in the Bonner program.  I also know the Bonner program  is demanding and is not the best fit for everyone so I continue to care about students who leave the program.  I really love it when former students visit or contact me to let me know what they are doing.  I believe in the mission and design of the Bonner Scholars Program, and I have seen the impact that it has had on students and the communities and people they serve.

 

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If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

 

A cat (as long as I could be someone’s pampered house pet, of course) because I love to sleep, am very independent and think it would be interesting to have a tail and the ability to purr.

 

If you could be any superhero, who would it be and why?

 

I must admit that I don’t follow the adventures of superheroes much.  I don’t have a lot of interest in a scenario where one or a few beings with superpowers save the world.  I think the superpower I’d be interested in having would be the ability to allow everyone I meet to recognize and have confidence in their unique gifts and abilities so that we would all feel empowered to work on saving the world together.

 

If you could live in any era in any part of the world, where would it be, when, and why?

 

Well, there are lots of places and times I imagine it would be fun to visit, none I’d like to inhabit permanently.  As a Quaker, I think it would be interesting to visit England around 1650 when Quakerism was starting (and there were lots of other social and political upheavals) to see what it was like for those early Friends.  I would love to experience Hawaii or another part of Polynesia before Europeans arrived because I understand the cultures were relatively peaceful.  Paris in the 1920’s would also be interesting because of all the literary and artistic life of that era.  Egypt, Dahomey, Iraq and Japan are also of great interest, but I don’t have a particular era in mind, mostly because I am so ignorant of non-Western history.

 

 

 

Name: Liz Embick

Code Phrase: Ballin'

Position: Career Advisor for Bonner Center for Service and Vocation

 

Please, tell us a little about yourself.

- Well, I’m originally from a small town in northeastern Ohio called Rootstown.  I’m part of a huge, closely-knit Italian family who mostly still reside near my hometown.  Since most of the family is local, we frequently get together to catch-up, gossip, and eat large amounts of good food.  So, it came as a shock to everyone when I moved 3 hours away to attend OhioNorthernUniversity where, in 2003, I received my BA in English Literature, had a Minor in Studio Art, and an Option in Leadership.  After Northern, I went to KentStateUniversity where I received my M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration and College Student Personnel in 2005.  I moved to Richmond and started at Earlham in July of 2005 and continue to enjoy my time here. 

 

Please briefly describe your position and some of its related tasks.

- My official position title is: Career Advisor.  I help students with all parts of what we in the office call “the vocational discernment process.”  In the simplest of terms, this means that I help students figure out what they are passionate about and help them build the skills necessary to get there.  Practically, I help students with the following: resume writing, picking and applying to graduate programs, identifying goals for the future, searching for job opportunities, selecting a major, assessing interests and abilities, and much more.

 

What is it that you enjoy the most about this position?

- Helping others is what I enjoy most about my position.  I find I’m most satisfied with my work when I’ve been able to help someone in some concrete way; i.e.: building a resume, working on a graduate school application, reviewing a career assessment, etc. 

 

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If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?

- I’ll go with a bird though I’m slightly afraid of heights.  I think it would be great to have the freedom to fly wherever the wind carried you. 

 

If you could be any superhero, who would it be and why?

- Superman; for confirmation, just look at my office door (for those who haven’t seen it, I have a poster of Superman hanging there).  As to why, there are all of the obvious reasons, he can fly and is bullet-proof, can leap over tall buildings in a single bound, is super fast, possesses super strength, etc.  The best thing is that, like most superheroes, he keeps his identity secret so as to not attract very much attention. He does what he has to do to get the job done without seeking recognition.    

 

If you could live in any era in any part of the world, where would it be, when, and why?

- 1800’s / Early 1900’s, Italy.  I would love to experience what life was like for my ancestors.  To be honest, if I had a time machine, I would use it constantly to travel all over the world during lots of different time periods.  It would be awesome to have first-hand experience of all the things I’ve read about in history books!

  

 

 

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Earlham College