The first event that I attended was Stockton’s Day of Service on September 10^th.  As an honors student, I was expected to show up and put in all my effort, but I wasn’t sure what exactly I was going to be asked to do.

When I showed up at the Campus Center to start the day, I was told I would help out with Books Without Borders. Eventually though, I volunteered to help with building a few nests for wild ospreys, as no one had signed up for that, and they needed volunteers. The overall project was made a little harder by the fact that I had a fractured finger, but I worked through it anyway.

Overall, the project was a lot of fun! The project’s leader divided us into groups to build three separate nests; one nest would be stacked on a tall post , and the other two would be attached to buildings. It was a fun experience to use power tools and measure out exact lengths for the wood. The work was definitely demanding, but we managed to put together three good-looking nests! After we put one of the nests on the post, everyone got to sign it and date it for memory’s sake.

The day as a whole was a lot of fun. It felt really good to know that the project I was working on would help keep an important species alive and thriving, as well as provide more of a chance for the species’ future. As a biology mature, I love helping out with environmental services, so building the nests seemed perfect for me. The Day of Service seemed like a lot of fun no matter what event people participated in, and I would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of participating!

On Friday October 14, 2011, the PAC Theater held a symposium in honor of Roberto Clemente. The speaker that came and shared his knowledge and past experiences with Clemente was Luis Mayoral. He spoke of his personal relationship with Clemente, having first seen him tying his spikes at a game. Mayoral still specifically remembers the cologne that Clemente used to wear. Later, Mayoral was privileged to actually meet with Clemente at his home, and have a long conversation with him. As the years went by, the two became close friends, allowing Mayoral to have all the information that he shared at the PAC.
Luis Mayoral spoke of how much of a caring and good person Clemente was. While Clemente had pride for his country, he also instilled a pride for the Puerto Ricans that looked up to him. Along with inspiring his own people, Mayoral told us of how Clemente was greatly respectful towards his fans. He always showed love for the youth, which was one inspiration for his Sports Center. Clemente also always had time for fans during the games, never failing to give them attention.
Besides being an icon, Clemente was also greatly involved with helping those less fortunate, specifically earthquake victims of Nicaragua. Clemente spent a good deal of time raising goods to send over to the distraught nation in hopes of helping them to recover. When he heard that the shipments were being taken by the local military and sold to the victims instead, he decided to accompany the next shipment. During this flight, the plane banked too far left and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean; his body was never found.
While Clemente is remembered for his induction into the Hall of Fame, his tragic death, and the game, this was not what he wanted to be remembered for. Clemente wanted to be remembered as a ball player who gave all that he had to give.

Here at Stockton we had a blood drive on September 21^st and 22^nd.  Sign up tables were set up by the Honors Program in the Campus Center to find anyone willing to donate.  My friends and I were suppose to run one of these sign up tables the day before the blood drive, but the sign up sheets were misplaced and unfortunately we could not run the table. But the minute I saw one of these sign up tables I had to sign up.  I have given blood twice before and I try to give blood whenever the opportunity arises because it is something so easy to give; we constantly are creating more and more blood in our bodies.  Some people do not have this luxury and need more blood.  The blood drive here at Stockton was the best one I have been to so far.  It was fairly quick with not much waiting around in between steps.  The nurses were very nice and took interest in me as a person, which was very comforting because then I didn’t feel like just another pint of blood; I was also a person.  The needle was slightly painful but it was over before I knew it.  They offered pretzels, juice, and water afterwards to the donors to prevent anyone from getting lightheaded.  It overall was a really great experience even with technically losing a part of my body.  I hear there will be another blood drive in the spring and I encourage anyone who can donate to do so.  I know for certain I will be there.

The Day of Service was an interesting event that I participated in at Stockton. It was a day for Stockton students to have a chance to volunteer for organizations in the area who need the help.  This event took place on September 10^th, 2011 and it started around 8 am.  The even began with a nice breakfast and some moving speeches about September 11^th, 2001 by an EMT from the area and our very own President, Herman J. Saatkamp, Jr.

After the remembrance we continued on to our volunteer projects. My friends and I were originally signed up to take part in Books Without Borders, which is where students go through old books that can’t be resold and send them to Third World countries so underprivileged students can have access to the same information we have.  But then we found out that the project called Osprey Nests we very short staffed so we stepped up to fill the group.

Building osprey nests was a lot of fun. I volunteer at a wildlife center at home so doing something to benefit wildlife was second nature for me.  I was really inexperienced with tools however, but I quickly learned with this project.  I was sawing and drilling in no time (I didn’t hurt myself or anyone else either, which is quite a feat for me).  We built three tops of the structures for the nests and we set one on a pole to be put in the ground.  Hopefully one day we could put one of these osprey nest structures on our campus. That way we can encourage our own mascot to live here.

My first volunteering experience since joining the Stockton Community took place last Saturday, the 10th of September at the Noyes Museum of Art. The Day of Service brought Stockton students together through various service projects around the area. By helping many different organizations, from a Wildlife Refuge to the Absecon Light House, the students of Stockton were truly able to reflect on the idea that individuals coming together and offering help can truly make a difference.

My specific task was to help organize and clean the Noyes Museum in Oceanville, New Jersey. When my group first arrived, we were greeted by the museum manager who explained the various jobs that he needed us to do around the museum. I started to assist in cleaning the windows, tables, and chairs. The manager was grateful for any help that we could provide, regardless of how big or how little. Some other people in my group aided in pulling the weeds outside in the museum’s front garden. Ultimately, our team helped in enhancing the aesthetics of the museum to make it enjoyable for the visitors and less work for those working there.

Overall, the Day of Service was a rewarding experience. The students had the opportunity to meet new people by working together and cooperating with others at the different service areas. In addition, it was pleasant to meet the people who we were assisting and to see how much they appreciated the help given to them. It is essential for the community to lend a hand in aiding others every so often. There are many different organizations that could benefit from even a small amount of volunteering. Students can effortlessly find one that appeals to their interests which makes helping out more enjoyable and satisfying.

Starting college, for anyone, is a bit nerve-racking. Although at Stockton we were offered to participate in a program that took a little bit of the curiosity off the first day of school- The Honors Experience. All incoming freshmen were welcomed to spend one night in a dorm so they could get a feel as to what they were in for. That does not nearly explain the things done in our two days together. From greetings all the way until the last icebreaker, the Honors Experience did not allow for a dull moment. When we arrived, we were directed into a building that we all know now as the TRLC. Upperclassmen handed out water bottles and name tags. After this moment, the day quickly took off.
All the students and our parents were directed to an area in the new campus center. This is where we ate and some of the students began to mingle. Little did I know at the time, but I met some people who were going to be great friends. Next we all went our separate with our parents for the brief time we had left with them. This consisted of sitting through several extremely motivating speakers. The speakers, knowing that we were all incoming freshmen, gave us great views on the program and ways to start off the year with success. They made me excited and grateful that I chose Stockton.
Next were the Irish dancing and icebreakers. After we each briefly introduced ourselves we were unreadily pushed into the dances. They were crazy but each student could not help but laugh throughout them. Icebreakers continued to keep us opening up to each other. Volleyball also shared the same purpose. We were not told to play volleyball but we all wanted to; the beginning of the bonding of the honors students. Overall the overnight honors experience gave new students a positive attitude on what their college experience was going to be like.
-Victoria Starner