This fall I participated in the Stockton Spaceflight Experiments Program (SSEP). This is not a one day event, but took place over several weeks. Once a part of the program, you can work alone or team up with other students and develop a research proposal to send an experiment of your own design up to the International Space Station. The program is a competition against other teams from Stockton, and once the time is complete, the proposals are collected and three semifinalists are sent to Washington DC for further critique. If then chosen against dozens of other experiment proposals from across the country, you’ll actually get the opportunity to build and send your experiment to space.

This program is definitely not for those who don’t have a passion for science and space, but if you do it is a fun, challenging way to get involved in the research process. You get thrown right into the mix, but if you choose not to take the program for credits, you aren’t even going to receive a grade for it. You can do it for fun, and do it more than once as well. It is a rewarding experience that gives you hands on knowledge in the world of science and research, and bragging rights to say that you had an experiment that was sent to outer space isn’t too bad either.

The program was a lot of fun, but a lot of work as well. I recommend it to anybody who has an interest in the sciences and space research projects. You learn a lot and get to work in groups with people and a mentor professor, and it’s a competitive environment where you have to not only beat the other teams, but beat the clock and make sure everything gets done right and on time. I would definitely recommend trying it next fall, make sure to look for flyers in the USC in September.

On the night of October 17th, 2017, the office of Residential Life and Live Learn Lead program had Joseph Thompson, Stockton Assistant Director of Student Development, put on an hour long presentation about what it means to be privileged in the United States, particularly being white, straight, and male. Being a straight, white male myself, I went into the TRLC event room under the assumption I was going to be lectured about my privileges and the guilt I should feel for being so lucky in the world we live in. There weren’t many people who showed up for the event; however, with the dozen or so students present the program went on.

As expected, I did learn a great deal about the privileges I have been given, without my knowledge, just for being born who I am. What took me by surprise was the tone Thompson used throughout the presentation. While still being affirmative about the extent of privileges white males have, it was also apparent that he was not trying to make me, or anyone else similar to me, feel ashamed for what we are. He even said, “you don’t have to feel guilty for your privileges,” but instead “be aware of them”. It is important to have awareness and understanding of how you got to where you are in society as a result of your privileges. A privileged human being has not done anything inherently wrong by having those privileges, but continuing to force the system of racism and discrimination, giving those same unfair privileges to the next generation is wrong.

Major takeaways from the event include that everyone has privilege, somehow, someway, and in different quantities. Privilege should not make you feel guilty, but instead should be embraced and utilized so that it can be changed for future generations. Speak out, stand up, and listen. This short, hour-long presentation was not only informational, but made you reflect on how exactly you got to where you are today. Overall it was a good dialogue, with a pleasant speaker, and a supportive environment that didn’t shame you for having privilege and was welcoming to people of all types. I hope to see him speak again about issues like these.

On Saturday September 9^th, 2017, I participated in my first Stockton Day of Service. Being perfecting honest, I didn’t want to go. The only reason I originally signed up and went was because it was a service event that counted towards my requirements to remain in the Honors Program this fall. I really wasn’t a happy camper that I was going to go, but from 9am until sometime later that afternoon, what I found was pleasantly surprising.

No doubt, I walked in with a bad attitude, just looking for reasons to get pissed off about having to go. To my surprise though, I had a really hard time doing so. The first event I was part of, I was tasked with assembling and binding children’s coloring books with string. However, once I got into the rhythm of what I was doing and music was playing, I found I was starting to have a good time. I thought I would have enjoyed spending my morning in bed, but the positive environment of the first event made me feel good to do good, and I really enjoyed participating.

The second event I went to was a seminar about the heroin epidemic in Atlantic County and across the state of New Jersey. Heroin has indirectly affected parts of my life in the past, so learning and listening to these people talk about the problem felt down to earth, and very real, but was really insightful into the issues our society faces today. I walked away with a different perception about the problem, and gained some valuable insight I can carry with me.

Then I moved on and assisted in packaging rice meals for third world countries. Again, what could have been a long hour and ten minutes of scooping rice into bags, was not. Music was blasting, everyone was singing, people were in a good mood, and I could feel the energy in the room. The time just flew by. By the end of it all, I didn’t want to stop, and looking at all the boxes of food I just packaged was a sincerely proud moment to look at what my peers and I at Stockton can do in such a short period of time.

Lastly, all the groups met up back in the campus center event room, for Kevin Wanzer, a speaker and comedian, who gave not only a heartfelt story about raising his adopted transgender child, but made the stories hilarious. His presentation was a great ending to a great day. And while I walked into Day of Service that morning miserable that I am using my Saturday to do this work, I walked out that afternoon in an awesome mood and feeling accomplished. I look forward to participating in another Day of Service soon.