I wake up every morning, at 6:15, take a shower, eat breakfast, prepare myself for the day, and drive 25 minutes to school as if this has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Well, that’s because it has been, except rather than a student in a school setting, I am now a full time teacher. I teach Family and Consumer Sciences at Elmwood High School, and at 22 years old, I am in some instances only four years older than my students.

I made it through Bradley in just four years, something that seems near impossible to accomplish in 2009. Through hard work, and absence of the cliché college life style, I persevered and even graduated with honors. For my student teaching assignment I was placed in the very school I had so desired and requested. Little did I know, I would be hired to teach there the following year. It was a very comforting feeling to walk across the stage at graduation knowing I had a job with a steady income, and better yet, money to begin paying off student loans.

Elmwood is a rather small rural community, so I was assigned extra responsibilities as head junior high softball coach and a sophomore class sponsor. I started my coaching responsibilities at the end of July, before the school year had even begun. I was anxious, excited, and honestly could not sleep the night before my first practice. Once the softball season and school year were in full swing, I was extremely stressed and emotional. To put it simply, everyday was overwhelming, yet I was having the time of my life.  It didn’t take me long to realize that I absolutely love my career, and the school that I work in.

My day begins at 7:45 when I arrive in my classroom, and I am busy from start to finish. Family and Consumer Sciences is a broad subject to teach, meaning I actually teach 6 different classes. I begin the mornings with a preschool program that pairs my high school students with 3-5 year-old children.  Next I have a Foodservice class that prepares a salad bar in the cafeteria. That is followed by a Fashions class, where my students construct individual projects, such as flannel pants, purses, and blankets. I have two food and nutrition classes in which students learn a great deal about food science and nutrition. But, my main goal for this class is for the students to feel comfortable working in a kitchen.  Lastly, I have a 7th grade class that is introduced to every aspect of FCS. I am amazed at how much interest and energy the 7th grade students bring to each class.

My job is so fun, and something I look forward to every day, I think it is still surreal that this is my career. This is what I have to look forward to for the next 30 some years, hopefully. I would like to give hope to those Bradley students that think they will never make it through, or believe that it will be worse after graduation. After all that I had been through in college, with the continual stress, homework, tests, and being broke, I fully believe that life after college is much more fulfilling. Isn’t that why we go to college in the first place?

As one would imagine, you can’t use duct tape to fix a nuclear power plant - this is where I come in.

I am an Instrumentation and Controls Engineer for Sargent & Lundy in downtown Chicago. What we do is consulting, engineering, and design for electric power plants all over the world. Specifically, I create electrical control systems for nuclear power plants. This relates to anything inside of a plant that needs to be monitored, moved, or manipulated by electricity. My summer was spent learning the basic rules and regulations about power plants. My days since then have been spent doing calculations, reviewing schematics, and learning more about this field through company lectures. It is not uncommon some days for me to use my calculator more than my keyboard. I’ve only done a little traveling thus far, but that will change, so I’m catching my breath until then.

A few days after moving my tassel, I became a resident of the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Chicago, living two blocks north of the field. Most of the summer revolved around getting to as many Cubs games as possible and celebrating the few times they did win. This is by far one of the best places to live with so many people my age and has several distractions to cure a boring day. Moving into an apartment with my sister is an adjustment I’m still getting used to. But I’m fine with a door-to-desk commute of 20 minutes every day. Outside of work, I explore the city every chance I get and spend time with friends who either work or attend grad school here.  I even had a slight brush with Hollywood this summer when the latest “Meet the Parents” sequel was shot in both my backyard and the CTA train station above it. For a week straight, I was living on my porch watching all the filming. One day I even grabbed an off-screen cameo with Ben Stiller.

I’m thankful for the significant influence that Bradley has had on me. Not only do I enjoy working in my field, but I’m in an ideal environment for someone who just graduated college. In many ways I can say that BU played a key role in this. Bradley has a superior reputation in the engineering field and I work with several Bradley alumni throughout my company.

It’s not uncommon for me to hear gunshots in my neighborhood, or to see catfights outside my window.  When I walk outside, I am often stopped by police and asked, “Do you live here?”  The answer is always a vehement, “Yes.”

I live on the South Side of Chicago, near the Englewood neighborhood.  It’s not exactly the type of place you would expect a young, successful college graduate to live but I choose to live here, because I choose to live in solidarity with the students I teach.

I volunteer for an organization called Inner City teaching Corps, which places young teachers in underserved public and private schools across Chicago.  Though I always knew I wanted to perform some type of service work after I received my degree from Bradley, I wasn’t always sure what I wanted my service work to be.  Early on, I looked into the Peace Corps; however, living alone in a foreign country for two years seemed daunting.  As an English and Secondary Education major, I began looking at programs that exemplified my passion for teaching.  The search for a “perfect” service program led me to the Inner City Teaching Corps where I am currently in the middle of a two-year commitment as a volunteer teacher.

Though the main purpose of ICTC is to place young teachers in schools across Chicago, ICTC is really a conglomeration of volunteer teaching, community living, and graduate school all rolled up into a neat little package.

My days are jam-packed with obligations and responsibilities I must fulfill to my students, my community members, and my graduate school professors.  Daily, for my students, I must plan lessons that are both informative and engaging, grade papers, call parents, and find ways to cope with the behavioral issues that arise.  As if the responsibilities and demands on a 1^st year teacher aren’t hard enough, I must also return home and fulfill my responsibilities to my seven community members.

Luckily, my community members have become both best friends and family to me.  As we are all first year teachers, we support each other through the good, the bad, and the ugly.  This makes mundane tasks such as cleaning our bathrooms, cooking dinner, or washing dishes easier to bear at the end of a long day.

Finally, I also must make time in my schedule to fulfill requirements for the graduate courses I am taking at Northwestern University.  Weekly, my fellow corps members and I make the commute to Evanston to attend classes.

Though my Bradley education prepared me in many ways for this program, I still find myself facing harsh realities daily.  (How do you cope with a 5^th grader who can’t read?  Gang members?  Bullying?)  My students may not always love me, but they need me and in many ways, I need them too.  The life of service may not be the path for everyone, but it was the perfect choice for me.

Daniel Shore graduated in May ‘09 with degrees in Electronic Media and Psychology.  He moved to Chicago, and with the help of some Bradley connections, was hired to serve two months as an intern under Bruce Levine, the baseball reporter for ESPN Radio AM 1000 in Chicago.  See his story below.

Wake up.  There could only be one thing to do: check the newspapers online.  White Sox and Cubs.  Articles and blogs. General sports news, too.  Then check ESPN.com, the team websites, Twitter, and a few select reporters.  Brush my teeth.  Gather my recording equipment and laptop.  Grab food and head to the ball park.

Get to ballpark four hours before the game.  Sign in and flash press-pass credential.  Head up to the press box, set up the equipment, head down to the locker room.  Wait.  Wait.  Record player(s) talking.  Make mental notes of good quotes.  Sit in dugout.  Wait.  Record.  Back to the press box.  Send audio to studio.  Watch game, keep scorecard.  Head down, wait, record press conference, mental notes, wait, post-game interviews, up, send, done.  See everyone tomorrow.

That was my schedule for nearly two months, while I was living a dream through my internship with ESPN Radio in Chicago.  The description above does not do justice to the invaluable experience that the internship was, nor does it accentuate any of the highlights and great moments from the 35 baseball games I helped cover.  But I think it’s a captivating beginning.

Every day was a rush complemented by hard work and good laughs.

The rush came from the opportunity to hold the ESPN Radio microphone while players and managers spoke.  It came from getting to watch the games from the press box.  A few times, I was fortunate enough to get my adrenaline pumping by conducting a one-on-one interview with a player! Simply the fact that I was doing a hands-on, in-the-field internship in a major media market brought excitement to each day.

It certainly wasn’t easy though.  The hard work started each day as I did my daily pre-game research before leaving my apartment.  Once I was at the ball park it was all about time management and responsibility.  First and foremost, I had to ensure that I didn’t miss a player or manager talking.  Then it was up to me to select the audio clips I sent back to the station for use in news stories and updates. I had to be certain that all newsworthy items were being transmitted.  Sometimes the equipment wasn’t working right or I was doing something wrong. That’s when the pressure would build, but I persevered and learned from my mistakes.

My other duties included writing articles, doing in-game updates, and recording pre- and post-game recaps (aka “wraps”).  Nothing was more valuable than having a professional reporter read or listen to my work and give me constructive criticism.  That’s where the real learning was taking place.

And then there were the good laughs - with the other characters in the press box, the players joking around, or a light-hearted discussion about life with my mentor, Bruce Levine.  It was a job, but it was also a continuous life lesson.  If I had only showed up, done my job, and gone home each day then the experience would not have been comprehensive or complete.  I was learning every moment, from everyone and everything around me.

For those two unforgettable months, I took what I had learned at Bradley and successfully immersed myself in the world of being a Chicago sports reporter.

Thursday was our last day in San Juan de la Maguana. We were given the opportunity to explore the community in the morning. Abigail went to barrios with the children’s ministry, and Dorothy helped with painting at a school. In the afternoon, we were able to observe the chiropractor followed by watching two surgeries.

We were generously invited by the director of the rehabilitation center to eat dinner at her home with her family, along with our translators for the week and therapists from the center. The director was grateful for our help during the week, and is excited for teams with physical therapists to come again in the future. We have estimated that approximately 75 evaluations were completed during our three and a half days at the clinic. Our time here has served as a wonderful learning experience, as well as strengthening our skills in the clinic and other aspects of life.

Today we returned back to Santo Domingo to see some historical sites. We will be back in the states on Sunday after a very rewarding experience.

On Tuesday, we started our day with a new Dominican cultural experience by walking through the open street market where many vegetables, meat, clothing, and a multitude of miscellaneous items are sold.

For the remainder of the morning and afternoon, we examined and treated patients at the rehabilitation center next to a hospital. We saw a total of about 20 patients today with a range of diagnoses including patient(s) with post-stroke, post-spinal cord injuries, back complications, and secondary conditions post- orthopedic surgeries.

We educated a man with a large neurofibromatosis (large mass) on his leg before surgery. Tomorrow morning we will see him again to review gait training with crutches. We were unable to update the blog last night since we were up late observing surgery from a side room.

On Wednesday, we worked in surgery. This was a great experience, as the surgical team was willing to let us help hands-on. Due to the small number of people available to help the surgeon in the surgical room, other team members were welcomed to help. The nurse anesthesiologist instructed us on how to intubate a patient prior to surgery.  It was an amazing experience that we normally would not have the chance to do.

The rest of the day we finished seeing the remainder of the patients at the rehabilitation clinic. Again we saw a wide variety of conditions. The language barrier has been a challenge, but the translators have been wonderful. We also have picked up a little Spanish while being here.

Thursday will be our last day working in San Juan.

Multimedia:

Photos: MAP Rally in Springfield
Gallery | Slideshow

In the news:

• Peoria Journal Star: BU students converge on Capitol (10/15/2009)
   
• WMBD: MAP Grant Rally (10/15/2009)
   
• WEEK: Rally for dollars at state capitol (10/15/2009)

Related link:

• Gov. Quinn Rallies for MAP Grant
  Includes video, photos and text of the student statements from the rally at Bradley on October 8, 2009.

I’m finally back at my computer, which means that my limited length text message correspondence is over.

On the way home, it was easy to see what a day full of screaming, chanting, standing and clapping will do to a group of college students.  There was much less chatter on Bus Two’s return to Peoria, and many more sleepy heads resting against the windows.  That is, until our group leader, Brad McMillan, was patched into the bus’ P.A. system to announce that the Illinois Senate had approved the MAP appropriations.  That seemed to grab everyone’s attention and wake some people up, as applause broke out on the bus.

It is still unclear how the legislation plans to pay for next semester’s MAP grants, but this bill being approved can at least put student’s minds to rest, eliminating the thought of being forced to drop out of school after winter break.

I can’t say enough for the personal benefits of today’s experience, especially as a journalism major.  I haven’t spent much time in the capitol, but it was remarkable to be able to witness our democracy at work first hand and leave Springfield with an outcome that will provide a brighter future to so many students.  At the rally, I was surrounded, shoulder-to-shoulder, by nearly 2,000 students whose educations are made possible by MAP grants, but it was truly humbling to realize that they were only a sliver of the nearly 140,000 students that are impacted by this program.

I guess that’s all for today.  Thanks for reading!

2:10 p.m.
Here’s a photo of everyone with Rep. Gordon and Sen. Koehler in the Senate chambers.

1:54 p.m.
About 20 of us and a WMBD camera crew are crammed into Sen. Koehler’s office waiting to be taken into the Senate chambers. Rep. Jehan Gordon just popped in to tell us the bill passed with only one nay vote.

1:22 p.m.
State Rep. Jehan Gordon wouldn’t give the exact vote total, but revealed that the bill passed overwhelmingly in the House.

1:17 p.m.
State Sen. Dave Koehler has just come outside to meet specially with Bradley students. Sen. Koehler said the House bill is making its way to the Senate.

1:13 p.m.

1:04 p.m.
The scheduled part of the rally has ended, but the participating students are now making their way to the capitol building to continue lobbying.

12:58 p.m.
Brocke Masse of Kenwood High School in Chicago just gave an interesting perspective.  In all of the MAP talks, the effect on high school students is not usually discussed.

12:45 p.m.
Kyle has just introduced Gov. Pat Quinn, who announced that the House of Representatives has already passed appropriations for reinstating MAP funding.  The bill will now go to the Senate.

12:38 p.m.
All of the students and speakers that have spoken have been fired up, but nobody has come close to displaying passion of State Rep. David Miller who just blew this crowd away, causing the students to break into an emphatic “We need MAP” chant.

12:32 p.m.
A student from Lincolnland Community College just took the mic and delivered an extremely powerful address. She is a single mother, victim of domestic violence and Americorps member.  Apart from her personal story, she had one message for legislators: “Restore MAP.”

12:27 p.m.
The scheduled events of the day have kicked off and now speaking is Depaul University president Dylan Goodson, who said more than 4,100 Depaul students receive MAP grants.

12:16 p.m.
Not to be outdone, the student body president of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has taken the stage. Kyle’s invitation to “share your story” has caused a line to be formed in front of the crowd. Also, this rally has filled a tent of approximately 100 by 50 feet and has spilled over into the courtyard of the Illinois Educator’s Association building.

12:11 p.m.

12:05 p.m.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale has arrived and made a statement.  Their student body president grabbed the mic to give his own personal story and announce that SIU has filled eight buses to capacity for the rally.

11:58 a.m.
Student body President Kyle Malinowski has taken the stage and recieved a more than warm reception. Kyle gave a quick intro of himself, but then gave up the microphone to anyone who wished to share their MAP story.

11:55 a.m.
Of the many chants and cheers that have broken out so far, I think the cleverest has to be “ASAP give us MAP!!”

11:49 a.m.

11:45 a.m.
Just arrived, Illinois Central College and Southwestern Illinois College.

11:40 a.m.
There is an extremely vocal crowd from Greenville College here already.  One of them is holding what is easily my favorite sign so far - “MAP is cheaper than welfare or jail.”  Another Greenville student is carrying a sign that says “How can I be a teacher if I can’t be taught.”

11:37 a.m.
Students are quickly filling the rally site at the Illinois Education Association building.

11:08 a.m.
We just passed another busload of students from a different school heading to the rally.  It will be interesting to see how many students and how many schools show their support today.  I couldn’t tell what school was on the bus, but they had on royal blue shirts.

10:58 a.m.
Katrice Buckley on left and Gabrielle O’Bryant on right.

10:51 a.m.
I’m quickly finding out that there isn’t much to see between Peoria and Springfield.

10:41 a.m.
There are a number of students highlighting textbooks and reviewing their class notes here on bus two.  Others are napping.  They must be saving their energy for the rally.

10:27 a.m.
I’m sitting next political science and criminal justice major Mike Manseao who had a good point on the bus.  “The legislators answer to us, not the other way around.  Its important to get out there today so they feel our presence and hear our voices.”

Despite the fact that students from colleges and universities from across the state will be participating, the rally will undoubtedly have a strong Bradley presence, as our own Student Body President, Kyle Malinowski, has been asked to emcee the event.

There are 1,451 Bradley students that receive MAP funding and a large portion of them have shown up this morning to show their support for this cause, wearing red and toting signs with countless slogans and calls to action.

The MAP grant provides up to about $5,000 of financial aid a year to qualifying Bradley students and is awarded on a financial-need basis. There is no room in the current Illinois budget to fund the program for next semester, leaving many benefiting students without a way to come up with an extra $2,500 to pay for the spring semester.

This rally gives those students a chance to have their voices heard.