First Month at Greater Baden

I started my fellowship earlier than most and have already been working at Greater Baden Medical Services for over a month.  Greater Baden is a non-profit that provides primary care at 6 clinic locations in southern Maryland, both in the urban Capitol Heights area which borders Washington, D.C., and in more southern, rural areas of Prince George’s, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties.  Greater Baden is a Federally Qualified Health Center which means that it receives federal funding with a mandate to serve individuals who are poor and/or uninsured. This population almost exclusively makes up all of the patients seen at Greater Baden.

Before I started my fellowship I was certainly not aware of how much need there was for health care in this area, and many other areas like it across the United States.  Despite being so close to a large city, there is a primary care physician shortage and there are many Medically Underserved Areas within the region that Greater Baden serves.  Most new patients that come to Greater Baden were previously receiving no health care or just going to hospital emergency rooms.  Growing up in Canada where there is publicly funded, universal health care, I never imagined that access to basic primary care was this difficult for so many people.  I also did not realize this while I was at Princeton, so I am very glad to have gained a better understanding of it within the first few weeks of my fellowship.  It has certainly given me more perspective on health care in the United States as well as the importance of the recent Supreme Court ruling.

On to Fellowship #2

And it feels pretty good! It has only been a little over a week since I finished up my year at CEP, but that week has seemed to stretch on much longer than a mere seven days. What with saying goodbye to DC, living through my first move with a moving company (totally worth it, for anyone who may be considering it), settling into my my new apartment in Peter Cooper Village, cramming in some last-minute doctor's appointments, and then driving to Michigan for a few weeks of family vacation time before I start work at the New York Center for Child Development (NYCCD) on July 9, it has certainly been a busy time! However, having already gone through a year in the working world, I feel much calmer and more confident going into my second fellowship than I did at this point last year. From the time I spent with Katharine, last year's fellow, I believe that this position is extremely well-suited to my strengths and interests, and will provide me with the experience necessary to determine whether a career in psychology is right for me. In other words, I think this is going to a BIG year, and I can't wait to see what's in store!

Before I can begin figuring that out, however, I need to brush up on my Spanish! My supervisor made it clear during my interview that I would be expected to communicate both in person and in writing with the many Spanish-speaking parents whom NYCCD serves, and while I studied Spanish for six years and did a summer abroad in Spain, I'm feeling like a little help from my friend Rosetta Stone could do me some good in that respect. I'll keep you all posted on how that goes, and any suggestions on Spanish classes in New York would be much appreciated!

Prepaing for my fellowship

As I prepare for my fellowship at the Character Education Partnership, I've found that looking for my first apartment is certainly stressful. However, preparing for the first real phase of my adult life, as well as my first job brings a unique and rather joyful set of stressors as well. I'm visiting DC this weekend to start the housing search in earnest and also to gain some sense of what DC is--clearly it is difficult to truly know a city over the course of two days but I've found that it is enough to give you a distinct sense of atmosphere. Unlike some fellows, who have lived or worked in their cities before, I've visited DC only once, as a tourist. I'm familiar with the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument but am extremely excited to figure out those parts of the city that a tourist visit doesn't allow you to access.

To prepare for this important year, I've made a list of priorities, both professional and personal. Above all, I hope to make a meaningful contribution to CEP's work and to use my fellowship to clarify what my aptitudes are in a professional environment (Princeton can teach you how to write and think but I suspect that the valuable lessons I've learned there will be less applicable to my future than those I learn this coming year) and how I can use them to help both myself and others. CEP's work is generally somewhat hands-off, rather than engaged in direct service. I currently believe that this is more in line with my abilities than more direct work but I am eager to find out whether this is true, both by throwing myself into my position and by volunteering independently in direct service organizations.

I am very eager to document my experience of my fellowship here and hopefully, to provide some useful insights for future fellows.

Introducing Digital Promise

“Created by Republicans and Democrats and championed by a coalition of educators and business leaders, Digital Promise is an independent nonprofit that will help spur breakthrough learning technologies.... By harnessing the extraordinary work being done by educators, innovators, and citizens across this country, Digital Promise can help prepare Americans – and America – to succeed in the 21st Century,” - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
 

They say that you have only one chance to make a good first impression; as the first Princeton Project 55 Fellow with Digital Promise that fact is important to me. 

Digital Promise, or the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, is a bipartisan, independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation authorized by Congress under President George W. Bush (in 2008) and launched by President Barack Obama (in 2011) “to support a comprehensive research and development program to harness the increasing capacity of advanced information and digital technologies to improve all levels of learning and education, formal and informal, in order to provide Americans with the knowledge and skills needed to compete in the global economy.” 

As a Project 55 Fellow and the assistant to Digital Promise’s Executive Director, Adam Frankel, I feel privileged to have an opportunity to contribute to the effort of closing America’s “Digital Divide.” Although technology and innovation is never a “silver bullet” to any issue, it has the potential to serve a powerful role in our nation’s classrooms. Just like any other tool, if used correctly, education technology has the capacity to help our students learn more efficiently and our teachers teach more efficiently. More specifically, imagine a classroom in which students are able to have personalized lessons tailored to his or her own interests, strengths and weaknesses, and learning style by employing the most advanced, sophisticated technology available: it’s already here and we just need to work hard to make sure every student, in every state has access to it. And that’s where Digital Promise comes in. 

In this first entry, I just wanted to provide a basic idea of what I contribute to at Digital Promise. If you would like more information, please click here.

Next Time: “Why Innovation in America’s classrooms is important and what you can do to help!”

Packing

As I’m packing to move to D.C. in a week, I feel as if I’m moving back to school: making lists, visiting the dentist, getting a haircut, planning my next moves.  I know as soon as I move to Alexandria, Virginia, I will have to register my car with the city in order to pay personal property tax, a feature of living in Virginia I learned from living there last summer.  For fellows who will have cars, I recommend checking with the city government of where you are living whether you need to purchase a parking permit for street parking or whether you need to register your vehicle with the city in order to pay personal property tax before you move so that you do not run into trouble later in your fellowship year.

On a school-related note, as I’ve been condensing my notes from school and preparing them for cold storage (just a box in my parents’ basement), I’ve removed staples, paperclips, binder clips, and rubber bands since these materials do not survive the years well and will damage paper documents.  Consider this a friendly tip from an ex-archives worker.

Twenty-five days ’til I begin as a fellow at Character Education Partnership!

Greetings from a sunny island...

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying summer. I thought I'd post a quick check-in to say hello and to share my excitement for the upcoming fellowship year. Part of that excitement has extended to looking up nearby fishing and hiking spots, hunting for kitchen supplies and reading up on federal policy on energy efficiency and affordable housing. I'll be working in Stamford, CT together with Mary T. at the Housing Development Fund, Inc. starting mid-July. I'm at home right now in Singapore and enjoying the company of family and friends. In the meantime, here's a handy tip I've found - setting up a budget on Mint.com has really helped me to think about how to allocate funds towards savings goals and current needs. I hope this will be helpful to you too as you think about the upcoming fellowship year! It is certainly the first time I've had to think about paying rent and utilities...

Enjoy! 

Last Reflection

Unfortunately, I always thought of blogging at the worst times, for instance, while standing in line at the grocery store or withdrawing money from the ATM.  As I reflect back on this past fellowship year, one memory in particular stands out.  Earlier this year in February, I had ordered some boxes to look for an exhibits request, and instead of receiving the paperwork, I received physical property-namely, fake guns (which fooled even expert attorneys), knives, and bullet proof vests.  This episode epitomizes the overall lesson of my fellowship year: expect the unexpected because just when you think you have mastered everything, something will always inevitably come out of left field and present you with a new and exciting challenge.