My first experience face to face with Prescott College was meeting the incoming student who graciously stopped on his way from New Mexico to Prescott to pick me up. He waited in the Flagstaff Amtrak station parking lot for six hours before I arrived. The next morning, the very student who first called me during her admissions work-study came to my apartment and brought me to the grocery store, gave me a quick tour of campus, and generally helped me feel welcome. I really needed it; it’s really no easy task to move thousands of miles from home.
It’s effortless to make friends at Prescott. I arrived Saturday night, and even before arriving home I had a new friend. The next morning, another friend. The Monday after, two more friends, and so on and on. People here are from each corner of North America, and the college is so small and so specifically focused that everyone has two things in common, guaranteed: We’re all from out of town, and we all have been thinking about the deep, important problems facing our planet and society for years before we found our niche at Prescott. It’s not difficult to start a conversation here.
As academic and wilderness orientations coursed on, and as the semester began to accelerate, I was immersed in a coherent community. The administration has been consistently responsive and helpful, and the faculty and instructors I’ve studied with have been available, knowledgeable, passionate, and flexible. The relevance and currency of my History of Gender and Sexuality course with Kaitlin Noss was stunning. My perspectives have changed, and I feel a depth of understanding that I was unable even to imagine before.
Now, as I prepare to fly home between semesters, I know with a moral certainty that I have made the best educational decision I could have. The geographic diversity of my new friendships have given me a sense of belonging even in parts of the United States I’ve never been; I feel more connected to the vastness of America than ever before. I’ll be going home to my family and old friends with a stronger identity, and lots of exciting new things to discuss.
The end of the semester is bittersweet for me, as I imagine it is for many of us students. Over the last couple of months, Prescott has become my home, and I’m comfortable here now. But, it will be truly excellent to have a break and to see my family again. Three friends and I will be taking a 2700-mile road trip back to Prescott in January, and this has to be the raspberry garnish on my Bûche de Noël.
-Estin Vogel, 12.15.11
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Showing posts with label community. Show all posts
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, October 3, 2011
Walking the Talk
As a student worker (and sometimes tour guide) in the Prescott College admissions office, I am often asked by students and parents alike, “What is the best thing about Prescott College?” To this question, there isn’t an easy answer. Perhaps there should be, as it is probably one of the most important question a prospective student could ask, but the truth is, there are so many different things that make Prescott College great—and no, I am not just saying that because I am paid to. :)
I could spend a great deal of time answering this seemingly simple question a number of different ways, speaking first about small class sizes, individualized degree plans, course contracts, personal attention, hands-on field experience, or a number of other things that make our school especially great. The truth of the matter is that I have thought of many of my favorite things about the school while writing this blog. In fact, I’ve probably started and re-started writing this blog entry so much that my finger is beginning to naturally gravitate towards the backspace button as I think of more reasons why Prescott College is one of the coolest schools in the nation. After debating in my head over which topic best illustrated the awesome-ness of Prescott College (and I mean awesome in the TRUE sense of the word—not like “oh, this new flavor of lip-smackers lip balm is totally awesome!”), I’ve finally decided on, what I believe, is truly the best thing about Prescott College. In order to illustrate my point, I should probably fill you in on how I came to this conclusion.
The fall term at Prescott College picked up for continuing students on August 30th and for those students who had previously completed their wilderness orientation, this meant it was time for our “Block” classes to begin. A Block class is approximately one month long and requires a lot more time and focus from students than a typical class during the semester because it meets on a day-to-day basis. Often Prescott College students select Block classes that are located off campus because this is usually a time with fewer commitments as students are only enrolled in one class for the month. A number of students do, however, choose to remain on-campus and take classes like the one I am currently enrolled in: Models of Leadership.
Taught by Wayne Regina, a faculty member within the Psychology and Human Development program, Models of Leadership is a class that focuses on effective and non-effective leadership styles by examining the psychology behind leadership and focusing on the types of skills, behaviors, and attitudes behind successful leadership. Our primary focus in the class has been in examining leadership models through the lens of Bowen Theory and differentiation, “a theoretical model derived from natural systems and applied to human functioning…that redefines successful leadership from an informational process to one in which the emotional maturity or differentiation level of the leader is the single most significant variable in the successful functioning of leaders in any system,” (see course catalog for more detail and description). In other words, we have been studying leadership styles and what it means to be an effective leader and collaborator. In the process of developing my own leadership style, I have come to the conclusion that the best thing about Prescott College is the way in which we are inspired to take what we learn and mold it in ways that not only promote content competency, but teach us about who we are.
One of the main reasons I chose Prescott College was due to the fact that the school strives to maintain honesty with its mission statement, working non-stop to “walk the talk” and practice what we preach in regards to sustainability and community development. The school’s commitment to self-directed learning is unmatched in anything I have ever experienced. We promote a sense of unity within our community, bringing together students and staff while also promoting individuality. In this way, our school promoted its student’s emotional intelligence and differentiation, as we are able to take self-responsibility and remain individuals while still active in our communal growth.
I am proud to be part of a school that inspires its students towards greatness. In this way, Prescott College has served as a teacher in itself, shining forth as an example of honesty in education, working hard to follow its mission and encourage students towards individual and communal excellence.
-Sydnie Bonin, 09.2011
I could spend a great deal of time answering this seemingly simple question a number of different ways, speaking first about small class sizes, individualized degree plans, course contracts, personal attention, hands-on field experience, or a number of other things that make our school especially great. The truth of the matter is that I have thought of many of my favorite things about the school while writing this blog. In fact, I’ve probably started and re-started writing this blog entry so much that my finger is beginning to naturally gravitate towards the backspace button as I think of more reasons why Prescott College is one of the coolest schools in the nation. After debating in my head over which topic best illustrated the awesome-ness of Prescott College (and I mean awesome in the TRUE sense of the word—not like “oh, this new flavor of lip-smackers lip balm is totally awesome!”), I’ve finally decided on, what I believe, is truly the best thing about Prescott College. In order to illustrate my point, I should probably fill you in on how I came to this conclusion.
The fall term at Prescott College picked up for continuing students on August 30th and for those students who had previously completed their wilderness orientation, this meant it was time for our “Block” classes to begin. A Block class is approximately one month long and requires a lot more time and focus from students than a typical class during the semester because it meets on a day-to-day basis. Often Prescott College students select Block classes that are located off campus because this is usually a time with fewer commitments as students are only enrolled in one class for the month. A number of students do, however, choose to remain on-campus and take classes like the one I am currently enrolled in: Models of Leadership.
Taught by Wayne Regina, a faculty member within the Psychology and Human Development program, Models of Leadership is a class that focuses on effective and non-effective leadership styles by examining the psychology behind leadership and focusing on the types of skills, behaviors, and attitudes behind successful leadership. Our primary focus in the class has been in examining leadership models through the lens of Bowen Theory and differentiation, “a theoretical model derived from natural systems and applied to human functioning…that redefines successful leadership from an informational process to one in which the emotional maturity or differentiation level of the leader is the single most significant variable in the successful functioning of leaders in any system,” (see course catalog for more detail and description). In other words, we have been studying leadership styles and what it means to be an effective leader and collaborator. In the process of developing my own leadership style, I have come to the conclusion that the best thing about Prescott College is the way in which we are inspired to take what we learn and mold it in ways that not only promote content competency, but teach us about who we are.
One of the main reasons I chose Prescott College was due to the fact that the school strives to maintain honesty with its mission statement, working non-stop to “walk the talk” and practice what we preach in regards to sustainability and community development. The school’s commitment to self-directed learning is unmatched in anything I have ever experienced. We promote a sense of unity within our community, bringing together students and staff while also promoting individuality. In this way, our school promoted its student’s emotional intelligence and differentiation, as we are able to take self-responsibility and remain individuals while still active in our communal growth.
I am proud to be part of a school that inspires its students towards greatness. In this way, Prescott College has served as a teacher in itself, shining forth as an example of honesty in education, working hard to follow its mission and encourage students towards individual and communal excellence.
-Sydnie Bonin, 09.2011
Cumbersome Beauty
Three weeks are irrelevant. The time I spent on orientation took on a context greater than the month of September. It felt oddly like a lifetime, as if, during the time, I grew from infant to old man, and at the end flew up toward the sun. Suddenly, there was pavement. Traffic mumbled down the road. I was back, and it was difficult suddenly to comprehend what I had just done. Now, a week after returning to greater humanity, I feel prepared to explain my experience of Prescott College Wilderness Orientation.
We began in Prescott. All the orientation students sat in a big circle and were told to close their eyes. An inspiring speech was given as, unbeknownst to us, all of the orientation instructors and course directors changed into, in some cases horrifically undersized, cutoff denim shorts. Using flame shaped pieces of paper with our names and a cryptic code (CB2 in my case), we found our “destinies,” our orientation groups. These people we’d be learning the intimate secrets and gastric patterns of for the next twenty-one days.
The following day, we piled into Prescott College vans, one for each group, and were shuttled up a mountain on a very bumpy road. We built a trail all together in the morning, ate lunch in our groups afterward, and were off to a YMCA summer camp not too far from Prescott. Here, at Chauncey Ranch, we spent two nights. This is where we started to get to know each other. Our first hike was here. We had our first written reflection here and coordinated our own group rules. We sorted the food we’d purchased together back in Prescott and assigned group gear to each other. Our packs, at this point, were frightfully cumbersome.
On a fateful morning we loaded our packs into the bed of a pickup and climbed the stairs of the charter bus that was to take us to our temporary home in the wilderness. Except it was the wrong bus. “Stump’s group? You’re on the other bus.” This event really set the tone for our journey: hilarious and less-than-tragic missteps. Despite the miles of extra hiking and food made inedible with Dr. Bronner’s, the comic relief was like a friendly poltergeist that never left us.
Our first night we slept on a gorgeous red sandstone boulder at the edge of West Clear Creek, in the canyon so named. We jumped off into the deep, clear water and were like celebrating nymphs. Everyone smiled. It was good. On this first night, I had a long talk with the exquisitely big sister-like Iris Cushing, Shane Stump’s counterpart facilitating our journey. I was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t think I could sleep outside; I’d never slept in anything less substantial than a tent in my life. With a gentle voice and reassuring hand on my back, I was absolved of my fears and spent the night staring up into the brilliant star-filled sky the likes of which I rarely, if ever, had seen before.
The skies above our journey were equal in proportion to the rocks, water, and forest we hiked through. The skies were at times full of radiant, intense sunlight, crystal blue skies without a single cloud. They were malevolent grey curtains offering downpours and lightening prisons. They were intense sunrise and sunset, full of colors like autumn leaves and sherbet. They were the open universe, with shooting stars, constellations, and the great Milky Way looming at the furthest reaches of human vision.
Along our journey, we ate sweet sour canyon grapes. We climbed down waterfalls with ropes around waist. We drank water from puddles. We ate the greatest honeydew ever beset mankind. Sometimes we walked down national forest roads while the cows stared at us and followed, intrigued. Other times I wished I had a machete to make my way through such thick vegetation I had never imagined grew in the dry Southwest. We negotiated around cacti. We climbed 1600 feet in one day. Through much difficulty, and much doubt, we made it to our destination. However, when you’re hiking in a large horseshoe shaped path, not really traveling, just backpacking, there really is no destination. I think orientation, by its very circuitousness, exemplifies well the ethos of Prescott College: education is a journey.
-Estin Vogel, 09.29.2011
We began in Prescott. All the orientation students sat in a big circle and were told to close their eyes. An inspiring speech was given as, unbeknownst to us, all of the orientation instructors and course directors changed into, in some cases horrifically undersized, cutoff denim shorts. Using flame shaped pieces of paper with our names and a cryptic code (CB2 in my case), we found our “destinies,” our orientation groups. These people we’d be learning the intimate secrets and gastric patterns of for the next twenty-one days.
The following day, we piled into Prescott College vans, one for each group, and were shuttled up a mountain on a very bumpy road. We built a trail all together in the morning, ate lunch in our groups afterward, and were off to a YMCA summer camp not too far from Prescott. Here, at Chauncey Ranch, we spent two nights. This is where we started to get to know each other. Our first hike was here. We had our first written reflection here and coordinated our own group rules. We sorted the food we’d purchased together back in Prescott and assigned group gear to each other. Our packs, at this point, were frightfully cumbersome.
On a fateful morning we loaded our packs into the bed of a pickup and climbed the stairs of the charter bus that was to take us to our temporary home in the wilderness. Except it was the wrong bus. “Stump’s group? You’re on the other bus.” This event really set the tone for our journey: hilarious and less-than-tragic missteps. Despite the miles of extra hiking and food made inedible with Dr. Bronner’s, the comic relief was like a friendly poltergeist that never left us.
Our first night we slept on a gorgeous red sandstone boulder at the edge of West Clear Creek, in the canyon so named. We jumped off into the deep, clear water and were like celebrating nymphs. Everyone smiled. It was good. On this first night, I had a long talk with the exquisitely big sister-like Iris Cushing, Shane Stump’s counterpart facilitating our journey. I was a bit overwhelmed and didn’t think I could sleep outside; I’d never slept in anything less substantial than a tent in my life. With a gentle voice and reassuring hand on my back, I was absolved of my fears and spent the night staring up into the brilliant star-filled sky the likes of which I rarely, if ever, had seen before.
The skies above our journey were equal in proportion to the rocks, water, and forest we hiked through. The skies were at times full of radiant, intense sunlight, crystal blue skies without a single cloud. They were malevolent grey curtains offering downpours and lightening prisons. They were intense sunrise and sunset, full of colors like autumn leaves and sherbet. They were the open universe, with shooting stars, constellations, and the great Milky Way looming at the furthest reaches of human vision.
Along our journey, we ate sweet sour canyon grapes. We climbed down waterfalls with ropes around waist. We drank water from puddles. We ate the greatest honeydew ever beset mankind. Sometimes we walked down national forest roads while the cows stared at us and followed, intrigued. Other times I wished I had a machete to make my way through such thick vegetation I had never imagined grew in the dry Southwest. We negotiated around cacti. We climbed 1600 feet in one day. Through much difficulty, and much doubt, we made it to our destination. However, when you’re hiking in a large horseshoe shaped path, not really traveling, just backpacking, there really is no destination. I think orientation, by its very circuitousness, exemplifies well the ethos of Prescott College: education is a journey.
-Estin Vogel, 09.29.2011
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