From the Gangs of Ramsbottom...

This week’s blog post features Emma Ogley-Oliver, a Community Psychologist and our Assistant Professor of Psychology.

 Emma hails from England, from a small town called Ramsbottom. Her first experience with the US of A was in Boston during her gapyear (our equivalent to a year break during high school and college). Intrigued with the idea of a Liberal Arts degree, Emma applied for a student visa which landed her in Atlanta, Georgia. The Peach State is where she was first introduced to Community Psychology. She hadn’t quite finished her PhD before she accepted a job in Upstate New York to relieve a community psychologist on sabbatical. Emma was intrigued by SLU because of the North Country Symposium. She spent a year in New York (finished her dissertation remotely) before she found her dream job here at Marymount California University. She explained to me that there are usually three paths in community psychology careers: research, teaching, and practice. It’s great to get the chance to do two of them, but MCU offered a position that encompassed all three. She thought it was too good to be true!

San Pedro is a long way from Ramsbottom, England. She shared with me that back home when she was in school, she hung out with the cool kids. Unknown to her at the time, the cool kids were considered quite an intimidating group. Emma explained that the group wasn’t a bad group; they were never malicious or naughty, but because it was a small town – people made assumptions. 

Looking back on that experience as a child and now with her degree in Community Psychology she found a lot of insight into community development and that has built a foundation for her experience here in the San Pedro community. There are similarities based on size and different stigmas about particular groups.


This is the basis for what Community Psychology is all about – analyzing the bigger picture. This area of psychology doesn’t focus on an individuals and their trials and tribulations, but what is going on in the community around them and how people as a group are affected and can be part of the solution.

                                            

               

Community Psychology is:

Civic Engagement & Public Participation

Is Community Psychology right for you? Emma describes the type of person Community Psychology would appeal:

• ·         Anyone who has a respect for diversity
• ·         Someone who is passionate to develop a change for the greater good
• ·         One who wants to promote inclusivity in community development
• ·         Interested in being one with the project research and inviting the community members to be co-researchers
• ·         Having interests in culture, policies and sociology

One of the most unique things about the Community Psychology Masters degree at Marymount California University is Emma’s work in developing Participatory Action Research. Three major projects that she’s working hard to develop are:

• ·     Team Taiko – a Japanese drumming program that include ESL classes through drumming
• ·     Youth development on Tall Ships with LAMI TopSail – MCU students participate in Top Sail to understand the process and outcome of such programs.
• ·     South Bay Coalition for the Homeless (SBCH) – Where students work with the community and assess how their activities align to make progress in addressing poverty.

Check out our Masters in Community Psychology here. 

Thank you Emma for the lovely interview! 

Run Heidi, Run!

This week’s post features my first interview with a student!

I had the pleasure of interviewing one of Marymount’s star athletes, Heidi Hoslet. Heidi is a freshman on Marymount’s cross country team. She has had tremendous success this year winning the Cal Pac Conference cross country title, qualifying for competition in the NAIA Cross Country National Championship, and winning 

Cal Pac Conference Female Athlete of the year!

WOW! Way to go, Heidi! 

Heidi is a 2013 graduate of Saugus High School in Santa Clarita. She played soccer until she started high school, when she decided to join the Cross Country team. Saugus High School was a great place to start running – they hold a California State Record for winning 7 State Championships in a row!

When it came time to research colleges, Heidi found Marymount California University on a whim. She was looking specifically for a small, Catholic university that was relatively close to home as she’s very close with her mother. She found MCU, emailed our Athletic Director, Gary White, and took a tour. Heidi loved the campus. She was thrilled with campus size and loved the small, community based atmosphere.

Barry Ward, Heidi Hoslet, Gary White and Myself

Heidi’s first year as a college student is coming to an end and over the past year she has had a great experience here. Her favorite part about Marymount is the people. She recalls how nervous she was about making new friends. Turned out the Marymount community was extra welcoming which made it close to impossible to NOT make friends!

A few other favorites of Heidi’s include Mass every Wednesday at Community hour (C-hour), the vast array of international students, and the Learning Center. It is important to her to be able to have allotted time for mass throughout the week. She has two roommates who are both international students; one from Russia and another from Brazil. Lastly, Heidi really appreciates having the Learning Center on campus. She loves having access to tutors and being able to talk to her professors with ease.

 

Heidi has encountered several staff and faculty members who have inspired and mentored her over the last year, Gary White, Martin Gonzales, and Melissa Lewis.  With sophomore year just a few months away she is excited to carry the torch and become a role model/leader for the incoming freshmen through S.O.S. (Student Orientation Staff) as well as the new recruits on the cross country team.

I really enjoyed interviewing Heidi. She has a great presence about herself and is brimming with potential. As a senior I am proud to have such an inspiring fellow scholar around to

maintain the Marymount Legacy!

By the way, if Heidi was to ever be in Dr. Brophy’s shoes for a day, we would all be on the shuttle to the beach for a BBQ Beach Day!

 ** Heidi for President! **

In need of a little TLC? (The Learning Center)

You have graduated high school, you have enrolled in college, and you probably plan to spend the summer basking in your freedom. Sounds like a plan! 

The last thing you are likely to be thinking about now is passing your first math exam or studying for your history midterm. Regardless, I am inspired to tell you about some of the tutoring services here at Marymount California University.

The Learning Center!

The Learning Center provides a breadth of services. It has been designated as a quiet area for studying. You can access a wide variety of peer tutors in all subjects, both upper and lower division courses. There are computers, printing services, and even free coffee! In the fall terms, the Learning Center proudly interacts with about 70% of students.

I was high school valedictorian, I have made the Dean’s List several semesters in college and I’m on the executive board of the Honors Society – Delta Elipson Sigma. So my grades are generally pretty good, but I’ve definitely had to work for it…

This is a little hard for me to publicly admit, especially online, but I have struggled with math throughout my college career. It took me 4 attempts to pass calculus 1. I was in the Learning Center every week if not every day with my peer tutor Jose and with my math professor, Eileen Zeiller. If it wasn't for their help I wouldn't have passed the class or worse, I might have given up. The first two attempts at this class were at a different school so I am very grateful to the Learning Center at Marymount for helping me get through calculus 1 and even calculus 2 – which I passed on the first attempt! Wooo hooo!

Sharon Johnson, director of the Learning Center, recognizes four main components of her facilities: Tutoring, Mentoring, Disability Resources, and SpAcE – both for self and collaborative study. She strives to provide a welcoming environment for each student. Whether you need help unscrambling classes and homework or you are just stopping by for a cup of free coffee and a cookie, you will be greeted by a friendly face. 

The Learning Center has another great attribute; it happens to be the largest student employer on campus. If you are interested in getting a job on campus while here at Marymount, the Learning Center is the place to go. Sharon Johnson has employed over 450 students since 1987. She even has a long-standing tradition, one of which inspired a recent reunion of past students – taking a snapshot of every student worker…. Say cheese! :) 

New to the university this year is the community space we call The Commons. This is a branch of the Learning Center, but is geared towards more of a collaborative study area. The Commons have printing services, comfy chairs and couches, and shares a wall with our ever popular pool! 

Come one, come all - You can study, socialize and even relax here!

Is college going to be difficult? Yes, but the support and service that you need in every area is available through the Learning Center! 

Thank you, Sharon!

I know a secret about Al Burns…

He asked me to put a picture of Brad Pitt...
Instead I decorated our photo with stickers!

Alan or as I prefer, Al, was one of my first interviewees. I was a bit nervous gearing up for the interview because in the back of my mind I really wanted to apply for the MBA program which he oversees. Al is THE Dean of Business, Leadership and Psychology at Marymount California University.

Al is actually a doctor! He has an MBA and PhD in Business Administration, from Kent State University, and a Juris Doctor from the School of Law at DePaul University. Before business administration, Dr. Al pursued engineering and received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University (formerly General Motors Institute).

Dr. Burns has over 25 years work experience in the corporate world and academia.  His corporate career includes technical and leadership positions in R&D, Engineering and Manufacturing at various supplier organizations to the automotive and heavy duty construction equipment industries.  In higher education, he has worked in administration over the past 5 years after spending many years as a professor teaching and designing courses in business, technology and law.  His areas of expertise and interests include Knowledge Management, Intellectual Property and IT Law, Digital Marketing, Information Systems and Technology, Organizational Leadership, Business Strategy and Organizational Development.

He’s a busy guy… we are lucky to have someone with such a wide variety of expertise!

The Juicy Stuff....

Al is very excited about his place at Marymount California University. It is a breath of fresh air to be able to have discretion over changes made to the curriculum. Al thinks it is very important for a Dean to be able to freely make improvements where he sees fit. As I’ve previously outlined, Dr. Al is highly experienced, so it is fantastic for the students that his voice is heard.

Al is a technologically trendy dude and one of the benefits of this quality is that his programs and curriculums are as current as possible. He describes the MBA program as “technologically innovative” and strives to provide real world tools for data projects. Dr. Al shared with me the typical schedule for a first year MBA student. I was surprised, coming from a science background, that there were labs…! I was sad at first because I’m excited to be out of the white lab coat and away from the petri dishes, but what he described to me was that these labs are research oriented. The labs he designed are to teach students an aspect of research that most MBA programs don’t. Aside from the papers and business plans required in most programs, his students will be able to learn the real world tools to help them succeed in a greater variety of areas.

Not only was it exciting to hear the great plans Al has for this program, but it was also encouraging and quite enticing. I think I’m SOLD. Thanks Al! Looking forward to getting Statistics waived over the summer ;-) wink wink, hint hint

Oh and the secret is…. Very few people know that he is a twin. When I asked whether he was a fraternal or identical twin he said “My brother says fraternal. Thank God.” Al is not sure what he means by that… 

Tailgaters Anonymous

It was your average winter day in January… well at least for Southern Californians. The sun was shining, it was warm and we were eating pizza! It was MCU’s first Lacrosse game of the season and we gathered to support our guys with a tailgate party.

Lacrosse was the first intercollegiate sport at Marymount and this spring marked our 6^th consecutive season. Six years of team building and organization proved its success when our guys scored 5 goals within the first 10 minutes. Team Captain, Alex Breshears, said that was a great start to a game. Ultimately Marymount dominated with a 14-2 win. What a great game! This happened to be the first Lacrosse game I had ever watched and also my first Marymount affiliated tailgate! That might sound strange coming from the student body president who is supposed to be involved with a little bit of everything at school, but I think that can attest to how much is actually going on here at Marymount California University.

Student supporters!

Annie McBride from Student Life organized the event with Brenda Solomon and Audra Platz from our Development department. Also from student life, Kelly Krusee and Megan Johnston were geared up for the game. We had Susan Garman - our Director of Service Learning, my amazing academic advisor Susie Martin, and even the President of Marymount California University, Dr. Michael Brophy. There were student workers, student supporters, and probably about 95% of the soccer team all out to support the team’s first game.

Dr. Brophy presented an award at half time to the ‘founding fathers’ of the Lacrosse team. Professor Patrick Webster and Academic Advising Counselor Michael Fileta were congratulated for their hard work in getting Lacrosse off the ground and securing a strong foundation for current coach Aaron Karsh.

The day was a great success! Even a few of the Lacrosse player's parents came to show their support. It’s quite refreshing to see support from all angles of our community, but you get used to it… that’s just how we roll!

President Michael Brophy, Patrick Webster, Michael Fileta, Aaron Karsh, Gary White, the Lacrosse team and myself :)

The Down and Dirty...

Last week my advisor, Susie Martin and I filed my baccalaureate graduation application. I took a picture of the table decorated with degree audits, transcripts and the final signatures. It’s cliché to say that it’s cliché, but it really was a surreal moment for me. Although I had graduated high school in three years and was valedictorian, it still took me ten years to graduate from college. In fact, ten years ago, I would have imagined that by now I would be five years into a great career. I never would have dreamed the journey I was about to embark on, one of which would lead me to writing this very blog, this very day.

I graduated high school in 2004 from the American Heritage Academy in Cottonwood, Arizona. I spent three years at a community college in central Arizona and eventually transferred to Marymount California University in 2007. After only one semester here, I decided to move to London. For two years I lived in Central London and worked in the television production industry. Upon leaving London and returning to California in 2009, my time away from college continued.  While working in a restaurant in Santa Monica in 2011, little did I know that my life was about to change.  During a chance meeting with the president of Marymount, President Michael Brophy, and a member of the school’s Board of Trustees, President Brophy encouraged me to “come back home to Marymount” and continue my education.  So, I moved to San Pedro and enrolled as a returning student.

I was 25 years old and entering the bachelor program with over 80 credits, yet I was still considered a sophomore based on the emphases I chose. I was feeling out of place and detached. My vision was to put my head down, finish my degree and get out. I wasn’t interested in joining student organizations, I didn’t want to attend any events and I wasn’t here to make friends. Before my first semester back came to an end, I had been voted into the Associated Students of Marymount College as a sophomore senator. That summer I received a call from Kelly Krusee, the advisor to the Associated Students’ organization, asking me if I would like to accept the role of Student Body President for the upcoming academic year. I was nervous and wondered whether I could handle such a daunting task.  That being said, I accepted.

Since that summer day I have been reelected for a second term of presidency and I am the first president to serve two consecutive terms.  Over the past two years in office and with the help of an amazing executive board and senate, we have changed the name of the organization, rewrote the constitution and bylaws, created The Pantry (free snacks and food for all students) and matured as the University’s leading student organization.

My success in the Marymount Student Government Association can be mostly credited to the size of this institution. Having my mindset change from a focus on only achieving my goals to one of serving as a leader of a student population committed to service-learning and making the world a better place has truly been an amazing experience.  Stay with me as my journey and that of Marymount California continues.  See you in a few days with more stories!!!

Welcome to the Student Blog!

My name is Sedona Rose Basher, President of Marymount Student Government Association.
I have had an amazing journey here at Marymount California University. Through this blog I hope to introduce to you some of my fellow students who have had similar experiences as well as faculty, administers and staff who have mentored us along the away.
I will be posting twice a week, stay tuned.
Sedona Rose