Month: October 2019

By Jessica Melnik, junior transfer student majoring in Paralegal Studies.

SURPRISE…not all Roosevelt students live on campus. Many commute to campus like I do. Here are the “A to Z” tips  that each commuter commuting student can use.

A:  Anticipate delays while traveling to class, so leave a few minutes early each day that you commute to campus.

B:  Be aware of your surroundings. Avoid texting while walking and make sure everything is zipped up in your pockets and bags.

C:  Check your email before heading off to campus. Nothing is worse than commuting 30 minutes or more only to discover that class was canceled the night before.

D: Don’t get discouraged about commuting! You have commuting perks such as saving money, sleeping in your own bed each night, and having your own bathroom.

E:  Eat healthy by packing healthy and nutritious meals to eat while at school. Avoid eating fast food and food from vending machines.

F:  Find a quiet and relaxing place to study and do homework while you are on and off campus.

G:  Get involved in student organizations to stay connected with your peers. Just because you are a commuter student doesn’t mean that you can’t be involved in student activities!

H:  Have a guilty pleasure…mine is coffee. It gets me through a long day of commuting.

I:  Invest your free time and energy in something productive such as a part time job which helps you save money for future needs. Volunteering is also something very productive and looks great on your resume.

J:  Just breathe…commuting to school can become hectic and overwhelming, but remember that commuting to school is only temporary for a few years.

K:  Know alternative routes to school in the event that your main travel route is not an option.

L:  Learn to say thank you to the family members and friends that may drive you to the train station, bus station or even all the way to campus.

M:  Memorize your class schedule to avoid confusion. You don’t want to arrive for a 9:00 a.m. class on Monday, when that class actually meets on Tuesday!

N:  Never make eye contact or speak with commuters who are acting in an odd or potentially dangerous manner. Stay near other fellow commuters.

O:  Organizers or planners are a great way to keep track of assignment due dates, work schedule, student activities, and campus events.

P:  Prepare everything you need the night before your commute. Gather your books, chargers, umbrella, food, etc. together so that you aren’t hunting for them in the morning.

Q:  Quick feet are productive feet. Walking is good for your mental and physical health.

R:  Read while you take the train or bus to campus.

S:  Schedule your classes around the same time or even on two or three days a week. That way you’re not commuting Monday through Friday.

T:  Time management is your best friend. If you arrive home early from school, don’t watch your favorite TV show. Instead, get some work done so that way you can enjoy your commute-free weekend.

U:  Utilize your perks. At Roosevelt, students get a discounted CTA Ventra card which includes unlimited rides on the “L” each semester. Also, student parking discounts are everywhere.

V:  Venture out of your comfort zone and take the long way home when you’re feeling the need for a change.

W:  Winter season can be a drag when commuting, so invest in warm apparel to make the season bearable… it’ll be worth it.

X:  Xenia is a Greek word that means “Guest Friendship,” in which people who are far from home show courtesy to others who are also far from home. Be nice to your fellow commuters. Tell them if you see that their bag is unzipped. Let them know if they drop something.

Y:  Yield to cars. Even though pedestrians have the right of way, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Z: Zzzzz Get your rest, especially on a night before commuting.

 

EMAIL:

kevans@mail.roosevelt.edu

ANTICIPATED GRADUATION DATE:

Fall 2019

HOMETOWN:

Chicago

WHY YOU CHOSE ROOSEVELT:

I came here last minute. I stayed for the amazing professors!

MAJOR/MINOR:

English w/ a Creative Writing Concentration, minor in Philosophy

DREAM JOB AND WHY:

I’d love to own a publishing company someday because I’d have the ability to produce stories by underrepresented cultures and groups in literature.

EXTRACURRICULARS (CLUBS, ORGS, JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC):

Alpha Phi Omega, RU Proud, SPEED, The Blaze, CASSAC, and Sigma Tau Delta.

“GOING TO CRUSH THIS EXAM” PUMP-UP SONG:

“Chun Li” by Nicki Minaj

STUDY BREAK GUILTY PLEASURE:

I always end up stopping two play guitar for like 2 hours.

FAVORITE QUOTE:

“Time you enjoyed wasting was not wasted.” -Misattributed to John Lennon

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED:

Sorry to Bother You

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM:

Womens’ National Soccer Team/Chicago Red Stars

EMAIL:

nrobinson13@roosevelt.edu

CAREER:

Lecturer, Criminal Justice

HOMETOWN:

Justice, Illinois

COLLEGE:

University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

UG MAJOR/MINOR:

English (Major), Spanish (Minor)

WHY YOU CHOSE THE MAJOR/MINOR:

I have always enjoyed reading and writing so whatever career I chose, I knew my English major could help me.  As it relates to my minor, I believed that speaking Spanish would open up a world of opportunity for me to be bilingual and study abroad.  It was also the language that I knew I could use the quickest and the most as some of my friends were Spanish speakers.

EXTRACURRICULARS DURING UG (CLUBS, ORGS, JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC.):

Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated

Voices of Soul (Member and Conductor)

I worked as a Resident Assistant my senior year of college. Prior to that I worked as a summer camp counselor for University of Iowa Sports Camps for three years and a counselor for Upward Bound for one year during a summer.

WHY YOU CHOSE TO WORK AT ROOSEVELT:

I wanted to mirror my practical experience as a criminal defense attorney with my love for education, the classroom and the comprehension of the theoretical and academic side of criminal law. I also enjoy working with college students as those were my favorite years.

WHAT PROJECT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON:

I am working on developing an internship program for criminal justice majors and minors here at Roosevelt.

BOOK YOU’D RECOMMEND READING BEFORE GRADUATION:

“Native Son” by Richard Wright

FAVORITE QUOTE:

I have two: “To thine ownself be true” (Shakespeare) and “Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” (Malcolm X)

PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT…:

I can walk into a room and spot an insect in a few seconds.  It’s not something I advertise but for some reason, since I cannot stand insects or rodents, my eye is always on the lookout.

ADVICE FOR INCOMING/CURRENT STUDENTS:

Trust the process.  We tend to overthink and underthink.  Trust that whatever comes, you will be able to handle it.  And if you can’t, find people who will handle it with you.  You will experience exponential growth through the trials, in addition to the triumphs.

FAVORITE SPOT AT ROOSEVELT:

10^th floor library reading a book facing the Lake

FAVORITE SPOT IN CHICAGO:

Anywhere there are tacos, a lake view, and great conversation over drinks

YOUR ROLE MODEL AND WHY:

My mother (she’s a trooper, a fighter, and has shown me how to balance grace with getting your point across)

CAUSE YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WHY:

I am so very passionate about teaching the law and exposing legal careers to our young people, particularly high school age.  Even if they do not go into a legal career, improving their ability to read, write, speak and think critically are lifetime skills for which they will use over the course of their lives. Also, it is important for them to have positive interactions with those in law and you can’t be what you ain’t seen, connections are everything!

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED:

Captain Marvel

FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM:

‘85 Bears

WHAT I WISH I KNEW BEFORE GOING TO COLLEGE:

I wish I was more financially astute.  Credit cards are meant to be a tool, not a weapon and I could have avoided a lot of debt had I been more proactive in financial literacy.

My name is Ailyn Ayala and the during the fall semester of my junior year at Roosevelt I had the opportunity to study abroad in Seville Spain and it was the most unforgettable experience of my life! It was a long process for sure, but it was absolutely worth all the work/preparation that goes into it. I studied in Spain through Athena Study Abroad which is partnered with Roosevelt. In order to study abroad I had to work with advisors in the program and they were super helpful and resourceful throughout my whole experience before and once I was actually there. It took me a whole semester + the summer to get everything I needed ready before I left. If you are considering studying abroad, I recommend that you make sure that you give yourself enough time to get everything done especially because you must obtain a student visa, buy your flight, and submit the long list of required documents to both Athena and Roosevelt. The process was so long that when it was actually time for me to leave for Spain reality sunk in and it was so surreal that I was actually leaving.

I chose Spain because I am already fluent in Spanish and I wanted to make sure that language wouldn’t be a barrier for me to get the best educational experience out of studying abroad. Accordingly, it definitely helped me once I was there because it enabled me to enroll in more advanced courses and I definitely learned so much more because I knew the language. Spain is also not as expensive as the U.K or Germany to study abroad which was also a plus. Another piece of advice that I would give to students before they leave abroad is to make sure you have a bank that is travel friendly because those interest fees are a killer! I also suggest that you pack light because once you’re there you will want to purchase so many things and then not have enough room to bring them back home. I fell in love with the fashion trends in Spain and it was disappointing to be so limited in luggage space. On the other hand, one of the things that made Spain so unique to me was that every city that I visited felt like it was a whole different country. It was the craziest thing to note how much history and diversity is in each individual city. In Seville my apartment was a 5-minute walk from Christopher Columbus’ tomb! Being in Seville specifically also made my experience abroad less overwhelming because it’s not as crowded and intense as Madrid or Barcelona. Every weekend I would travel to either a different city within Spain or to a different country and because of that I was able to connect what I learned in class with actually visiting the places I was learning about.

The food in Spain took a long time for me to get used to. I am not a big fan of seafood which is something that Spaniards incorporate into most of their dishes. When I first got to Spain, although I speak Spanish, I literally could not understand their menu because everything is labeled so differently. I was lost for months before I actually started knowing what things were. Spaniards also compliment every dish with patatas aka fries. As you can see in the picture above, I would even have fries for breakfast with my eggs! The most common thing to eat in Spain are small appetizers called tapas. I really enjoyed ordering multiple tapas to share with my friends and it ended up being an economical way of eating out.

I cannot stress how much you benefit from studying abroad. Besides what you learn and the places you get to travel to, the friendships you build will always be a part of you. I went to Spain not knowing anybody and I made so many friends from all over the world. Someone that was once a stranger to me became the friend I was riding a camel with in Morocco!

I enjoyed and made the most out of my experience studying abroad. It was definitely hard to be away from my family for almost 5 months, but it was worth the sacrifice. Every day that I was abroad was a new learning experience for me. Getting used to the way of living and customs in Spain was a challenge but it definitely made me become more open minded and exposed to a broader range of issues going on in the world. If you are interested in studying abroad, I suggest you research, read blogs, and ask every question you can think of to your advisors before choosing where you want to go. And, of course, here is helpful information provided by Roosevelt.

On Tue. Oct. 22 you can attend an information session at Roosevelt about a study abroad trip in spring, 2020 to Europe!

 

 

EMAIL:

ldowney@roosevelt.edu

TEACHING:

I teach public administration, political science, and health science and administration.

HOMETOWN:

I have lived all over the world so no hometown.

COLLEGE:

I have gone to lots of colleges such as Lancaster University in the United Kingdom; Syracuse University; and the University of Illinois to name a few.

UG MAJOR/MINOR:

Medicine, Politics, and Philosophy

WHY YOU CHOSE THE MAJOR/MINOR:

To paraphrase John Muir, when you tug at a single thing, “health,” in the universe you find that it is attached to everything. Health impacts every aspect of an individual’s life from education to family, community, economic, and global well-being. When we protect people’s health, we save lives and enable them to use the gifts they were born to give to the world.

EXTRACURRICULARS DURING UG (CLUBS, ORGS, JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC.):

Oxfam, UNICEF, Amnesty International (president), United Nations, Save the Children, Debate, ACT UP (high school and UG), worked on three political campaigns, CARE, pre health care, Medicins Sans Frontiers,  Live 8

WHY YOU CHOSE TO WORK AT ROOSEVELT:

To educate socially conscious citizens for active and dedicated lives as leaders in their professions and their communities.  And why I stay is because Roosevelt’s students have a global view that the actions of individuals, societies, global actors and nations’ behaviors affect the whole system. Their understanding of this interpersonal reliance equates to a responsibility to and for each other. They also bring an understanding of social justice which translates into a reciprocal obligation for everyone — no matter their age, race, gender, social class, ethnicity, religious beliefs, physical abilities or sexual orientation — to have equal access to succeed in life. I am the adviser for three student organizations.

PHILOSOPHY:

First of all that we belong to and with each other. All lives have equal value. Secondly, that when we give people a chance to help improve the health and lives of others, one sees the best part of them. It is a privilege to be able to see people’s better angels working a multitude of ways on a daily basis.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

Get an amazing education, and then use it to make your works an expression of your gifts. Those gifts that are given to you are not for you alone, or for our own self-improvement, but they are actually to be offered to for the needs of the community.

What advice would you give someone who wants to make a difference in the world?

The measure of our compassion lies not in our service of those whom may seem on the margins, but in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them. Find a way to connect your ideas to others even if it seems like they have nothing in common with you. Also, activism is not just raising an issue, but also requires involvement and engagement with working on policies to affect change.

What kind of world do you want to see in 2030?

A world where we all see ourselves as global citizens in an interdependent world, with a society where everyone has equal access to succeed in life, with an idea of diversity that respects and understands that each individual is unique and important – built on an understanding of universal human rights that belong to all people.

By: Nick Vasilevski, senior

(Photo courtesy of Northwestern Memorial Hospital)

Hi, my name is Nick and I am a histotechnology major at Roosevelt University. I am in Week 6 of my year-long required clinical portion of the program at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. If you are considering one of Roosevelt’s allied health majors (diagnostic medical sonography; histotechnology; medical technology; nuclear medicine technology; radiation therapy technology; radiography ), my experience will give you an idea of what it is like to be enrolled in one of these rigorous programs.

I didn’t know much about histotechnology, until the program director from Northwestern Memorial Hospital visited one of my biology classes to talk with the students. I knew from that moment, that I wanted to become a histotechnologist. After having my interview and being accepted into the program, I was super nervous and excited to start. I didn’t know what to expect since I would no longer be attending lectures and labs at Roosevelt during the clinical portion of my program.

Once I was accepted, I had to order 6 pieces of scrubs (long sleeve, shorts sleeve, bottoms, zip-up sweater) at no cost. I had to have a physical and had to make sure that my immunization records were up to date. I then had to have a drug test (free of cost) at Northwestern and also had a mask fit.

First day:

I took the red line to the Chicago stop and from there the hospital was about a 10 minute or so walk. Day 1 was pretty relaxed. We went over the syllabus, the student handbook, safety protocols and met our fellow students (there were only 4 students in this selective program). We received our ID badges and we were given a tour of the entire hospital.

Current update:

Wow! I cannot believe that I just completed my 6^th week of the program. Time honestly flies by when you are busy and have a lot of work to do. There is a lot of work, but if you manage your time wisely, it is very doable. We spend a lot of time in the lab and the classroom. The projects are fun, and the homework is a very good study tool for exams and quizzes. The material is so interesting and really makes me enjoy coming to class every day.

My Schedule:

Monday:

Anatomy. The teacher gives us a week to learn the material and we are given an anatomy quiz the following Monday. There is a final project for anatomy due at the end of the semester (February), but you are given the assignment well in advance.

Tuesday-Thursday:

Histotechnology. These days we are learning all about histology and we spend a lot of time in the lab.

Friday:

Lab Management. These days are more relaxed and yet are very informative. In this class we learn different management skills and how to become a better coworker and manager.

I also recommend that you take every opportunity to meet with Northwestern Memorial Hospital Clinical Program Directors when they visit the Roosevelt Campus.

And for information about applying for clinical placements, read my blog or contact me at nvasilevski@mail.roosevelt.edu.

 

 

EMAIL:

mjohnson112@mail.roosevelt.edu

ANTICIPATED GRADUATION DATE:

May 2023

HOMETOWN:

Cincinnati, Ohio

WHY YOU CHOSE ROOSEVELT:

I chose Roosevelt for graduate school because I was impressed by the level of dedication to social justice. I was also greeted with open arms by the Psychology Department faculty, and thoroughly enjoyed my time at my interview. When it came time to make a decision, I didn’t even have to think twice before choosing Roosevelt.

MAJOR/MINOR:

Clinical Psychology PsyD

WHY YOU CHOSE THIS MAJOR/MINOR:

At my undergraduate university, Ohio University, I was constantly being prepared for graduate school. For quite a while, I was dedicated to go to a Ph.D. program in clinical psychology, but I soon found that I enjoyed the Psy.D. practitioner-scholar model more than a traditionally research-focused program. In this program, I am being prepared to be the best mental health professional I can be, all while receiving a doctoral-level education.

DREAM JOB AND WHY:

My ultimate goal is to have a private practice in my home while also seeing clients at a local community mental health center. I hope to have a private practice in my home because I do want to be close to my family while I work. On the other hand, I also want to work part-time at a community mental health center to give back to the community that inspired me to do this work in the first place. There I hope to provide services to those who are marginalized and who desperately need it.

EXTRACURRICULARS (CLUBS, ORGS, JOBS, INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK, ETC.):

I work in the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office as a graduate assistant. I was recently given the opportunity to advise the college’s CASSAC student leadership organization. I will also be beginning my first therapy practicum in the fall at one of the City Colleges of Chicago.

STUDY BREAK GUILTY PLEASURE:

Netflix. Hulu. Repeat.

PEOPLE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO KNOW THAT… :

In undergrad, I started out as a music therapy major with a focus on the piano. I ended up having a lot of pain in my hands after I graduated high school, and enjoyed the idea of starting something new so much that I decided to switch to a major in psychology.

ADVICE FOR INCOMING STUDENTS:

For undergraduate students:

Be in the moment and don’t wish away your experience here. Take in any and all experiences you are given while you are in undergrad, because you will learn so much about yourself and what you want to be in the future from it.

For graduate students:

Many students told me to engage in self-care, and would give examples that never fit my lifestyle, so find what self-care means to you and stick to it at least once a week. Also, don’t be afraid to ask for help because everyone in your cohort is struggling and someone is always willing to lend a helping hand.

FAVORITE SPOT IN CHICAGO:

I really enjoy any of the parks in the loop area, but I also love the river walk when it’s warm out. I also spend a lot of time in Logan Square at all the local hang-outs and restaurants.

CAUSE YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT AND WHY:

As a member of the Black community and a mental health professional in training, I am extremely passionate about changing the way we think about mental health in my community and others like it. This is one of the reasons I want to spend a significant part of my future working with disadvantaged and marginalized groups, because these groups are unlikely to seek treatment and even more unlikely to receive the treatment they deserve from clinicians that look like them.