Welcome to my 2nd College Year from attending AHRC NYC's Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program.
Fall Semester (2020 = Remote College Year)
As of the Fall Semester in 2020, I was officially in my 2nd College Year of the Melissa Riggio Higher Education Program. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, I had to attend my KCC classes online via Zoom + our program had to set up CUNY accounts in order to use a very important feature known as Blackboard. On my Fall Semester schedule, my KCC classes were Training with Weights (PEC600) and Music and Movement (EDC2300). My college program had also added plenty of scheduled time for me to work on my class assignments with some help from my mentors, which is known as "Study and Assignments". My Fall Semester schedule also had Personal Project (with Franklin), It's my Future, and Recreational Activity, all of which I've enjoyed from working on my project with an appreciated mentor, attending a class to ponder about my upcoming future, and to take a recreational break after lots of hard work on my class assignments.
During my remote experience in PEC600, it wasn't an actual class to attend via Zoom but to work on many assignments on Blackboard sent from Professor Brendan Bain. In the beginning of PEC600, I ended up thinking too much about those assignments that looked difficult to work on that I ended up suffering from stress with awful headache and even getting a little sick. Many people from my program needed to speak with me so I can prepare how I can work on my assignments so I won't have to worry too much about believing I would fail or anyone being ashamed of me. After finally adjusting, my assigned mentor and I got to work on my quizzes, blog assignments, and discussion post assignments, all of which I've managed to complete and passed that class at the very end.
During my remote experience in EDC2300, I was both crestfallen and frustrated in the very beginning due to the coronavirus pandemic ruining my chance to attend an in-person class in Early Childhood Education (since it was chosen as my official major) & just when I finally got to be in one, I had to get used to it being remote. In the beginning of EDC2300, I've met Professor Susan Carpenter who is a wonderful advocate for people with disabilities (even children) and she even has her own book which I had to download a version of it to work on some of my assignments. From what I've read in her book (with my assigned mentor), Professor Carpenter had experienced and learned a lot to have music and musical activities become a big help for many young students in schools which is definitely part of my interests. In our EDC2300 class, we've sung different kinds of children's music like Bow Wow Wow, Coming Round The Mountain, You are my Sunshine, and even a song that most of my classmates had enjoyed known as Down by the Bay. Even though I didn't get to meet them in person, I'm happy to have met some nice classmates that I've been interacting with during class along with the discussion post via Blackboard. My EDC2300 midterm had led to me looking forward to doing a few music activities with a child via Zoom and Frank Laskowitz helped with it by letting me do that with one of his daughters, Ariana. I've enjoyed singing a few songs with Ariana along with teaching her one of the songs that I've enjoyed known as "Little Brothers" from Disney's Phineas and Ferb. Not only was Professor Susan Carpenter happy for me passing my midterm, she was proud of me for commenting on my classmates' midterms in the discussion post via Blackboard. At the end, I managed to have passed EDC2300 and really enjoyed the remote experience with that class even though I still wished I could be in that class on campus (with no Coronavirus Pandemic). Some of the Zoom meetings that I've attended by Professor Carpenter had led to me meeting many others like a special ed class from Sheiling College in the UK, Professor Jeremy Sawyer, Professor Eric Conte, and a nice disability advocate named Margot Cole. Meeting the teacher of that special ed UK class had led to me learning how special ed operates differently in the UK than the ones I've been in the US since special ed UK classes are in their own campuses and not within actual universities which has general ed. Meeting Professor Sawyer had led to us having our own meeting so he could share with his class (in Psychology) the info about a fellow high-functioning autistic advocate. Meeting Margot Cole had led to us staying in touch about each other's work as she is an excellent disability advocate with her own professional websites and she was very kind enough to become my first guest blogger on My Project's Website. Meeting Professor Conte had led to me having a meeting with him and Professor Carpenter about an open opportunity (for remote work experience) that they had in mind for me which was experienced during My 2nd Year: Winter Semester.
Winter Semester (2020 = Remote College Year)
During the Winter Semester of my 2nd college year, I was remotely attending AHRC classes taught by the mentors. My chosen classes were Etiquette 101, Discovery and Empowerment, Planning for the Future, Personal Project (with Franklin), Travel, and Karaoke. A few other classes were also added when my college program collaborated with the Bronx College Program during the semester (on Tuesdays and Thursdays) which equals the Brooklyn and Bronx mentors working together in teaching classes to their Brooklyn and Bronx students that were attending. My chosen classes in the KCC and Hostos Collaboration were Karaoke, Music, Exploring our Solar System, Community Etiquette, Mental and Emotional Health Self-Care, Paleontology, and Men's Club. I've enjoyed some of my classes that were teaching me well like Discovery and Empowerment which shown me that I need to keep working hard as a fellow advocate for many individuals on the spectrum since we may never know when innocent autistic people are in need of some help when they're going through some tough times in their lives. I also enjoyed some of the classes of KCC and Hostos Collaboration like Men's Club which allowed some of the male classmates from both college programs to chit-chat and communicate with each other. When some of the classmates say that they're my friends, I was still unsure about it so Frank Laskowitz decided to teach me a few things about friendship. I'm still a bit uncertain but so far (thanks to Frank's teaching), I'm slowly starting to see some of my classmates as friends + I've remembered that some of my past interviewees say that they're friends with me. Frank decided to start to a new friendship for me and a classmate named Steven Lakhter. So far, Frank had prepared private meetings for me and Steven to have conversations which I'm slowly starting to like and even Steven had enjoyed our long chats which lead to many hours passing by.
Thanks to Professors Conte and Carpenter, I've been accepted for an internship in remote field experience. My remote internship was working with Professor Carpenter as an Assistant Teacher in doing music activities with a 1st grade student. Professor Carpenter and I shared some lyrics of a few children's songs to the 1st grade student and she liked some of them. I've sung lyrics of children's songs that I've wanted to share with the student and I even got to teach her how to sing a few lyrics then together we've sing the chosen songs that she liked. There were other nice activities that we've done during the internship, the 1st grade student shared some of her drawings and books with me and Professor Carpenter. We even had a few conversations as we were starting to connect with each other. I'm very grateful to Professor Susan Carpenter and Professor Eric Conte for giving me this remote internship since I got to work with a child which can be involved in my career interests. I wonder what the internship would've been like in-person if COVID-19 never ruined everything but I have enjoyed it remotely though. My 2nd Year: Winter Semester went well especially with the remote internship and learning more about friendship.
Spring Semester (2021 = Remote College Year)
During the Spring Semester of my 2nd college year, I was remotely attending my KCC classes & I was also remotely getting back with the crew of AHRC TV News by attending Director Edwardo's zoom meetings once a week. On my Spring Semester schedule, my KCC classes were Career and Life Planning (SD1100) & Seminar and Practicum in Early Childhood Education Curriculum (EDC3000) + I've also had the much needed "Study and Assignments" for 4 days a week on my schedule to work on my assignments with my mentors.
During my remote experience in SD1100, it wasn't an actual class to attend via zoom but to work on many assignments on Blackboard sent from Professor Shamika Weekes. SD1100 has taught me a lot about planning ahead towards a career path so I can know what to do while preparing to earn a job in my future life. I've learned about Cover Letters, References, Professional Etiquette, & Elevator Pitches in Job Interviews from remotely attending SD1100 which are all very important as I never thought it was more than just a resume needed for my future career path. Even though I didn't get to attend SD1100 in-person because of the COVID-19 Pandemic, I did learn a lot from Professor Weekes which can be helpful for my career planning and I got to chat with some of my SD1100 classmates on Blackboard to communicate with them a little.
During my remote experience in EDC3000, I was with Professor Susan Carpenter again as I've remotely attended another one of her classes once a week during this semester. Our EDC3000 class had a read aloud assignment which involved in reading children's books to each other (remotely) and commented each other about our books, it went very good for our class as I'm sure that others would enjoy reading books to children so they may enjoy listening to good stories. Our EDC3000 class had watched a documentary film of the disability community known as "Intelligent Lives" which was definitely something of my interest to watch as I got to see the lives of a few people with disabilities and I was very happy for them continuing towards their paths for their future lives. Our EDC3000 class had a planting assignment which involved in planting seeds in pots so they can grow into nice plants, I've managed to have done good with my plant and it was photographed so it can be seen on Blackboard + my EDC3000 classmates also did great with their plants as well as I've learned that it can be very important to teach children about the wonders of nature and show them how they can have fun doing nature activities so they may enjoy helping out with the environment which can allow our planet earth to become a little greener with a little help from the youth. Our EDC3000 class had a song lyrics assignment which involved in coming up with our own songs that can be sung to a tune of a children's song, I've made up a song that's related to brushing our teeth and it can be sung to the tune of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". For our final EDC3000 assignment, we've wrote our songs into homemade books which was wonderful as I was happy to give lots of good comments on Blackboard after seeing the songs/books of my EDC3000 classmates + I'm sure my classmates would like for children to enjoy hearing their nice songs/books so children might even learn something from those songs/books as well. My own book may not be as good as my classmates' books but it's still a nice homemade book for my song as I was happy to share it on My Project's Channel so other children can hear my nice song about brushing our teeth.
At the end, I've passed both SD1100 and EDC3000 along with enjoying the remote experience as I've learned much from both classes even though I still wished I could've been in those classes on campus (with no Coronavirus Pandemic). Around the end of the semester, I've attended the 2021 remote graduation for some of my graduating classmates. I do feel bad about COVID-19 Pandemic ruining their chance for an in-person graduation but they did enjoy their remote graduation since many of us were there for them and their families still got to watch them graduate from the college program as it all went well for the graduates of 2021. My 2nd Year: Spring Semester went good from learning about what's needed for my future career path and doing remote assignments from one of the classes in Early Childhood Education.
Summer Semester (2021 = Remote College Year)
During the Summer Semester of my 2nd college year, I was remotely attending AHRC classes taught by the mentors. My chosen classes were Planning for the Future, Anime Exploration, Science Experiments, Etiquette 101, Self-Love and Mindfulness, Karaoke, KCC and Hostos Collaboration, and my usual remote meetings with the crew of AHRC TV News. To be honest, I have nothing much to say since I didn't enjoy this year's summer semester as much as I enjoyed last year's summer semester (and they were both remote) but I did like some of the remote activities of the classes and I've meet some nice students during KCC and Hostos Collaboration. I'm happy that there were still some new students starting into the college program despite starting remotely since with COVID-19 still dominating the earth, chances for experiencing being on campus are gone and I'd feel sorry that their college year shall end up being all remote with not being on campus in-person. With my entire 2nd college year confirmed to have ended up being all-remote, I had to hope that I can at least enjoy more of my 3rd college year while knowing it would also end up being all-remote.