We have met with two Pastors in the east side so far. Pastor Chapman and Pastor Giles are two of the nicest men I have met so far. They really know their stuff. What I mean is, they really know about their community and what needs to be done or what hasn’t been done. Part of the culture on the east side is worship, so the two pastors as leaders and mentors make sense. Obviously we see a lot of violence and hear the bad things about the east side on the news, but how often do we hear the good stuff? Yes! There is good stuff going on. There are outreach programs for teens and people who have been in prison. Houses are being built around the area, streets are being re-done, and more and more needy and impoverished people are being helped. As for the teens in the area, many are learning that there is a better life out there than gangs, drugs, and violence. Pastor Giles meets with men and women and even kids who need the help to better themselves. He has been really successful and has told us a lot of great stories about his successes and his failures with different types of people. Yesterday we met with teens at a non-profit business called Back To Basics. One girl in particular asked me about my college experience as a psychology major and told me how much she wanted to own her own business and be a psychiatrist. I told her it would be a lot of work and a lot of school but she seemed really ambitious. The volunteers that mentor the teens teach them to be ambitious and even further, that they do have a future and can go off to school like us Canisius students do.

Last Sunday we went to two Baptist churches, which was one of the greatest experiences. At first we got some strange looks being the only white group in an African American church, but that was expected because they didn’t know why we were there. When they found out why we were there and what our immersion was about they welcomed us and thanked us over and over again. They were so happy we were there and told us about five times each to come back again! I am not usually a hugger, but I wanted the hugs from everyone in the church congregation. They were so nice and so welcoming and the church services themselves were  the most upbeat and enthusiastic services I have ever been to. I kind of liked it more than the normal masses I’m used to!

We have eaten soul food three times on this trip at two restaurants called Gigi’s and Mattie’s. This food is DELICIOUS and the corn bread is the best! I told my roommate who is doing the immersion with me, that there is no reason we can’t come back and bring people along. Just like everything we have been visiting and seeing, the two restaurants are so close to Canisius College. I kind of think that Canisius is in its own little bubble, so we don’t see the east side and tend to neglect great aspects of it. If I have learned one thing, it is that the people living on the east side are our neighbors, and the things going on, good or bad, are in our community. Why avoid it?

I could probably write a twenty-page paper and talk for hours about my experiences to far. The things I mentioned are only a snippet of what we have been doing, but like I said before, I’m so happy I’m involved in something so great. Tonight we will talk with some parolees and hear about their experiences in the city. I can’t wait!

It seems like just yesterday I was a freshman, trying to figure out which building my classes were located, where to buy food and books, trying to make friends. It’s so weird that it’s already been four whole years later and so much, yet so little, has changed in my life. I’ve had a LOT of positive experiences the last four years; I’ve meant a lot of amazing people, gone a lot of amazing places, and seen a lot of amazing things. I’m so grateful for every opportunity I’ve been granted. I’ve certainly crossed more off my Bucket List in four years than a lot of people do in ten. Let’s see, I:

1. Studied Abroad In Italy
2. Visited France, Spain, England, Ireland, Greece, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Vatican City, and various parts of Italy
3. Maintained a healthy, happy, partly-long distance relationship for 4 years
4. Visited New York City for the first time, and then went again!
5. Went to Cedar Point for the first time
6. Went on two cruises!
7. Went to Florida 4 times
8. Maintained a high GPA
9. Had 2 internships!
10. Presented work to the FBI(!!!)
11. Met amazing people who are my closest friends!
12. WROTE A THESIS!!
13. Lived in Alabama for 2 months
14. Played field hockey again
15. Joined an Improv group! even though it didn’t last too long ):
16. Got myself a car!
17. Had 4 different jobs

Wow! And that’s only some of the things that I can have the pleasure to say I’ve accomplished. Honestly, most of it would not have been possible without the help from Canisius. They given me so many opportunities; I’m so thankful and humbled. I’m starting to get sad just thinking about it!!!!! Obviously, some sad things have happened over four years, too, such as the loss of a dear high school friend, but it is much better to focus on the positive!!

I hope everyone really takes the time they have in college and uses it to its fullest. Go places, do things! The only things in college I have regretted are the things I didn’t do, not the things I did. Italy, Alabama, my internships, the clubs and classes, those things all changed me and made me a better person. Don’t be afraid to get involved and start/join a club. Have fun! Let loose! And, as always, be true to yourself. Appreciate your time and don’t let little things get you down. Be adventurous! College will fly by like that, so act now!!!!!!!!!

Until later (maybe?),

Meghan (,:

We are going to be doing a lot. To start off, the purpose and the hopes of the immersion, like many immersions Canisius has done, is to become more aware of the city of Buffalo. There is a lot about the east side that many of us don’t know about, and let’s face it, we all have our stereotypes of the city. Hopefully, we can get a better look at real city living in Buffalo while meeting very interesting people and learning about their cultures and backgrounds. Like I said, there is a lot we do not know!

Dr. Gent gave us several themes that we will be focusing on throughout the 10-day immersion into the east side of Buffalo. They include criminal justice, education, housing, transportation, culture, political aspects, economics, religion, food, and health care. Many people living in the east side of Buffalo experience these different themes and are affected by them in several different ways. Our task is to learn and understand how they are affected by the themes and how they cope every single day. I hope we will come in contact with many different types of people to hear their stories, which would be a huge part in helping us be more aware and understanding of city living.

One of the students asked a question about a typical day on our immersion experience. Valid question. This is where I started to get so excited that I wished I was starting the immersion tomorrow! To name a few, Dr. Gent told us we would ride in a police car around the east side, visit the Erie County Holding Center, interview parolees, and attend church services. All four of those things are something I can’t say I would get the chance to do or have ever experienced. Seeing as how I’m interested in criminal justice, these type of experiences and lessons are going to leave me like a little kid in a candy store. Plus, the whole program only costs us 250 dollars and earns us an amazing experience as well as 3 credit hours. Not bad!

Finally, there is the academic portion, so of course there is going to be a little reading and writing for us. Dr. Gent and Dr. Havis are putting together a reader for us that will most likely contain texts that are philosophical, about the roots of racism, criminal justice issues, and east side history. The writing portion will be journals that we will have to keep, which shouldn’t be hard after hearing all the things we will be doing and seeing over the 10 day period. We also have “class participation” which is obviously participating and being involved in the immersion (already doing that) as well as reflecting and sharing our thoughts about our days.

We are aloud to have cameras and interestingly, the whole immersion will be videotaped. I plan on taking an outrageous number of pictures to document this experience. I think I would be dumb not to! I have a really good feeling about this whole immersion and I’m really excited to get started. I will keep you posted, and I’m almost sure I can promise you many interesting stories about my experience. It’s only a few weeks away!

1) Make Sure You Love Your Major: Not that mine isn’t fascinating or anything, but sometimes I wish I had taken more time to experiment and found what I really loved. Now that I’m graduating, so many other majors and classes seem so interesting to me!

2) Get Involved: I never really had a chance to join many clubs or go to many events on campus because I was always working. My suggestion? If you have the means, dorm. The few times I’ve lived away from home were really beneficial. I learned a lot about myself, met some of my best friends, and learned valuable life skills. Get to know people and have fun!

3) Study Abroad: This one I actually did! Studying abroad was one the best experiences I have ever had. If you do go, really challenge yourself with the language and the culture. Try to get involved with the community and speak the native language! The experience is for positively developing so make the best changes. Travel A LOT and eat different things!

4) Get an Internship: An internship is a great way to get real world experience in your field. Use it to your advantage! Network and get the experience to evaluate whether this is something you want to do.

That is just some advice I have. I’m sure there’s much much more, but I don’t want to bombard everyone with my opinions! Plus, it’s too late to be thinking so seriously and deeply!

Until later,

Meghan (:

So, a lot of people had questions and concerns about the program, but considering we have an amazing study abroad program we were able to turn their concerns into excitement. A lot of parents and students had questions about tuition and were surprised to know that all of the money we get from Canisius carries over to the country and school of their choice. They asked about the classes they could take, the majors they could have in order to be able to study abroad and where the best places to go are. All in all, everyone was very interested in hearing the facts and our experiences from Europe. Studying in Florence and becoming a Study Abroad Ambassador has definitely prepared me to answer the types of questions they had. As for today, I could tell I definitely changed some minds of some people who were hesitant to go abroad.

I was extra envious of all the high school seniors walking around today knowing that I am approaching my senior year. I wanted to tell them to appreciate every moment at Canisius because it literally flies by. Instead, I of course encouraged them and their parents to study abroad. That’s  a given, and I was happy to do it.

We talked for a while, and the meeting ended up lasting over 3 ½ hours. The other students who studied abroad and I talked about places we went in Europe, where to eat, what to pack, what to wear, what to see and visit, and what to it. The list goes on. The students had a lot of questions and seem pretty excited to go. Wasn’t I just in their position… like yesterday?! Well, even though I am not, helping them out and giving them tips on Italy is good for me. I’m happy to do it and so are the rest of the Study Abroad Ambassadors.

It’s never too late to study abroad even if it’s not through Canisius! When in Rome, right?

My first one was a Digital Presentation, aka Powerpoint, all about Phishing. As you may remember, this past semester, I wrote my senior thesis about the Internet crime of Phishing and its effects on the criminal justice system. Phishing, as a refresher, is when a person receives a spam email that is impersonating a legitimate company. When the person opens that email, it will contain a hyperlink which, after clicking on it, will direct them to a webpage which looks like it could belong to the company, but is actually a fake. It will then ask for your personal information and upon you hitting “Submit,” will send it off to the criminal! So, essentially, my thesis discussed this crime, the effects monetarily it has, and how nothing is a really being done about it. A few of my professors came to watch me, including my advisor, some friends, and my dad. It was great to share all of my hard work!

My second presentation was a poster entitled “Racial Differences in Death Penalty Support,” which discussed just that. I had done the research for this presentation last semester in a sociology class and was asked by the professor to share my results. I had found some very interesting things, such as that Caucasians tend to support the Death Penalty while African-Americans oppose, that the higher an education a person receives the more likely they are to switch their opinion, and that the difference in support/opposition may be related to a belief that their is racial bias in the criminal justice system.

Finally, my last presentation was a group project done for class all about ethical dilemmas of the police brotherhood. The police brotherhood is the sense of union and subculture among officers. While this tight knit group helps officers to cope with difficult situations, it can also lead to an exploitation of power. My group and I discussed various different ways this can happen and what can be done to avoid the negative aspects.

I hope anyone else that presented did well! Congratulations on your hard work!

Until later,

Meghan (: