Kevin's Blog

Hi, my name is Kevin Calixto!

I am a third year at PLU and I am glad I participated in the Parkland Immersion.Today I had two amazing experiences during my participation in the Parkland Immersion. I helped pass out lunch for the students who were participating in MESA. Seeing their excitement and enthusiasm throughout the day allowed me to see the value in volunteering. The second part of the day Academic Advising helped our group through an exercise on dependable strengths. Through the dependable strengths exercise I was able to stop and reflect on my accomplishments and give myself credit for them. 

Thank you for reading,

Kevin Calixto

Ashley's Blog

Hello! My name is Ashley Carrasco and this year I was in charge of coordinating the Parkland Immersion! This is my second year coordinating the program and every year I learn more and more not only about myself but the community that surrounds me. Today we had a breakfast with community members from the Parkland. We had two lovely community members who were born and raised in Parkland and were joined by a PLU School of Business professor who has lived in Parkland for many years and his family. We were taken back to Parkland in the 1950’s when a former vice president of the United States visited Parkland to the expansion of PLU and the future of Parkland. 

We also did a lot of weeding in the Trinity Lutheran Garden, I was amazed by how much work we accomplished but most importantly I had a lot of fun learning new skills. Did you know there are “Good” and “bad” caterpillars? I didn’t either until today! 

 Thank you for reading,

Ashley 

Caitlin's Blog

Hi my name is Caitlin Johnston! 

I'm a first year at PLU and I'm having a lot of fun doing the Parkland Immersion Program as an Alternative Spring Break! Today we went to L'Arche Farm, which has farms all over the US and world with the focus of servicing and employing those with disabilities. While there we worked with a class of 4th and 6th graders pulling weeds, making paper, and planting! It was a lot of fun, and gave me the opportunity to get to know some of the workers, and I'd like to come back and help again!

We also went to Gonyea house (the Krise's residence) for S'mores, and they took a silly picture with me!

It was a really busy day and it gave me a lot to think about in terms of whether I want to work towards a service career and how now I can begin to make those connections!
 

Thank you for reading, 

Caitlin

Welcome to Parkland Immersion 2016!

Parkland Immersion 2016

We would like to thank CCES, The Women’s Center, Residential Life, Academic Advising, and Career Connections for providing meals this year!

This is the current itinerary for Parkland Immersion. Please note what times we are meeting and where. Note when meals are provided and when activities are optional.

Friday, March 25, 2016

6:00-8:00pm: Hong Lounge. We will gather in Hong for a program introduction and overview. We will go over the schedule, frame the idea of community engagement, and most importantly, get to know each other.

Saturday, March 26, 2016

9 am: All participants meet in the Hong Main Lounge for breakfast. We will be joined by some community members to share views and experiences living in Parkland. Light breakfast items and coffee will be provided. We would like to thank Dr. Mark Mulder and family for providing us with this meal.

11:00am: Supplies will be available to make a lunch for the day.

2:00-4:00 pm: Gardening and greenhouse work at Trinity Lutheran Church. Please dress appropriately in comfortable clothing, closed-toed shoes, ready to get dirty!

Sunday, March 27, 2016

9:00pm-11:00 am: Parkland Tour with Tono Sablan. We will be accompanied by Tono as we learn about Parkland and the surrounding community.  

11:30 pm: (optional) Supplies available in Hong Lounge to make lunch.

6:00-8:00 pm: We will debrief what we saw throughout the day and have dinner. We would like to thank Academic Advising for providing us with this meal.

8-10 pm (optional): Fun Night in Hong Main Lounge. There will be Movies, Board Games and 

Monday, March 28, 2016

8:30 am:  All participants meet in Hong Main Lounge.   Breakfast and lunch items will be provided if you wish to eat before the afternoon activities.

8:30 am - Depart for L’Arche Farm.

9:00 am-3:00 pm: Work at the L’Arche Farm.**Note: Wear layers, clothes that can get dirty, and closed-toed shoes.

6:00-7:00 pm: Arrive back at Hong. We will debrief what we saw throughout the day and have dinner. We would like to thank Andrea Shea, Academic Advising for providing us with this meal. 

7:00-8:00 pm: S'mores with Tom and Patty Krise and Gonyea House.

Tuesday, March 28, 2016

7:45 am: Meet in Olsen Gym for MESA Day

8:00-2 pm:   MESA Day at PLU.  Middle and high school students will be competing in MESA Day at PLU.

4:00-6:00 pm: Dependable Strengths Workshop with Academic Advising & Career Connections.  Allie Grill, Abigail Blankner, and Heather Leque.

6:00-8:00 pm: Dinner in Hong Lounge.  We would like to thank Career Connections & Academic Advising for providing us with this meal.  

Wednesday, March 29, 2016

8:30 am: Meet in Hong Lounge.  Depart for EFN Repack.

9:00 am-12:00 pm: Work at the EFN repack project.**Note: We will be working in a warehouse which can be cool - wear layers and clothes that can get dirty.

1:00-3:00 pm: All participants meet at Garfield Book Store Community Room.

This will be our final gathering together to discuss what we learned and how to move forward with after this experience. We will answer final questions and discuss next steps for engaging in the Parkland community.  Refreshments provided by CCES.

Thank you so much for your commitment to this experience.  

We hope you have a great time and learned a lot! Happy Spring Break!  

**Please note that these times are subject to change.  Please approach this week with an open mind and flexibility.   If at any point before or during the experience you have questions, do not hesitate to ask.