Smart Goals (Juan Franco)

S

I want to create positive change in the Drury community before 2012 is over in an effort to increase awareness about Diversity so that we as a society can benefit from the experience.

M

I will know when my progress is moving forward when I observe how people I know change their behavior towards diversity issues. Sadly, parts of this campus are not friendly towards things that defy the majority, they are not used to change or doing things in a different manner. I personally am living proof of this, I have felt the resentment when I speak towards issues they are not used to discussing. I do not like to generalize as there are people in this campus who share my vision and recognize that there are better ways of doing things. I will test the people to observe whether they have committed to change through innovation.

A

As tough as it sounds I believe that to accept change the status quo needs to be challenged. People will struggle to commit but as one my favorite quotes says: it is always darkest before sunrise, symbolizing how things may get very bad but when they hit bottom this is when our desired goal will become a reality. People need to be pushed and pushed until they realize that not only there are other options and ways of life out there, but actually a better way of doing things. I will encourage being different since this will create a greater pool of perspectives.

R

I can accept this sounds extremely tough and there might be repercussions socially, but it is my motivation that will never change. I just cannot accept that I live in an environment that does not consider Diversity a priority. Although Drury as an institution has made deep promises concerning this, it is the students that must be part of the change and if they don’t do it then who will? That’s why it’s realistic, we don’t have another choice. However I also find strength to fulfill this because of my life experiences, experiences that have shown me this path is the way to go.

T

Just this month I won the election to become the new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion for the Student Government Association here at Drury, and it is through this position that I’ll spearhead my movement. Although I would very much like to make this a life-long goal, the position I represent gives me legitimacy hard to obtain through other methods and so my timeline will be 1 year from January 1^st to December 31^st of 2012. In one year I will attempt to create change in a community that needs it desperately

 - Juan Franco

Vision Statement (Juan Franco)

The crowds cheering, the nervousness creeping into my feelings as I ascend the stairs to reach the podium. I am suddenly unable to see ahead of me because of a strong spotlight directed my way. As my sight adjust to the glare I swallowed my nervousness and for the first time addressed the crowd as an elected official. I spoke of change and innovation, how the power to modify our lives lies within us and it is this power that can help us change society and on a general scale the world. I had just won my first election based on a campaign of honesty, responsibility and humility, and I was going to make an impact in people’s lives. I felt as if I was going to change the world. 

-Juan Franco

Experience in Joplin with the Smart Mob (Juan Franco)

During the 2011 Summer an F-5 Tornado hit the City of Joplin in Southwest Missouri, not only leaving a destructive path behind it but killing hundreds and virtually wiping out the city. Aid from all over the world started to flow in, but as it is expected after a natural disaster of that magnitude recovery was slow. I was witness to this when Drury University organized a smart mob to help in the reconstruction effort of a memorial. As we drove through the “city” I saw destroyed houses, abandoned buildings, trees at awkward angles and despair in peoples faces. However as soon as our bus pulled up to the construction site cheers erupted in our honor since we were there to make a change. I feel that the Smart Mob organized by the University was highly efficient, in contrast to the Extreme Makeover crew who I felt was there as an act or show. We worked throughout the day and at the end the result was extremely visible, something I also heard from the Architecture students that had been on site for the duration of the week. Overall it was a great and humbling experience and I would most definitely like to do it again in the near future.  
-Juan Franco

Smart Goal

My Smart Goal for a long term is to maintain friendship with this kids and spend time with them. I'm really excited to watch how they apply all that we have learn with us. Hopefully we are going to maintain a nice friendship and help each other in the future.
Danny Loza

Smart Mob

On August 29 Joplin was victim of one of the most devastating hurricanes in human nature. Irene hurricane took the life of more than one hundred people and thousands get injured.  After the hurricane hit Joplin thousands of people and foundations came to relief Joplin. Hundreds of supplies and tools were given to Joplin. Two months after hurricane Irene, Drury University decided to create a memorial based on the experiences and the symbolic meaning of all this help and the reconstruction of Joplin. 

Architecture students were in charge of designing the model and with the help of architects and the community we were going to create a magnificent memorial. The 23^rth of October Smart mob group which was willing to help Joplin and to help build the memorial went to Joplin to bring happiness and hope. I was in the Smart mob and this event was one of those moments that could change your life. Ten minutes before arriving to the park I was able to see the devastation that Joplin had suffered. Broken houses, roofs, wood and materials everywhere was this city at first site.  After two months of the devastations and Joplin still wasn’t completely recovered, for me was surprising how much damage Irene Hurricane did in this city.  After I get to the site I was in charge of helping putting the grass together, taking the rocks apart and instead put some flowers and plants. Besides that we were in camera since extreme make over was present and were surprising about the development of the memorial they interview some of the guys and the professors of what we planning to attempt. We are a group of people willing to help and give Joplin not only a memorial but a site were they could leave away all those bad experiences and keep going forward in their life.  

This day was a great experience for me because I could interact with people of the community and also help this Joplin to become a better place for everyone. There are always unfair events in our lives but there is always going to be good people willing to help and motivate you.

Danny Loza

What do I plan to accomplish is this remaining weeks in Pipkin Middle school

Well so the semester is coming to its end and I had had an amazing time in my school and the great new experiences that the present offers me. One of the things I’m really thankful and happy about is all the things that I have learn from Pipkin middle school, this tiny but special place where I do community service had teach me thing that no other class or sport could teach me. Such things as people willing to change even the bad circumstances or the inspiration of watching a kid doing better in his life and maturating to fulfill success and happiness in his life. For this next weeks my goal will be not longer just talk to the kids about my experices and now its will be the acting part. This acting commitment will be that after talking we have to put It in practice. In that case the kids will learn quicker and it will safe time to talk about more things.

Also I was thinking in a location were we can gather together, since my class its of twenty students, and have a nice dinner before Christmas holiday. In that way be can learn more about each other and the different view of people personality than we your in the school.

Danny Loza 

Smart Goal

My Smart Goal is to implement a monologue technique which consist in organize and plan the week. Each kid need to create a goal like for example, get good grades or do something good for somebody. This will make the kids more organize and having a goal help to organize better your lifestyle. This also will help the kids to socialize and know each other better. Maybe some kids have the same goal and they can help each other to accomplish it.
Danny Loza

Joplin Smart Mob

The monday we joined Smart mob to volunteer in Joplin, was a week we will all remember. It started by passing through the devastated buildings and how we can see the images of what the tornado whipped out. It was a life changing experience because all of the great things we could do to help the community. We worked helping moving and placing grass sods on the garden. We took about an our to plant all of the sods and to create the garden in the surrounding of the memorial site. This was a hard work which I enjoyed because we could work as teams for a more effective work. After that we helped in other site to move the dirt and to place more grass sods to create the exterior parts of the building. It was a long day but it all had its reward and it was helping a community that needed help from everyone. This is an experience that makes you feel complete inside because you don't care if they pay you or they say thank you, but you will feel that you did your job with the people who need it the most. As an experience this is one that could take your stress off by helping the community and could make you see that to help other people is what makes you really happy, and to see their smiles after a long time of suffering thats what makes me happy.

SMART Goal

"Play entertaining and fun games with the group of 15 kids every 2 weeks in this current semester for 1 hour each day. This will make kids to be more engaged and attracted to the program."

Juan Fernando Calderon

Danny Loza Projects Description

My summit Park project is based on three people, in which our task is to help middle school kids to create a good perspective toward studying and how important is to get an education in this day. My group works in Pipkin middle school in Springfiled Missouri. Most kids in this school come from a poor family and dont have good grades because they cannot focus in school. We gather the group of kids that seem unhappy and they appear not having any interesting in school because of their problems. We want to create a new experience for this kids, not only show them that education is important but to make them fill protected and create a good experience toward high school and college. My group has been talking to several kids over lunch and we are very excited to get to know people that need our help and support.My summit Park project is based on three people, in which our task is to help middle school kids to create a good perspective toward studying and how important is to get an education in this day. My group works in Pipkin middle school in Springfiled Missouri. Most kids in this school come from a poor family and dont have good grades because they cannot focus in school. We gather the group of kids that seem unhappy and they appear not having any interesting in school because of their problems. We want to create a new experience for this kids, not only show them that education is important but to make them fill protected and create a good experience toward high school and college. My group has been talking to several kids over lunch and we are very excited to get to know people that need our help and support.

Juan Franco's Blog: Leadership Quote

"A good leader is made, not born, but made by those qualities such as humility, compassion, innovation and wisdom." (Juan Franco, 2011)

Juan Fernando Calderon Blog: Leadership Post

"To use your knowledge and wisdom is leadership, to make the best out of every team mate and work as a group, its a leader."(Juan Fernando Calderon, 2011)

Danny Loza Blog: Leadership Quote

"Leadership is not giving orders but working with harmony and promoting the intelligent work within your team mates" (Danny Loza, 2011)

1st Blog Community service

We started our project since spring 2011. Our main goal was to work with kids from Pipkin middle school in Springfield, Mo throughout their school year. We wanted to make them stay in school, and continue with their high school studies and also their college studies. Our groups started as a group of 4 where each one of us had a specific role. One of us didn't come back so the project had to be developed by 3 of us with one more role that had to be split. We still had all of the same format and we didn't change anything from the project. In our plans to help the middle school students it was to create groups of 5 kids for each one of us, so that we can work with 15 kids, boys and girls. This will leave us the opportunity to have small groups and know them better. We are supposed to work with the kids that have the most problems in school and that have family issues too. So we worked together with the assistant principle of Pipkin Middle school so that she would make our schedule and when we will meet with the kids. We started our project since the first thursday of the Fall semester 2011 and we have been going every thursday except 2 because of some coordination issues. Our goal is to reach more than the 15 hours that have been suggested to be completed. We want to create an atmosphere of trust and friendship with the kids so that we can be the kids role model and that we can give them advices. We want them to experience how Drury and college live is so that they will have a feeling of what is it. We want them to feel comfortable with us and that they will try to follow our teachings so that they can develop better as human beings. We have been going to Pipkin to eat with them, try to know more about them, to talk to the principle, and to see how this is going to work. We will start working with the group of kids this coming thursday and we will have our own group to work with them. We want to take them as a first thing to the movies and spend the day with them when we have more trust with them. We want to play games, help them study and know them more in order to take them to the outer world. We want to see what their real issues are and what are we able to dot o help them. I am excited and looking forward to work with them and I know it will be an amazing experience.