Angelina “Angie” Champagne ’20 capped off her freshman and senior years the same way—by being named Keuka College’s Field Period® and Experiential Learner of the Year.
Angie, a Child and Family Studies major with a minor in Communications, was awarded the Freshman Field Period® and Experiential Learner of the Year in 2017 for her Field Period® with the World of Inquiry School in Rochester. She repeated the honor this year following her Field Period® helping to plan an annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) to Puerto Rico.
Angie never stopped looking for new and novel placements to learn and reflect on research, art therapy, and student affairs program management, says Dr. Nicholas Koberstein, associate professor of child & family studies and psychology, who nominated Angie for the award both in 2017 and 2020.
After working with seventh- and eighth-graders at Rochester’s World of Inquiry School #58 in 2017, Angie followed up with Field Period® experiences creating research proposals for Dr. Koberstein in 2018 and working with Amy Lyons, Licensed Creative Arts Therapist/Art Therapy Certified Supervisor from Rochester, in 2019.
“When I became a Child and Family Studies major, I wanted to be a counselor or a therapist,” Angie says of her 2019 experience. “I loved the idea of working with clients on a one-on-one basis.”
Angie’s final Field Period® project, like so much else this past spring, had to be reimagined. After assisting College Chaplain Eric Detar plan the annual Alternative Spring Break (ASB) to Puerto Rico, she intended to learn how to execute and evaluate the ASB. But as the global pandemic spread, the trip had to be canceled.
“It was devastating, given how much we worked on planning the trip only to have it canceled,” says Angie, who needed to shift her Field Period® focus. “But I was still committed to making an impact in others’ lives. In the end, I chose to create a social media event that promoted the campus community at Keuka College.”
She turned to Dr. Koberstein for advice and, together, they worked with the College’s marketing and student affairs staff to plan a Virtual Wolf Wednesday social media campaign.
“The Virtual Wolf Wednesday campaign gave students the opportunity to earn Keuka College gear in response to our post,” says Angie.
While her Field Period® was successful, Angie says, “I never expected I would complete it at home at my kitchen table.”
Angie will now take all that Keuka College has taught her to SUNY Buffalo State College, where she intends to pursue her master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs Administration. She has also accepted a Graduate Assistantship position working in the SUNY Buffalo’s Admissions Office.
“I hope to further my research of first-year transitions into college, and pursue a new area of study in intercultural competence and diversity in higher education institutions,” says Angie. “I am thankful for the experiences I have had at Keuka College. Because of my experience at Keuka College, I feel prepared to succeed in future academic pursuits, and am confident in my ability to adapt to circumstances beyond my control.”
Click here to read more about Angelina’s experiential learning and Field Period® experiences.
In addition to Angelina, six other upperclassmen were nominated for Upperclassman Experiential Learner of the Year: Melissa Bowman ’20, Julianna Fabrizio ’22, Braxton Knapp’ 21, Kendra Van Rys ’22, Gabriela Wilson ’20, and Delany Yorks ’22.
Melissa Bowman ’20, a communication studies major from Wading River, N.Y., was nominated by Enid Arbelo Bryant, associate professor of communication studies.
Field Period® Placements: GIVE Volunteers, Thailand (Winter 2016); University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu (Spring 2018); Mountain Surf Paddle Sports, Fayetteville, W.Va. (Summer 2019); and New York Marine Rescue Center, Riverhead, N.Y. (Winter 2020).
Click here to view Melissa’s ePortfolio.
Julianna Fabrizio ’22, an occupational science major from Endicott, was nominated by Dr. Michele Bennett, associate professor of occupational therapy.
Field Period® Placements: Broome-Tioga Boces, Endicott, N.Y. (January 2018); Catholic Charities’ Intermediate Care Facility, Binghamton, N.Y. (Summer 2018); Mercy House, Endicott, N.Y. (January 2020)
Click here to view Julianna’s ePortfolio.
Braxton Knapp ’21, a biology major from Syracuse, was nominated by Dr. Andrew Robak, associate professor of chemistry.
Field Period® Placements: Marcellus Ambulance Volunteer Emergency Services, Inc., Marcellus, N.Y. (Winter 2019 and Winter 2020)
Click here to view Braxton’s ePortfolio.
Kendra Van Rys ’22, an American Sign Language-English interpreting major from Manteca, Calif., was nominated by Delaney Yorks ’22.
Field Period® Placements: Group Field Period® to the Netherlands (Summer 2019); and Group Field Period® to Costa Rica (January 2020)
Click here to view Kendra’s ePortfolio.
Gabriella Wilson ’20, a psychology major from Olean, was self-nominated.
Field Period® Placements: Council on Addiction Recovery Services (CAReS), Olean, N.Y. (Winter 2018); Olean Medical Group, Olean, N.Y. (Winter 2019); and Portville Central School, Portville, N.Y. (Winter 2020)
Click here to view Gabriella’s ePortfolio.
Delaney Yorks ’22, a biology major from Cazenovia, nominated by Bailey Lesniak ’22.
Field Period® Placements: Family Health Center, Munnsville, N.Y. (Winter 2018); The John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore (Summer 2019); and Carlisle Pediatric Associates, Carlisle, Pa. (Winter 2019).
Click here to view Delany’s ePortfolio.
The Field Period® and Experiential Learner of the Year award is given annually to two students—one freshman and one upperclassman. The College established the award in recognition of its longstanding emphasis on experiential learning, and to celebrate individual achievements by its students.
