Somehow in between meetings, field, and balancing three majors, we managed to sit down with Brooke Ackerman. Brooke has some great advice for getting involved and keeping busy. Check it out below!
Name: Brooke Ackerman
Major: Elementary education with concentrations in social studies and science, but also seeking certifications in special education and early childhood education.
Hometown: Easton, PA
Graduation Year: 2018
Her Campus (HC): “So Brooke, what are you involved in on campus?”
Brooke Ackerman (BA): “During my time here at Marywood, I have tried to be super involved. I’m involved with education club. I am their PCA secretary and their KDP membership chair. I am involved with Alpha Sigma Psi where I serve as the sisterhood chair. I am the general co-chair of Kidstuff 2017, a super fun event that we are hosting in late April for underprivileged children in our area, and I am also currently being accepted into two more honors societies.”
HC: “Can you tell us a little more about Kidstuff?”
BA: “Kidstuff is an annual carnival that we hold at Marywood, and it’s been going on for 25 years. This year is our 25th year and our theme is Reading Rainbow! This year we have changed it up a little bit. Usually it’s just a fun carnival but now we are incorporating a reading aspect into it to really impact the children we are working with. In addition to holding the two-hour event, we will also be donating books and holding a book drive to donate books to the organizations we are including. The organizations we are including are Headstarts of Lackawanna County, the Boys and Girls club, the United Neighborhood Center, and Friends of the Poor.”
HC: “So, what are you asking of the Marywood community for this event?”
BA: “We would love, love, love to have every club come out and have a booth that is aligned with a children’s book. We do have a list of books we sent out to the clubs so we hope to have lots of sign-ups from clubs and sports teams. We especially need sports teams because we have lots of boys who need lots of male role models to look up to. SO, we are asking each club to choose a book, make an activity that’s educational, it could be math based, reading based, science based, social studies based, but we are asking that it is educational and we are also asking those not involved with a club to come out and be what we call a “buddy”. A “buddy” is a college student who gets paired with one of our children who attend the event, and they walk around with them throughout the day. They do activities with them. They get lunch with them. They are kind of just their mentors for the day. They are a good role model to look up to because we do have to remember that we are serving kids who are 4-8 and eventually one day they will go to college and we hope that we could influence them as early as possible. So, we ask that clubs participate. We ask that buddies participate. We are also running decorations at this time so if you need any volunteer hours for clubs or just because you like to volunteer, we are also holding decoration making on Tuesdays from 7-9 and Wednesdays from 6-8, which are held by our decorations committee of two girls. Each decoration is book based so it should be a cute and amazing event but we do need the Marywood community to come out and help us.
HC: “Why did you join Alpha Sigma Psi?”
BA: “I joined Alpha Sigma Psi as a freshmen, my first semester. I rushed alone. I had no one to stand with and I rushed because I have also been comitteed to the service of children, between my major and everything I have done pre-Marywood and at Marywood. The service of children has always come first in my life and their philanthropies really aligned with my own values and beliefs and I think it is a great opportunity to have a wonderful and supportive group of girls come out and do all these fun activities. We do service. We try to make an impact on this community and I think it was an amazing opportunity that I was blessed to be included in during my college career.”
HC: “What do you see as the benefits of Greek life on campus?”
BA: “I think Greek life is a fantastic opportunity for girls and boys (now that we may be welcoming a new frat). I think it really provides a real sense of community, of involvement, of entertainment. I think you can kind of get everything you need from your Greek organization. You can find your service opportunities, your passions, and your best friends. So, I think without Greek life, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I think Greek life has positively impacted so many people at Marywood and at other schools. It would be a shame to see it not be here.”
HC: “Okay, so let’s get to the more important questions, the library or the atrium? And what do you order?”
BA: “I’m going to have to go with the atrium, only because I live in the Woodlands and it’s closer and no one wants to walk to the library for dinner when it is, like, 13 degrees out. And, my usual order at the atrium is you order a house salad and then you ask for crispy chicken on top and the honey mustard that goes on the wraps and then usually Larry, or one of the other guys makes the salad for me.”
HC: “What’s your favorite part about Marywood?”
BA: “My favorite part about Marywood is definitely the community, the people here, and the opportunities it has given me. I have met some of my very best friends here and I have got to be included in some amazing opportunities and events on campus. I’m participating in a service trip this spring and we are traveling to Jamaica to work with children with special needs and I have been on another service trip last year to New Orleans, where we worked on environmental sustainability. So, I think, if I didn’t come to Marywood, I would have missed out on all those great opportunities they have offered.
HC: “So, you have three majors, what’s that like?”
BA: “It’s absolutely crazy but it is absolutely worth it. Basically I will have done the three majors over eight semesters at Marywood and I have taken three summer sessions with another college. It’s crazy and it’s awesome and I’m hoping, fingers crossed, that when I graduate next spring there will be a job in the teaching market for me.”
HC: “Why did you want to teach?”
BA: “From a very young age, I have never dreamed of doing anything else. Teaching has always been my #1 career goal. I think I have always known I have wanted to teach because I have always loved and enjoyed going to school and I have always loved and enjoyed learning. A lot of people don’t think this but, in becoming a teacher, you also make the commitment to become a life-long learner. So, I think teaching has given me so many opportunities to continue my education, to continue learning every day, and another aspect, I really love the kids I work with. I can’t imagine working with anyone else, in my time, than my 26 third graders that I am working with right now. They really cheer up my day. They know how to make me laugh. They are great at telling jokes; sometimes you get the really bad jokes. My favorite is ‘What do you call a bug that delivers Easter eggs?’ ‘The Easter buggy.”
HC: *laughs*
BA (continuing): “So, I think I have always wanted to learn, and I have always wanted to help people and make a positive impact on society.”
HC: “You seem like you’re really busy, what do you see as the benefits of getting involved in college?”
BA: “I think college is 100% what you make it and if you aren’t busy, I think you are missing out on so many amazing opportunities. I think trading some free time to be involved in a club or a service activity is way more important and it will have a much longer lasting effect on your life than watching three hours of Netflix in bed. So, I think I have always enjoyed being busy. I don’t know how to not be busy and I think you get more out of being busy than not.”
HC: “And finally, any advice to the freshmen or the incoming freshmen?”
BA: “My words of advice are just to get involved and give 110% in what you are doing. I know sometimes we feel that our lives are super busy with school or work or with family but I think if you just decide one day, you’re going to get involved, you are going to do this, you find your passion, and you throw yourself 110% into it, you’re going to have a blast. You are going to have the best time of your life. SO, I have taken my passions of education, service to children and, I guess, event planning and I have really thrown it into everything I do at Marywood. SO, I recommend getting involved, making new friends, trying new things because you only have four years so it would be a shame to waste it.”
HC: “Awesome, thank you Brooke!”
BA: “Thank you!”