I cannot thank Concordia enough for the opportunities it has provided me during my four years of enrollment. Not everybody has the privilege of obtaining a liberal arts degree that promotes interdependence and exploration of other fields. While other courses have been a major influence in my growth and development in college, neurochemistry has given me a chance to implement all that I have learned thus far. As my capstone experience, the class was structured to give students an opportunity to become responsibly engaged in the world (BREW) while still receiving support from Concordia’s faculty and services.
The class required the planning, implementation, and analysis of a community action project focused on Autism in our society. We first had to figure out the needs of our community and what type of project could aid in the public’s knowledge, understanding, and acceptance of the disorder. In a group of nine students, we researched and collaborated what options would be most beneficial to the Fargo Moorhead area. We finally decided to hold an interactive workshop for the education majors at Concordia College since they will become the next generation educators who interact with autistic students on a daily basis. After reaching out to many experts, we focused our project content on three simple aspects that can be overlooked by teachers in their classrooms. The first main point we discussed was how to appropriately start a parent-teacher relationship without being condescending or accusing. The next was to emphasize the importance of early intervention and screening for all children because it only can benefit the development of our students and future children. Lastly, we made sure to incorporate some teaching strategies and techniques that are beneficial for all students, but extremely crucial for those with autism.
Our project went exceptionally well and we had great feedback from those who attended. However, the project did not come without a lot of hard work, intensive communication, especially between our nine-membered group, and many challenges. The entire project was aimed towards education majors at Concordia and we only had 3 or 4 show up to our event with the majority being students from other majors. Again I think this information is really beneficial to anyone but extremely necessary for those going into teaching jobs in the near future. Another challenge we faced was contacting people outside of Concordia to possibly talk at our event. It was a major learning experience to understand how hard it is to organize events and coordinate public functions. Even if you have the most valuable information in the world, if you can’t organize efficiently, advertise thoroughly, and effectively present your information, then none of it matters.
It was also beneficial for us to work with another discipline, like social work, to complete this project. It taught us how to be professional but assertive during group meetings and also expanded our field of view about the topic. The neuroscience majors were able to bring in the science behind Autism while the social work students were able to talk about family life, school system, and other aspects of the disorder to give our audience a holistic understanding of the disorder. Also as future doctors, dentists, and scientists, this was a crucial opportunity for us to practice talking to the general public about complicated issues. In our near futures, we are going to be expected to explain diagnosis, procedures, treatments, and medicine to any individual. Another valuable outcome of this project was the realization of my own personal biases and perceptions I had about Autism. Before talking to people personally affected by Autism, I had no idea how much of a financial and emotional toll it has on a family. Lastly, this class as a whole has fueled my love for lifelong learning. Without as many assignments or deadlines, it gave us the freedom to explore the topics as we pleased. Some people would take advantage of this freedom and put in minimal effort, but I feel like our class did a great job of wanting to deep deeper and learn more for our own personal benefit. It was such a fun atmosphere that not only pushed me as a student but as an active member of my community.
