Melanie Tlaseca Verde — A Place in Time: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Week 3

Hola Familia, 
Week three is done! And what a week it has been. By far, this week has been the most successful in terms of the authority I maintain over the campers and the connection I made with my coworkers, in addition to my community outreach activity. This week at camp was called, “Bits and Bots,” and focused on creating a story via a digital platform — shoutout to Adobe Spark, not sponsored. In terms of work-related assignments, my workload was typical: organizing documents created by the campers, facilitating instructions, mediating inter-camper conflicts, supporting the lead educators and teaching assistant. This week, I had the amazing opportunity to facilitate my community outreach activity at the New York Public Library. Making sure to prepare in advance for the event, I read the book to my sister a couple of times, and practiced the engaging noises I planned to make the day of the event. Up until the night before the event, I had emotionally prepared myself to read, “Tito Puente, Mambo King,” to the children alone, but thankfully, YAP Alum Arturo Aguerre ‘06 was able to accompany me! On the day of the event, I wasn’t sure who to expect, or how many people to attend, but there was a good turnout. About nine children (and even more adults!) attended. Most of the children were below three years of age, so the engagement with the drumming activity varied depending on the child’s motor skills. In terms of reading the story, not only had I practiced at home, I also facilitate storytimes at my internship site, meaning I was able to execute the reading portion well. Perhaps the most unexpected moment of the week was the connection established between my coworkers and I. Because we spend more time together with each other than with our family, it became important to me to establish a friendly relationship with them, despite my shy nature. Whether I am eating lunch with them, or sharing thoughts with them about life, I am so lucky to have a team as great as them. Week Four, here I come!

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