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Ewing, NJ -- Beyond Expectations has touched the lives of more than 4,000 families across the tri-state region and we want to better understand as well as document our impact. Through a formal assessment, quantitative and qualitative research will be conducted with students and parents who have participated in our programs.
Under the direction of Dr. He Len Chung, who will lead the design and implementation, a series of research questions were developed to focus on understanding the impact of participation on social, emotional, and psychological well being.
Dr. Chung has over 10 years of experience conducting research with vulnerable youth and families, including those involved with the foster care and juvenile justice systems, and will be responsible for obtaining consent, as well as conducting the research surveys and interviews.
The research proposal has been approved by The College of New Jersey's Institutional Review Board to ensure that the process is ethically and scientifically sound, and adheres to protocols vetted by the National Institutes of Health and other related projects.
A number of students and parents have already participated in the assessment which will continue into 2014.
Ewing, NJ -- November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. It's an ideal opportunity for students from Beyond Expectations to work directly with students at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) to plan our 2014 film screening which will focus on the area of youth homelessness.
Students spent an entire day on the lovely Ewing campus which included an exciting, totally fun interactive scavenger hunt and a chance to participate on the crew of a simulated behind-the-scenes television segment with a representative from TCNJ Lions TV.
The afternoon was spent working collaboratively on three planning teams for the upcoming screening: Advocacy, Promotions, and Merchandising which followed with presentations of their findings to the group. The day wrapped by viewing a series of film and television projects produced by Beyond Expectations students discussing the selection process for the upcoming screening.
The Community Engaged Learning Day was organized through our campus-community partnership with the TCNJ Bonner Center, under the guise of the Center's Director, Paula Figueroa-Vega. The Bonner Center prepares college students to be engaged citizens who will help solve problems in their own communities and to work with community partners to change their respective neighborhoods.
Special thanks to the phenomenal team of Bonner Scholars (John Brown, Kerry Farnum, Julia Livesey, and Edward Bannister-Holmes) who helped organize logistics for the exciting day.
Beyond Expectations extends our congratulations to Ms. Jacqui Ivey (pictured second from right), one half of the husband and wife ownership team of our core partner -- The Conservatory Mansion. Once home to the Trenton Conservatory of Music, it's a place for artists to instruct, perform and display their handiwork. The Mansion is a must-see tourist attraction and a true hidden gem in downtown Trenton, New Jersey.
Jacqui (Dent) Ivey ’92 was recently honored as one of eight inductees into the Occidental College Athletics Hall of Fame as perhaps the greatest female track and field student-athlete in storied history. As reported, she stole the show at the 1992 NCAA Division III Outdoor National Championships, winning national championships in the 400 and 800-meter events and a third as the anchor of Oxy’s first-place 1,600-meter relay team. She also earned All-American honors in the 200 that year. She holds Oxy records in the 400, 400 relay, 1,600 relay and the 800.
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