What have I learned Thus Far In My Global Scholars Experience?

By: Massiel Mileo Caballero

So, I’m a few weeks into this experience with OCA (Opportunity, Community, Ability), and I must say that it has been a very exciting time!

I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations with campers and staff, and experienced some very interesting stories that I’ll probably remember for a long time. I’ve also collected a lot of information on campers via observation and learned more than I ever thought possible.

The New Information I’ve Learned

My views at the beginning of this summer were very limited. I knew there may be some differences in emotional regulation for children with neurodevelopment disorders, but I hadn’t actually gotten to interact with them to realize if this is the case. After these past few weeks, I can say that this is true, but it is nuanced. Emotional regulation may be more difficult for a few of the campers, mainly because a lot of them have issues with communication because of their conditions. This can make it frustrating to try to express their needs. A lot of them can’t say directly what’s bothering them, which means their needs oftentimes are not addressed straightaway because they take more time to express them. Other campers may seem like they have more trouble with emotional regulation, but it’s only when they’re overstimulated that they may act out of the norm in this way.

Self-Reflection and Evaluation

At the start of my Global Scholars journey, I was overly concerned with the research aspect, ignoring that psychology is also largely people-centered. I’ve gotten to meet so many wonderful campers and co-workers. I observe, of course, but the research part is secondary to the actual experience now and the benefits I see this program has for the people that are part of it.

My Environment

The environment is certainly very different from what I’m used to. OCA provides a great facility for its campers, with vibrant classrooms and trips so they always have something new to do. However, it’s unlike any daycare I’ve worked at. It’s bigger, for one, which makes sense. It also offers features like a sensory garden, which is great for students to explore touch and sound, as well as a gyms for the campers to unleash their energy and play. The staff is also excellent. Everyone I’ve met has a more experience than me in this department, which is great because I can learn from them. These experiences and relationships surely help me form answers to my original research question.

Where do I go from here?

There’s still much left of the summer that I can’t wait to go through with these campers. So far, the direction of my capstone seems to focus on the campers and their relationships to their teachers and one-another, and how these seem to be the biggest factor thus far that shapes their emotional regulation abilities. I’ve only been in a couple of classrooms thus far, but I hope to meet all the campers this summer! That is my main goal and hopefully I can accomplish it.

I can’t share any photos thus far of me at OCA because we must keep privacy a priority for campers. However, I did get my badge today, so I wanted to show that!

Anyways, that’s all I have to say for now! I hope to keep sharing everything that I’m learning and experiencing through this Global Scholars Experience.

Bye!