honors scholars

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Schoolcraft College students, faculty and staff recently packaged and delivered more than 85 gifts to those in a local shelter.

Santa Claus is the one best known for delivering presents during the holidays. But that’s not stopping students, faculty and staff from Schoolcraft College from getting in on the giving.

Several students and faculty members helped gather and package up items for the holidays earlier this month to donate to residents of the Samaritas Family Center in Westland. Items collected during the drive, entitled Project Share Joy, were bagged up by Honors Scholars and English students in the Student Activities space in the lower level of the Vistatech Center and loaded on a truck to deliver to dozens of residents at the shelter in time for the holidays.

The drive, organized for years by English faculty member Dr. Anna Maheshwari, is a passion project for her.

“It brings us so much joy to watch children get these gifts and the thanks we get from the shelter,” she said. “These children would not get a Christmas gift had it not been for us adopting them. It makes it our obligation to give back.”

Donations of items such as dolls, Lego sets, toiletries and more were all bagged up in homemade pillowcases and gift bags and loaded onto the Student Activities truck, where they were delivered to those residing in the shelter. Items were donated from students, administrators, faculty and community members. Toys for Tots also provided some of the toys as well. More than 85 gifts were delivered.

Large group pose for photo inside an open truck
Students, faculty and staff collected more than 85 gifts to donate to the Samaritas Family Center in Westland for the holidays.

Yan Li, a student who is also the vice president of leadership for the Omicron Iota Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, said helping to organize and package the gifts to families in need is a worthwhile endeavor to give back to the community.

“You just can’t help but want to help,” he said. “I just can’t wait to see the joy when they get delivered to them.”

In addition to the donations to the shelter, the remaining items will be donated to other groups, including some that will stop by campus to pick up items, as well as foster homes in communities such as Livonia and Redford Township.

“We have built up relationships with other community organizations over the years and will be providing any extra toys left over from the Toys for Tots distribution by Friday this week,” said Todd Stowell, director of the Student Activities Office.

Maheshwari said she plans on continuing the drive each year, even after her eventual retirement. Coming from humble beginnings, she said, helps her stay motivated to help others.

“When I was growing up, I didn’t have much and now to be able to do this for children who are probably going to remember these small gifts for the rest of their lives I know they will pay it forward,” she said.

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Several students spent part of a day on the Alliance on the river, learning about the ecology of the river and its role in international politics. 

Several Schoolcraft College students recently did what those on Gilligan’s Island couldn’t do: return to civilization after a three-hour boat tour.

Instead of being stranded on a tropical island, those students made it back to land after spending part of the day on Sept. 11 on the Alliance, a 105-foot schooner with three masts that takes guests back in time to the days of sailboats dotting the Great Lakes.

Sponsored by the University of Michigan’s College of Literature, Science and the Arts Transfer Bridges Program, students enrolled in English and Anthropology classes spent time on the ship as a part of the Detroit River Story Lab, which provides experiential learning opportunities that focus on the river’s cultural and environment learning about ecological issues, including measuring water depth and clarity; as well as exploring animal and plant life along the river. Students also had the opportunity to learn about the ship’s operations and even had a chance to navigate the river’s waters.

“On the schooner we all participated in different activities learning about the biodiversity of the Detroit River, learning what it takes to run a boat successfully, getting a chance to steer the boat, learning the different effects the river had played in societies crucial moments, and how it was beneficial to people in the 18th century to the 21st century,” said Taylor Williams, an Honors Scholar student who attended the program. “A different perspective I gained from this experience was just the overall importance of the effects humans have had on the Detroit River. We have negatively impacted the river so much that the loss of biodiversity in multiple ways has harmed the different species of animals that are living there now.”

group of students in front of an old wooden ship
Students and instructors take a photo near the Alliance schooner, docked at Milliken State Park in Detroit. Students spent part of a day earlier this fall on the ship while sailing the Detroit River, getting a firsthand look at a unique maritime experience.
two people looking off the side of a boat
Students on the deck of the Alliance.

Students completed assignments related to expedition, as well as earned Enrichment hours for Honors Scholars students, which is time spent doing any civic and cultural engagement or leadership conference that is not considered service. The excursion was a way to bring education to life in a multidisciplinary way, learning about topics such as history and ecology, as well as the river’s economic impact and its role in international politics.

Several other instructors also attended, including, Josselyn Moore in Anthropology, Brett Griffiths in English and Jessica Worden-Jones in Anthropology, who also serves as the coordinator for Service Learning.

Errin Stegich-Moloney, a professor of history and coordinator of the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program, said while this was the first time students have undertook this expedition, she believes it won’t be the last. “Having the ability to experience a schooner ship like these students did is a great way to learn outside the box,” said Errin T. Stegich-Moloney, a history professor and coordinator for the Schoolcraft Scholars Honors Program. “Getting a firsthand look at a unique part of our state’s maritime heritage was an educational experience our students will not soon forget.”