2008 Woodie Awards
Life After Manhattan College
Through the Eyes of an Alum
Mark Blenner
Issue date: 11/24/04 Section: Features
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Life after Manhattan College. It seemed difficult at first, separating something I had given so much of myself to, something that had become not just an institution, but a way of life. They say all good things come to an end, and true, the good times at Manhattan College did come to an end. The real world was beckoning, and there really isn't a choice about answering that call.
Having only been away from Manhattan College for a few months, it might be hard to gain perspective on my experience. The good times and the bad, however, all feel like distant memories. Memories I am compelled to relive again and again, if only with some old friends over a couple of brews.
I find myself today living just miles down the block from our hilly campus. I am a Ph.D. student at Columbia University, in Chemical Engineering. I am surprised still the recognition Manhattan College has as a design oriented engineering school. I always knew that Manhattan College was a great engineering school, but I never realized so many other people knew it too. It is a bit challenging though, transitioning from our quaint college community to the large Ivy League University. The differences are obvious. I am having a tough time adjusting to the theoretical nature of education here; not to say it is not a practical one, but it is more mathematically challenging.
With my strong design background in mind, they asked me to TA their design course. With the professor, we have developed some new problems to help students have a better understanding of the design program. We also made the problems more opened to allow the students to explore their creativity, a tool often forgotten with engineers.
When I am not in school, I am across the street at Barnard College, where I am a Residence Hall Director. My job is to supervise Resident Assistants and develop them as leaders, mediators, and administrators. My interaction with the RAs allows them to affect the lives of all the residents they touch. So in turn, I feel confident that I am doing my part to help develop the residents from 18-year-old young adults into mature, self-sufficient adults.
Having only been away from Manhattan College for a few months, it might be hard to gain perspective on my experience. The good times and the bad, however, all feel like distant memories. Memories I am compelled to relive again and again, if only with some old friends over a couple of brews.
I find myself today living just miles down the block from our hilly campus. I am a Ph.D. student at Columbia University, in Chemical Engineering. I am surprised still the recognition Manhattan College has as a design oriented engineering school. I always knew that Manhattan College was a great engineering school, but I never realized so many other people knew it too. It is a bit challenging though, transitioning from our quaint college community to the large Ivy League University. The differences are obvious. I am having a tough time adjusting to the theoretical nature of education here; not to say it is not a practical one, but it is more mathematically challenging.
With my strong design background in mind, they asked me to TA their design course. With the professor, we have developed some new problems to help students have a better understanding of the design program. We also made the problems more opened to allow the students to explore their creativity, a tool often forgotten with engineers.
When I am not in school, I am across the street at Barnard College, where I am a Residence Hall Director. My job is to supervise Resident Assistants and develop them as leaders, mediators, and administrators. My interaction with the RAs allows them to affect the lives of all the residents they touch. So in turn, I feel confident that I am doing my part to help develop the residents from 18-year-old young adults into mature, self-sufficient adults.