��������

They say that April showers bring May flowers but in the case of the Innovation Garden Party hosted by the Interfaith Center and RIDE Center, April showers brought a blooming of student innovation projects to the �������� campus.

Students, faculty, staff, and volunteers came together for the event under the theme of “Creating a Sense of Community,” an unveiling of student-led innovations developed throughout the academic year. The celebration was the culmination of work that asked students to develop ideas that create the spaces they want to be in. The project was started by student Fabian Morales’s question posed at the RIDE Center about what could be possible for student involvement around a hack-a-thon or similarly active application of innovation. Students were challenged to create teams to move a project through a process of ideation, prototyping, and ultimately installation in the Interfaith Center’s Meditation Garden with the hope of creating welcoming and uplifting spaces for everyone to enjoy.

Three student teams completed the challenge with an additional team scheduled to complete their installation over the summer.

Alexandra Zajko worked as a team of one to draw from her artistic talents, experiences as a commuter student, and her knowledge of water in meditation gardens to create a standalone fountain featuring fairy houses. Her work showcases her whimsical sense of community and collaboration to showcase a “community within a community” and provide visitors a serene place for relaxation and reflection.

Team “KMY LEADS” emerged from students’ connections in their LEAD Scholars program to bring together Mayelky Cordero Plascencia, Kimberly Tamay, and Yariana Lopez to respond to a need they recognized in the community. After discovering a lack of “little free libraries” to serve the campus and surrounding neighborhoods, they worked with the RIDE Center to develop and build a series of these miniature houses featuring a central theme of mindfulness and relaxation through literature, meditation journals, and craft supplies.  They hope the houses bring visitors a sense of working together as a community even when people are not present with each other at the same time. As an added touch, they painted the houses with names of the donors who contributed to the challenge.

Team “MAR”, made up of Maria Fernanda, Avalos Escobedo, Aaya Almayahi, and Rachel Brewer-Karimi, shared a common bond of wanting to encourage their peers and fellow Owls to spend more time relaxing outdoors and grounding themselves in nature. With the help of the Interfaith community, they constructed two all-weather arbor swings complete with custom cushions and pillows to further enhance the opportunity for visitors to spend time de-stressing in the Interfaith Meditation Garden. When asked about the goals of their project, they noted that “they are confident their swings will bring a unique feature to our campus and inspiration for others to learn new skills and bring their own visions and ideas to life.”

Although not yet completed, the event also celebrated the work of the Music Therapy Club of �������� (MTCOWS) who saw an opportunity for musical installations to heighten a sense of community within our campus. They are working to install rain drums which will bring joy during even the heaviest of storms and a real metallophone constructed from scratch, an instrument similar to a xylophone but constructed of metal.

Guests were welcomed by Father Warren Savage and Colleen Mollica of the Albert & Amelia Ferst Interfaith Center and Lamis Jarvinen of the RIDE Center and additional thanks were given to supporters President Linda Thompson, Tom Therrien, Grace Templeton, Bill Hynes, and Lisa McMahon. Special thanks were expressed to donors who provided critical funds for the projects: Denise and Aaron Carey; Charles and Carol Casartello; Tom and Mary Casartello; William N. Husic, Jr.; Lise and David Letellier; William Lis; Margaret A. Lis-Barone; Sal and Colleen Mollica; Joanne Murphy; Barbara and Kevin Queenin; Deacon Daniel and Patricia Romanello; Father Warren Savage; Dale and Joanne Siswick, in honor of their daughter, Heather Siswick; Sue Walsh; and the anonymous donors and friends of the Interfaith Center and �������� communities.