Andrea Cedillo
Core Competencies
The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) defines civic engagement as the process of “working to make a difference in the civic life of our communities.”
My development of this skill originates from my involvement with the community. California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) has aided that involvement through the incorporation of the service-learning program. Service learning has exposed me to various organizations that differ in focus.
In 2015, I became an Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) tutor for El Sausal Middle School (ESMS). I was able to work with 7th and 8th graders and hopefully inspire them to attend college/university. ESMS is located in Salinas where it is predominantly working-class Hispanic. College is not spoken of in these households. AVID helps improve college readiness, especially in underrepresented locations.
From 2016 to 2017, I was a Return of the Natives (RON) volunteer. RON “is dedicated to bringing nature closer to people, and people closer to nature through hands-on experiences. [They] facilitate this love for [the] local ecosystem through school programs, community events, volunteer groups, and nursery projects.” Being part of RON exposed me to the community and community was exposed to environmental education. Through RON, I was able to meet various people in the community. Each location brought different types of people, for example, beach and park events brought children while the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) events had older people.
In early 2018, I was part of Everyone’s Harvest. They host farmer markets and make it affordable for both the farmer and the community. Their mission “is to provide access to healthy, affordable fruits and vegetables through certified farmers’ markets and community food programs.” I volunteered at the Kid’s Booth which allowed me to speak to people in the community as well as the farmers. This program made me more conscious of where my food comes from.
Civic Engagement
The core of competencies are defined fundamental skills or strengths measured through one’s experiences. The core of competencies is critical to one’s professional development as it encourages lifelong learning.
Big Sur Half Marathon, 2016 | Return of the Natives
Marina Earth Day 2017 | Return of the Natives
Inquiry + Analysis
Greater Vision: Water Forum 2017 | Elkhorn Slough
AAC&U defines inquiry as “a systematic process of exploring issues, objects or works through the collection and analysis of evidence that results in informed conclusions or judgments.” The analysis is defined as “ the process of breaking complex topics or issues into parts to gain a better understanding of them.”
The development of my inquiry and analysis skill has been enforced by various courses at CSUMB. The most impactful courses in my student career have been the ENVS 195(Special Topics) and BIO 342(Plant Communities of California).
ENVS 195 consisted conducting a scientific study at Elkhorn Slough Reserve. The direction of this class was very independent, each group did research on what they thought was important. My group an I looked at the effects of agricultural runoff on Elkhorn Slough. Our study was presented at the 2017 Water Forum and the UROC Symposium 2018.
BIO 342 has been an important aspect of understanding analysis and inquiry. In this course, I was able to understand the aspects of nature that I never understood before. I was able to learn the different types of plants that are part of different ecosystems in California.
TeamWork + Problem-Solving
AAC&U defines teamwork as the“effort [one puts] into team tasks, their manner of interacting with others on a team, and the quantity and quality of contributions they make to team discussions". Problem-solving is defined as "the process of designing, evaluating and implementing a strategy to answer an open-ended question or achieve a desired goal".
This skill has been developing throughout my years at the CSUMB, however, in 2019, these skills have been put to use to my full potential. This is the year I participated in ENSTU 472, involving going to a middle school and renovating the outdoor garden along with educating the students on the importance of this renovation.
This course consisted of constant planning and replanning due to the lack of materials, equipment, and experience. Although no one had experience with power tools we managed to complete the project successfully. This project is documented on my blog which is located under Capstone.
