Bevin Cowie living the ARC dream
Year of Graduation: 2010
Major/minor: Sociology/psychology
How were you engaged with ARC? Not just the seminar/internship/fellowship but describe the type of project.
My first introduction to ARC was the Action Research Seminar. Dr. Simeone taught the seminar, and Deborah Halperin organized breakout sessions and workshops throughout the semester. I realized how involved ARC was in the surrounding community and I became curious about world just beyond the IWU doorstep.
I applied for the ARC internship in the summer of 2009 and was placed with the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging and in the Enterprise Internet Solutions department at State Farm. That summer, I utilized the 88.1FM WESN radio studio on campus to produce 8 topical radio shows for senior citizens, covering a variety
Where are you now?
I’m the Coordinator for the Action Research Center and I’m thrilled to be a part of the program’s expansion. We’re working on so many exciting things; continuing to build our relationship with the West Side and local non-profits, perfecting our engagement pipeline so that the IWU community can easily connect and give to people and organizations who need it. I love that we continue to offer grant writing classes and action research seminars to introduce students to skills they can use in nearly any job.
Where did ARC take you professionally? Are you doing work that connects back to ARC in some way?
Prior to returning to the IWU campus, I spent four years at Marcfirst, a small non-profit organization in Normal that serves individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project management, action research principles and grant writing experience I received in ARC were incredibly helpful in my management of the Supported Employment program. I already had the tools to manage and expand the program, and could focus on perfecting my staff management skills, which was brand new for me.
Marcfirst frequently hosts ARC interns, so I had the chance to mentor and work closely with upcoming IWU students, which I really enjoyed.
Where did ARC take you personally? Are you engaged in community work that is ARC-like?
My experiences in ARC helped support the research and critical thinking skills my IWU classes were all about. The CPP internship and ARC seminar take you out of the classroom and put you in the community working with your neighbors who need your ideas, strengths and compassion. Those experiences made me feel like I wasn’t just a student in Bloomington-Normal, but rather a resident of these towns, and that makes the issues and needs personal. I’m a more invested and civic-minded resident because of ARC.
Did ARC teach you what we were supposed to teach you? Did we teach you anything that was a surprise or outside of the learning objectives?
ARC taught me to listen more than I talk, which isn’t always easy for me. Through trial and error in my own projects through ARC, and learning from mentors like Deborah, I realized the least helpful thing you can do is assume you know what a person, neighborhood, or organization needs – you have to ask them what they need, and how to get that solution to them in the most effective way. They’re the experts.
Share a great memory about ARC/IWU.
During the summer of 2009, when I was a CPP intern, we were given the opportunity to go to the Shakespeare Festival at Ewing Manor. I hadn’t lived in Bloomington over the summer before and had never even heard of the festival. We went early and picnicked, then we watched Much Ado About Nothing. It was a beautiful night, and I remember being amazed that a recreation of the Globe Theater resided in Bloomington-Normal. The production was fantastic, and I’ve gone back every summer. ARC was always an excellent mix of hard work and time to have fun and enjoy the culture of Bloomington-Normal.