Gabriela Sullen - "Grizz Night"

​Hi guys! 

I can’t believe our service year is finally coming to a close. With only 3 months left, it’s a juggle between finding some meaningful projects to complete and making sure that I left enough information for the following incoming VISTA. So far this year has been very busy. Branden and I have been able to integrate an event called GRIZZ Night into the college campus in which the students will be able to explore downtown Pontiac. This project is very near and dear to our hearts as we essentially created it and coordinated on both sides with the University and the downtown business association of Pontiac. Through this we were able to learn a lot: from planning, to building relationships and connecting to those involved on both sides. From this we coordinated with the Office of Center for Student Activities at OU and they are agreeing, with our help, to implement the evet into their welcome week during the fall. On the other side Pontiac was very pleased with the event and even said that this was the first time they were able to see many businesses collaborate for one goal and event. It’s nice to hear feedback like that to show us how much we really impact the community in which we live, work and play. 

From now until the end of my service year I will continue to work on GRIZZ night. Since Pontiac school district is yearlong I will also continue to work with the international club that I started very there in which students from many different backgrounds come together to celebrate their cultural diversity. We have also received a grant for camp college which we will be working on at Avondale Academy, the alternative high school in Auburn Hills. There are also some smaller projects that need to be worked on such as Parent University for the Pontiac school district and small tasks that continue to arrive with the OU/Pontiac Partnership. All in all I can say that my VISTA service year has been a success! I am so happy with all of the connections, programming, and flexibility that I had this year. I have grown a lot in this position both administratively and personally. I have overcome many challenges and obstacles such as working on time management and learning how to build capacity rather than just doing things myself as that does not create sustainability. I am so happy to have served this year and my tie with OU and MNA has been awesome! 
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http://www.pontiacdba.com/#!Downtown-Pontiac-Welcomes-Oakland-University-for-GrizzNight/c6tk/570fb7ac0cf2d6bf6ee50c4c

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