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I chose to photograph a typical work day of a custodian at South Central College.
People think they know what it is custodians do, but it is so much more than what people generally observe, such as cleaning floors, washing windows, and stocking towels in the restrooms. I wanted to capture some of the other duties they are responsible for during their busy days at work that are important and not obvious or stereotypical.
Jody was an excellent subject to photograph because she was very unaffected by the camera and thought it was an interesting project. She freely gave me her schedule for the day and I photographed her intermittently for 6 hours. Her coworkers were not as comfortable being photograhed, so I took very few shots with them in the frame and did not use any for the assignment.
One photo shows Jody leaving for her daily route to the Post Office and to Mankato State University. She invited me along, but I was unable to take the time to do so. I also have a shot of her checking in all of the college delivery packages. She is responsible to check them in, complete paperwork, process invoices, and make the deliveries within the building. This is no easy task and requires her to do some detective work to correctly match the package with the right person or department on campus. The photo listed as Best is my favorite one because it captures a typical circumstance they deal with daily, known as "the interruption". Just as Jody was on garbage patrol that had to be done quickly due to an event on campus, she receives a radio call to go to another part of the building for an urgent task. She returned 10 minutes later to resume garbage patrol along with her coworker. She explained to me that they are frequently called away to other tasks throughout their workday. It is an expectation that our custodians complete all of their regular tasks along with absorbing all the extra tasks a day can bring.
Our custodians are responsible for so many daily tasks in keeping the college running smoothly and I hope these photos are informative in broadening the perspective of their duties. I admire their work ethic, positive attitude, and the speed at which they do their tasks (which some blurry photos have captured!)

2. By observing these photos you might conclude that Jody works alone, which is, of course, not the case. She has many coworkers during the day and does many projects along side them, but since they were not excited about being photographed, they are not included in this sampling. Two of the photos are tasks that Jody does complete by herself daily.
The shot of Jody going on her daily route was shot horizontally to try to capture her surroundings of the delivery door and garbage compactor, which gives the viewer context. The ISO was set at 800, the White Balance at Sun, and F stop 11. I wanted to get the environment in focus here and am happy with the contrast of the bright white snow and the black compactor. I did some test shots while waiting for her to come outside, which helped in getting the right settings. My shutter speed was 1/300, so she is clearly in focus as she walked super fast to the car.
The shot of Jody reconciling deliveries and paperwork is also horizontal, and I tried to capture a few elements within the receiving room, such as the shovels and the Hazard Poster. This gives the viewer a better overall perception of the task and where she is than the tighter shot I took of just her and the packages. This was taken with ISO 800, White Balance set at incondescent, f5.6, and 1/20th shutter speed. Not much natural light comes into this area, but I did not use a flash and the settings compensated for this.
For this picture I chose vertical since I did not want much background here. Just wide enough so you can see the task at hand, but close up view of Jody and her radio. You can see how intently she is listening to the call to discern where to go. It was quite noisy in the hallway because it was career day with about 900 students on campus, so listening was a challenge! Again, 800 ISO, WB incandescent, F8, and 1/15th shutter speed. Thank heavens she was standing still so this could be in focus! I really like how the natural light from the windows to the left of frame gives such good color, and very little shadow. I think it is very complimentary to the subject, which was a consideration I had in which pictures to feature.
Lessons learned with with this assignment are the importance of scoping out the area you are going to shoot the subject in so you can do test shots and refine your settings. After many blurry pictures of sweeping, I learned how to make adjustments so the shutter speed would better stop the action so the subject was in focus. Other considerations for photojournalism are to determine just how much background is needed to add to the story and how much is simply too much clutter.When working with people as the subject it is important to make them comfortable by s

Why volunteer abroad? 7 reasons to volunteer abroad

Ever get the feeling that you have a higher calling? You know… That you have a special purpose on this earth? You’re not interested in the corporate world, SUVs or IPOs. In fact, if you had the chance, you would surely save the world… Well maybe not the world, but some small part of it.

Volunteering abroad is one way to make a difference. Volunteering abroad is not for everyone, so before you sign up for Lecden-kenya or another similar program there are a few things you should consider

1. See The World With A Purpose
Some travelers are content partying their way around the world. You, however, are looking for a more substantial experience. Volunteering not only gives you the opportunity to give back, it gives you something to do, somewhere to go, and somewhere to stay. You’ll still have plenty of time for exploring local ruins or having a lager down at the pub. But one word of warning, don’t set out to change the world — you’ll be disappointed to learn that the world doesn’t necessarily need changing. The best goal is to challenge yourself everyday, test your patience, and open your mind and heart.

2. Change Yourself
By volunteering abroad you will learn so much about yourself. You will do things that you never imagined you were capable of. The biggest difference you will notice at the end of the program will not be external but will be the difference inside of yourself. In most cases residents could do your job better, faster and more efficiently. You probably won’t teach the locals how to hammer a nail, but you will share your friendship with them. Most importantly, you will be changed forever because you will have a greater understanding of another culture, you will challenge your personal limits, and you will develop friendships.

3. Flexibility
Unlike paid employment, volunteering provides a more flexible schedule and varying time commitments. You may choose to participate in a work camp in Masai mara ,Kenya for two weeks, volunteer with street kids in Nairobi for three months, or teach school in Kibera slums or Kiambiu slums for two years.

4. Build Your Resume
Many employers value volunteerism above all else. If you have volunteerism on your resume it shows that you are flexible, patient and committed. Want to learn how to communicate that to prospective employers? Check out the “Discover Your Value” series.

5. Career Development
In some cases you may find a volunteer gig in your field of study. A marine biology student could monitor turtles in Coast of Mombasa , an engineering student may build houses in kibera slumn, and an Archeology major may dig in Rift valley . A volunteer position may give you the hands-on experience you won’t get stuffing envelopes for an internship.

6. Cultural Immersion
Many travelers know where they want to go, but don’t know what to do once they get there.Leccden-Kenya gives your travels a purpose and an itinerary.

7. Affordable Travel
There are few travel experiences that are less expensive than volunteering.
Most volunteer placement organizations charge a fee. The fee will typically cover room/board, orientation, and the program itself. Students have asked us, “Why do I have to pay to go work overseas?” Unless you are a doctor or engineer or you are planning to spend a year or two volunteering there is probably a fee to be paid. Perhaps you are going to build a school in Kenya or Tanzania , the volunteer organization has to pay for building supplies, arrange the logistics of the program, provide homestays in the local village, create brochures and market their program. If the only objective was to build the school they would be better served hiring local craftsmen at a low cost and complete the project in a short time. The goal of the organization is more likely centered around providing a cultural experience for you and for the local volunteers and letting you see life in the local village.

• Many volunteers cover their expenses by letter writing campaigns to family and friends, contributions from churches or student organizations and other donation driven efforts. Fundraising is a simple way to pay for a volunteer excursion abroad. By writing to family members, friends, and possibly teachers about your opportunity abroad, you may be surprised by the giving from these individuals to make the volunteer opportunity happen.
• Certainly one of the best sources for small scholarships or donations are local community groups tied to the region you are going to. If you are going to work in Kenya , for example, contact either a local or national Kenyan community organization and see how they may be able to help you. Maybe you can perform a slide show for them upon return, or speak at a function they sponsor, and they may have funds to help you help their homeland community.
• Many organizations will provide you with sample fundraising letters from past volunteers.
• Recent Building Hope volunteers held a volleyball tou