Abhainn Bajus
Name: Abhainn Bajus
Class Year: 2025
Major(s)/Minor(s): Maj. English: Creative Writing; Min. Outdoor Studies
Extra-Curricular Activities: PAC, English Honors, WORD Studio Tutor, Laurentian Singers, Participating on OP classes and trips,
As a CM, I am looking forward to seeing how my students develop their relationships to our surrounding community; I also really enjoy facilitating this real-world-experience opportunity and seeing them (my students) learn and grow as individuals
Fun fact:
I have been a student in at least three different outdoor and experiential learning education programs, and even started teaching writing workshops for one of them.
Where is home? My childhood home is in the finger lakes. Now, home is a lot of places, usually near trees and always with good people?
Why did you choose SLU? I chose SLU because of the self-directed nature of the writing program and because of the opportunities offered by the OP.
Pronouns: She
CBL courses taken: N/A
Why did you apply to be a CM: I wanted to become a CM to help facilitate alternative learning experiences for students who might not have had those opportunities in high school and to develop my skills as a communicator and facilitator.
What do you like most/enjoy most about SLU? I appreciate that many of the arts and outdoor learning departments are so invested in facilitating self-exploration and the strengthening of natural callings. Many schools just want to produce cookie cutter graduates, but here there are still professors and departments who are working to support the growth of student’s unique strengths and to help them discover who they want to be in the world. Certain professors are very invested in what their student’s need, rather than what the world tells them (the students) to be.
What are the benefits of taking a CBL course during time at SLU? Community- Based Learning is an aspect of experiential learning that we can only achieve when we go out into a community with the intention to assist and to learn. Through CBL placements, students are able to connect with the community around Canton and to experience sub-cultures that they may have never known about. Through those cultural and communal connections, students’ placements provide a rich and challenging learning experience. By going through the CBL office, students (and placement partners) are able to have an aspect of diplomacy that ensures that everyone is on the same page and that students and partners finish the placement feeling fulfilled and accomplished.