Holyoke Community College recently launched a 7 part “Itsy Bitsy Zoom Cast” called “The More We Get Together: Conversations That Build Bridges in Early Education” hosted by Western MA early education partners Sheila Gould and Liz Charland-Tait. You can read about the launch of this zoom cast here: https://www.hcc.edu/about/news-events-and-media/news-stories/itsybitsyzoomcast  You can watch the latest episode which features Samantha Aigner-Treworgy commissioner of the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) at this link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zug41VB1dys&t=406s

Holyoke Community College Student Shelby St.Onge was one of the participants in the  “Itsy Bitsy Zoom Cast” and you can read her reflections on the experience below.

Shelby St.Onge’s Zoomcast Post-Reflection

The Itsy Bitsy Zoomcast was a great idea and I’m so thankful I got to be a part of it. Before doing it, I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go and didn’t feel like what I had to say really mattered but I was so wrong. HCC has such a positive and devoted team of professors, at least the ones I’ve been able to meet. I really don’t want to leave but these zoomcasts have shown me how much good I can do and become out in the world. The pandemic has affected all of us but without it I don’t think these zoomcasts would have happened at the time they did. I get emotional thinking of how this year has gone and now that it is coming to a close I don’t look back on the bad but all the things I am thankful for. I am very thankful for you Sheila. You have helped me grow over the last two years and I feel ready to take my skills and go be a light in the early ed community. I don’t know where that will be yet but I know because of your dedication and care I will be prepared to take on any challenge I may face. 

 The zoomcasts are also a big reason why I have gained confidence in knowing I’m not alone and that many people feel or have felt the way I do right now. The future can be scary but I feel so much more confident thanks to you and the zoomcasts. Having the opportunity to hear and speak to so many amazing women and educators was heartwarming knowing there are people that care and want to see change happen and do what they do because they love what they do. Passion is such a strong word and it is what I would call the educational staff at HCC, full of passion for helping students reach their full potential.    

Getting the opportunity to listen and learn from Commissioner Sam was inspirational. She talked about things I feel the same way about and hearing it from someone of her position is just encouraging. I think everyone should have the opportunity to listen to these zoomcasts and I hope you and Liz are able to make so many more over the next few years. The zoomcasts are so real and just people having a really good conversation. I listen to podcasts daily and I hope one day this one will be one where I can just click on in my car and listen and be inspired like I was at this time. I think everyone could benefit from these zoomcasts including new parents. How great would that be to do a series on guiding a parent through the first five years of their child's life? The topics could go on forever but it would be so beneficial and because so many parents have entered a strange time they need all the encouragement they can get. I could think of so many great topics to talk about. Not just on a child's development but finding support systems for new parents and caregivers and helping them find their voice and to have the strength to ask for help. COVID has made things challenging but not impossible and these zoomcasts can provide these people encouragement and that they are not alone and we are all in this together. I think this pandemic is helping bring people together in a new way. The networking has provided an opportunity for people outside of the HCC community to be able to listen in and have their own conversations with their friends and families even if it is through a screen. 

The zoomcast was very diverse which provided many different viewpoints about how people have been doing things at their centers or for other families during the pandemic. It was great to hear from so many different women about the ways they were running their centers and what advice they had to give. I also loved how the conversations flowed and it wasn’t a stressful atmosphere. Everyone was so open to communicate and open to listen to what others had to say. It was just so encouraging to watch as people from different stages of life and in different places of employment could communicate and have open conversations about what is going on and how they are handling it. If they needed help there was someone to give them encouragement and everybody was engaged and wanted to be a part of this experience.

I gained confidence from this experience. I feel good knowing what I say matters and that other people might benefit from what I have to say. I feel supported in this community of early educators and knowing I have people I can go to for advice. This experience I will never forget. I love that women from all around can connect and help build each other up. This is the start of something amazing and I am so thankful to have been a part of the little seed we planted that will eventually bloom into something even more amazing.