Bayer CropScience has an employee volunteerism program titled Making Science Make Sense, or MSMS. Employees receive time throughout the year to volunteer and can use it as part of the MSMS program or in any other capacity they see fit. MSMS has educational resources for teachers and employees for engaging students in science. Because this program is a Bayer initiative, and not CropScience specific, many of the resources do not directly connect with the awesome work taking place daily in the CropScience branch of the company. This leads to a situation situation in which CropScience employees walk into classrooms, introduce themselves, and proceed to carry out an experiment that is loosely connected to their introduction.

When it comes to genuinely engaging students in the work that takes place at Bayer CropScience, I am hoping to contribute to the MSMS program by creating curriculum resources that can be used by employees that relate to CropScience and have a focus on biotechnology. Throughout my time with Bayer this connection and opportunity to contribute to the company has been really exciting for me because it is such a natural way for me to be a part of what is happening at Bayer CropScience.

Another natural way I have been able to contribute to Bayer is by helping plan and lead Passage Home days on Wednesdays. Each Wednesday during the month of July, Bayer partners with a program in downtown Raleigh serving at-risk youth by providing programming for their summer camp. Students range in age 5-15 years old. Usually 4-6 employees volunteer their time to assist. In this opportunity, Bayer has found yet another natural way for me to blend into the company as an experienced teacher.

When I envisioned my experience as a Kenan Fellow I expected everything to be new. I had not considered the possibility that time and effort would be put into integrating me and my expertise into the company. Even if I had considered this possibility, it has been more empowering than I could have ever imagined to see my skills and ability originally developed in a classroom setting put to use outside of the classroom. This is not a take away I had thought about at any point throughout the application process, but I expect it to provide new meaning for my work when the school year begins.