It is that time of year again, where any student at Queens College can apply to become a big buddy. The Big Buddy program is a long running service-learning program at QC with a mission to mentor, inspire and educate children who are experiencing homelessness. As stated on its page on the QC website, the program is “Designed to foster an engaging learning and mentoring experience for Queens College students and homeless children in an equity-based, empowering, and socially just context.” The program is headed by Dr. Karla Manning, PhD, who is also a lecturer in the elementary and early childhood education department at QC. Before she was a professor…