In honor of their dedication to community-based service and activism, the 聽will recognize the exemplary commitment of 91探花 undergraduates on May 20 from 2 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Husky Union Building (HUB鈥攇allery of projects on first floor, reception in Lyceum) on the 91探花Seattle campus.聽The annual event showcases more than 100 91探花undergraduates who聽develop their leadership skills while committing聽their time, skills and hard work in service of their communities.
On campus and off, 91探花students are expanding definitions of service and leadership and blurring the boundaries between classroom and community.聽This year’s theme – Beyond the Selfie – encapsulates how 91探花students look beyond themselves and聽focus on the bigger picture around them.聽In 2013-14, more than 6,500 students engaged in academic service-learning, volunteering an astounding 854,154 hours with organizations such as Neighborhood Block Watch, Education Transforming Community Health (ETCH) and TEDxUofW.
This year鈥檚 Spring Celebration will include a聽gallery of student projects curated by ; 12 oral break-out sessions on issues of educational equity led by representatives and students of the program; and a pop-up museum curated by students who attended Citizen University聽2015, a national conference for educators and activists on civic engagement. All students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends of UAA programs are invited to attend.
In offering their valuable skills and time, students support the work of numerous organizations while simultaneously growing their own capacity for leadership and gaining聽the space to reflect聽on the value of service.
Mahdi Ramadan is a junior in neurobiology and worked with , a summer camp in Seattle where Arab and Jewish communities teach peace to Middle Eastern children to take back home. Inspired to participate after experiencing first hand the ugly side of war and conflict, Ramadan wanted to bring people together and to humanize individuals who would not normally interact. She believes that 鈥渢he skills you gain by volunteering, like compassion and empathy 鈥� skills that cannot be taught by a textbook 鈥� play a vital part in shaping a person at home and in the work field.鈥�
Susie Dobkins, a senior studying aquatic and fishery sciences, developed a passion for education during her time as a mentor, high school lead and college readiness assistant with the , a 91探花 program that teaches 91探花undergrads to mentor students in King County high schools who may experience barriers to higher education. She created a 鈥淗ere to Career鈥� poster series to showcase different career fields and how young students can make progress toward them聽that will be displayed around Seattle area high schools. 鈥淭o me, this project means empowering students to chart their own path and see their full potential鈥nd also shows them that success doesn鈥檛 have to be confined to becoming a doctor or a lawyer,鈥� she says.
鈥淐ommunity service is an awareness for time, space, people and their collective needs,鈥� says Elizabeth Wu, a creative writing English and performance drama major who instigated , a living theater project designed to foster dialogue about Asian American identity in the 21st century. Wu believes that service is about 鈥渟triving to do the highest amount of good with what you have 鈥� mentally, physically and resourcefully.鈥�
The Spring Celebration of Service and Leadership is planned and coordinated by聽programs in聽,听, and the .