Knowledge

Service is an important component of education because it challenges you to actively seek opportunities to give back. No matter how small or large, giving back adds a layer to the impact you can have on a community or individual.

Relevant courses, assignments, and experiences that demonstrate knowledge in this area:

1.     Demonstrate an understanding about service, volunteerism, and commitment to the Higher Education program and the profession.

  • Served as HEA Vice President and attended several HEA events
  • Volunteered at The Big Event 2015 and Hokie Focus
  • Volunteered as facilitator for Virginia Tech and Radford University Fraternity and Sorority Life
 

Skills and Experience

At Virginia Tech, "Ut Prosim - That I may serve" is woven into the fabric of every student and professionals experience. Thus, it was not a stretch to find opportunities to get involved with the campus and the Blacksburg community at large. In my graduate experience, I took the opportunity of service to reconnect with former interest areas of mine to see if it was something I wanted to engage with further professionally as I look to my next adventure. 

In service, I was able to engage in these areas:

  • Greek Life
    • Fraternal Leadership Institute: Inspire, Virginia Tech
    • Impact, Radford University
    • Fraternity conduct opportunity, Virginia Tech
  • Campus Volunteering
    • The Big Event, Virginia Tech
    • Hokie Focus, Virginia Tech
    • Higher Education Graduate Interview Weekend, Virginia Tech
 

Greek Life

Because of my fraternity involvement background, both as a member and professional, I wanted to continue to be engaged with Fraternity and Sorority Life in some capacity while in grad school. In my experience, I have found that Greek students engage in different areas of growth, both positive and negative, that are unique to that population. By continuing my engagement with Greek involvement while learning the theory behind student development, I was able to think of the application of my education more broadly.

Connecting with the Virginia Tech Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, I was able to volunteer as a facilitator for their Fraternity Leaders Institute: Inspire for two years. In this experience, we engaged students in why they joined their organizations, which values they uphold, and the importance of community guided by Peter Block’s work Community. As a facilitator for Radford University’s Impact, I was able to apply my ability to assess where the students in that community were and meet them where they were. Considering their experience, I was able to help them understand a different way of engaging their Greek organization and experience. Furthermore, working in collaboration with the Office of Student Conduct and FSL at Virginia Tech, I was able to serve as a brother of Kappa Delta Rho by providing context for the school and to also help develop a conduct action plan that would assist the Virginia Tech chapter reflect, redirect, and improve how they understand their role as a member of the organization.

While I have identified that strictly serving Greek students is not a passion of mine, I have realized that there is a need for engaging in Greek students to reconceptualize the purpose of their organization and for them to utilize their experience to elevate them as a student and member of the greater community. Because my Greek experience allowed me to develop in to a better person, I will continue to commit to giving back to that community as a professional.

 

Campus Volunteering

At an institution that encourages civic engagement and service, it is an easy conclusion to make that volunteering in various areas at Virginia Tech would improve my graduate school experience. Engaging with the greater Blacksburg community in The Big Event, I actively saw the impact of a town & gown community. Through my time at Hokie Focus and the Higher Education Graduate Interview Weekend, I saw the power of sharing my story and helping prospective students explore the possibility of attending Virginia Tech both on a Graduate and Undergraduate level. Lastly, through volunteering at the Virginia Tech Women’s Center as a member on their Masculinities and Men's Development Committee, I saw the efforts being made that are already making a difference for gender equity, equality, and identity development.

By volunteering, much like my practicum and assistantship experiences, I have been able to see first-hand the work a college environment can do to engage students, myself included, and develop to become more civic-minded global citizens. Continuing on in my professional journey, I will carry the spirit of Ut Prosim with me and practice community engagement because of the lasting impact it has personally and on a community. 

 
 
 

Disposition

What I have learned about service is that it challenges you to actually do something with the education and experiences you have received. In my approach to student learning, I usually utilize the "what, so what, now what" method. The what, perhaps scholarship, is the discovery phase of the process. I learned how student affairs was created and the theory proposing ways in which students learn. The so what, the professional involvement, is the time where you are figuring it all out. I gained perspective to what I want to focus on professionally and how I can make an impact both on others and myself. The so what, therefore, is the service component. The mindset of service challenged me to do something and give back. 

What I learned in my involvement with Greek life is that I still hold an interest and care about these types of students. Personally, my Greek experience in undergrad helped me develop a sense of who I was, what I valued, and helped form strong male friendships that would help me later on in life. It is because of the impact it had on me as well as my previous position working for a national fraternity, that brought this interest to the table. However, it is through all of my service opportunities that I have identified that I would not like to do this work full-time. Personally, I find that a lot of Greek organizations are afraid of change and doing things differently. Whether it is recruitment, understanding the values of their organization, or customs hey are familiar with, constantly having those conversations addressing these major themes is draining. This sentiment mostly came about when I volunteered for Radford's Impact. While I enjoyed the opportunity to engage with the students about why they joined their organization, it bothered me that some students were unwilling to consider a different way of conceptualizing what being Greek meant. It was a great lesson for me in doing the best I could and not expecting to impact everyone, I could not picture doing this uphill battle all the time for my professional experience. I want to give back, but not in a full-time commitment.

Volunteering through the various events at Virginia Tech, however, was a great opportunity to engage with students on a different level in a different capacity. Specifically, my group for The Big Event, a community-wide cleanup effort, was a bunch of students from my residential community and some of my student staff members. Overall, this opportunity was fulfilling because I could engage in the students in an environment where I did not normally see them. Their guard was down and to see their personality in their interactions with each other helped our bond in order to connect with them when we returned to the community.

All of these opportunities of service fulfilled me on a different level personally. Coming back from the service project or weekend retreat was encouraging and helped me to focus in on personal relationships.

Because of the service component of the program, I was able to see the greater impact of the profession because of my personal interactions with students and the community. 

 

Future Plans

Because I understand the importance of service and have seen the face-value benefit to me personally and professionally, I am committed to continuing volunteering my time in service on multiple levels.

To engage in Greek life, I plan on getting involved with my national fraternity in their efforts to develop the members of the organization I am a part of. Twice a year, they have conference opportunities, either for general members or executive board positions, where they involve members and professionals to present on various topics. Because I have been able to leave the focused lens of the organization and explore student affairs on a broader scale, I believe I will be able to contribute more of my knowledge back to the members of the organization that meant so much to me and my personal development.

At the University of Richmond, I hope to engage in the campus community with service opportunities and other events student organizations engage the community in. I recognize that my contribution may not be large, from attending a fundraiser or speaker to spending a Saturday helping out with a community clean-up, the impact it has on the students means a lot. It is through these interactions with students and the community that I will be able to be a resource to students on a broader scale outside of my positional purview. 

To me, among other things, I am a Hokie. Being a Hokie means that I carry the spirit of Ut Prosim with me as I navigate my personal and professional career. The push of the Higher Education Program to engage in service helped me understand the deeper meaning of interacting with students through the lens of service.