Each day this week, we'll take a look at different aspects of what Homecoming means at NC State. As we count down to Saturday, we'll highlight new features generated by members of the Wolfpack community at ncsu.edu.

Working Together in the Community

Being part of the Wolfpack means providing leadership education and creating opportunities to address issues in social justice.

At NC State, our students’ love for serving others is rivaled only by their pursuit of higher education. This week alone, there are a number of events all pushing toward the same goal: one of enacting real change in the world around us – whether that be on campus, in Raleigh, across the country or on the other side of the globe. It's not a one-week effort – our humanitarian efforts continue throughout the year, and we encourage all members of the Wolfpack family to pitch in and help where they are able.

Pursuing Your Passion

Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about what you’d like to see changed on campus or in your community? To truly become an active student, it’s essential to first discover your passion, and relentlessly pursue it with everything you’ve got. With an abundance of opportunities available right here on campus, it’s easy for all NC State students to get involved and help bring change to those around them.

Service comes in many different forms and means something different to every NC State student. It can range from planting a tree to visiting the elderly, from cleanup projects to tutoring in an after-school program, serving food in a community soup kitchen or building houses with Habitat for Humanity.

The Center for Student Leadership, Ethics, and Public Service is NC State’s primary resource for exploring volunteer opportunities on campus. Their H.O.W.L.S. (Helping Others With Leadership and Service) program allows students to engage in one-time service events like Service Raleigh – an annual springtime event planned by the Park Scholars and Student Government.

Past projects have included working in our city’s homeless shelters, painting nursing homes, distributing fliers for multiple sclerosis societies and helping with campus beautification activities.

For those interested in mentoring opportunities, Campus Pals (at right) connects NC State students with area children in need of an adult mentor. Campus Pals – a partnership between CSLEPS, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Triangle, and the YMCA of the Triangle – matches volunteers with elementary-school children enrolled in the Central YMCA after-school program.

NC State students are fortunate to be a part of a university that recognizes the importance of student engagement in learning environments beyond the borders of campus.

The CSLEPS Alternative Service Break program (at lower left) allows students to use their traditional academic breaks to serve others on a domestic or international level, while becoming immersed in the culture and customs of that community.

In February, I participated in the ASB Italy Hunger Issues trip to Rome, where our team provided service to Caritas – a local food kitchen located in the heart of Rome – and visited both the World Food Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Through this opportunity, I gained a deeper understanding of hunger issues and learned how to be a more responsible global citizen.

By taking initiative and being proactive in my community, I have discovered how much service has impacted me as a student leader. More importantly, I’ve learned that that serving is different from helping.

To merely “help” suggests a distance between whomever we are helping and ourselves. There’s a disconnect there – one that prevents the service you are doing for others to serve you as well.

Service build bonds between yourself and those whom you are serving, and leaves you with a feeling of gratitude – the difference between merely providing service in order to fill space on a resume and truly desiring to make a difference in someone else’s life.

So, to my fellow students – get involved! Participate in both on-campus service efforts, as well as experiences designed to stretch you and move you beyond your familiar environment. Every day, your fellow NC State students are working hard to strengthen communities on both a local and global scale – we’d love you to be a part of it!

Contributions

This article was written by Alma Buljina ('10), an NC State senior in psychology. Images courtesy NC State Creative Services, CSLEPS, the NC State Alumni Association and NC State News Services. Site created, designed and programmed by NC State Web Communications.