The service pillar refers to helping others and engaging with our communities in positive ways. The two primary organizations I did service with during my time in Farmville were the Honors Student Association and Alpha Phi Omega.

With HSA, I participated in the Eddie Carey Jr. memorial day of service each semester it occurred. This (typically) biannual event usually has students travel to Hull Springs Farm in Virginia’s Northern Neck and spend a day performing service for that community, but the impacts of COVID-19 led the organization to host the retreats closer to Farmville – in Bear Creek State Park (Spring 21), and Twin Lakes State Park (Spring 21, Fall 21, Spring 22).

During my freshman year, I also learned about APO, a national service fraternity, from other honors students. Through this organization, I participated in a variety of service projects, including Buddy Ball, a program that provides children with disabilities with an opportunity to play sports and socialize with their peers, and CLASP, a peer tutoring program on Longwood’s campus.

While these experiences are by no means an exhaustive list of the service opportunities I took advantage of at Longwood, they are just a few examples of ways honors allowed me to give back to the community.