One of the many things that are encouraged regularly on campus, from what I am aware of, is One of the many things that are encouraged regularly on campus is the idea of service. Service, to me, is giving back to the communities one is a part of and attempting to make those communities better as a result of helping. You do not need to be in a position of power to help someone in need or assist someone who wants it. The Honors College emphasizes the idea that the work is not harder, it is only different, and to an extent, I agree with that statement. There are three classes I think about when I think about the pillar of service, and that is because I had to find individuals around the community, and I had to present my findings at the end of it all.
The first class is SOCL-320-50, or Sociology of Education, as I had to present my findings and educate the mass at Longwood about the effects of Covid-19 on teachers who teach kindergarteners through 6th graders. To discover said findings, I had to interview a teacher in the field and discover what she had to say. The person I interviewed said that safety was not too much of a concern, but going virtual changed the dynamic of the classroom because she was no longer there in person. It became harder to control the children, as she taught kindergarteners they had to cut the unnecessary teachings to teach as much as possible. Schools were not fun, with no toys and limited interactions between students and teachers. To help a child to learn a subject was to fight the technology given on short notice and fight for the kid’s attention span. After gathering this information and transcribing it, the class had to turn it into a presentation and show it on symposium day.
The second class I think of is Honors 410, Lancer Launch Pad, as I created a product based on an issue that needs to be solved. The problem I decided to try and tackle was that conversation skills and the like had decreased significantly since Covid-19, so I wanted to help improve conversation skills between individuals by playing a game. The board game I created is called Stickler for Conquest and is a strategy party game that has been in development for almost a year. I am completely enthralled by this idea because of the issue I am dealing with and how it has personally affected my life. It has become a part of my senior project for my major. To make this game correctly, I interviewed two therapists and a small board game developer and have used their insights to guide me while making this game. The result is a game like Settlers of Catan and Apples to Apples mixed into one game. I have created this idea to hopefully make it a part of my future job and help others who consider themselves awkward by giving prompts to speak to others.
The last class is a student-run organization called Design Lab, which has given me great opportunities. It has given me confidence in my abilities as an artist and job experience because I have worked with clients in this class. In Design Lab, I am one of many student graphic designers who work with clients to make them graphical pieces, such as a logo. These clients come from all over and give us a variety of perspectives and jobs that vary in difficulty. It is always nice to complete a job and see the client’s reaction to our work. I was able to be in this internship for three semesters; it was difficult at times, but I made a variety of friends there, and I do not regret taking that class.