Student Spotlights

“Ah-ha” Moments:

I had two “ah-ha” moments.The first, in my first trip during the second or third week. I was showing my friend, Jesse, a presentation on common poultry diseases. My professor, Dr. Bramwell, was amazed how excited I was to teach Jesse about a truly gross topic. To me, it was the first opportunity to contribute to the management of the poultry company and it snowballed from there.
The second moment was the end of the second trip. One of the service technicians, Miguel, asked if I could return and go out with him into the community and speak to growers. This was an opportunity for Miguel to show them the person that helped the company and, in turn, improve their efficiency and livelihood. I was really intimidated by Miguel’s request. I did not think I had done enough to warrant any accolades in that sense. I just thought I was helping out. In that moment I realized my small contribution was important not only to the company, but to the people in the community.

Academic Learning, Enhanced Intellectual Thinking, and Civic Engagement:

Academically, l was immersed in a company that had to do the best they could with what they had. This created an intellectual and technical service opportunity to improve efficiency with limited technology. So, all the theory and information I had learned in the classroom was applied in a different and challenging way. Improving efficiency for a company that feeds an underserved and particularly malnourished part of northern Mozambique was the scope of my civic engagement. My small contribution helped the company help their community.

Personal Development:

Personally, what I did in Mozambique is Elactly what I want to do for the rest of my life. Poultry is a cheap, efficient protein that can be produced almost anywhere! want to work for an international poultry company providing on-site technical service to its customers. I want to travel the world helping poultry producers feed those in need in their countries and communities.

For pre-med students looking to discover a glimpse of what taking part in an actual patient-caregiver relationship looks and feels like, or to build on their already existing skills and knowledge in that area, the Health Coach experience is unequivocally invaluable.
I have gained so much from my service learning experience. Having spent countless hours in the alternative `classroom only' setting, I can without a doubt say that this method of education is unmatched in the quality that it provides to students!

Reflection:

Reflecting upon my Health Coach experience is always thought provoking. It makes me look at the experience from a broader context and compare it to other learning experiences I have undergone. It really does give me a deep sense of appreciation for the wonderful staff involved and the opportunity to take part in such a fantastic and impactful program.

The Health Coaches Program:

In the Health Coach course, the entire spring semester was classroom based. Each class began with interesting and talented doctors and professors providing a lecture about relevant concepts in medicine. These lectures were followed by thought provoking discussions and exercises meant to inspire thoughts about the topics covered, and to prepare us as health coaches for how we could use the information in the field. Beginning in the summer session and continuing this fall semester, each student was assigned an at-risk WRMC patient with multiple chronic conditions. Every week we go and visit our patients to assist and educate them about their conditions and help them in reaching their health related goals.

Improving the University of Arkansas Community:

Not only do the students involved receive an enhanced learning process rich in "real world" experience and wisdom, but the Fayetteville community is the direct beneficiary of our labors and efforts in the classroom and in the field. The skills and knowledge gained here on campus are physically expressed in our service learning activities, and the local area benefits greatly from this.

Personal Development:

My health coach experience has made me all the more certain that there is nothing else in this world that I want to strive to become more than a physician. Health Coach has given me the opportunity to develop a unique caregiver-patient relationship. The many facets that this kind of relationship entails can only be truly understood and analyzed when actually practiced. The opportunity has allowed an aspiring doctor like myself to experience the rapport that comes with this relationship, but also the shared responsibility and emotions involved in the successes and failures of the partnership's health related efforts and endeavors.

Improving the University of Arkansas Community:

Service learning improves the community by giving its students the opportunity to engage in life-changing experiences. Students develop the desire to contribute to different communities and be of service to others, while also realizing that they too will be served in some way. Students return from these projects with a broader sense of compassion and cultural awareness.

Academic Learning, Enhanced Intellectual Thinking, and Civic Engagement:

Academically, l was immersed in a company that had to do the best they could with what they had. This created an intellectual and technical service opportunity to improve efficiency with limited technology. So, all the theory and information I had learned in the classroom was applied in a different and challenging way. Improving efficiency for a company that feeds an underserved and particularly malnourished part of northern Mozambique was the scope of my civic engagement. My small contribution helped the company help their community.

What does Reciprocity Mean to You?

"To me, this means that engaging in a service learning project is beneficial to all parties involved. I went to Nampula, Mozambique and had the opportunity to work on a poultry farm, teach at an international school, and work in an orphanage. I know that my contribution was valued and helpful for those with whom I interacted, and I most certainly gained a lot from the experience."

Academic Learning, Enhanced Intellectual Thinking, & Civic Engagement:

Service learning enhanced my academic learning in that I learned about things I probably wouldn't have normally studied, such as poultry science. I also learned more about interacting with children of all back-grounds, which is my area of focus.
My intellectual thinking was enhanced by being immersed in a different culture. I learned about different customs, norms, beliefs, and ways of thinking. I learned how to interact with people who are from completely different backgrounds than me, and gained a broader sense of global understanding.
My civic engagement was enhanced through learning about the function of both rural and urban cities in a third-world country. I gained insight and knowledge about the function of their infrastructure, and the vast differences between developed and developing worlds.

Academic Learning, Enhanced Intellectual Thinking & Civic Engagement:

I learned new concepts and ideas before I left for Belize through readings and discussion. I really enjoyed reading about the Grameen Bank which successfully implemented a microfinance program in Bangladesh.
Hearing about someone who had success in some-thing that we were going to be doing in Belize was very encouraging, however, success was not some-thing that was just going to fall into our hands. Our team had to do a lot of brainstorming to think of ways the Belize microlending program could be improved and see success. The strategies we came up with in Fayetteville had to be adapted for our clients in Belize.

Recommending Service Learning:

I would definitely recommend my friends take a service learning course!

Improving the University of Arkansas Community:

Service Learning can really change a person and the way they think. After learning through service, students can better see how to apply what they learn in the classroom to life. It can also be a humbling experience.

On the Trip:

I was able to help support an entrepreneur with business theory and models he was not familiar with and help think through potential roadblocks he would have in the future.

Personal Development:

Service learning allowed me to be immersed in a culture in a way a classroom never could. It also gave me the international experience, which helped me obtain my job in Global Audit Services for Wal-Mart, where I will be traveling to China, South Africa, Japan, and Latin American countries.
Service learning improves the University of Arkans community by extending the campus across the glo1 by showing we are about more than just ourselves.

Service Learning vs. Traditional Classroom Learning:

Service Learning is unique in that it is about give and take learning, which is much different than the typical college classroom where the students just take. I was able to apply classroom theory to real world issues that actually meant something to real people and businesses.

Benefit to the University of Arkansas Community.

Service Learning can really change a person and the way they think. After learning through service, students can better see how to apply what they learn in the classroom to life. It can also be a humbling experience.

My Experience

"I spent time in the villages taking GPS coordinates and data, shooting family portrait photos of the out-growers, and working in the office with excel and data information." "I met families working with the New Horizons poultry farm, heard what they have gone through, and learned how the company has impacted their lives." "I would recommend this kind of service learning experience because it is unique, impactful, and inspiring."

Academic Advancement:

For my honors thesis project, I will be developing curriculum based in agriculture, directed towards American Indian youth. I plan on starting a nonprofit that develops agricultural based projects that will benefit the American Indian community. I was inspired by another student, Abby Davidson, to start a nonprofit and learn more about rural development.

Benefit to the University of Arkansas Community.

Service Learning can really change a person and the way they think. After learning through service, students can better see how to apply what they learn in the classroom to life. It can also be a humbling experience.

Improving the University of Arkansas Community:

Service learning improves the University of Arkansas community because it broadens the thinking of students who participate and who bring this expanded perspective to our campus, allowing new ideas to prosper. Service learning experiences forces you to think outside of your normal boundaries and to get out of your comfort zone. Being more comfortable and experienced with doing those things will make students better able to do that on their own campus. This will make our community better because students will be more willing to push boundaries and encourage their fellow students to join them in these new ideas and solutions.

Curriculum:

The business team in Belize wrote several different business plans to assist entrepreneurs in the area.
We also worked on micro-lending and had to develop a payment plan and establish interest rates for those payment schedules.
There was also a financial literacy curriculum developed by our team to help teach children.

Community Engagement:

Our aim was to be as involved in the community of Dangriga as we could, to learn about the needs of the community and see what we could do to assist and empower others. Upon reflection of my experience, my main takeaway was realizing how much I learned about myself. There were so many things that I did and learned during my service learning trip that I would have never seen myself being a part of before my experience. I formed amazing relationships with the other people on the trip and learned so much from them, because they pushed me to think deeper or differently.
We helped build a park for the children in one part of the city, participated in a Community Day where we set up booths of games for the kids to play, and developed a customer skills presentation for the town council with the help and direction of the mayor.

Ah-Ha Moment:

My ah-ha moment was thinking things would never be the same for me after returning from Belize. I found myself constantly talking about the things we did there and the people I interacted with in Belize. I found a way to make all of it relevant to situations I was experiencing in my everyday life and realized how transferrable the skills I learned were to my normal setting. My service learning experience was amazing and the people I worked with there left an impression on me that will never be forgotten.