by Street Team member Tyler Nicholson
Before I became a member of the Street Team, I took a Service-Learning (S-L) First-Year Writing course. My classmates and I served at the John D. O’Bryant Math and Science Academy through 826 Boston’s Writer’s Room and worked with students grades 9-12 on their literature assignments. Being in that S-L class is what brought me to the Street Team, so after thinking about my own experience and how I ended up where I am, I decided to check in with some of my classmates from my S-L course last semester and ask them about their experience!
Jeremy McDavid, COS ’19, Behavioral Neuroscience
Q: What resonated with you most about your S-L experience?
A: What stood out most to me is that you don’t have to be or feel like an expert to help people with their work. Any advice is helpful and it’s surprisingly easy to give.
Q: Do you have any tips for those that are getting involved in S-L for the first time?
A: Try to establish a relationship with the person you are working with. If you can find some common ground between the people you are working with it is a lot easier to understand each other.
Jonathan Miller, COS ’20, Biology
Q: What was your favorite part of being in an S-L course?
A: My favorite part of service-learning was the sense of community that I felt not only with the place that I was volunteering, but also with my classmates. Doing service at the O’Bryant School gave me something to bond with my classmates over. Regardless of career path or major, we all had something in common when it came to service.
Q: What influenced your decision to become further involved in S-L and join the Street Team?
A: When I was in high school, one of the requirements for graduation was to complete 100 hours of community service. Because of that, I was able to have experiences I wouldn’t have had otherwise, such as doing service in Peru. When applying for college, I wanted a school that had a strong service program so that I could continue doing service. Northeastern’s Service-Learning program was the best I had seen by far. After completing my first Service-Learning course, I knew I wanted to stay involved in the program.
Taylor Smith, Bouvé ’20, Health Sciences
Q: What resonated with you most about your S-L experience?
A: I think what resonated the most with me about my S-L experience was the passion it ignited in me to help others. When I first started I was really nervous and hesitant to do Service-Learning. However, that quickly changed after I tutored in the Writer’s Room for the first time. I had made really personal connections with the students I was helping and that stuck with me.
Q: Do you have any tips for those who are getting involved in S-L for the first time?
A: A tip I would give to others getting involved with Service-Learning for the first time is to remember that we are all humans and you don’t have to be perfect at what you are doing, you just have to try your best. When you are trying your best it makes a difference in your Service-Learning experience and to the people that you are helping.
S-LOG 