Name: Rajon Mitchell
Role within Service-Learning: CEP/NU|ACES Co-op
College Affiliation: College of Social Sciences and Humanities, University Honors Program
Major: Combined Sociology-Political Science
Minors: Urban Studies, Entrepreneurship
How are your values expressed through your community engagement and Service-Learning work?
I believe that in order to promote equal opportunities in our society, the necessary foundation and infrastructure must be provided for people of any and all backgrounds to succeed. Through civic engagement and directly serving the community, I am actively expressing those values by allowing myself to serve as a stepping stone in the paths of those living in the communities I work with as they work towards fulfilling their life purpose and elevating the causes that matter most to them.
What is one thing everyone should know about Service-Learning?
The biggest thing that I believe that everyone should know about civic engagement is that anyone is able to contribute something substantive, as long as they keep themselves informed on what issues and solutions actually exist in the communities they desire to work with. Possessing the context behind why a certain trend is occurring in a community is the first major step in understanding how to be of service in some capacity. The next step is researching what is and is not being done by the government, community leaders, and local organizations to address certain issues; doing this research will be helpful for devising a starting point for how and to what capacity a person wants to serve a community. After becoming involved in a cause that is of interest, the rest is history as long as remaining in-touch with the community’s needs and wants are prioritized.
Did you find Service-Learning or did Service-Learning find you?
I found civic engagement. I realized that I was passionate about civic engagement once I realized how valuable and crucial it is to be actively involved in the betterment of one’s community. I have always loved helping others, and I would like to utilize the resources that I have at my disposal to be a part of the foundation that creates the platform for people my age and younger to be able to be heard and contribute to sustainable changes made to their communities and our society.
If Service-Learning were an animal, what would it be and why?
Civic engagement would be a wolf because both share a loyalty to the community, display leadership skills, and are highly versatile.
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