Goal 2
Goal 2: Exhibit a commitment to community awareness, involvement, and service.
The older I get, the more I understand that community involvement is one of the most important factors in life. Nobody is ever truly alone as long as they live in a welcoming community. The Honors Program demonstrated that you don’t have to be super involved to make a difference in others’ lives. I chose two artifacts that demonstrate this notion. Each artifact is from an assignment that encouraged me to go out into my community and give back in some way.
Outcome 1: Enact solutions to real-world problems for individuals and society.
My first artifact for goal 2 is my group project presentation from BUS 495, Seminars in Leadership Development (substitute class for HON 391H). In this class, we formed groups, and each group decided on an issue in the community we wanted to help solve. We met at least once a week, more if we had more to cover that week. This artifact demonstrates the planning and execution my group had to do to create a supply drive for a local elementary school. This project taught me that it takes a lot of effort to enable change and to get others involved. I was also given the chance to become more involved in my local community. I gained many skills through this semester long project. We had to draft business letters, call local businesses, coordinate locations and times for the events, and complete this all while being busy college students. So many of the skills I developed will be very useful in my future career working in businesses. I feel more confident in going out into the community and discussing real-world issues and solutions.
BUS 495_Presentation.pdfOutcome 2: Reflect on a civic effort which address civic responsibility and citizenship.
My second artifact is my citizenship paper from HON 191H, The Honors Community. The topic I chose for this assignment was “Student Involvement in Extracurricular Activities.” I originally chose this because in a few short months I went from a high school senior with two jobs and many club/organization memberships to a college freshman with too much free time. It was a crazy transition, and I was interested in the effects of extracurricular activities on students. I went to my old high school to assist in volleyball practice. I was able to experience this from a different perspective for the first time. I found that the coaches and helpers were greatly impacting students’ development. In the future, I hope to be able to help out more in my free time to help young people find what they want in life and to see them flourish.
HON 191H_Citizenship Paper.pdfConclusion
In conclusion, each of these artifacts has given me a commitment to my community and encouraged me to be more aware and involved. I was able to enact solutions to real-world problems and complete civic efforts that address citizenship. The Honors Program enhanced my learning by assigning these experiences to me and encouraging me to be an active community member.