Application of Knowledge

INTRODUCTION

While on our trip to Washington D.C. and its surrounding areas, we were in many ways tested on concepts and skills developed during our time thus far at the University of Iowa. The city challenged our flexibility and adaptability with its dense and fast-paced environment (and ever so limited parking). Our busy itineraries tested our time management and organizational abilities. The stories told given to us required us to use our background knowledge of economic disparity to better understand and empathize with the people who find themselves on the unfavorable end of it. With each individual service project we found ourselves using various categories of skills and knowledge to maximize the positive impact made on the communities we interacted with.

Eco City Farm

Our first day of service was dedicated to working on an eco farm within a food dessert in Edmundson, Maryland. Despite our agricultural ties, we knew very little about farming/gardening. This required us to deploy many skills we have acquired from higher education. Communication skills were most crucial with this activity. This involves listening diligently to instructions, asking questions, delegating tasks, and giving/receiving instructive criticism. In tangent to communication was the required ability to work as a team. Creating processes to perform tasks more efficiently as a group and dividing work based on strengths. Despite being business students we were able to transform this small farm in merely a day using abstract skills and concepts and applying them to this particular assignment. This was a scenario where the value of a liberal education and its insistence upon preparing students to accomplish any task, even farming.

Homeless Veterans Shelter

During the visit of homeless veterans shelters, the officer and a qualified veteran shared their unique stories with us. They explained from processes of building this shelter to the valuable meaning of this place to them. Through their stories and explanations, we deeply understood economic disparity in D.C. and what this place meant to them. We knew that they found themselves and another family in that shelter, and with the background knowledge from class, their experiences will help us emphasize this important social problem again--economic disparity. Moreover, the qualified veteran suggested that we need to graduate, and he mentioned this several times. Education is really a good cure to the economic disparity, which may reduce the difference between the poor and the rich. Also, he used his own experiences to indicate the importance of making good and right decisions. Every time we face crossroads, we need to make a decision. Although this may not be related to our social problem, it's a life experience for us to learn.

Food Distribution To The Homeless

The last day of service was particularly exciting for us as it allowed flex our knowledge of business. While every service day involved a cetain level of strategic planning, timing, and effectiveness, preparing meals for the homeless men and women in Union Station asked a bit more of our business mentality. Goal setting was also a major player in this effort. We spent a considerable amount of time discussing what we wanted to provide and how we would achieve it. We decided we wanted to make approximately 100 meals with the hopes to leave no hungry person empty handed. With this goal another very important consideration came to play. Money was also a point of emphasis for this project. Operating on a tight budget required us to be very deliberate about the food we were purchasing and its value. We had to calculate proportions and cost in a way that would allow us to achieve our goal while maintaining our budget. With a little bit of math and a smidgen of couponing, we were able to package and deliver 115 meals while remaining under budget.

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