Mahatma Ghandi said to “be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
The students of the Service Learning and Honors Symposium are no strangers to serving, engaging and striving to make a difference in the community.
On Tuesday, Nov. 15, in the library loggia, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., student examples of honors and service learning projects will be presented at Sinclair Community College.
The event is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served. Everyone who attends the symposium has a chance to be entered into a raffle to win door prizes.
“Working with the Honors Program, I get to meet people from every discipline on campus,” said Derek Petrey, director for the Sinclair Honors Program. “It is great to meet different students and help them to achieve their dreams.”
The mission of the symposium is to help students connect, network and make a difference in the community, while reaching their educational goals, according to Petrey.
“The symposium allows students to showcase what they are doing. It is all about students getting together, who are committed to excellence and community service,” Petrey said. “You get positive peer pressure, so that the students can build each other up and encourage one another.”
College representatives from Miami University, Wright State, University of Dayton, Central State and Antioch McGregor will be there to answer any questions and talk to students who are interested in transferring.
“Not everyone at Sinclair wants to go on to a four-year college, but I think many have that goal and hope,” Petrey said. “To do that, the best way we know how is for students to meet these representatives from the college, so that they can help the student make that next step in their education.”
Community service agencies will also be there to provide information about various organizations that accept volunteers.
“Right now in this economy, a good internship or good volunteer experience on your resume may make that difference,” Petrey said. “If you have two resumes, with the same GPA and same classes, but one person has an internship, which one would you pick?”
The Service Learning and Honors symposium happens twice a year, in order for students to develop their projects and have the time to prepare for the presentations, according to Petrey.
Faculty Associate for Service Learning David Bodary said that he is excited for the students to showcase their work and network with one another.
“What I am most excited about is the opportunity for students to meet and share with one another as well as with community partner agencies, so that they can interact and share in dialogue with one another,” Bodary said.
Students can become involved with the Service Learning and Honors Symposium by taking an honors class. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.8 to take a class for honors. Any student can take a service learning class, according to Petrey.
“Student should come and just check out the symposium and see what it’s all about. It is just an open space where people will have the chance to explore students projects and meet students that are interested in all different topics,” Petrey said. “It is about empowering yourself, and I think education will give you the ability to make a difference.”
For more information, contact Derek Petrey at 512-2092 or by email at derek.petrey@sinclair.edu or Tracy Robbins at 512-4331 or by email at tracy.robbins@sinclair.edu.