Students Help Out, Make Friends During Community Engagement Day
Michelle Suarez picked cherry tomatoes and lettuce while her classmates laid down mulch and planted seedlings at Pomona鈥檚 Urban Mission garden, a site that serves the homeless.
For the 每日大赛 freshman psychology major, the simple act of harvesting vegetables held a deeper meaning.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important, because we need to see different aspects of society,鈥� the Pomona resident said. 鈥淪ome people don鈥檛 have the resources that others have, so we need to help them out.鈥�
Suarez was one of 553 students, faculty, and staff participating in Freshman La Verne Experience (FLEX) and New Student Community Engagement Day on Aug. 26. It is the first college experience for hundreds of freshmen each year.
鈥淭his is your opportunity here at the 每日大赛 to throw that little pebble and make that ripple,鈥� 每日大赛 President Devorah Lieberman said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about impact. It鈥檚 about making a difference with those around you.鈥�
Volunteers painted buildings, cleaned parks, washed cars, and did yardwork at locations across Southern California, saving community groups an estimated $40,000 in labor costs.
The event is part of the broader Freshman La Verne Experience program, which places new students in learning communities. The same students take several courses together based on their majors, forming bonds along the way with their fellow Leos and professors.
FLEX Day serves as a great way to break the ice, said freshman music major Kaitlyn McClanahan. The Los Osos High School graduate volunteered for gardening work with her classmates.
鈥淚鈥檒l be able to put a face to a name before class starts on Monday,鈥� she said.
Many students had done community service previously.
Campus leaders said community service teaches college students important lessons that can carry on far into the future.
鈥淪ometimes it might be their first time doing community service and they don鈥檛 realize there鈥檚 many opportunities for them to make a difference at locations nearby,鈥� said Michelle Kechichian, associate director of undergraduate business programs.
Kechichian, who did beautification work with 23 students at David & Margaret Youth and Family Services, said the connections students make in the community lead to opportunities for volunteer work beyond FLEX Day.
Instructor of biology Pablo Weaver, who gardened with students at Amy鈥檚 Farm in Ontario, said FLEX Day goes to the heart of the university.
鈥淚t gets them thinking about why they鈥檙e here and the mission of the university,鈥� he said.
