Participating in service-learning with the Nashville International Center for Empowerment, or NICE, has truly enabled me to grow as a human being. My service-learning experience evoked an important improvement within several personal qualities:
The refugees have shown me true kindheartedness, as well as what it means for me to express kindness.
Working with the refugees has taught me how to be empathetic, and why it is important to be considerate of other people’s situations.
The refugees have shown me what it means to be thankful for what you have, and how to be grateful for any help that I may receive.
The refugee crisis has been a hot topic in the news for the past few months. I am not an expert on the issue, but my service-learning experience has allowed me look at the situation from a new perspective. My understanding of the conflict has become more personal due to my brief interaction with refugees. Volunteering with NICE has altered the way I personally respect these people who simply deserve a chance. Through working with refugees, I have been repeatedly reminded that they are all people. The public has no right to treat them like they are anything less. I cannot change everyone’s opinion, but I am thankful that this experience has allowed me to escape ignorance.
The refugees I have worked with may not be the exact ones we have seen in the news, but I still feel a new empathy. Above all, I have learned that losing faith in the refugee’s humanity is not the way to keep mine. I wrote a blog post that includes more of my feelings towards this topic, as well as how I handle the differences in understanding within public (particularly on social media).
Blog PostIf I am being honest, gaining this new empathy was one of the hardest parts of my service-learning experience. I do not wish ignorance upon myself, but having a new awareness of the refugee crisis has been difficult. People continuously treat refugees poorly, and it is frustrating to handle. Despite everything, I am thankful that this new empathy has brought out a new respect for all people. I would not trade this experience for the comfort of obliviousness.
Education through service-learning is irreplaceable, yet time-consuming. Completing eight hours of service while taking 18 credit hours this semester was difficult, but worth it. I had a lot of concerns going into the service hours: I’m young, I’m awkward, and I had little volunteer experience. But the benefits of service-learning outweigh any struggles or worries that I had.
Participating in service-learning this semester allowed for a unique understanding of scholarship, volunteerism, compassion, and professional writing. I am incredibly thankful for this class, and for the experiences that working with NICE has offered.