Reflection On Service Learning

My eyes gazed over the book as I sat in the back of the class. Everyone was silent as we were instructed to the read the story that was assigned to us. The English class was filled with a silent and dull atmosphere. The only thing that was heard was the air vent and the tapping of a pen from a student. The once silent room, was replaced by the teacher asking us about how the story made us feel and what figurative language was used. The stories that were told in English class never impacted me as often as I would like. When did it inspire me, the stories transformed my life.
One incident, it happened when I took a theology class that required me to do service learning. Service learning is an opportunity that allows students to volunteer for

different causes while learning. I signed up for a volunteer package that consisted me doing ten hours of advocating against domestic violence. I had no interest in volunteering for the school because I was putting all my focus on excelling in my classes. However, I signed up to join because if I did not get ten hours of volunteer work then I was unable to pass the class.
The service learning that I did was called College Bride’s Walk that have been hosted by Barry University for eight consecutive years. Barry University gathered a group of students to attend different events for the service. I found myself acquainted with familiar people that I have seen on campus. Dr. Finley was one of the people who helped organized College Bride’s Walk. Dr. Finley also hosted many of the events that were required to attend to gain hours. I never thought I seen myself so fascinated about learning new things about domestic violence.
It was one evening the College Bride’s Walk first orientation was hosted on Barry University’s campus. Many students were seated crowded around tables ready to listen to the presentation that was given by Dr. Finley. She passed on her knowledge about College Bride’s Walk and the significance of the movement. “does anyone know the signs of domestic silence?” she quizzed us. She searched for a slight movement of a hand shooting up in the air. She stood there patiently with a slight grin realizing nobody was brave enough to answer her question quite yet. Eventually, a few ideas bounced in some student’s head and started an interesting debate on why people stay in a domestic violence relationship. Dr. Finley briefly explained some of the signs that she has noticed while working with victims of domestic violence. It provoked my interest because I did not quite understand how somebody could stay in a relationship that they were treated badly in.
“I’m going to read a story that a girl once gave me to me and every time I read it, the story makes me want to cry.” She explained softly, shaking her head.

Dr. Finley shuffled around in her purse for a piece of paper that I’ve notice had pencil marks all over it. The story begins of a young girl in high school that was not very popular in school. She starts dating a guy with a different personality from her. He had a lot of friends, played football, and was known in town. She enjoyed being his boyfriend because she gained all his friends and treated her well in the beginning. The young girl was also given a phone by her boyfriend that he called or text to see where she was constantly. He also took her shopping to the mall and bought her clothes that he emphasized she would look good in and should wear it from now. Other students around me began putting their phone down on the table and started listening intently. The young girl in the story continued to date the boy even after countless times she was treated badly. He abused, controlled, threaten, and raped her while she was his girlfriend. I can remember Dr. Finely staring at the white piece of paper for a moment, her voice began soft, and strained like her vocal cords were damaged. The young girl told multiple people about what her boyfriend has done but nobody acted on her situation. The police officer did not believe the quarterback would do horrendous things to her because he knew him. The young girl’s mom said she may be overreacting and how its normal for couples to fight. Moreover, she told her friends, but they did not want to hear her

complain.
This is the point of the story where the words impacted me more and more as the girl in the story continued to tell people about her problems and her community did not take charge. As Dr. Finley kept describing the struggles of the victim, it lit a spark in my heart that I’ve never felt before. I had the need to help someone during a time where they struggled to say their partner’s name because their hands were wrapped around their neck like a scarf. The story gave me a desire to save thousands of girls from their mind being clouded by the misconception that they are not good enough. A story rarely inspired me in a significantly way, but this one did. I was engaged in the story as the words flowed through Dr. Finley’s mouth and after each consequence the young girl went through I said to myself, “wow” until the very end. Dr. Finley finished the story deep in thought while staring at a student’s feet.
I remember leaving the seminar with the only thing on my mind is the young girl dealing with something so traumatic early in life. Additionally, I was more excited to participate in volunteering to stand up for the people who were affected from domestic violence. I was so interested in the story that I told my parents, friends, and other loved ones. That night I looked up other events that were listed for the service learning. I added additional occasions to my calendar that I was available for. This time I wanted to be present for the events because I wanted to help rather than trying to pass my class.
Many other stories can inspire ways to transform an individual’s life. I have read and listened to various stories in the past that I have enjoyed but it failed to inspire me to do something different. A story can trigger an emotion to make a change in the world whether that means a small change that requires you to recycle to benefit the environment. Furthermore, a story could excite a social change that could involve being a voice for the people who are scared to speak up. I enjoy hearing stories like the one I’ve heard because now I see more value in putting time aside to volunteer for the need. I hope throughout my lifetime I get the chance to feel inspired many more times.