MacServe offers opportunity to lead through learning
Career aspirations are not always planned.
They can sometimes stem from a number of events in our life that spark an interest in a specific field, topic or trade. During university, the experiences students have both inside, and outside of the classroom, can impact the future direction they choose to pursue and ultimately lead to a more satisfying and fulfilling career.
Connor Morris is a fourth year Honours Political Science and Sociology student who has previously participated in MacServe Day of Learning with Hamilton Victory Gardens, MacServe Reading Week in Vancouver and twice in MacServe Engage in Hamilton.
Shivani Shah, a fourth year Life Science student, has taken part in MacServe Reading Week in the Dominican Republic.
Both Morris and Shah began as learners and are now working as student leaders for the Student Success Centre as Service Learning Project Assistants.
“MacServe allowed me to interact with a variety of students from different disciplines and years with different schools of thought,” said Morris when reflecting on where his interest in MacServe began. The diversity in students brings together people with new perspectives.
Shah’s interest was sparked when she saw a poster and decided to apply her classroom learning to foster positive change. “MacServe places an importance on building relations with the local community and also informing participating students of the privilege and power they have as educated University students.”
MacServe Reading Week, taking place between February 15 and 20, 2016, allows students to take a closer look at local, national or global issues and investigate their own capacity to affect positive social change.
For Morris, the trip to Vancouver reinforced his interest in Food Security, a theme that will continue for MacServe Reading Week 2016 in Vancouver. Morris now plans to pursue a Masters program by working and doing research on Food Security.
Shah’s aspirations to be a doctor were solidified as a result of travelling to the Dominican Republic and learning about the Social Determinants of Health, “I have gained a deeper understanding of how pursuing medicine as a career could help me become more cognizant of social issues and inequalities that are prevalent.”
Students have until November 2nd to register for MacServe.
