Service & Immersion with Israel

Transcript

Ready to tell us more about UP’s commitment to service and justice is Israel, a secondary education major who’s already making a difference in the community. Here at UP, once a pilot, always a pilot and that’s because UP students aim to make a meaningful impact on the world during their time here and long after they’ve graduated. Israel, tell us more.

– Thank you, Alex, hello everyone. Education has always been very important to me and my family and when my mom went back to school to study education, it sparked my own love for teaching and learning. I wanted to go to a college that valued education as much as I did and saw it as a way to make positive change in the world, not just a means to a degree. That has what led me to the University of Portland. At UP, we’re encouraged to use knowledge to serve others, and this has given me many ways to connect with people on campus and in the surrounding communities. It started my first year in the School of Education Program when I was placed in a local elementary school to start earning my 1200 hours of required field experience. It allowed me to really get to know the teachers, staff, and students and helped me better understand where they’re coming from and how best to support them. I especially love building relationships with people through doing service work. I’m going on my third year as a coordinator with the Moreau Center for Service and Justice, which connects students with internships, immersion experiences, service work, and other programs that address community needs while raising students’ awareness of injustice. My work with the Moreau Center allows me to bring others from my dorm to engage with the community, learn about issues, and take action. I have not only grown professionally here at the University of Portland, but I’ve also grown in the way that I think about my life and what is truly important to me. No matter how you get involved on campus, there’s a sense of belonging to something bigger that is really empowering. That’s all I got, back to you, Alex

– Israel, you are an inspiration. It’s incredible to know that UP students have so many opportunities to participate in service and justice immersions, service work, and internships that connect what they’re learning in their courses to real world socioeconomic issues happening locally and around the world. Thanks again for sharing.