The "Co" in College: The Power of Co-Curricular Connections

On this episode of Beyond the Syllabus: Pedagogy and Purpose, we explore the transformative power of co-curricular engagement through the expertise of Keyua McElveen, Director of Co-Curricular and Community Experience at Wingate University. 

We define the "Co" in Co-Curricular community engagement as a bridge between academic curriculum and real-world community impact. The discussion includes how intentional experiences outside the classroom foster personal growth and professional readiness. This conversation highlights how students become active "Difference-Makers" in their communities.  

Explore episode extras and more at Behind the Mic: www.gobeyondthesyllabus.com. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

On this episode of Beyond the Syllabus, Pedagogy Purpose. I mean, I think my biggest calling in this time is extending the hand to the next generation and exposing them to opportunities so that they realize who they are. To look at a difference maker, a difference maker has to understand purpose and their calling. And so when I look at it, purpose becomes clear for a student. You know, when they understand that the education pursuit that they have is not just personal, it's collective.

SPEAKER_02 0:30

So welcome to Beyond the Syllabus, Pedagogy and Purpose. I'm your host, Dr. Tiffany Turner Henderson. And today we are joined by Kim McElving, the director of co-curricular and community experience at Wingate University. That was a lot to say. And what we're going to do is redefine or define the quote unquote co-college, kind of a mystery there. So I'll give a little bit of a background. So Kia is a Wingate alumna and she is a former track and field athlete. And so from the perspective of our topic today, she understands balancing that academic and campus involvement life. But we're going to go deeper into what that means for students today. So today we're, and let me stop before I even go any further, because that was just a little snippet of who you are, Kia. So go ahead and tell the audience more about you.

SPEAKER_01 1:31

Most definitely. So again, my name is Kia McElvin. I am an alum of One Gate University. I also decided, don't know why, to get my master's from Lenore Brian University. So I always get picked on for going to our rival university.

SPEAKER_02 1:49

Education has shared that part.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

No, but in all seriousness, um, I am who I call a graceful leader. I do cherish and value care in other people, and I do love relationship building with others intentionally. Um on the outskirts, not on my nine to five, but I love poetry. I love writing. Um so that's something I kind of do in my off time. I am now immersed in higher education, and this was not my first pursuit. So it's kind of astonishing how alignment and calling happens in this space. Um, so I'm very eager to get into the conversation. But yes, I'm a graceful leader, um I'm a genuine individual. I really lead with intention in everything that I do, even if you see me outside of work. And my biggest, my biggest focus, um and I think my biggest calling in this time is extending the hand to the next generation and exposing them to opportunities so that they realize who they are.

SPEAKER_02 2:51

Yeah. Exactly. Oh goodness. Okay, I like that. We had to come back to that graceful leader. That sounds like a whole nother topic there. Okay, we'll come back to that in another episode. I'll I like that. So today, as I was kind of alluding, we're talking about the quote unquote co-in college and co-curriculum. Um, and so we're gonna move past like the labeling of extracurricular activities in college as being kind of like those hobbies, things that the students are kind of they're just kind of into for fun. And we're gonna talk about, again, as you mentioned, that intentional use of resources and activities and opportunities for growth that starts to bridge like a student's academic journey to like that real world impact and manifest into maybe a portion of their purpose. So let's go back to the to the beginning. So you lead the co-curricular and community experience on campus. And then can you tell us a little bit about what that encompasses, who can participate, what is that environment?

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Yes, so basically I oversee our community engagement initiatives. So we actually operate our community garden that's across the street from the community house. Um, in the community garden, it is an experience where students, faculty, and staff can volunteer. You can help us with planting crops, you can watch the crops grow. But essentially, that ecosystem feeds into our food pantry known as Paul Provision. So I oversee that as well on campus. Um, and that services the campus community. Now, majority of our demographics are graduate and undergraduate students. Um we have served some faculty and staff as well. Um, and so that pantry is open weekly on Tuesdays and Saturdays of each week. And then the biggest portion of my job kind of comes from the community house. And we'll talk more about that extensively in this conversation. But it's a central hub, it's the merger that connects campus and the outside community together through fellowship, through events, through different initiatives, um, all to help our students kind of grow and learn how they can contribute to the common good of humanity.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

And um, personally, I love the community garden. I have to, I have to admit, I need to volunteer. I have my own little garden at the house. I need to come get some tips.

SPEAKER_01 5:15

Listen, my students have taught, I don't have a green thumb, just FYI. So the fact that it's green and it's flourishing is due to my students and their hard work. They have taught me a lot, and I am now in charge of running it for the summer. A little nervous.

SPEAKER_02 5:31

I might have to come and help you a little bit. I talk to the plants with care every day. Exactly. So I'm gonna go back to um kind of this this overarching uh theme for the university is that you know we're a lab of difference making, right? Um, and then let's talk about how like the the how we bridged that connection with the community and like maybe some of the curriculum that happens on campus that we can with collabs make this difference maker, right? This the student who is going to make this larger impact, whether it's through making sure the plants live over the summertime through the garden. Um, but how do we do that? How do we work together to make uh the product of what is our university into these difference makers, if that makes sense? I might have to rephrase that, but no, you're fine.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

I definitely understand. So I want to break that down. Um, to look at a difference maker, a difference maker has to understand purpose and their calling. And so as an institution, we've focused our efforts on vocation and purpose and all of the fabric and within education and then the student experience itself. And so when I look at it, purpose becomes clear for a student, you know, when they understand that the education pursuit that they have is not just personal, it's collective and it's a collective impact. And I think by bridging the gap between classroom and community, students begin to see how what they learn in the classroom weighs more than a grade or a resume building. Let's be real. I would give examples like a nursing student. So I have a couple of nursing majors who work with me in collabs. They begin to understand healthcare disparities by doing their clinicals in the hospital, right? And by the university having partnerships in the community within our healthcare system, it allows for our students to take the theoretical and put it into practical use. Now they develop their own critical thinking. They can begin to align. Is this really the pursuit that I want? All directed back to purpose and engaging in community. To extend further, we go into your sector within business students. They looking, looking at kind of food insecurity and how that affects economic mobility. That's important, right? Um, and that contributes to the health and the wealth of your community as well. And then we talk about communication majors. I was a communication major at Wingate University, concentrating in public relations. Storytelling matters, right? It does. And storytelling builds trust, but it also restores integrity and dignity. And so, how do you blend all of these particular factors together to contribute again to that common good? And so community becomes the classroom. And I think that's where higher edge higher education institutions, our university and community, that's where that bridge makes sense. Because now it's not just confined to the four walls of an actual classroom setting, but it's in everyday life. It's in lived experience, if that makes sense. To further expound, because I could go on for days with this. I think that it's a testimonial impact to see how that's a powerful shift for a student. And I've got to see that firsthand with my students.

SPEAKER_02 9:02

Well, going a little bit further with it, because that was going to be my next step. So you talked about the nursing majors and the business majors. Like that, what are those light bulb moments? So we we saw in nursing, we see it in business, but what are some of those light bulb moments for the students where it's it's a connection like, oh, we talked about this in one of my classes, and this is what it looks like in the real world. And this, oh, this is how I contribute.

SPEAKER_01 9:27

Like, can you share some more stories with us? Most definitely. So I'll begin with my personal direct um connection with my students who work with me in collab. So taking that observation and putting it into practice, we talk about the community garden. I hired three students. One was an education major, one was an agricultural food systems major, and the other was an exercise science major. Different realms, right? Collectively. So my food systems major, he is intentional about gardening. He's intentional about selecting the seeds, how to plant them, the distance between, how the water, all the process in itself, he's intricate in that. But what they've learned over time is that in studying how soil needs to be treated in order for your crops to grow healthy, what it means to harvest and then actually provide food for a food desert, such as where we are located right now in Wingate. They were, they were able to revitalize a community garden and then take that revitalized process and now contribute to the farmer's market and then contribute to the food industry. So they got to see firsthand how their contributions affect their peers who may be experiencing food insecurity. And then for my education major, for her, the light bulb moment was oh, it's not just about typing up an outline and event planning. It goes deeper than that because she has to have context. She's not a garden expert, right? Right. But she has to have context in how that process works and how that system works in order for her to then align an event that makes sense, that educates the campus community, but also highlights the strengths of the community garden. So that's one area where I've seen observation turn practical. Another is working with the public health students, um, Dr. DuVay's class. So they were able to come with us to our food pantry and they were able to look at the nutritional labeling on a lot of our food products.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

That is true.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

And what they realize is that sometimes you have certain stigmas about a food pantry, right? And what types of foods are in there. For some of them, they've never been to Paul Provisions before. And to go through the actual pantry looking at every single food product that we had and seeing that there were low sodium, low sugar, zero sugar, then to understand that those components actually matter when it comes to feeding your community because a lot of students don't have the wealth to go out to a grocery store and get groceries, but they also don't have the wealth and knowledge of knowing what healthy eating habits look like. So they were able to contribute their expertise to helping us move forward with our health education. And so it's kind of eye-opening for me, and it's a great experience for me. But I think for the student, it just resonates with them and then it pronounces how much of an impact they can have within campus. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:25

And I think for a lot of our students, it they always say, Oh, when I graduate, and I'm like, no, no, do something now. Like you can change this small little corner of the earth right now as a student, right? You don't have to have the degree yet, but you have some knowledge that you're gaining. Um that's beautiful. And I didn't um I didn't even think about the having the those public health students come in to look at the the foods that are available in the pantry. And a lot of times, well, I'm not gonna say a lot of times, that's being a little stereotypical. But sometimes when when there are donations given um or supplied to some food banks, they are the ones that are high in sodium and sugary things. It's probably not the most healthy things, but that there's an there's intentionality in the selection that that's in our Paul provisions. Yes, you're gonna have this access to food, but we're making sure that it is good for you, that nourishes your body to nourish your mind. Like it, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 13:31

And then also to add to that, you got to think about this. For a student to go through that particular experience, they don't ask themselves, what type of career do I want to pursue? It now becomes what problem can I solve based on my experience and knowledge that I've gained from my college experience? And I think we do a great job at one gate giving our students that opportunity and exposure. And also to know that the needs that surround us are in close proximity. You're not separate from that. And I believe engaging your students experientially in the pantry or in the community garden, it resonates with them because it's right here close to home, right? Now they have a semblance of like what that looks like in reality. That's true. That is true.

SPEAKER_02 14:19

Wow. Okay. So let's think about the the in the collabs environment as kind of like again, this GPS for this impact. Um what do you think, as you've seen students come through and and interact with the with the program, what do you think has been some of those those challenging experiences for them, like that they can't quite grasp, you know, why this happens or how can I do something? Or, you know, what is the most well, we talk about the most rewarding when they they see the impact, but what has been some of the challenges as students first get into this environment that they have to kind of overcome?

SPEAKER_01 15:00

I think when we look at it in an overarching perspective, most challenging and overwhelming experience is thinking that success is derived on joining every organization, involving every event possible on campus, loading up your calendar. I've seen freshmen do it time and time again. And what it does is it it brings about a discomfort and it also brings to the surface exhaustion, and then they begin to understand that exhaustion doesn't equal fulfillment, right? Actually, it makes me backtrack from that and makes me reassess. And so I think that they begin to have challenges in understanding what involvement means and what intentional engagement means. And by going through that particular experience, it makes them, I don't want to say forces them, but it makes them kind of pay more close attention to what aligns and what do I have time for.

SPEAKER_00 15:58

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 16:01

Again, oftentimes for freshmen, we see the reflection of them getting involved is on a bad thing, right? But when they get involved with a number of different aspects of college, they begin to fall or falter in other categories, such as academics. So now you're balancing trying to be a part of all these registered student organizations and going to all these events, but now you're not able to study for your KIM exam. So it's a it's a very hard learning experience and it's very discomforting. But I think that once students, the rewarding aspect of that is once they begin to realize what fulfillment means to them, right? They realize what aligns with their path that they're pursuing. They begin to understand that leadership is not always loud. It doesn't mean that you have to be involved in everything that's going on, right? But it's simple sometimes. It looks like consistency. It looks like listening well to your peers or to your faculty and staff. It looks like showing up for others, taking small actions in small moments. Um and so it just it's different for everybody. But I believe that community engagement enlightens and offers them a space to be in that kind of pushes them outside of their cultural or social or economic norm. And that's a challenge as well. Because now I'm having to look outside of myself and be selfless, right? So I think those are the challenges that students face. It's trying to get too involved and now having to look outside of what's normal for them.

SPEAKER_02 17:30

Kind of pushing them outside of that comfort zone. That is. And then what can I do to help? I think that that the humanity kicks in. They all have that essence in them, but sometimes it just it ramps up a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 19:02

And that's where the deepest growth happens, let's be real, when it's outside of ourselves. And so now the student is able to see themselves as a contributor rather rather than a passive learner. That's that's monumental, honestly, in the experience. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 19:18

And then uh I like that leadership is not always loud. Yes. I like that. Okay. Just go ahead, just talk more about that because it just caught my my ear. I was like, ooh.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

Yes. Okay. Okay. So I think oftentimes, and this comes from the student perspective or even from adults. Um, we are in a digital era where social media has a heavy influence. And so a lot of people a lot of times, what seems as reality is not. And so a student can see that there is a student that's balancing four or five different organizations. They're also an athlete, they're also popular on campus, they have everything going for themselves, but context matters, right? Because that particular individual, although on the outside may be juggling and balancing everything, sometimes they could be in survival mode and that's dressed up as productivity. So when I say leadership is not always loud, leadership doesn't have to be on a grand scale. It can be as simple as you holding the door open for a peer, sitting down with them and having a conversation because they're having a hard day. Right. You're leading them out of that discomfort and pushing them to look at the optimism that exists in life because they can't see it for right now. It could be that you are a student that's involved in either marketing or public health, and you decide for yourself that you want to take time to volunteer in the community garden or in the food pantry and help your peers out. Those are small acts of kindness that contribute to leadership. And a lot of times we feel like we have to be on the big stage with all the cameras and we're taking pictures of everything that we're doing, and that makes the leader. That's not true. That's not it. That's not it. So I think that when a student comes into college, it's it's a great opportunity that we have um classes or seminars like one dog because we can break it down for them, right? They're not chewing all at one time, they're taking small bites. I think I like this. I think this is enjoyable. Now I see where I can lead, right? I see where my place and my role makes sense. Now I can contribute versus I'm emulating something that I've seen someone else do. And so I'm gonna join those five organizations. I'm gonna try to walk onto the track team. I'm also gonna try to attend these events, and I'm getting overloaded and I'm really falling apart rather than building myself up. So that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_02 21:42

Actually, I I had a student uh one time that they had seen someone who was involved in in everything, and they said, I want to be like that person. And I was like, Well, that person is that person. You have to be you. Um, so you can you kind of maybe shadow right that person find. Out how do they start getting involved? But in the end, you have to do what's right and feels good for you as far as as they were saying, quote unquote being out there, you know, being being involved with things. Like you have to find your spot, what's meant for you. Um, so that's true. That is true. Those who are doing everything, and it's nothing wrong with doing everything if it's meant for them to do those things, but it's for them.

SPEAKER_01 22:27

That piece. And I think also, too, you have to understand for a student, exposure and proximity are essential because that allows them to align with what they were naturally gifted to do. Exactly. Right. So without exposure and proximity, they will fall in line with someone else's reality and try to force it to be their own.

SPEAKER_02 22:53

Yeah.

unknown 22:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 22:55

We're gonna, I know we're off topic, but that that's part of, no, no, it's not off topic. It's part of this growth uh as as well. Um, but this is like a whole discussion of, you know, I like this leadership is not not loud, and you don't have to to emulate what others are doing on campus to fulfill your purpose or to move into student leadership. Oh, oh that we're coming, put a pin in that. We're gonna come back. I like that topic. Sorry, I like that topic, especially like when we go back to school and we have those transfer students and new students coming on campus. They want to get involved and we want them to be involved, but let's be a little more intentional about how that aligns to you. I like that context and proximity. Okay, okay, we're gonna come back to that's that's another episode. Okay, I'm gonna get back on track. Okay. Um, so let's get into the community house. Yes, just start from the beginning, tell us all about the community house. And then if there are other institutions that do not have this, like how can they get this thing started? Because it it's phenomenal. When I came over it uh right after it opened, I was like, ooh, wow, this is needed. And you got all kinds of ideas. Okay, so start from the beginning, tell us all about community house.

SPEAKER_01 24:19

Yes, okay, so from the bare bones, for me, the community house is both a mirror and a bridge. I I thought about that concept when I was given this assignment, and everything that exists in the community house was already here. Um, me and my students were able to kind of realign the house because I asked them what do they feel is missing? And the bottom line was that students truly didn't have a space where they could just exist outside of academics without being office spaces. They could just exist and be themselves. And so we have a number of rooms. It's a two-story um old house. And the Stewart family um owned this home. And then later the Braswell family, who I feel most people who are from Wingate kind of have familiarity with. But uh, this home is beautiful, it's neoclassical structured. Uh, like I said, it's two stories. And so me and my students, we started rearranging the furniture. Um, through months of progression, we started having different iterations of what the house looks like. So today we have two, we have three flat screen TVs downstairs. So we have a blue room known as a steward room to give honor to the student family. Um, that's our social room. So students can come in throughout the day between 10 and 7 p.m. There's no events going on, they can socialize and just relax. Nothing academic happens there. We have a bookshelf, they can read, they can watch movies, they can just chill, right? Have breaks in between. And also I realized that for commuter students, they were sleeping in their cars a lot of times. So I was hearing those stories, and I actually saw a student doing that. And I was like, yeah, no, you can definitely come over to the community house. Nothing, you don't have to sign any papers, just come on in and relax. And right beside of it is a red room known as the Braswell Room to give honor to the Brazwell family. That room is structured more like um, I would say a book club meeting room. Um have a round table. Most of my students who come in, they typically do group projects in that area or study homework or socialize. Have our front desk area where my front desk ambassadors will sit. Um, they will welcome people in. So we bring hospitality to the experience as well, right? Um, and then as you walk down downstairs, walk down the hallway, we have the Bulldog Lounge. Basically, that's a conference room. And so we've had faculty senate host a meeting in there. We've had um a debriefing from Union County Special Olympics held in there. We've had students have weekly Bible study sessions in that room. Yes, we've hosted um a yoga session. We had to improvise because space is limited, but we had a yoga session and our students enjoyed it. Um, outside of the Bulldog Lounge, it enters into the kitchen area, and students can use our refrigerator, our microwave. Um, we have snacks available and drinks as well. And then we have our Zen room. So it's actually a sun room and it has glass panels. Okay, okay. Yes. Uh we have now a white noise machine, so we play that, and students can kind of isolate themselves if they want to get a break from everything going on, but they have a view of our backyard.

SPEAKER_02 27:34

Can faculty come and zen out? Almost welcome.

SPEAKER_01 27:37

All is um in the back, you can see the backyard, which is like a small garden area, and it's just calming and relaxing in that space. I love it. Um, and then outside of the kitchen, we have the community closet. So the community closet is a clothing resource that we have on campus for everyone, um, specifically for our students who are in need of clothing items, anywhere ranging from jackets, casual wear to professional wear. And the iteration of the closet was it used to be the career closet where it's professional wear, but we realized that among our international students, a lot of them came over and they didn't have jackets, right? They didn't have sweatpants. Some of them didn't have clothing items to begin with. And so that's an area where they can come. They can get shoes, they can get um jackets, shirts, shorts, jeans, dress pants, dress suits, dresses, anything that they are in need of, they can assess um readily available for them, free of charge. Uh, we get those donations from our campus community and outside community as well. And then we have our game room. The game room is probably the most exciting room. Literally has board games in there, um, a TV as well. And generally, my students will host gaming events out of there just to bring some of their peers together. So we've had some game nights, we had some movie nights hosted in the community house. So, again, it's a physical space that unites collaboration, that brings together lived experiences and fosters connection. Um, and that's been the baseline of the community house from when I first inherited this assignment up until current. Um, and like I said, back to being a bridge and a mirror. A bridge in connecting campus and our community members. So inviting community to come over to host their events, to have interest meetings, to kind of meet one-on-one with students that's evolving as time goes on, but also a mirror reflecting how we want to foster engaging, reliable, compassionate leaders as well on campus. And like I said, our purview as an institution is on vocation and purpose. And so this is where we can do it. We have a physical space where we can make that happen.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

And I love it. I love it. And it's different than having like a typical student union, right? Where it still feels like it's a facility and there's still a lot of structure in it. The community house, it it feels like home. It really does. You walk in and it feels like you have walked in, and it really was someone's home, but um walk in and it feels like you're at home. You don't feel like, oh, can I can I go over there? Can I use that? You just feel like wherever I'm led, I'm allowed to be to be led. And it does. It it's a a comfortable space to go, whatever. And the commuter portion, that is so true. Um, and I I've heard the the stories, and a lot of times I've heard stories from some of our commuters commuters that they wanted to be involved in things on campus, but they finished their co their classes at a certain time and they're like, Well, where am I going to stay? I feel these events that are happening at five and six and seven o'clock at night. Where am I? I don't want to sit in the classroom, right? I don't want to sit in the lobby of one of the buildings. Um, but to have that space. And I've heard some students say that they really like that they could have somewhere they can feel relaxed and do their homework, right? Connect with some of their peers that they only see in the classroom because they're normal drive in and drive out. They could actually have conversations, build relationships, work on those group projects that they they love so much. But having that space for them as well has been a huge benefit to their involvement on campus because now they have someplace to go. So thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 31:44

That I'm honored. And I would also add to your um the other part of your question of how can other universities kind of implement the same thing. I think it starts with the focal point. So understanding that community engagement should not be seen as something extra, right? So but much rather a part of the educational ecosystem. It is an environment cultivated for learning hubs, right, for students to be connected with. So it doesn't necessarily have to be a two-story house. It could be a small space that's located within a building that may be academic. But as long as that space garners the fact that this is going to be welcoming to all, and in this space you are free to discover, rediscover, and connect. I think that you can have a community house anywhere. But it starts with that focal point.

SPEAKER_02 32:41

And I think it's needed. I think it's needed. Yeah. Because again, it it takes out the academic feel and allows students to really open up and learn. Um, let's see, where was I going? I forgot where I was going with this. How can faculty, how can instructors, how can we partner uh with uh it may not be called the same thing at other universities, but with a collabs. Like, how can we build some things together that helps with that bridging? What are some ideas? Yeah. Or suggestions.

SPEAKER_01 33:22

I think the first thing, as I stated back about student development being surrounded around exposure and proximity, inviting the community engagement leader or leaders to the classroom. And not as guest speakers, not to talk about what they do, but as actual contributing collaborators in discussion with the students. So if you're talking about economic mobility and that is an expertise portion of your community engagement leader, let them sit in a round table talk with your students. Let your students ask that person questions because now the student has familiarity with that individual. And now it goes beyond the title of what that person does. They don't seem to be an abstract being that's coming in, sitting in for a 50-minute class period, and now they're gone. So it feels transactional. It doesn't feel relational. Invite them in to your classroom spaces to talk about the needs and invite them to help your students resolve. Because a lot of times, what I, in my experience, what I see is what can my students help solve for you? That's not the question that I want to receive. The question that I want to receive is what can my students learn about the systems already in place and how can they collectively help you to resolve whatever problems you have. Because a lot of times when the students are coming into these spaces, they're coming in thinking that they're going to solve for a new system. And a new system might not be needed, right? It might just be awareness, it might be just outreach, but you have to have context in order for you to come up with a resolve that actually works. So I think in those two dynamics, that's a starting point that faculty can kind of embody. And you already see it in departments and in different sectors, respectfully. But I think too, just recognizing that expertise is not just from the higher education institution, it exists in the community as well.

SPEAKER_00 35:20

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 35:21

These individuals are coming with, they're carrying lived experiences, right? They're carrying the cultural insight, they're carrying the practical wisdom. And I think also for faculty, and the most high regard is allowing individuals to carry their weight. So you don't have to be the theoretical and the practical. Allow your community to be the practical experience while you cultivate that theoretical knowledge. Because when we merge together, we're all using our strengths, right? It becomes, yeah, it becomes fluff and it gets confusing whenever we're trying to overdo. Think if you approach it in that manner and you allow for that community engagement leader or leaders to be involved from the practical standpoint of their practical wisdom, um, it allows them to feel valued, like they're contributing. Not, oh man, I'm contributing to this student making a bad grade because they had challenges with my organization and we didn't quite align. But more so, okay, I got I understand the learning objectives that you want. Trust me that I'm gonna fulfill these through my wisdom I'm about to give your students.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

Um and it is it is this this working together um and trusting the trusting the process, right? And as faculty, sometimes we want to control everything. That's kind of some that's our nature in some aspects. But again, allowing it to naturally come together um with that expertise from both sides, it makes it a lot better, a lot better. Yeah uh and and more of a benefit to the students as well. We talked about a lot. Now we've gone off into the the leadership thing, which I keep saying, I'm gonna come back to that because that's a really good topic. Um, so let's kind of maybe wrap it up a little bit and we'll see how we go. We may not be wrapping up, but I'll say we're kind of wrapping up. Um now, if you could go back to your college days. Oh, goodness. I know that was yesterday. It was just a a co-curricular uh experience that maybe you want to lean more into, or you would maybe suggest for for students to lean into.

SPEAKER_01 37:37

I would say one day, one dog. I was involved in service in school, but I didn't really understand the true, true impact until I was on the outside, you know, uh correlating and developing and coordinating the actual event itself. As a student, I wish that I had pushed myself to go beyond my norms, my own experience, as in getting out into the community and going to a senior adult center and learning how to work with seniors, going to the food pantries and actually serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner and being around that demographic of individuals because I would have had a better insight of reality. But I was only focused on theoretical, I was only focused on the education piece. And in doing my service, I even approached my service through theoretical, like best case scenarios, right? And although I was giving and I'm loving, and those things have never changed in me, the way that I perceive service now is vastly different. Everything has to be intentional. And I learned so much about my capacities, my boundaries, and what fulfills me deep within. And it wouldn't have taken me so much longer to justify what that is, right? Um, and I think for me, it was a time, and I encourage every freshman, underclass, undergraduate, or graduate student, while you have time in academia, take that time. Really discover who you are. Because when you get into the real world, people talk about imposter syndrome. That's more apparent than you realize, especially if you don't have a firm grip on who you are and what you can contribute. If somebody else has to articulate that for you, we talk about the articulation gap. If somebody articulates that for you, it's gonna cause you to have challenges moving forward in your growth. So get outside of your comfort zone. If transportation is a challenge for you and you can't get off campus, get involved. Like I said, volunteer at the community garden, come see me over at the community house. How can you get involved with the food pantry? Those are great opportunities to kind of expose you to a norm that's outside of yours and then give you more introspection of who you are and what you can contribute. So if I could go back in time, I would definitely be more involved in my community outside of Wingate. And I would take the opportunities that were given with service projects in One Day One Dog, I would be involved in many more than I was, right?

SPEAKER_02 40:09

And then for those who are not familiar with One Day One Dog One Dog, um just share a little bit about One Day One Dog, because I always think of this is phenomenal. And I'm not sure if other universities, I haven't, I just haven't heard of any other university doing what we do, which I think is phenomenal. Um but share with what is one day one one dog?

SPEAKER_01 40:29

Yeah, so for context, that is our annual day of service and giving, right? Um, so the campus, we stop everything, everything's on pause. Everything and classes. That's a great day, right? But it's a day that we all can unwind and we become selfless. So we go out and we start assessing needs. Um, we start pulling together resources to better our community, both on campus and off campus. And I think it's also an opportunity for students specifically to get better connected with what opportunities exist beyond the campus. Um, so again, tying back to the exposure and that proximity. So that is our day where we pause everything that has to do with work and classes, and we actually get out into the community and we help to make it better of a shared living experience that everybody can thrive within. Um, and for me, one day one dog is not the only day that Wingate University does serve us. Um, but it is a highlighted point where we can kind of extend our resources even further.

unknown 41:33

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

Like I said, it's an amazing, an amazing day to see literally everyone on campus doing something for others, doing something to serve in the communities. Um, and it's it's great when you see your colleagues that are out and they're volunteering as well, and you're right beside your students and and doing something. Um it has a lasting effect on them. And usually when we come back that that next day, um, and we I usually have a debrief. What do you do? Right. Some have been with me, with our student organization, others maybe serve with their athletic, um, their team. But I said, what is what a memorable experience? And especially those who work with uh, you know, our seasoned citizens and maybe some of our citizens that have um some developmental challenges, and they're like, they were glad just to see us call. Yes. And that did something for me. And I'm like, there it is, there's a spark, right? Keep the spark going.

SPEAKER_01 42:37

Keep that flame, flaming, because for me, like um Union Diversified Industries, UDI has their annual base or softball game, right? And it's a culmination of all athletic teams coming together to literally support and cheer on individuals with intellectual or any disability for that matter. And in that moment, everybody's the same. Everybody's on the same playing field. Nobody's pointing fingers, nobody's whispering, like everybody's engaged with each other. We're playing, we're laughing, we're having fun. And it's an enjoyable experience because now that outer guard is put down. And you're just being a human to a human. And I think that sometimes we get so caught up in the world that we forget that we are human. And that just that generosity of just smiling and saying hey, or cheering somebody on, hand clapping like goes a long way. And so yeah, that's one of my favorite service projects that we do. That is like the highlight of my day for that particular day. But as you said, just watching faculty and staff go to the animal shelter, right? The Days More uh Senior Adult Center and volunteer, serve breakfast um at the community shelter. Like it just, yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 43:54

It's a beautiful thing. So look, yeah, and if there are other institutions that that do that, would love. To hear from you. So we can talk about what you're doing on your campuses. So I'll just throw that out there if anyone wants to comment later on. But again, you talk about engagement. And again, that's one big day, but there's so much more that happens behind the scenes. But having that day to really show your institution is connected with the community. Like and I was tell students, it may not be the money that you throw into organizations, it's that time that and your skills, your time and your skills to serve others has a lasting effect because the money only goes but so long. But your time that can never be recouped. And that you spent that with others, you know, or to help others. Yes. That it's it's eternal, right? So I love when we do that. I get excited over that. I think the students look at me like you're more excited than we are. I am because it really goes back, and um, I'll throw this in there for the the one day, one dog, it it's based on the three pillars of the university, which is faith, knowledge, and service. And I love that we just don't say service, we do service on a regular basis, right? On a regular basis. I and I I do, I truly appreciate one of the reasons why I'm still here. Um reasons, but one of the reasons because we do what we say we're gonna do. Yes. Okay. I think I think we kind of wrapped a lot of this up. Yeah, we're gonna come back to the the the leadership, is is not always loud because that's gonna be a future episode, so stay tuned for that. So, Kia, thank you so much for being on this episode of um Beyond the Syllabus Pedagogy and Purpose. Okay, what if we want to find you? Where can we find you?

SPEAKER_01 45:53

Yes, so you can find me on LinkedIn. Um, my name is Kia, not K-I-A, it's K-E-Y-U-A MAC Elvin M-C-E-L-V-E-N. I have a huge afro and a brown jacket on. Um, so definitely connect with me on LinkedIn. Um, I would love that connection. I am in the process of developing my own personal website. So stay tuned for that information. I will share that with Dr. Turner Henderson to share with you all as well. Um, but yeah, yeah. And then if you ever want to get in contact or get connected with the community house, you can always directly email me at k.mce l-en at wingate.edu, and I'll be happy to connect with you.

SPEAKER_02 46:41

All right, great. And we're gonna make sure we we put that in in the uh description of the episode as well so they can reach out to you. Kia, thank you again for this episode. Um, you will hear from her again because she's already developed the next episode on leadership. Oh, yes. Let's deep dive. I can talk about leadership for days. Yes. That is definitely coming. All right, so thank everyone for thank you for joining this episode. Um, if something kind of touches you, share that with someone else. Start those conversations, build that engagement, that leadership, uh, wherever your institution may be. And we look forward to seeing you on the next episode. Thank you.