Community Engagement

I had the wonderful opportunity to chaperone an international educational trip for high school students. We visited about five cities in the United Kingdom and toured historic sites with a local guide. In preparation for the trip, I took the detailed itinerary and researched each place we were scheduled to visit and made a timeline of British history and added major global and American events to contextualize. I filled an entire notebook with this kind of information along with silly tidbits and trivia to entertain the students. This was incredibly helpful when we had any downtime between destinations. It was also helpful to prepare the students for what to expect at each destination, what the main tourist attractions were, and to help students make connections from place to place. Students would come to me for clarification questions and were excited to learn. In addition, I ensured students safety and got them everywhere we needed to go. I was known to lighten the mood among the leaders and chaperones. I got to know the students and their interests, and I became more confident in my leadership and teaching abilities, which was especially assuring to me after my concussion the year prior. 

I volunteered at the Hope Center for Kids in North Omaha, which is primarily an academic after-school program for disadvantaged youth, with goals of bridging the gap by assisting students with schoolwork, after-school employment, and applying to college. I assisted students in 7th grade through freshman year with their English, social studies, math, and Spanish homework. I also planned academic enrichment programs and assisted staff any way I could, particularly when removing students from the classroom and calming them after a behavior issue.

I was admitted to the first cohort of the Teacher Scholars Academy for the top 10% of teacher candidates at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, which gave me many leadership opportunities. We participated in monthly professional development seminars, incorporated service-learning into our curriculum, and took an honors colloquium course in educational leadership. After our first year, we each took the responsibility of mentoring a student in the cohort behind us. I mentored a student who also was interested in secondary social studies education and special education, and helped him navigate campus resources, answered his questions, and checked in periodically to make sure I was helping in any way I could. As the years went on, I continued to mentor incoming students and assisted the program director in planning and implementing programs and social activities. Through the program, I also gained membership in Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society in education, with which I completed more professional development courses. 

At Criss, I primarily helped students use library resources and direct them to other campus resources when applicable. The first week of classes in August is always my favorite because I get to help the incoming students orient themselves to campus by giving them directions, explaining how different systems work, and ensuring them that college was overwhelming for all of us at the beginning and that they will do great things during their tenure at the University

Through various Service-Learning courses, I have had the opportunity to partner with various community organizations and groups, which has given me more perspective and let me get to know the diverse population of Omaha.

At the public library, most of our patrons are living in nearby homeless shelters and use the library’s computers to apply for aid and employment. It is my job to be a welcoming presence and assist patrons in finding the resources they are looking for.