Service may be getting on a plane to help an impoverished village. Service may also be getting in a car to help a Los Angeles community.
Pepperdine University students embody the university’s mission to prepare them for service, purpose and leadership, from Step Forward Day to Project Serve, from regular volunteer efforts to service learning in the classroom. Students serve locally in Malibu, Los Angeles and Ventura, as well as domestically and internationally during spring break and summer trips.
“Every student I’ve interacted with is looking for purpose here,” said Allie Bergeron, Student Affairs intern for the Pepperdine Volunteer Center. “They want to do something meaningful. Often that means volunteering.”
Pepperdine University ranks 10th in the nation in Princeton Review’s The Best 380 Colleges: 2016 Edition for “students most engaged in community service,” according to Pepperdine’s University News.
Value in volunteering
A PeppPost survey of 55 students found that 71 percent of students said they believe that Pepperdine holds service, volunteer work and leadership to a high standard amongst the student body.
Making a difference in the classroom
Pepperdine regularly incorporates service learning into the classroom, notably with Regan Schaffer’s Service Leadership Project.
At the core of Schaffer’s course curriculum, students learn to aid non-profits while implementing business concepts and tactics.
“I wish each major would have this capstone around leadership,” Schaffer said. “I never worry about motivation in my student’s classes.”
Students majoring in Business Administration are required to take the class.
“Roughly 120 students take this course each semester,” Schaffer said. “Many of them contact me to say they incorporate the lessons and skills learned from my class in their career life.”
Present and past: Stories and statistics
Some 71 percent of students surveyed said they had voluntarily participated in service programs like JumpStart, Step Forward Day and Volunteer Center efforts.
More than 40 percent of students surveyed said they were highly involved in community service in high school or prior to entering Pepperdine.
“During the summer after my junior year in high school I went to China to help an impoverished town right outside of Beijing,” junior business administration major Amber Liu said. “I also used to serve at my local church by leading Vacation Bible School and teaching Sunday school lessons.”
One way Pepperdine students also showcase or strengthen their personal faith is in service.
“Serving gives me a greater insight into who Christ is as well as humbling me in all I do,” junior accounting major Ashley Giraud said.
Several students like Liu have service experience in foreign countries, and other students have major service experience in their own hometowns.
“In high school I was able to work in nearby soup kitchens, nursing homes and I got to serve special needs adults,” freshman communication major Andie Round said. “To me, service means selflessly helping your neighbor, as Jesus Christ did.”
Some 77 percent of students surveyed said Pepperdine has helped them foster a personal desire to serve others in their community.
“Pepperdine is always providing opportunities and reminders of what scripture says about service,” junior marketing major Caroline McClelland said.
For some students, the prevalence of service at Pepperdine even changes their career perceptions.
“After I graduate I realize I want to work for an international nonprofit that basically focuses on any type of service for other people,” Elizabeth Lowe, junior international business major, said.
Lowe explains what Pepperdine has done to influence her career path.
“If I hadn’t come to Pepperdine, I wouldn’t have gone on my mission trip last year which really made me think about going into a career of service,” she said.
Love for Los Angeles: Local Pepperdine service
The Volunteer Center educates students about the needs of the Los Angeles community.
Volunteer Center Director Peter Thompson is the one in charge of all programs and initiatives within the Volunteer Center.
“Service, even if local, makes you think about life and things outside yourself,” Thompson said. “Jesus calls us to it, so there is importance in it.”
Habitat for Humanity is a local organization that annually partners with Pepperdine University to rebuild run-down neighborhoods.
“Habitat for Humanity Ventura County was a relaxing experience,” junior history major Jeremiah Anthony said. “The camaraderie we built in one day was amazing.”
Project Serve: Students immersing in communities
The Volunteer Center also offers extensive service projects through Project Serve, an alternative spring break option. Project Serve allows students to serve in Washington state, Arizona, Hawaii, Costa Rica and Nicaragua every spring semester. The center has received more than 130 applicants for this spring’s Project Serve.
“This is a solid number of applicants,” Thompson said. “It’s such a great program.”
Educating children in Nicaraguan classrooms is one Project Serve opportunity. The Volunteer Center chooses a student leader for each Project Serve site, as well as student teams that dedicate themselves to absorbing all the communities have to offer.
“At Pepperdine, we hope that things like Project Serve that you partake in leads you down a new path toward justice,” Thompson said.
Service (and adventure) awaits
Many of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center events aim to create social understanding through the service opportunities. Bergeron spoke on the “Social Change Idea” that creates a lens for their work.
“The most evident example of change within students after service are the students that change their trajectory,” Thompson said. “They ultimately realize they want to change their mindset.”
Pepperdine junior business administration major Adam Babcock is one such student impacted by a service mindset.
“I strive to serve Christ and others in all future business I do,” Babcock said. “When we serve, we serve God’s Kingdom as well.”
Thompson discussed that oftentimes he sees students follow in his footsteps by choosing to serve globally or in missions work.
“Some students that use post-graduate time toward service directly go into civil programs like AmeriCorps,” Thompson said. “Some go on to do missionary work around the globe.”
SarahBryanne Welbaum wrote this story in Dr. Christina Littlefield’s fall 2016 Jour 241 class.
