The Azusa Pacific Blog

Tory is one of the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research’s new Service-Learning Advocates. She hails from just down the street in West Covina; the youngest with two older brothers and one older sister who have all either graduated or are current students at Azusa Pacific University. Tory is a first year student, studying Journalism and Theatre. She is a professional actress as well as a dedicated student and SLA.

This is Tory’s first professional office position, and she is excited to learn more about this style of work. She has enjoyed engaging in the team aspect of the CASLR, learning to work with her “Buddy,” which is a returning SLA who is teamed up with her for the entire year in order to be her first line of assistance and support. Even in the best of circumstances, sometimes stressful situations occur. Tory is enthusiastic about learning from these moments, improving her time management skills, balancing her work at the CASLR with school and other life responsibilities, and how to say “no” when necessary. She is also seeing the value of learning from mistakes.

Tory sees that the work she is doing is not only good for the university and the community, but that it also falls in line with God’s calling and purpose for her life. She is constantly reminded to not compartmentalize her faith, but to make it a part of every aspect, and the CASLR is a great place to remind her of how she can do this. Tory communicates with several prominent community partners and faculty, and is determined to represent both APU and God well, practicing patience and understanding.

Tory is the CASLR SLA for Cougar Pals, which is a Service-Learning mentoring program that partners with Center, Slauson, and Foothill Middle Schools. Each APU student is partnered with a middle school student for the entire year. In the spring, on March 22^nd, these Cougar Pals will get to visit APU’s campus to see where their “Pal” goes to college and what it is like.

She is also being groomed to take over the TAP program next year, which focuses on placing APU students who desire to be teachers into K-12 classrooms to observe, tutor, and teach lessons. She hopes that by the time she leaves, she will be able to pass on these programs to the next SLA with progressively more efficient processes, systems, and structuring.

Tory’s Buddy, Liz, would most likely describe her as very similar to herself. They call themselves the “Organized Otters.” They are both list makers, love to make plans, and have difficulty when last minute changes or surprises come their way. However, they are also both so efficient, that when sudden crises do occur, no one could guess that any “fur” was ruffled. Tory’s top strengths are Learner, Discipline, and Intellect.

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Mary C. Pearce is the Coordinator for Student Professional Development Graduate Assistant at the CASLR, Getting her M.S. in College Counseling and Student Development

Marissa is one of the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research’s returning Service-Learning Advocates. She hails from Spokane, Washington; a middle child with two older sisters and 2 little brothers. Marissa is a Junior in APU’s Nursing program, where she is already involved in nursing duties, including home care and clinical visits, which keeps her quite busy on top of all her other commitments.

One of the aspects of Marissa’s job at the CASLR that she values highly, is being able to be a part of the connection between APU and our community. She loves being instrumental in helping to make these connections happen in ways that benefit both the APU students in their educational goals as well as the needs of the community, which advances reciprocal teaching and learning.

Marissa is blessed by her fellow SLAs, graduate assistants, and permanent CASLR staff. They provide her with the necessary challenge and support needed in order to enable her to do her best in a positive and caring environment. She feels that Christ is evident in their individual lives, and is therefore a strong part of the CASLR. Expectation levels are set high, yet grace is extended when objectives do not go quite as planned, and instead are used as a positive opportunity for learning and growth. Marissa enjoys the CASLR weekly staff meetings, which is a time for collaboration, sharing, and guest speakers, such as the Mayor of Azusa. These have all made a lasting impact on her undergraduate experience.

As a nursing student, Marissa has a unique role at the CASLR, where she is the SLA in charge of most of the APU nursing courses. She is, therefore, distinctively capable of providing insight on streamlining and updating how the service-learning components are run and to strengthen each of the projects as well as the processes. With these courses, Marissa works mostly with local hospitals, clinics, wellness centers, and senior centers. As a nursing student who has been through some of these service-learning courses previously, Marissa sees great value in immersing students in the lives of actual patients from their very first nursing class onward. She is, therefore, committed to continuing the pursuit of excellence in these courses.

Working in the CASLR, Marissa has learned how to better handle blunders, encourage others, find ways to meet others’ needs, and to not be afraid of making mistakes and instead, learn from them. She has also been inspired to take the service-minded and community driven attitude of the CASLR as inspiration in how she interacts with her fellow nursing majors in their program. She is coming to a new realization that this is also a biblical calling.

Marissa’s top strengths are Individualization and Learner. Her teammates at the CASLR would describe her as always willing to help out, scheduled, task oriented, and the epitome of a “country girl.”

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Mary C. Pearce is the Graduate Assistant Coordinator for Student Professional Development and Program Support  at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, Working on a Masters of Science in College Counseling and Student Development

Charissa is a freshman APU student, studying Psychology, from Torrence, California. She has an older brother who graduated from Azusa Pacific University, who also worked as an SLA in the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research. Charissa feels blessed to be able to be a Service-Learning Advocate, following in her brother’s footsteps.

She has loved getting to know her fellow teammates, creating deep bonds of friendship and support. Charissa has also gained a great deal of professional development as an SLA. At home, she works for her county’s Parks and Recreation office, organizing and supervising children in the summer. Being an SLA has given her a different work experience in a more professional business setting, which has challenged her to grow professionally and is preparing her for future, desired positions. She has also been impacted by the freedom to express her spiritual beliefs in and outside the office. This is something she has not experienced in past positions. When her training started with a devotional by the assistant director of the CASLR, Charissa felt an immediate and positive difference.

Charissa is in charge of most of the Physical Education Service-Learning courses, as well as two new Service-Learning courses, all involving partnerships with Azusa Unified School District (AUSD). Prospective teachers get the chance to be involved in classrooms from elementary to high school classes, teaching lessons and tutoring. Charissa’s goals for this semester are to continue to develop the strength and growth of her two new programs, as well as increasing her personal professional development.

Charissa has always dreamed of being a teacher, which has been reinforced by her opportunities as an SLA, facilitating discussion periods with APU students during evaluations. She is always encouraged by their sharing of life-changing experiences. Charissa’s top strengths are Empathy, Woo, Solver, Individualism, and Developer. She loves being able to solve problems that arise and is learning how to work best with people who are different than herself.

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Mary C. Pearce is the Graduate Assistant Coordinator for Student Professional Development and Program Support  at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, Working on a Masters of Science in College Counseling and Student Development

Nikki is a returning SLA, and is a native Californian from Orange County.  She is a Sophomore, studying Communications and Marketing. Heavily involved in many aspects of APU life, Nikki can always be counted on to exude life and excitement. Her bold and outgoing personality suits her well in her role as the undergraduate SLA in charge of the Fall 2011 semester’s C.H.A.M.P. program, which stands for College Headed and Mighty Proud.

Each year, the College Headed and Mighty Proud (C.H.A.M.P.) semester-long program introduces the idea of college to around 700 fourth graders from six local schools in the Azusa Unified School District through various activities. The C.H.A.M.P. program is a service-learning experience for APU students enrolled in EDLS 405 Diversity in the Classroom. This education course is designed to engage prospective teachers with issues such as race and culture in the educational setting. Each semester, APU partners with three elementary schools from the Azusa Unified School District. APU students are assigned to classrooms at the designated school sites to serve as college mentors to groups of five to seven fourth grade students. The APU students facilitate activities that correspond to the C.H.A.M.P. curriculum, covering such topics as college admission, financial aid, and career exploration.

Nikki and Amanda, the graduate assistant in charge of C.H.A.M.P., work with the professors, APU students, and school partners to make sure everything runs smoothly. They also run Visit Days, where they take the fourth grade students around campus, showing them places such as the cafeteria, dorms, classrooms, and other locations, in order to give them a feel for what college life is really like. At the end of the semester, they host a graduation ceremony where all the fourth grade participating students come to graduate from the program and declare to their parents, teachers, and fellow classmates what major and career they desire to pursue.

Visit Days are Nikki’s favorite event. Having to contact the different school departments and schedule all the different components has helped to enhance her professional development within the realms of her own career goals. Nikki hopes to continue learning how to plan and implement effective programming as well as working with children. She has a heart for reaching out to others and keeping a focus on God at the center of all her endeavors.

This spring, Nikki will be spending a semester abroad in South Africa. She will be facilitating the Service-Learning component for all the APU students who are a part of this South Africa semester abroad program. She hopes to continue her professional development, giving life and energy wherever she is placed. Nikki’s top strengths are Woo, Positivity, Activator, Includer, and Communication. With this combination of strengths, it is easy to see what a great asset she is to the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, as well as a vibrant and active APU student.

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Mary C. Pearce is the Graduate Assistant Coordinator for Student Professional Development and Program Support  at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, Working on a Masters of Science in College Counseling and Student Development

Reade is one of our three new Service-Learning Advocates (SLAs) who started this year. She hails from Colorado Springs, Colorado, a sophomore on the APU women’s soccer team, studying Biochemistry (pre-med) with a minor in Spanish. I sat down with her over coffee this month to get her perspective about being a part of the Center Academic Service-Learning and Research as an SLA.

Reade is a detailed individual and enjoys the varied tasks of her position, which provide a refreshing variation to her assigned tasks as a biochemistry/pre-med major. What Reade personally values and gains most from being an SLA in the CASLR is the rich mentorship and wisdom of the varying ages of women in the office. She also finds working with upper-classmen encouraging and helpful. She finds their experience an invaluable resource.

Some of the community partners with which Reade works with are St. Frances of Rome School in Azusa, where a COMM 111: Public Communications class meets with sixth grade students to prepare them for a Speech Night. Working with the Speech Night project is a special treat because she had the opportunity to be a part of this class during a previous semester and has personal experience of its reciprocal impact for both the APU students and the sixth grade students. Another of Reade’s programs is Angels Sing, which is a caroling event that BUSI 210: Principals of Organization and Management students help organize for Visiting Angels, an in-home care organization for senior citizens. This year’s Angels Sing event is scheduled for December 7 from 3pm to 8pm. Extra volunteers are welcome to participate.

Being a part of the CASLR team has influenced Reade both professionally as well as spiritually. Since she is a pre-med student with many years still to go in schooling, she has loved the opportunity to apply what she is learning in the community and to be able to make a difference now while she is still in school. Spiritually, Reade is blessed by the CASLR’s representation of the Body of Christ, all working together, utilizing everyone’s unique talents, and helping each other as one unit in a loving, caring environment.

Reade hopes to be able to continue contributing to the CASLR through her passion and intentionality to complete her assignments with excellence, and to leave behind a trail of small secret encouragements to the rest of the office staff. Reade’s top Strengths are: Woo, Achiever, Strategic, Includer, and Belief. She enjoys the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over to her cause by being a positive, passionate example. She is able to really get behind a goal or mission, believe strongly in it, and persuade others to join her enthusiasm. She is also able to visualize new possibilities and think through them in order to find the most efficient logistical solution to issues that might arise. Her SLA Buddies, the two teammates assigned to be her first line of help and resource in the office, would most likely describe her as independent, liking to be challenged, but not afraid of asking questions.

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The Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research (CASLR) at Azusa Pacific University now collaborates with more than 70 undergraduate classes each semester with a Service-Learning component integrated within their syllabi. What students are learning in the classroom is immediately applied in practical ways that makes a difference in the community as well as giving great hands-on experience to participating students.

The CASLR employ nine undergraduate students to organize all functioning components, including communicating with the professors, the students in each class, the community partners, and organizing all the logistics. These amazingly talented individuals are called Service-Learning Advocates (SLAs), and they are the hands and feet of this sizable endeavor.

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Mary C. Pearce is the Graduate Assistant Coordinator for Student Professional Development and Program Support  at the Center for Academic Service-Learning and Research, Working on a Masters of Science in College Counseling and Student Development