What Our Community Partners Are Saying

Every time they come I am impressed by how serious they take the experience. Their curiosity to explore and engage with others in a new community is worth seeing. I personally get a lot out of them being there and involved. I feel like I learn something from them every semester. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I appreciate our partnership.

We are truly appreciative of the amazing collaboration and partnership with the Service Learning department. It allows our elementary-aged students to build positive relationships and receive mentorship from the Dominican students, showing them that it is possible to go to college and pursue a career. The SL students allow our students, many of whom are working below grade level, to receive individualized, one-on-one support with reading and homework. Our students look forward to seeing the SL students every week and enjoy playing with them during free play time and getting to know them. We have even been able to hire some of our former SL students to be After School Group Leaders in the program — this consistent relationship has significantly improved our program and has given us a channel to hire staff, which has been a significant challenge for us.

Our program would not run as smoothly without SL students volunteering with UP! students. SL students are important role models, mentors, and always bring positive energy for UP! students. SL students support UP! students through positive relationships, which is invaluable because for UP! students in particular, school can be a difficult/uncomfortable place and it is so important for them to feel safe and supported when they come to UP! This semester I heard a 9th grade student say to her friends “Oh wait we have to be at UP! today because my favorite volunteer is coming!” This is just a small example of how much SL students mean to UP! SL students are able to create healthy relationships with our students in a way that our staff isn’t always able to do, especially if the SL student shares a similar background to our first generation students. UP! can’t thank DUC SL students enough for the time they put in to supporting UP! students. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The partnership with the students in the service -learning classes this semester have been outstanding. I can tell by the comments submitted via GivePulse that volunteering at Whistlestop has given the participating students a look at a community they didn’t know existed or had little exposure to. The student delivering Meals on Wheels saw the isolation and loneliness of homebound older adults on a fixed income living in Marin. The 2 students who assisted in our ESL program saw how difficult it is to be an older non English speaking person trying to learn a new language at their age. The student who served in our Jackson Cafe, saw how important it was for the regulars to come in and get a friendly welcome, a healthy hot meal and an opportunity to converse with others on a daily basis.

Having Dominican interns at Senior Access is a win-win! Students are able to work with adults with dementia and memory loss, a growing population in Marin County. Building these relationships helps reduce the stigma of both dementia and aging and exposes college students to a growing demographic in need of support. Our clients really enjoy having Dominican students in the program. Their youth, energy and talents are appreciated by both the clients and the staff at Senior Access.

Service-Learning can be a crucial asset to the providers of any community. It role models academia to the participants and creates a link to higher education. Service learning normalizes the nonprofit world for the students as well. They get to see the “underbelly” of programs they might never have thought to associate with. The student leaves a semester of learning with a new experience that could impact or shape their future. That is priceless!

I would highlight the power of Dominican University of California students have within the Service- Learning program to connect their own personal stories to the stories of the marginalized communities as a means to promote a more equal, diverse and safer Marin county. This is the Service Learning program in the county that has the biggest impact in building community and promoting social justice. I’m hopeful that DUC students in a few years, while assuming decision making positions in their jobs, will be able to make better choices due to the better understanding of the community they will serve as per the previous connection they made with it during college through the DUC Service Learning program.

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