All entering students take UW 1020, a four-credit course to enable students to write effectively in various contexts, within the university and beyond. In Professor Pamela Presser's sections of this course, students seek to deepen their understanding of identity and composition of consciousness through service with organizations within the DC community. Students explore how service shapes their own identities. Students serve with many organizations including: Brotherhood Synagogue; City Gate, Inc.; Bread for the City; Francis on the Hill; Little Friends for Peace; Peace 4 Kids; Reading Partners; and the Smithsonian Transcription Center, etc.
For information about Community Engaged Scholarship at GW: https://go.gwu.edu/cesc
Fall 2023
Professor: Pamela Presser
Students Reporting: 52
Time Reported: 719.37
Community Partners:
Francis on the Hill, Smithsonian Transcription Center, FRESHFARM Foodprints, Capital Area Food Bank, Ward 8 Woods, and many others.
Student Comments:
“Overall, this was an incredible experience and I felt as though I was able to have a positive impact on the school. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a grade school in my community, because both a working library and access to supplies offered in the closet will offer the students more opportunities to learn and grow.” - Student who worked with Plummer Elementary School
“I chose this service opportunity because the AlSama project works to empower and educate refugee women and children, granting them new opportunities. By volunteering to help these girls widen their English vocabulary, I am helping to eliminate language barriers that they may often face.” - Student who worked with AlSama
"This campaign was/is important to me because donating clothes is an easy way to help out someone through a small difference (which can make a big difference to someone). I enjoyed trying on clothes with my family (more bonding time over Thanksgiving Break), and donating 108 clothes to our local donation drop-off box! Collecting and trying these clothes took a little over 3 hours, and the rest of the time was spent driving to and from the drop-off box. I am proud of my and my family's achievement, but also would like to give a huge thank you to DoSomething for putting up service opportunities like these, that do create change!" - Student who donated at DoSomething.org
“Engaging in the Thanksgiving Food Drive alongside my fellow peers was a profoundly rewarding experience. Together, we gathered an assortment of essential items, ranging from succulent turkeys to creamy mashed potatoes and delightful sweet potatoes—all the quintessential components of a Thanksgiving feast. With heartfelt enthusiasm, we meticulously bagged these provisions, preparing to extend a helping hand to underprivileged families within our community. The holiday season took on a deeper meaning as we embarked on the mission to make a difference in the lives of those facing hardships. Witnessing the fulfillment and gratitude radiating from the families we were able to assist added an extra layer of warmth and joy to the festive atmosphere. Knowing that our collective efforts translated into tangible support for those in need was a source of immense satisfaction. This annual tradition has become a beacon of anticipation for me, and as the Thanksgiving season approaches, the prospect of giving back to the community fills me with a sense of purpose and excitement. Each year, the experience not only reinforces the importance of generosity and compassion but also serves as a powerful reminder of the impact we can have when we come together with a shared goal of making a positive difference in the lives of others.” - Student who worked with Leonidas Foundation
Spring 2022
Professor: Pamela Presser
Students Reporting: 68
Time Reported: 953
Course Description:
This semester, students made over 900 impacts in Professor Presser’s 4 sections serving in their local D.C. community. For many, this was their first time getting to do service in-person since the COVID-19 pandemic began, making it especially enjoyable.
| Community Partner | Project Description |
| Free Minds Book Club | With the Free Minds Book Club, students helped give written feedback to incarcerated youth on poetry and writing projects with other volunteers. Students also attended writing circles where they gave advice and ideas on writing projects via zoom to authors of poems and stories. |
| Latino Student Fund | As part of the LSF tutoring program, students helped reinforce math and English skills for PreK through 12th-grade students. Students met weekly as either a tutor or mentor with an individual student, building close relationships with the student throughout the semester. |
| Little Friends for Peace | Students had the opportunity to either participate in virtual peace circles with D.C. Public School students or with incarcerated citizens in Alexandria, VA. As trained volunteers, students were able to get the chance to learn about peace and conflict resolution through direct service. |
| Smithsonian Transcription | Students worked with and transcribed historical documents including field notes, diaries, ledgers, logbooks, currency proof sheets, photo albums, manuscripts, and biodiversity labels to help more people learn from these historic documents. Doing so helps make historical documents and biodiversity data more accessible. |
What scholarly projects were students assigned that connected to their community engagement?
Students worked on collaborative projects, an annotated bibliography, and a journal in which they engaged in meta-cognitive writing. As part of the curriculum, students also completed a final paper combining research on service and consciousness, which also pulled from students' lived experiences serving in the D.C. community. Class texts were drawn from several genres and included academic essays, autobiographies, and graphic narratives for students to draw connections from.
Quotes from students:
“I really liked this experience because it allowed [me] to take the perspective of people with much different lives than my own. It reminded me to not take anything for granted.” - A student serving with Free Minds Book Club
“This was a completely new and different experience for me but I thoroughly enjoyed every single part of it. I found it easier than when working with documents because I could just type as I listened and it was definitely comforting and a pleasure.” - A student serving with Smithsonian Transcription
“Through this type of research, I was able to understand that it takes a whole community effort to transcribe these historical documents to make them more accessible. Changing hard copies to digital text opens up many research opportunities for the future. It is very rewarding to be a small part of such a big community. Overall, I really enjoyed this process and found it to be very fun and rewarding.” - A student serving with Smithsonian Transcription
“I thoroughly enjoyed the work that I did and am hopeful that the time I spent will be repaid to the kids who benefit from Little Friends for Peace. I addressed envelopes to potential donors to Little Friends for Peace.” - A student serving with Little Friends for Peace
