What is service?

Service is fulfilling a need in the community. It is immersing into someone else’s world and learning from them. It’s not a savior complex; it’s a mutual partnership where people can experience each other in a unique way.

Siena Heights has given me that opportunity in faith- and non-faith-based service opportunities. There is nothing better than having someone letting you into their lives. True service is moving from doing a task to acknowledging the person you are serving.

It’s far too easy to get caught up in the idea that service is more like a checklist. A task needs to be completed, and I am here to complete it. Before going into a service opportunity, I ask myself, “Why am I doing this? What are my intentions for this time?” After the service opportunity, I make sure to take time to reflect on what happened during the day.

I take those extra moments to connect with people that came with me. I connect further with my community and explore how we can take the service opportunity back to campus and back to our lives.

Siena Heights University does an excellent job providing us with ways to reach our community. There are clubs to join, random act of kindness day, and alternative spring break trips. We are a community that is very lucky to have all of these ways to make a difference.

Service also has a unique way of making you very close to the people you serve with. It is like you are bonded in a very different way. Yes, you are still close with your best friends, teammates, co-workers and family.

There is just something different about the connection that you have when you are taking time out of your day to do something for someone who might not be able to pay you back. There is something different about the relationships you form when you are giving of yourself for the greater good to create a better world.

But what is service? Do I have to give an entire weekend, Saturday or Friday night? No. Service is something that can be experienced for a short amount of time. It can be sitting next to that person alone in the UC, helping with on service campus opportunities, or going to another location with Habitat for Humanity. Service has many forms on campus here.

Talk to someone about how you can enrich your college experience with service. Step outside of your comfort zone and make your world a little bit larger.