SOL
From the Classroom to the Field, Turning
Points through SOL
An experience like no other—that’s how participants
in Service Opportunities in Leadership (SOL) describe their time
in the nationally reputed program. An intensive, 12-month academic
and research service-learning endeavor run by the Hart Leadership
Program, SOL attracts some of Duke University’s brightest
and most motivated students, engaging them in a summer of community
service book-ended by two semesters of study that instill leadership
and social awareness values.
After an intensive SOL semester at Duke, the 2006 SOL participants
headed to the streets of New York, villages in India, the beaches
of Belize, and even next door to non-profits in Durham for their
summer research projects. From the classroom to their independent
projects, the SOL participants found inspiration, confidence, and
direction, often in unlikely places.
Unexpected inspiration
Kate Guthrie never thought she would spend a summer in the South
Bronx, much less find academic stimulation and career motivation
there.
Like the other participants in the SOL program, Guthrie, a Duke
University junior and former varsity swimmer, spent the spring 2005
semester enthusiastically preparing for her summer research project.
As she amassed leadership and service knowledge in the classroom,
Guthrie mapped out a plan to work for a non-profit organization
in downtown Manhattan. But as she was packing her bags to go, she
got a call—her organization was closing its doors. She was
out of a job. Rather than panic or give up, however, Guthrie says
she used skills of initiative and adaptation that she learned through
SOL to find a new host organization. “I had to completely
redo a project I’d been planning for three months, in five
days,” Guthrie says.
What she found ended up being better than she ever could have asked
for. At the Women’s Housing and Economic Development Organization
(WHEDCO) in the Bronx, Guthrie found a new passion—working
with Sub-Saharan African immigrants, a largely forgotten minority
in the neighborhood. “No one seemed to know who they are,
what they need, or how to approach them,” Guthrie explains.
So she set out to help. She analyzed statistics and demographics,
interviewed immigrants, and formed focus groups to assess the needs
of the minority group. Based on her research and experiences, Guthrie
formed a set of recommendation that WHEDCO and other similar organizations
can use to help Sub-Saharan African immigrants feel welcome and
self-sufficient in the Bronx.
“Every single one of them I felt connected to,” Guthrie
says of the immigrants she worked with. “I have a deeper appreciation
for who they are, how diverse they are.”
Her experience in the Bronx, however, was far from easy. It tested
her on a variety of levels—helping her grow as a person, Guthrie
notes. “I was the only white woman I could see on my way to
work. It was crazy,” she recalls. “But that is what
SOL is about—doing things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“It is such a confidence boost to come out of it,” Guthrie
adds of her time with WHEDCO. “This summer was such a turning
point that I’ll carry with me through my Duke career and life.”
Tentatively planning to pursue a career in law and social policy,
Guthrie hopes to use knowledge gained from her SOL summer to research
a senior thesis about illegal female Latina immigrants and how they
form social networks.
Tying interests together
Junior Sarah Gordon likes “buzzwords,” as she calls
them. The Iowa City, Iowa native came to Duke with an interest in
the types of opportunities SOL has to offer—“service
learning,” “community outreach,” “civic
engagement.” In addition to other community work, Gordon began
volunteering at the Durham Crisis Response Center (DCRC), a local
domestic violence and rape non-profit, soon after arriving at Duke.
When she decided to join SOL in January 2006, Gordon knew what she
wanted—the chance to combine all of her buzzwords and DCRC
in one project.
“I was hoping it would be an opportunity for me to bring together
several things I had dipped my feet into,” she explains.
Over the summer, Gordon worked at DCRC to develop a volunteer protocol
for managing calls from children in a consistent, coherent manner.
After reviewing existing data and interviewing volunteers, Gordon
developed a new section of the DCRC volunteer manual that specifically
addresses issues related to crisis calls from children.
Echoing Guthrie, Gordon praises the challenging and self-directed
nature of SOL. “I saw things and encountered things that never
in my life did I think I could see or deal with,” says Gordon,
“I have a new way of talking about service learning and community-based
research because I’ve experienced it.”
Gordon still works at DCRC and is excited to see her protocol in
action. She also says that her summer experience boosted her desire
to research and support domestic violence response and prevention.
She hopes to eventually get a masters degree in public policy and
use her experience on the ground to inform social policy related
to the issues she has tackled at DCRC. “People go abroad to
learn about new things and cultures,” Gordon explains. “SOL
and DCRC have given me that.”
“What makes the program”
Guthrie, Gordon, and other SOL participants are enthusiastic, yet
humble, when describing their independent projects. They are also
candid and honest, however, when they describe the amount of work
they have put into SOL.
“I was blown away by how much work we had to do,” Guthrie
says with a laugh. “I’m a typewriter in human form!”
In preparation for their summer projects, the SOL participants worked
together in a public policy seminar taught by Hart Leadership Director
Alma Blount. Reading a book a week, writing numerous essays, and
engaging in intense discussion, the students pushed the limits of
their academic know-how.
But they also formed a tight-knit group, eager to share knowledge
with each other and prepare for the effort the summer would entail.
“We were often in dialogue with the professor,” Gordon
says, “But when we broke into small groups, I was able to
dialogue with students, to challenge myself.”
Guthrie notes that the members of the class—who had a range
of interests and majors—felt comfortable talking about tough
issues, from religion to social consciousness.
“What makes the program is the people. You develop a sense
of trust and respect that you don’t always find in a college
classroom,” Guthrie says. “To get this chance to reflect
in class isn’t always a part of people’s college experience.”
Guthrie adds that the group members still offer each other advice
and support, and that she is excited to be back in class with them
after their independent summers. “We all have different projects,
and now we’ve come back together,” Guthrie notes. “I
have this incredible network now.”
Participants like Guthrie and Gordon agree that SOL is a challenging
but defining part of their time at Duke. In the end, they say, the
hard work is well worth the invaluable benefits of the program.
“Finding out more about the world is part of everyone’s
Duke experience,” Guthrie says. “But not everyone gets
to take such an active role in carrying that out.”
- Seyward Darby, September 2006.
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