Giving back

As a first generation or low income college student, chances are that your life has been touched by others who helped you get to where you are. This probably came in the form of those folks giving back in some way, like volunteering at a community organization or doing service work.

Photo credit: http://www.acc.com/

I encourage you to do something similar and give back in some way. Try getting involved with a campus- or community-based organization that does service work. Ask about volunteering opportunities with organizations you are familiar with.

If your college has a community service office, visit them for some ideas. Check out Idealist.org to search for all kinds of opportunities and get involved. There are some pretty sweet benefits of doing community service:

• You feel good about giving back while you are helping others
• Volunteer work is totally fair game to go on your resume, so it can be a boost to your career goals after college
• Through your community service, you can make valuable connections who can help you get a job later on and build your professional network
• It might give you the chance to find a mentor or be one to someone else

Volunteering is awesome, for you and for the folks that you help. I hope you get out there and give back!

Got questions? Please feel free to ask The Advisor about it.