(The Beacon)
By Michelle Chang, Guest Commentary -- The Beacon
As I prepare to leave my position at the Moreau Center for Service & Leadership to enter the Peace Corps with my husband, I have much to reflect on over my four years working at the University of Portland. I recall many invaluable memories as well as the inevitable frustrations.
I believe that the Moreau Center holds a critically important role in the lives of students on campus. Working in this department (as well as Res Life) has been a true blessing. On a daily basis, I have worked with some of the University's best, brightest, and most passionate students in the Moreau Center. These are the students who are going to change the world and make this school proud. These are the students who are learning to live the University's mission- teaching, faith, and service- in its fullest sense.
I have witnessed countless students transformed and inspired by Moreau Center programs, volunteerism, and service-learning. I wish I had a dollar for every student I've heard say, "This was the best week of my college career" after a Plunge, or "If it weren't for the Moreau Center, I would have transferred," or "I wish I had gotten more involved in the Moreau Center" upon graduation. In my time here, I've had the privilege to accompany the Nicaragua Immersion and the Border Plunge, and I can honestly say they outshine any academic course in terms of the amount learned and the impact they have on participants' faith and values.
Tucked away in the corner of campus, our little department might be the best kept secret at UP. And I think that is a tragedy. It has astounded me that the Moreau Center is not highlighted more often to visitors or given more resources to support the very programs that epitomize the University's mission. A number of faculty and staff have been invaluable, tried and true advocates of our work- yet others who proclaim the value of Service and the importance of Teaching and Faith have shown indifference. If you truly believe in the mission of this University, become the number one fan of the department where Teaching, Faith, and Service are at their best!
Our pinnacle fundraising event of the year, the Benefit Brunch, is a prime way to prove your support to our students and celebrate our work. I hope next February those members in the UP community who have been missing from this event will show their faces and bring friends, family, and colleagues with them. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch the video of some of the great stories that students shared at this year's Brunch here: https://pilots.up.edu/web/servelearn.
I especially want to thank all the amazing students I've worked with in the past four years. You're the reason we're all here.
Michelle Chang is the program assistant for the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership. She can be contacted at manson@up.edu
