Dedicated student volunteers find niche

Stephanie Chan doesn’t have time to stop volunteering.

She put much more than 26 hours of work into Dance Marathon earlier this year. As a dancer captain, she worked for months preparing and motivating her dancers for the big event.

But dancing has been set aside for the moment as she focuses on promoting Run/Walk as its in-reach chair.

And as soon as Run/Walk wraps up this weekend, Chan will turn her attention to Gamma Phi Beta’s Crescent Classic; after all, as philanthropy chair for her sorority, she is fundamental in planning the annual fundraiser.

In terms of her motivation for taking on these roles, Chan, a second-year math and economics student, said, “It was just that we as college students have such a potential to make a difference.”

Students’ reasons for taking on volunteer and philanthropic work may vary, but once those special few start dedicating their time to helping others, they often find tearing themselves away more difficult than the work itself.

Lori Vogelgesang, a research analyst for the Office of Residential Life who also worked for 10 years at the UCLA Higher Education Research Institute, said students could develop what other researchers have called a “habit of volunteering.”

Vogelgesang was involved in a service-learning study that followed a group over a 10-year period, beginning with their entry to college. She said the study found that service during college was as good a predictor of post-college volunteering as was service-learning coursework.

The study also found that 82.5 percent of volunteers said they wanted to help others whereas only 7 percent were motivated by a desire to change laws.

During her first year, Chan was inspired to join a publicity committee for Dance Marathon after seeing her resident assistant’s involvement. She joined Run/Walk after seeing other students’ publicity efforts.

Chan said that, as an event’s date gets closer, she spends “maybe eight to 10 hours a week” working for it, though she regularly spends four to five hours a week on various volunteer projects.

Diana Ionescu, a third-year international development studies student and a coordinator for the Social Justice Alliance, joined the organization during her first year after hearing about its Food Not Bombs campaign.

A member of the alliance invited her to a meeting, and the rest, for Ionescu, was history.

Vogelgesang said that researchers have documented the power of invitation as a very powerful motivator among the adult population.

“People don’t often just walk up to an organization and say, “˜I’m here to help,'” she said. “Having a friend who is involved kind of gives you the courage to go to that first meeting.”

Publicity efforts and invitations may be enough to draw in students, but it is more challenging to determine what makes certain volunteers dedicate all of their free time to helping others.

“There’s this weird thing where I get involved in an organization, and then I end up in leadership roles or roles with a lot of responsibility,” Ionescu said.

“I think if you care about justice generally, if you care about one thing, you’re going to care about others,” she added, which may explain the 10 hours she spends a week on work for Social Justice Alliance in addition to her work as co-chair of the sustainability committee for the Jazz/Reggae Festival.

Volunteers may also enjoy working with other students as committed as they are. Ionescu said she stayed involved with the Social Justice Alliance because of the close group of about 10 core members.

“Part of (my motivation) was the friends that I made there. … And I really thought that the causes were important. The group is very open to different things,” she said, explaining that members feel comfortable suggesting new ideas.

Chan was quick to acknowledge that her own work is always part of a larger whole. “I want to emphasize that it’s not just my individual effort. … I don’t think people realize that, behind the scenes, so many people are involved,” she said.

Vogelgesang, who, incidentally, joined the Peace Corps after her own college experience, said, “Students are finding a niche in their experience … and they always ask people who can to do more.”

When they have so many causes to support, some student volunteers may find that classes can get pushed to the side in the run-up to big events.

“It’s kind of been a nonstop year,” said Chan. “Before Dance Marathon actually happened, I kind of had to think about all three, but I guess it’s good that they’re spread apart.”

Still, these students are more concerned that their events be successful in reaching other students.

“I think that’s the main goal of these philanthropic events, to … raise funds,” Chan said. “There’s always a pressure in the back of your mind; you wonder if people won’t come.”

She said that, at times, her activities “seem like a lot to do overall,” but she finds the end results worthwhile.

“(It) is just always helpful to think about what the final goal is. If you just think about the day-to-day, you don’t feel as satisfied,” Chan said.

Ionescu said she sometimes feels “a little too busy,” but she intends to maintain her level of commitment.

“I end up getting things done, but I feel like there’s more I could have done,” she said.

But, for Ionescu, the work is all part of the learning experience.

“I consider it worthwhile,” she said. “I think I’m learning more from the extracurricular stuff I do … that complements the broader issues that we learn about in class.”

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *