Sydney Marsh from Mt Vernon, MO and Kristen Pond from Plano, TX are U of A students majoring in Hospitality Innovation. In fall 2018, they joined Dr. Wang’s service learning […]
Sydney Marsh from Mt Vernon, MO and Kristen Pond from Plano, TX are U of A students majoring in Hospitality Innovation. In fall 2018, they joined Dr. Wang’s service learning course HESC 455V Special Topics: Festival Management and Analysis. Here’s what they say about their service learning experiences!
Kristen and I smile at the memory of the War Eagle Fair!
Is it your first time taking a service learning course?
Yes
Describe ways in which the service learning experience is different from the traditional classroom approach to learning.
We were able to gain hands on experience and demonstrate our knowledge from the classroom to real life situations.
Describe a time when you had to use problem-solving skills during your experience.
When the vendors were hard to approach we had to come up with different strategies on how to get them to interact with us and other guests at the fair.
In your opinion, what are the biggest benefits of service learning courses? And what was your biggest take?
The hands on experience and immersing yourself in the different core objectives of the course. Plus, the knowledge from the trail-and-error of the implementation of what we learned in the classroom.
Describe your most moving experience during your service-learning course.
The interactions with the vendors while working the fair. It was very eye opening to be able to interact in their culture and hear their moving stories.
What is your number one piece of advice you would offer to a future service-learning student?
Be prepared to work on a trial-and-error basis, not everything you learn in the classroom will relate to the service learning experience.