Service Learning - You've Been Caught Studying

     As well as all of my other clubs, activities, and hobbies, I am a part of Alpha Lambda Delta (sorry about all the confusing Greek letters, Josh). ALD is a national student honor society that I was invited to join after my Freshman year here at MSU. With it, I have the opportunity to meet new students, network with community members as well as people outside of Bozeman, volunteer, and study, celebrate, and hang out with my peers. To make Dead Week a little easier on the MSU library population, our officers have organized "You've Been Caught Studying." This is mostly just a fun and celebratory thing. Friday, we spent a couple hours in the library putting together little gifts: it's a piece of candy with a note attached that reads, "You've been caught studying! Good luck with finals!" Throughout Dead Week and on the Monday of Final's Week, we'll have ALD members going around the library, handing out these gifts to everyone in the hopes that it will brighten up their day and week and finals for them.
     I'm not hugely involved with ALD because I'm so busy with a lot of other, higher priority things, but when I got the email about "You've Been Caught Studying," and saw that I had the times free, I jumped on the idea. As an English Major, during Dead Week I am usually quite literally dead because of the sheer amount of papers and reading I have to do (I don't have that many actual testing finals, just pages and pages of papers and analysis). My roommate is a nursing major and my boyfriend is an engineer, so I understand how cruel finals can be, and I wanted so badly to help ease students' stress - even if it's only slightly. Not only that, but I know that being able to take a break myself to hand out presents to random strangers would certainly ease my stress.
     Anyway, I walked into our study room on Friday ready to help put these gifts together. Not being hugely involved, I don't know a whole lot of other ALDers, so I was a bit nervous. I would be here for two hours, putting candy and notes together and conversation must certainly ensue. As much as I have branched out these past couple years and as much as I have learned and become more comfortable in similar - even more harrowing - situations, I still get a little nervous every time. I used to be cripplingly shy and that's not something easily let go of. Just last night, however, I had read the first three parts of The Leadership Challenge and was inspired by my own responses. I had preached this huge importance of community and here I was going into a room where I probably wouldn't know anyone. Being aware of this, I changed my habit of shutting down (crossing my arms) and went in with the goal of meeting and talking to five new people: it's pretty specific and weird, but trust me when I add that word "cripplingly" to shy; I used to be awful.
     Then, as I went in and said hi to everyone, I remembered also what I had said in my responses and in my values paper about community and shared values and interests. I realized that all of these people were here because they too wanted to help out stressed out students and that they were in ALD because they too were invited based on their academic performance. We already had so much in common. A few of them might even be thinking about how awkward it might potentially be walking up to a studying stranger and handing them candy, but that's beside the point.
     Now, I'm not saying that without Kouzes and UC202 I would have panicked and run in the opposite direction. I've grown a lot in the last year and have leaped out of my tiny, little comfort zone of my past. But without Kouzes and UC202 I wouldn't have been aware of how important all of these minute realizations are. I'm so glad that I have raised my awareness (shoutout to Annie).

Also, I'll be handing out candy to any studiers on Sunday, Dec. 8th from 1-2PM! So be sure to go study :)