INVOLVED ALREADY

ECU Honors College students spend first day giving back

Published Aug 20, 2012 by
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The freshman class of Honors College students – welcomed to East Carolina University on Aug. 16 – spent their first full day on campus giving back to the community.

Led by upperclassmen and administrators from the Honors College, the 110 students spent three hours on Aug. 17 divided among six locations across Greenville. Sites included the Food Bank of Central & Eastern Carolina, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, the Golden Living Center, and the American Cancer Society McConnell-Raab Hope Lodge.

“We want to make sure that we are really stressing how important service is going to be during their academic tenure,” said Kevin Baxter, associate dean of the Honors College.

“All of our honors students are on scholarship…so we want them to give back immediately and – in some small way – say thank you to the community and region.”

More than a dozen students were stationed at ECU’s Willis Building, offering science lessons with GO-Science staff to visiting young campers. The focus of Friday’s lessons was the omnipresence of nanoparticles.

“We’re explaining things you can’t see,” said GO-Science Executive Director Roger Connor.

Arendell Parrott Academy student Anelisa Holder, 11, said she most enjoyed the station led by freshmen Honors College students Leela Goel and Natalie Malpass.

“I like how they made it fun,” Holder said. “We got to sniff the balloons and guess the flavor.”

The balloons – believed by most young people to be a sealed object because they hold air – actually have nano-pores, Connor said, which enable the smell to escape.

At another table, Kimberly Miskow and Jordan Thomas led a demonstration on gravity and air pressure.

“I feel really involved already,” said Miskow, an intended nursing major. “This was fun.”

“It’s a great way to get to know the people in the Honors College,” Thomas added.

This is the second year the Honors College has hosted an organized Service Day. More information about the Honors College is available online at www.ecu.edu/honors.