2012 ACADEMIC SERVICE-LEARNING ESSAY CONTEST
The Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) Student Essay contest, established in 1998, celebrates 14 years of student excellence this upcoming spring semester! This contest continues to support student achievement and the essential reflection process that is so vital to AS-L and student learning.
ELIGIBILTY
Full-time/Part-time graduate and undergraduate students who have participated in an AS-L project during Summer 2011, Fall 2011 and Spring 2012 on any of the University’s campuses are eligible to enter the contest.
OPENING DATES FOR SUBMISSIONS:
Essays will be accepted from January 9, 2012 through April 13, 2012. All essays should be sent to:
Queens Campus Staten Island Campus
Louis E. Saavedra, Coordinator of AS-L Jessica Cook, Associate Director of AS-L
Office of Academic Service-Learning Office of Academic Service-Learning
Lourdes Hall Loretto Library, Room 104
saavedrl@stjohns.edu cookj@stjohns.edu
718.990.6499 718.390.4357
STUDENT NOTIFICATION DATE:
Winners will be notified via e-mail, no later than May 7, 2012
ESSAY QUESTION:
St. Vincent de Paul has said, “The poor have much to teach you. You have much to learn from them.” Please visit the St. John’s website to learn more about our Vincentian heritage at St. John’s: http://www.stjohns.edu/about/vincentian.
The Vincentian Institute for Social Action (VISA) brings faculty, administrators, and students together to address poverty and social justice both here in New York City and around the globe. Please click here to learn more about VISA: www.stjohns.edu/VISA. Academic service-learning, which is a part of VISA, is a classroom based program in which students participate in community service activities as a means of better understanding course concepts, learning objectives and social justice. How has participation in academic service-learning made you aware of social justice issues while helping you better understand the learning objectives of your course?
Please be sure to include the following in your essay:
· What did you do when you served? What did you observe, hear, and read while serving?
· How did the service experience relate to the learning objectives of your course and what you have learned in the classroom?
· How did your feelings about the population you served change or grow after serving?
· How was this service connected to the Vincentian Mission of the University, to search out the causes of poverty and social injustice and to encourage solutions which are adaptable, effective, and concrete?
· How has this service affected your worldview on social justice issues?
ESSAY GUIDELINES:
· All essays must be academically relevant to the class in which it is assigned.
· Essay length should be a maximum of three pages.
· All materials must be the original work of the person submitting the essay.
· The essay should be double spaced with a 12 point font.
· The title page must include:
o Title of essay centered approximately in the middle of the page.
o In the lower right corner, student name; student X number; student e-mail address ; AS-L class name and course number; faculty name; and semester when course was taken
PRIZES/AWARDS
1st Place $500 Award
2nd Place $250 Award
3rd Place $100 Award