Esprit de Corps is a Service Learning course offered through College Nine and College Ten that gives students the opportunity to apply their academic learning in a practical setting in the community. Through Esprit de Corps, students volunteer in various non-profit organizations or schools throughout Santa Cruz County to gain a deeper, hands-on understanding of the social justice issues present in the community. In the fall of 2012, 22 students volunteered weekly at organizations such as The Homeless Garden Project, The Beach Flats Community Center, The Saint Francis Soup Kitchen, and more. Combined, Esprit de Corps students volunteered nearly 1,000 service hours over the quarter.
Esprit de Corps student Tiffany Vintayen (’14) is a Psychology major who has found her calling volunteering at The Chrysalis Center working with autistic children. Throughout the quarter, Tiffany worked one on one with the children at Chrysalis under the direction of the Chrysalis teachers and staff.
To culminate the quarter, Tiffany took her dedication one step further and engaged in a special project to “spruce up” the Chrysalis Center. She designed a creative scene for the space using hand made decorations, bright colors and textures and incorporated student work into her design. “Before the wall was completely blank. With all the colors and textures, it really completes the room,” Tiffany declares.
Tiffany is back at Chrysalis again for another quarter and has taken on a new project. She is in the midst of designing a brochure that lists the various resources available in Santa Cruz for families with children with autism. Tiffany’s “Parent Resource Guide” leads parents to various organizations that can provide their family with support. Tiffany has been very dedicated to the children, teachers, and staff at The Chrysalis Center and hopes to work with children with disabilities in the future.
For more information about Esprit de Corps, visit our website http://collegeten.ucsc.edu/cocurricular/servicelearning/esprit/index.html.
