Entering Duke my freshman fall, I had high aspirations to be a math professor in the future. I decided Educ101 would be a wonderful way to begin making my way towards those goals, but I had no idea that it was a service-learning course. And I had no idea how my next semester would be changed by this experience. I chose to help ESL students in the Durham School of the Arts in 10th grade mathematics twice a week as my service-learning component. At first, I wasn’t comfortable. I had no idea what to expect, and the students didn’t seem to acknowledge me. However, as the semester went on, I created relationships with the students and was able to watch their mathematics skills grow. Being able to see this change is what inspired me to continue volunteering through Partners for Success the following semester as well as take another Education service-learning course next semester! The memories you make with the students will last forever with you and with them.
