J-term on the Hill, led by professor Douglas Epps, combined both academics and community connection by getting students out into Tacoma. Students spent time at Northwest Furniture Bank and Habitat for Humanity, participating in the humanitarian organizations daily service activities. The experience allowed students to dive into their own notions around service – and discover new ones in an environment ready to welcome it.
In an interview with the PLU Office of Admissions, Epps said that “In this class, we have pre-med, engineering, and business students – people from very different majors. But there’s a unifying thread: all of the students feel the need and the desire to support the community. It’s a reflection of the culture here at PLU.”
For first year student Chelsea Hesselbach, J-term on the Hill offered a chance to connect
and thrive in the community. Although not a social work major themself, Hesselbach decided to take the course because it seemed interesting and was a way to fill credits. As it turned out, the course was much more than a credit-filler – it was a chance to see the community in a different light. “I loved the idea of the ‘making the house a home’ message,” said Hesselbach.
Recently, Hesselbach landed a communications internship with Northwest Furniture Bank and is continuing to expand on their work from J-term. They recommend taking a chance on the course because it changed the way they saw the community and social work as a whole.
First year Junipero Hernandez-Alvarez shared a similar experience to Hesselbach, noting that the class helped them to discover their role in the community. Hernandez-Alvarez shared that they enjoyed conversing with their classmates to get different perspectives
while placed at different service sites. The class read “The Power of Serving Others,” by Gary Morsch and Dean Nelson, alongside the service projects. Hernandez-Alvarez stated the readings promoted “How helping others can give your life a sense of purpose and meaning that nothing else can.” They shared that the book “invites you to think about serving others in a different light.”
J-term on the Hill is available to all majors to discover their role in community service. “It
doesn’t have to start with super big actions or community service but even just doing small acts for other people around you, [these words] really meant a lot to me,” said Hernandez-Alvarez.
