MTSU Volunteer Fair gives students opportunity to get involved, creates pathway to MT Engage scholarship

By Zoee McDow

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University held a Volunteer Fair Oct. 1, showcasing many opportunities to volunteer on campus and in the wider community.

Held around the Student Union Commons and coordinated by Center for Student Involvement and Leadership and Student Organizations and Service, the fair featured a variety of local organizations ranging from the Beesley Animal Foundation to Greenhouse Ministries to United Way of South Central Tennessee, and others.

A trio of Middle Tennessee State University students stop by one of the information tables set up by area nonprofit organizations about volunteer opportunities during the fall Volunteer Fair held Tuesday, Oct. 1, near the Student Union Commons on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Laney Denton, a senior majoring in international relations and Spanish with a minor in humanities, started volunteering with MTSU’s Relay for Life in high school, and now serves as the president of the organization, which raises money for cancer research, education, and prevention.

“I think that no matter who you are, volunteering can benefit your life,” said Denton, who leads meetings, communicates with board members, and runs the Relay for Life event that happens each May.

“We know everyone goes through hardship, so helping out just makes you feel good about yourself, knowing that you’re giving back to others and serving your community.”

Denton explained that college students make meaningful connections through volunteering, which she has found very enriching.

“… It’s a great way to meet likeminded people who also see the value in volunteer work,” she said. “No matter which organization you’re thinking about … it will be worth it.”

A Middle Tennessee State University student speaks with a representative from the Special Kids about volunteer opportunities during the fall Volunteer Fair held Tuesday, Oct. 1, near the Student Union Commons on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Ethan Estes, a junior majoring in history with minors in honors and modern European studies, served as editor of Lambda Sigma National Honors Society, a volunteer organization for sophomores. The group partnered with MTSU’s Counseling Services to provide workers for their Mental Health Wellness and Suicide Prevention Fair, as well as the June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students to do a clothing drive.

Estes said he helped plan events, gather materials and take attendance. He also wrote an article for The Diamond, Lambda Sigma’s publication. For him, volunteering is a way to help others while having fun.

“I’ve always been taught to value service. I think it’s both the element of being glad to see others satisfied and then there is a personal satisfaction that comes too,” he said. “It just kind of adds a little fulfillment to the academic grind.”

Estes has also volunteered with the Student Government Association and United Way. He said volunteering helped him learn how to work with people.

“In the professional sense you get used to… working with other people,” he said. “You see people with a lot of different experiences … it kind of broadens your perspective.”

Middle Tennessee State University students stop by the various information tables set up by area nonprofit organizations about volunteer opportunities during the fall Volunteer Fair held Tuesday, Oct. 1, near the Student Union Commons on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

Junior Lena Eccles, a nutrition and food science with a minor in honors, said volunteering is a great opportunity to acquire a wide variety of skills. She serves as the editor-in-chief for Collage, MTSU’s student-led creative journal sponsored by the Honors College. Such experience can’t be found within the classroom, she said..

“We have this huge campus, we have so many opportunities . If you’re a STEM major like me, you can go out and join a creative magazine and learn all of the trades from that, while simultaneously going to your chemistry classes. That’s really cool,” she said.

A representative from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, right, speaks with a Middle Tennessee State University student about volunteer opportunities during the fall Volunteer Fair held Tuesday, Oct. 1, near the Student Union Commons on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. The event was coordinated by Student Organizations and Service in the Center for Student Involvement and Leadership. (MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)

For Eccles, volunteering is also an opportunity to give back to her community. As vice president of the Nutrition and Dietetics Association, she is required to complete at least three hours of community service a semester.

“It just brings me joy to give back and to also be a part of something and feel like I have purpose,” she said. “When I see something that I can potentially make better or help make better, I want to do that.”

MT Engage invites students’ campus and community engagement, noted Julie Myatt, MT Engage director. MT Engage faculty members have students attend beyond-the-classroom experiences and then reflect on how their experience contributes to their learning in the course.

Eccles and Estes are both recipients of the MT Engage Scholarship. To receive this scholarship, students are required to create an e-portfolio presentation that details their career and education goals. Many applicants also choose to document their volunteer work in the e-portfolio presentation. The scholarship awards two $1,000 prizes and up to five $500 prizes. All applicants receive priority registration until graduation.

To learn more about the MT Engage scholarship, contact mtengage@mtsu.edu.

To find out more about MT Engage, go to https://www.mtsu.edu/mtengage or email Julie Myatt, MT Engage director, at julie.myatt@mtsu.edu.

— MTSU junior Zoee McDow is double majoring in religious studies and public writing and rhetoric from Fayetteville, Tennessee.