Moraine Valley students’ service-learning project helps them as they help others

Students from Moraine Valley Community College recently completed a service-learning project in their Honors Introduction to Psychology class, which gave them real-world opportunities to help with the issues of homelessness and hunger.

“The service-learning project is a hands-on and integrative way to increase students’ understanding of course material and to help them apply psychological principles through community involvement,” said Nick Shizas, professor of psychology at Moraine Valley. “Since a major focus for the Introduction to Psychology course is to help students understand the science of behavior, by participating in a community setting, they can obtain insights about psychology not possible by simply reading a textbook.”

The students, along with Shizas, met on several occasions over the fall 2022 semester to pack bagged lunches to be delivered to clients of the Bed Plus organization, which helps homeless families and individuals in the southwest suburbs. In addition, Shizas and some of his students helped pack meals for people in need overseas at Feed My Starving Children.

Shizas has included a service-learning component in this course for over 10 years, and he noted that many students who have participated in these projects over that time have reported they were some of the most impactful experiences they had while at Moraine Valley.

Harleen Pelia, of Orland Park, thought the service-learning project was beneficial. “I think it had a really positive impact on me. We didn’t only study the concepts of psychology, but we also gained knowledge about people in need and the way we could help. It helped me be involved in the community.”

Shizas expressed that service learning enhances knowledge students gain from the classroom and their textbook.

“It is a way to reinforce concepts we cover in class and to meet specific educational goals,” he said.

Yusuf Ahmed, of Bridgeview, said the real-world experience gave him a new perspective on the people they helped, as well as on himself. “The service-learning project allowed us to look at homeless people in a different light and understand they are people who have needs and emotions. In doing this activity, I also learned a lot about myself.”

Krisha Patel, of Orland Park, said the service-learning project provided an opportunity for students to work as a team. “You’re all coming together and working to do something good. We got to communicate and make new connections. It was teamwork.”