{"280321":{"#nid":"280321","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Perkins Connects Volunteers Across Campus","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom alternative spring breaks (ASBs) to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, there are so many volunteer opportunities for students on campus it can be a little overwhelming. That\u2019s where Sarah Perkins comes into the picture.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThere are many initiatives across campus to support community service efforts,\u201d said Perkins, civic engagement coordinator in the Office of Leadership and Civic Engagement. \u201cIn my role, I work with colleagues in Academic Affairs, Government and Community Relations, and other areas to unify efforts and build capacity. And I\u2019m here to help students find service opportunities that are an appropriate fit for them or their student organization.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn particular, Perkins advises three student organizations including Mobilizing Opportunities for Volunteer Experience (Georgia Tech\u2019s umbrella organization for a variety of volunteer opportunities), ASBs, and the Community Service Council. Leadership and Civic Engagement also provides support for all chartered student organizations across campus. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cPart of my day might be spent connecting community partners with our students, while the other part might be spent meeting with students and teaching best practices such as community service event planning strategies and risk management policies on topics such as bringing minors to campus,\u201d she added. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, we had a chance to learn more about Perkins and her time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be as a child?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI knew I wanted to be a teacher. (I taught a lot of lessons to my stuffed animals!) \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow did you end up in your current position?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIn college, I participated in ASBs and led service trips for high school students through a company called Overland. When I graduated, I knew I didn\u2019t want to go to graduate school right away and decided to apply for an AmeriCorps position. So, I moved to Boston and served as a Massachusetts Campus Compact AmeriCorps*VISTA member at Lesley University\u2019s Office of Community Service. for two years. By the end of this time, I knew I wanted to work in higher education and went to North Carolina State to earn a master\u2019s in higher education administration. I graduated in spring 2011 and took my current position that June. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is one thing you want people to know about your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EWe define civic engagement broadly to encompass the different ways that students can promote positive social change. For example, I often speak of a \u201cspectrum of service,\u201d and by that, I mean that we have a spectrum of types of service (i.e., direct service, advocacy, and philanthropy), a spectrum of issues addressed, and a spectrum of the time commitment one might contribute.\u0026nbsp; We strive to offer multiple entry points for students to meaningfully engage.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is the most satisfying part of your job?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EIt has to be working with students who are so committed and to see how their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) focus impacts their service work. For example, we were taking an ASB trip to Tuscaloosa to help rebuild after the tornados that occurred in April 2011. On one student\u2019s application, she indicated that she was a civil engineering major and wanted to go on the trip because she thought the trip would help her understand how what she was learning in class would apply to disaster relief work. Amazing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIf you could have dinner with anyone \u2014 dead or alive \u2014 who would it be?\u003C\/strong\u003E \u003Cbr \/\u003EI would love to meet Michelle Obama. She founded the Office of Community Service at the University of Chicago, and I\u2019d want to discuss that experience with her and learn more about her early public service work.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to eat lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHankook Taqueria. I order whatever the special is that day. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something unique about yourself.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI love pictures and scrapbooks. My husband and I have an Adventure Book like the characters in the movie, Up. We\u2019ve been friends since seventh grade, so we have lots of funny photos and memories captured in it.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFrom alternative spring breaks (ASBs) to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, there are so many volunteer opportunities for students on campus it can be a little overwhelming. That\u2019s where Sarah Perkins comes into the picture.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"From alternative spring breaks (ASBs) to the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, there are so many volunteer opportunities for students on campus it can be a little overwhelming."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2014-03-04 11:31:44","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:58","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-03-03T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"280031":{"id":"280031","type":"image","title":"Sarah Perkins","body":null,"created":"1449244184","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:49:44","changed":"1475894973","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:33","alt":"Sarah Perkins","file":{"fid":"198895","name":"sp_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sp_0_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/sp_0_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1235362,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/sp_0_0.jpg?itok=96eJLbWD"}}},"media_ids":["280031"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"40361","name":"office of leadership and civic engagement"},{"id":"171325","name":"Sarah Perkins"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}