Olivia Simonson knew the Honors College at St. Cloud State spoke to what she wanted out of her college experience.
The Bismarck native connected with their message of students not only being scholars, but also people that interact with their community as outstanding leaders that can represent St. Cloud.
A key part of that hands-on learning occurs in the Honors College’s classes on community engagement, which are a sequence of one-credit courses.
Students begin the first semester researching one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that resonates with them and relates to challenges facing the St. Cloud community.
The following semester they volunteer with a community organization that lines up with their research.
Simonson is majoring in English literature and plans to go into the education field. She originally did her preliminary research on nationwide challenges facing local school districts like St. Cloud School District 742, focusing on services being provided for students and their parents.
But then a diagnosis not only changed her research focus.
It changed her life.
Service with a Purpose
Simonson’s father Jeff was given a preliminary diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) last July, which she said immediately shook her family.
“There’s not a cure; you’re going to deteriorate really quickly and your family isn’t going to be able to communicate with you anymore,” Simonson said.
When it was time to do her volunteer work for the community engagement course, Simonson felt inspired to go a different direction than the education field. Working with Honors College Executive Director Jennifer Cavalli, she found a new placement at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital.
“I wanted to work with the VA because they deal with MS research, and I wanted to advocate for people like my dad,” she said.
Simonson volunteered every Friday for 2-4 hours, helping veterans with mobility issues go to and from appointments.
“My job was to make them feel at home in a place that wasn’t their home,” Simonson said. “I formed such great connections with the patients I had. They’re just looking for someone to talk to during that time and be a positive person in their day. While I wasn’t saving lives, being there for them is just as important as their actual treatment.”
It also helped her realize privileges she takes for granted, especially working with veterans who can no longer walk.
“There was so much I learned from them,” Simonson said. “I want to go back and work with them again.”
Instead of just saying she was there to fulfill a class obligation, Simonson was able to proudly say she was volunteering each week for her dad. Other volunteers were able to share stories of family members dealing with MS, helping her know she wasn’t alone.
“It was therapeutic; people don’t understand how hard it is not to be the one who’s sick but to watch,” Simonson said. “It really was a support system, and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
Community-Engaged Learning
Impactful service opportunities are exactly what Jennifer Cavalli had in mind when designing an Honors College curriculum.
“It’s a collaborative effort to improve all of our community members lives,” she said. “Having Honors be able to make a contribution to that long-term campus-wide effort is a really important thing.”
The executive director knew community research and action is an important component of that mission.
In a non-traditional class like “Approaches to Community-Engaged Learning,” students spent the majority of their semester out of the classroom at volunteer sites. This allows them to see how impactful sustained community outreach can be.
“These courses are about becoming embedded with a partner to help that partner achieve its mission,” Cavalli said. “It’s not about us in the classroom pointing out problems … we’re not solving anything, we’re becoming collaborators in whatever way they need us.
“I’m really grateful to all the students in that class, because they did the work of building what this class can be,” Cavalli added. “They really liked that they had that role.”
The community partners were invited to attend end-of-semester presentations, giving the organizations a platform to share their mission and co-present on students’ experiences.
When Simonson gave her presentation, Cavalli was glad she had tissue in hand.
“The Honors College is still developing, and to be part of that is amazing,” Simonson said. “It’s being rebuilt into something that involves community, and it helps people like me be a leader in a community where I didn’t know anybody. I’m grateful for that class and to talk about my volunteer experience.”
“Olivia opened her lightning talk with a selfie with her dad; I’m always so proud of my students when they do a public presentation because of the preparation and courage it takes,” Cavalli said. “With Olivia, that level of vulnerability was amplified. She shared her personal narrative as being the driver behind this engagement. I always feel pride when I hear one of my students present on their learning, but that moved me in a way I don’t think I’ve been moved before.”
It not only had a lasting impact on the audience, but also for Simonson herself.
“The Honors College is still developing, and to be part of that is amazing,” Simonson said. “It’s being rebuilt into something that involves community, and it helps people like me be a leader in a community where I didn’t know anybody. I’m grateful for that class and to talk about my volunteer experience.”
