ECP Service Dossier Spotlight Series:
Avery Olinde, Fall 2024

student profile folder with coffee

Engaged Citizen Information

Codename: #FierceforPositiveImpact

Hometown: Walker, La.

Major: Biological Engineering

Profile: Passionate about giving back to the community, mentorship, STEM outreach

Service-Learning Credits: Nine

Approx. Hours Completed: 182


CCELL: In your own words, what is an Engaged Citizen?

Avery: An Engaged Citizen is an individual who has gone above and beyond to show their commitment to their community. Their passion for engaging with the community allows them to make meaningful impacts in areas of need. 

  • C: Do you see these values in yourself?

  • A: I do see these values in myself; throughout college I've done a variety of different service opportunities, and I've loved meeting the needs of the community I grew up in with each one. 
student with bags surrounding her

Photo Credit: Avery Olinde

C: To earn the Engaged Citizen Program distinction, you must complete seven credit hours of service-learning and 100 volunteer hours (along with a 5-page reflective essay). How do you balance meeting these requirements, especially the 100 + hours of community service, with the other responsibilities in your life?

A: I am very fortunate as a biological engineering student to have most of my credit hours built into my degree program. For the 100+ hours of service, I joined student organizations where part of my membership entailed community service. Much of my volunteer experience has been through the Society of Peer Mentors, an organization that focuses on K-12 STEM outreach and peer mentoring fellow college students. I also would volunteer with local organizations over the summer to get even more hours. I think being strategic about when you can commit time is key to ensuring you get the hours between your busy college schedules.

C: How would you describe your learning experience in your BE classes? Would you recommend S-L courses to other engineering students?

A: Absolutely! Not only do you get the chance to interact with the community, but you as an engineering student learn the very valuable skill of communicating more complex topics to people who may not have the same background knowledge as you. Two of my bioengineering classes had a service-learning component, and one that stands out in particular to me was a project where I got to teach a concept to elementary school students and show them experiments to solidify this knowledge. It was very similar to the STEM outreach that I love to do, and it was very rewarding to help these students understand these topics in science.

C: Can you describe a moment during your volunteer work when you felt like you made a significant impact? What made that moment stand out to you?

A:  It would have to be through the Geaux Engineering program. This program helps introduce incoming freshmen to the College of Engineering and provides them with the resources to succeed as a student. This is done through networking opportunities, information panels, and a design project related to their discipline of study. Over the past few years, I've taken on different roles within the facilitation of the event. These roles have allowed me to [guide] freshmen, and the most rewarding thing is occasionally running into them and seeing how they've thrived in the biological engineering program. It feels like I played a part in helping them become acclimated, and many of them came around to join my student organization that runs the Geaux Engineering program (and thereby continuing the line of engineering students who want to help and provide their wisdom/experiences).

group of students together

Photo Credit: Avery Olinde

C: Now that you're a graduating senior, do you feel like if you could start your LSU journey over again, you would still choose to be an Engaged Citizen?

A: Of course! As I said earlier, I have gotten a wide variety of volunteer experiences as an Engaged Citizen candidate. I started as a premed student and slowly transitioned my career interests into engineering. I first began volunteering with Geaux Strong, a program that teaches children with decreased strength and endurance to become better swimmers. And while I loved watching these children become more confident in the water over a few years, I was changing my career interests and wanted volunteer opportunities that reflected that. That was when I really began the STEM outreach and peer mentorship volunteer work. Through some of these experiences, I was able to explore these interests more in-depth and learn more about myself. 

  • C: So, adding on to that, what would you tell a freshman coming here, and they've never heard about engaged citizens? What would your advice be to them?

  • A: I would tell them that it's so important to get involved! During my freshmen year, there were limited opportunities (due to the COVID-19 pandemic) and I did not become involved on campus until my sophomore year. Once I did, I got to meet so many people and feel the joy of contributing to the community I grew up in. 

C: Anything else you'd like to share?

A: Like I was saying earlier, getting involved is so fundamental to helping expand your network in college! I think if you're interested in the Engaged Citizen Program, you should reach out to students participating and the staff to find out more. But if you are already putting in the time, why not also earn that distinction and that medal? 

 

 

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